JESC (Jewish Education for Special Children) is providing Yiddishkeit to kids who can’t get it in a typical yeshiva setting. “It’s for families who want their child to have such a background,” says Shirley Bitton.
JESC is a three-hour Sunday school, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey (RYNJ). It was created 28 years ago by a group of parents who wanted a Jewish education for their special needs children. The school believes that every Jewish child deserves a Jewish education and that all Jewish children should be able to participate in mainstream Jewish life to the fullest extent of their abilities.
Currently, there are 40+ children at the school, the majority of them from Bergen County. All are cognitively disabled in some way. During the week, the students attend public school or private schools unaffiliated with Judaism.
Rabbi Yisroel Schwab has been director of JESC for the last 14 years. Despite his lengthy tenure, Rabbi Schwab relishes his job and says, “I wake up every Sunday morning looking forward to JESC.” Rabbi Schwab describes the school as accepting and welcoming and notes that they will create a program for any child. “We provide our students with a sense that they belong to something. They are part of the Jewish people.”
Rabbi Schwab is not the only one who is excited to go to JESC. Bitton says of her 8-year-old son, Raphael, “He asks, ‘Am I going to Sunday school?’ When I say yes, He’ll say, ‘Yeah!!’” The school has taught him to recognize Hebrew letters and say brachot. Ultimately, Bitton believes the school is the perfect complement to the Yiddishkeit she and her husband provide at home.
Moshe Kinderlehrer believes his 13-year-old son Zev gains tremendously from being at JESC. “He loves everything Jewish–davening, learning about Shabbos and holidays, etc. He gets that from JESC. The program gives the kids something they are missing. It allows them to have an education similar to their mainstream peers to the degree that they can handle it.”
Each JESC classroom includes a qualified special education teacher, a paid assistant, and a volunteer. The class sizes range from six to nine children. The school day is packed with exciting material. The curriculum includes some form of davening, Hebrew reading, halachos/mitzvos of Yom Tov, and parsha of the week. There is also a half-hour music class. Rabbi Schwab tells the story of one boy who only made sounds. The music teacher was leading the class in a song while the boy was holding a little stuffed Torah. While they were singing, the boy said the word Torah. “Through the music we were able to reach his neshama [soul],” says Rabbi Schwab. The older students have dance class so that they know how to be part of a simcha.”
Despite the wonderful and important work that JESC does, it flies under the radar to some degree. So say Bitton and Kinderlehrer, who both recently joined its board. Their first mission as new board members is to get the word out about JESC so that more students can gain from the wonderful services. “I’d like to see more growth and more people take advantage of the service JESC provides,” Bitton says. Kinderlehrer believes there are many other special needs children in the area who could benefit from the program.
Bitton strongly believes in JESC’s mission. “It’s a communal responsibility to support a school like JESC to enable kids who are not typically getting a Jewish education.” Kinderlehrer says that JESC is the only Sunday school program in Bergen County serving special needs children. “It’s a unique experience that helps special needs children get something that they can’t get at home.”
Bitton and her husband, Solomon, along with Kinderlehrer, the publisher of JLBC, and his wife, Dena, are the honorees for this year’s JESC Breakfast. The breakfast is being held on Sunday, January 4, at Congregation Keter Torah.
JESC charges a minimal tuition, and no one is turned away. The annual breakfast is the school’s primary fundraiser. Kinderlehrer promises that this year’s breakfast will feature a tight and interesting program and that the children will be part of it. So, consider coming to the breakfast or giving a donation online at http://www.jescnj.org/. Make sure that this wonderful organization has an opportunity to grow and thrive for our special needs children.
By Larry Bernstein
