The Orthodox Union (OU) applauds Governor Chris Christie for recently signing the Joint Purchasing Bill (A-3398/S-3089) into law. The bill, which allows non-public schools to participate in joint purchasing agreements entered into by two or more school districts, was the idea of Assemblywomen Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-37 Bergen) and Amy Handlin (R-13 Monmouth) and

The JCC on the Palisades, has always served the Orthodox Community of Bergen County. Many of us know the JCC as a conglomerate of Jewish life, however it has flourished into an amazing outlet for all facets of life, Jewish and otherwise. “Our goal is to serve all the needs of our Jewish population, including Jewish Orthodoxy,” said Rochelle Lazarus, PR director at

On Tuesday, January 28th, Rabbi Natan Slifkin, AKA the Zoo Rabbi, visited Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School to share with Ma’ayanot students his novel ideas about the interplay between Torah and science. Rabbi Slifkin was invited to speak at Ma’ayanot as part of the school’s Interdisciplinary Exploration initiative, which aims to provide interdisciplinary

It feels good to be at Yachad’s Vocational Training Program. I used to work at an occupational center where I fell asleep on the job. I did shower heads, where I had to put the shower heads back in the box. I did not like it there because I felt that I was capable of more. I decided to quit working there because they didn’t make me feel good.

Before Yachad

Now in its 28 ^thyear, the Yachad Northeast Family Shabbaton will take place on May 9-11 at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Connecticut. Registration is now in progress and scholarships are available. “This is one of those ‘can’t-miss’ weekends for a family of someone with special needs.  It‘s time to sign up,” declared Eli Hagler, Yachad associate

“Through the experienced and caring hands of the administration and teachers, our daughter has grown by leaps and bounds and achieved academic and social milestones beyond our expectations. Most importantly, our daughter has tremendous self-esteem and self-confidence and continues to amaze herself each day with how well she can thrive and excel.”—

Wheelchair-bound Yoav Kreim—a well-known leader and spokesperson for people with disabilities in Israel for more than 20 years—has led demonstrations, lobbied members of Knesset to pass legislation, and helped shape public opinion. Therefore, it was no surprise that Kreim was one of the lead participants and facilitators at the recent 2nd annual Israel

The Ruderman Family Foundation recently announced that Dr. Michael Ashley Stein, a visiting professor at Harvard Law School and an internationally recognized expert on disability rights, will receive the inaugural $100,000 Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion.

Stein is the co-founder and executive director of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability

Miami—Calling themselves “Team Power,” 14 counselors and two children fighting cancer who attended Camp Simcha, the renowned international camp for kids with cancer and other serious illnesses, trained to hit the ground running on February 2. The girls and women joined Team Lifeline, the endurance training program that raises funds for Camp Simcha, and ran in the

Friendship Circle (FC) offers access to those who may feel they are living on the fringes of the Jewish community due to the unique challenges of having a special needs child. A volunteer- based organization, FC aims to connect mainstream teens and children with special needs. Often, these children are unable to attend yeshiva day schools, leaving them socially

Over the past few years, OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services have developed their incredible Sibshops program for children with siblings who have a developmental disability. OHEL does not only help the individuals with special needs, but focuses on the unique needs of their siblings as well.

Ever since the inception of OHEL’s Sibshops program, the

(JNS.org) The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and the Ruderman Family Foundation plan to place young adults with disabilities in internships and fellowships at five federations across the country and at JFNA’s Washington office through the new Ruderman Family Foundation Opportunity Initiative. The program’s one-year pilot begins this