(Courtesy of Yedei Chesed) Yedei Chesed is excited to announce its recent chartering of a community-based Torah-learning program, a beis medrash tailored to men (ages 18 to 40) with developmental disabilities. The program will be facilitated by specially trained rebbeim and educators, harnessing limudei kodesh as a basis for vocational and life-skills training.
A core tenet of the program is helping students gain greater confidence in their places of employment as well as in their interactions with the broader community. Chaim Solomon, Yedei Chesed’s Day Services director and Passaic resident shares, “The uniqueness of this program is its focus on strengthening life, vocational and interpersonal skills through Torah learning.”
According to Rabbi Moshe Guttman, rosh yeshiva, “We have a sacred obligation to provide those living with developmental disabilities regular and structured access to Torah learning. The establishment of a community beis medrash program will make certain individuals with developmental disabilities are provided their fundamental right of Torah study.”
Although the pilot program will be based in the Monsey area, our goal is to create a model and paradigm for Jewish communities throughout North America, thereby providing the framework and curriculum to enable other communities to implement this critical program for individuals with developmental disabilities.
The program’s key features include:
Specialized educational staff: Dynamic rebbeim with training and experience teaching individuals with developmental disabilities.
Facilitating life and occupational skills training: Talmidim will learn essential concepts of Jewish living—e.g., Shabbat, kashrut, tefillin, tzitzis, with an emphasis on the everyday life-skills components
Forging new bonds: The beis medrash model will emphasize volunteerism and community outreach, including shared learning opportunities between community members and talmidim.
For further information about the beis medrash program or Yedei Chesed, please contact Andrew Schultz at 845-425-0887
ext. 222 or [email protected].
