IDF Creates Unit for Special Needs Youngsters

Video Of The Week - Special Needs Youngsters Absorbed in the IDF - https://tinyurl.com/y276fpnu                                      

 For the full Article from JNS go to - https://tinyurl.com/mup84s58 

Most Israeli bands and performers would be happy to land a few gigs a month, but how many have clocked 500 performances in the past 14 months? Earlier this week, the Special in Uniform (SIU) Band of the Israel Defense Forces rocked the popular Zappa Club in Tel Aviv with their 500th performance in less than two years.  

The band, whose members are IDF soldiers with special needs, took to the stage of the prestigious entertainment venue had the audience on its feet.

Backstage, Adi Yehuda, 21, one of the lead SIU band singers, told how the rigorous schedule of rehearsals and performances enhances her life. “Being part of the band has made me the best version of myself,“ she said. 

“I feel comfortable on the stage, it feels like home to me. I love the music, the stage, the friends in the band,” she added. “I’m so grateful to be in uniform and to have performed for the president, the prime minister, the chief of staff, and to represent Israel to audiences abroad,” she added.  But the main motivator for Adi when she gets up to perform is to demonstrate that “we are not shy about our disabilities. This is us and we want to be in the army.”

That’s one of the major goals of the SIU program that has been supported by JNF-USA since 2014. The band is one component of a wide program to integrate young adults with disabilities into the IDF and into Israeli society.  Today the program has 950 participants serving in units all over Israel.

While the average Israeli 16-year-old gets a call-up notice and goes through a process of being assessed and assigned to an army unit, students in special needs programs are automatically refused.  

“SIU works with individual kids to find their strengths and together with social workers and psychologists, we make sure they have a place in the army,” Attia explained.  

High-functioning students with Asperger’s syndrome may find themselves analyzing maps or becoming experts in counting the multitude of components that make up the Iron Dome Defense system, while those with lesser abilities will be assigned to necessary work on the base in maintenance or in the kitchen.  Attia maintains that the greatest barrier to the integration of people with disabilities is awareness on the part of regular soldiers. “The goal of this band is to increase awareness,” he said. 

All young people love music, and when the band gets up and performs at a professional level, the regular soldiers admire them and see them as people they can respect and bring into their social circles, Attia explained.  Attia’s dedication to the integration of people with disabilities stems from a profound personal experience.  After an illustrious IDF career, Attia suffered a serious injury in 2006 and was hospitalized for a lengthy period, becoming despondent. The only person who was able to relate to him and pull him out of the depths was a young woman with Down syndrome.  “In the hospital, I vowed to dedicate myself to people with special needs,” he said. 

Eliyahu Natan is the father of Liya, 20, who has Williams syndrome, which is often marked by some physical deficiencies and learning problems, but also high sociability and outgoing personality traits.  “She’s a natural performer because of her syndrome,” Natan told JNS, “so now her whole life is music.”

Yoram Porat, another parent of a band member, shares Natan’s sentiments. Porat’s goal is to “show everyone that special needs people are different but able.” His daughter, Noa, has been exposed to people, places and experiences that have made her more independent and given her self-confidence, he said.

Jewish National Fund-USA’s Disabilities Task Force chair Gary Kushner praised the band for their tenacity. “Reaching their 500th performance is a remarkable achievement for our Special in Uniform band,” he said.  “Their musical journey serves as an inspiration to us all as they continue to break barriers and challenge preconceived notions about what is possible. Through their passion, talent and unwavering dedication, they have proven that disability is never a limitation when given the opportunity to shine.”  

VIEW OUR WEBSITE WWW.BRITISHISRAELGROUP.WEEBLY.COM

Coexistence For Special Needs Soldiers

 Video Of The Week - SPECIAL NEEDS IN UNIFORM - https://tinyurl.com/nrypj3ts

Arutz Sheva Staff , Mar 26 , 2021 

For the full article go to; https://tinyurl.com/cbe98x88

Jews, Druze, Christians, and Muslims are joining together for a worthy cause Special in Uniform marks formation of new IDF unit made up of volunteer soldiers from mixed Druze, Muslim, and Christian town.

Just before Passover, the holy day of freedom and togetherness, Special in Uniform and JNF-USA hosted a heartwarming ceremony celebrate the founding of a new unit in the Ami’ad army base. The base is in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel. The special story about this unit is that the volunteers are from the El-Basma High School in the Kisra-Sumei village, which is home to a mixed Druze, Muslim, and Christian population 

Military service is a rite of passage of sorts for Israeli high school graduates. It is also a gateway to a successful career and future. According to Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Services statistics, there are approximately 1,570 children and youth with disabilities in the Israeli Druze, Christian, and Muslim population. Many of their siblings serve in the IDF, yet these youths receive automatic military exemptions due to their disabilities despite their fierce desire to serve their country. Now Special in Uniform is offering these young people a chance to realize their dreams.

A revolutionary project of the Israel Defense Forces in conjunction with JNF-USA, Special in Uniform incorporates young people with mild physical and mental disabilities into Israel’s military. This offers them training and skills that empower them to integrate long-term into Israeli society and the workforce. The program accentuates the unique talents of each participant and places him or her into an appropriate setting within the IDF. Breaking down societal barriers and fostering widespread acceptance of social diversity, Special in Uniform focuses on the ability, not disability, of everyone. It encourages independence, inclusion, and full societal integration. Currently, the program integrates some 500 volunteers with special needs into 40 IDF aerial, marine and land units stretching from the northern Lebanese border south to Eilat.

JNF’s Special in Uniform is a two-year volunteer training program culminating in the graduating youths receiving their soldier’s IDs and being placed in military bases across Israel. There, they utilize the knowledge and skills acquired to perform important jobs on base. They can forget their disabilities and focus instead on their varied abilities and talents. At Special in Uniform, youngsters with low self-worth mature into independent, confident young men and women who believe in themselves and their abilities. Throughout their years of military service, they acquire important social and life skills that empower them to meld seamlessly into society and workforce. 

Basic training in the IDF culminates with a ‘Masa Kumta’, which translates as ‘beret journey.’ At the end of this march, fresh inductees mark their passage into becoming full-fledged soldiers and earn their corps beret. In the ceremony marking the founding of the new unit, commanders and soldiers from the unit hiked alongside their SIU comrades in an unforgettable Masa Kumta celebrating these young heroes and their personal and collective triumphs. At the end of the journey, the young volunteers were met by their proud families. Many had watched with tears in their eyes as their children were awarded their berets, dotages, and volunteer certificates.

Accompanied by the Special in Uniform team, the volunteers travel every week to the base. The day begins 8:30am sharp with lineup and a flag ceremony alongside the brigade soldiers. After this the volunteers join crews on base in the Teleprocessing, Logistics and Technology departments. Not only does the presence of soldiers with special needs on military bases increase their own quality of life, but it also benefits the entire army—and by extension, the nation. The genial natures of these volunteers, their capacity and desire to work hard and, above all, their perseverance contribute to a positive atmosphere on base that motivates their fellow soldiers.

At the ceremony, Munir Sayyad, father of volunteer soldier Hiadd, addressed the assembly. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Special in Uniform and the remarkable individuals who made it possible for his son and his friends to live their dream.

“At a very young age, my son suffered a trauma that left him with a severe speech impediment. He began in the special education school system, and we’ve continued there since. Since our extended family all serves our country in various capacities be it security, police, border patrol or the army, Hiadd always looked longingly upon his cousins and relatives, all who proudly wore their uniforms and served their country, and asked, ‘Why can’t I?’ Now, with this incredible opportunity, he finally feels like an equal, like everyone else,” the proud dad emotionally shared.

“We’re so impressed with this new unit from the Druze community, and especially the El-Basma volunteers who so deeply yearn to serve and contribute to our country,” said Kobi Malka, North coordinator of Special in Uniform. We launched the program here with an uplifting, emotional beret journey that left us all inspired. Throughout the journey, there was a unifying sentiment of being a soldier, of being an equal, of being part of a community. These kids are here for the community, here to give, here to contribute, here to accomplish. And today, they received their turquoise beret, testimony to their desire to do their utmost to benefit our country and people.”

NEW ,VIEW OUR WEBSITE WWW.BRITISHISRAELGROUP.WEEBLY.COM