SHEKEL’s special visit to the Western Wall

The visit was very emotional for the entire group, and many at the Kotel stopped by to wish them well.

By HANNAH BROWN
SHEKEL’s special visit to the Western Wall (photo credit: SHEKEL)
SHEKEL’s special visit to the Western Wall
(photo credit: SHEKEL)
While a visit to the Western Wall is considered a basic religious/cultural/ historical rite of passage for Israelis, for many with severe disabilities, it was an impossible dream – until now.
Last week, the Petah Tikva branch of SHEKEL, an organization that provides work and living services in the community for Israelis with special needs, took a group of 35 people with disabilities to see the Western Wall for the first time in their lives.
Each person, accompanied by a parent or a staff member, deposited a note that he or she had prepared between the stones of the wall, a simple act that is a highlight of most visits to this site. The visit was very emotional for the entire group, and many at the Kotel stopped by to wish them well. But the passersby were not aware of the amount of planning the trip involved, which included special medical, travel and care arrangements.
“We are all on the same human spectrum,” said Dror Teitelbaum, director of SHEKEL Petah Tikva, addressing a group of soldiers at a ceremony they were holding there. “And we must allow people with disabilities to enjoy a normal life. We must give them the chance to enjoy and utilize life’s resources at all levels, whether it’s being part of cultural life, the economy or other areas of private or public life. We cannot designate them to Israeli society’s backyard. We are here to empower their abilities. That’s our message.”
Moved by the spectacle of people with disabilities experiencing the Kotel, one of soldiers expressed an interest in volunteering for SHEKEL.
Dr. Avi Ramot, director of SHEKEL’s Israel Center for Accessibility, which plans and implements accessibility in the Old City, said the visit underscored the importance of accessibility work in the area: “You see how making the way from the Dung Gate to the Kotel accessible to people with disabilities affects people’s lives on a very personal level.”
He was happy to report that “In the last couple of years, we have begun to see a lot more people who use wheelchairs in the Old City.”
He went on to stress that the main goal of accessibility planning in the Old City of Jerusalem is to ensure accessibility for the residents of its four quarters, as well as for anyone who wants to visit its religious and historical sites.