ALEH pays tribute to its guardian angel

Since 1982, ALEH continues to be the country’s leading network of facilities for children with severe disabilities.

By SARAH LEVI
MORE THAN 400 SUPPORTERS from across Israel attended the ALEH Jerusalem Ladies Committee 25th Gala Event in Jerusalem last Monday (photo credit: Courtesy)
MORE THAN 400 SUPPORTERS from across Israel attended the ALEH Jerusalem Ladies Committee 25th Gala Event in Jerusalem last Monday
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The ALEH Jerusalem Ladies Committee honored the memory of its founder, Rivka Chervin-Weinberger, during their 25th Gala Event at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem last Monday.
“Rivka was a beloved member of the ALEH family and the greatest proponent of our mission to provide every child with complex disabilities in Israel the opportunity to reach their fullest potentials,” ALEH Jerusalem director Shlomit Grayevsky said “She was a philanthropic powerhouse and the guardian angel of our ALEH residents, and her legacy lives on in the committee that she founded to change the lives of Israelis with disabilities and their families.”
Since 1982, ALEH continues to be the country’s leading network of facilities for children with severe disabilities.
Proceeds of the event will go towards a multi-purpose family room in their Jerusalem headquarters.
The purpose of this room is to help ALEH Jerusalem’s residents learn basic life skills in a fully equipped kitchen that is specially designed for people with disabilities. In addition, the room will include a washing and drying machine, a stove, oven, microwave, mixer and food processor.
According to ALEH ’s spokesperson, the room has a “special purpose beyond helping residents to maximize their independence.”
“It will serve as a warm and inviting family room, equipped with comfortable furniture, games, books and specially modified computers,” she said.
“Families will be encouraged to visit, to spend quality time with their children in familiar surroundings and engage in normative activities.
“Reading a book from the ‘Talking Library’ collection, playing a virtual reality soccer game together, working on a joint art project – all these help foster positive interaction and strengthen the bonds of family.
This Family Room will be dedicated in memory of Rivka Chervin-Weinberger – a fitting tribute for a woman who made ALEH her family,” she said.
Chervin-Weinberger passed away in June, 2016. She was the founder and chair of the ALEH Jerusalem Ladies committee for 25 years. Under her direction, the committee hosted a number of fund-raising events that went towards ALEH.
“When it came to ALEH, there was always a sense of urgency for Rivka,” veteran committee member Susie Engel said at the event. “She understood that ALEH is not only helping children with disabilities but empowering their families and bolstering communities.
She never slowed down in more than 30 years, always pushing herself harder to reach larger and larger philanthropic goals for the organization.”