ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated:

A Japanese delegation visited Shalva, the disability service center, on Thursday, headed by Japan’s Ambassador Mizushima and Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. Since it was published in Japanese, Shalva head Rabbi Kalman Samuels' memoir about his son has circulated widely among Japanese government personalities and has been selling in bookstores across Japan. 

The memoir is called Dreams Never Dreamed, and tells the story of the rabbi's son Yossi, who was injured during infancy. As a result, he became blind, deaf, and acutely hyperactive. It details the story of his breakthrough in communication which inspired the creation of Shalva, the organization developed by Samuels and his wife Malki. 

The delegation met with Rabbi Samuels and experienced his work and his organization in person.

“I am very delighted and moved to visit the Shalva Center and I am looking forward to reading Kalman Samuels’ book,” Japanese Ambassador to Israel Koichi Mizushima said following his visit with Samuels.

“I am grateful to Shalva for the opportunity to come and see this amazing center and their work from up close.”

The Shalva center in Jerusalem has become one of the largest centers for disability care in the world, servicing thousands of people with disabilities. The delegation met with Yossi Samuels and conducted a conversation with him via an interpreter who signed words into Yossi's palm. 

“It is all about making connections,” said Cooper. “The fact that a Japanese Ambassador is coming to visit an Israeli non-profit for disability care is an important milestone. I believe it is just the beginning of various partnerships and exchange of knowledge between Israel and Japan in this field.”

The memoir was translated by Japanese writer and human rights activist Kinue Tokudome, who was inspired by her 2019 visit to Shalva. Tokudome said there is a lot to learn from Shalva's pioneering role in helping advance the care and inclusion to people with disabilities, and believes that the people of Japan will find important relevance in the book's messages of hope and human dignity.

The Japanese version of Samuels’ book was published by Japan-based publisher Isaku Taniuchi earlier this month and is now available in bookstores and online in Japan.