Bizchut on Righteous Crowd this week!

Pre-pandemic - a small gathering of persons with disabilities

Pre-pandemic - a small gathering of persons with disabilities

BIZCHUT

The Israel Human Rights Center for People with Disabilities


Tonight begins the holiday of Sukkot. Rabbi Aderet Drucker of the Den Collective in Greater Washington, D.C., writes that "Sukkot reminds us of our fragility and vulnerability, and at the same time Sukkot also reminds us of the incredible power of community, and of what we can build when we come together."   
 
During Sukkot, we think of inclusion. Every Jew, no matter their circumstance, should have the opportunity and privilege to eat, pray and gather in the Sukkah. In this spirit of inclusion, we are supporting Bizchut, a disability rights organization in Israel. Bizchut works to enable people with physical, intellectual, sensory, mental and learning disabilities to participate as fully and independently as possible in mainstream society.

Read below what Suzanne Cannon, Bizchut's Director of Resource Development, shared with us:

Organizational Mission/Core Programs
Bizchut is the most experienced disability rights organization in Israel. We combine educational initiatives, community work, and legal activity to address issues central to the lives of people with disabilities. We represent people regardless of age, gender or cultural background and emphasize assisting the most disadvantaged individuals. We work on micro and macro levels: a) focusing on direct service to people with disabilities and their families to bring concrete improvements to their lives, and also b) representing the disability sector with government. 
  
Bizchut’s Response to COVID-19

  1. Providing personally relevant information to solve specific problems and emotional support. We witnessed an increase of 25% in the 1,500 calls we usually receive annually and drafted more staff to field the complex and time-consuming assistance.

  2. Extracting information the public needs to know and publishing it in accessible and easy to understand language.

  3. Interacting with the government on behalf of disability organizations to change and improve emergency regulations, ensuring service providers are meeting their obligations, and bringing to light the real needs and lived experience of people with disabilities in the crisis. 

Take a moment to watch two short movie clips that give a taste of Bizchut's activity and impact.

 

To learn more about Bizchut, click here.

To join/gift Righteous Crowd, click here.

Amy Benarroch