This week, Bnei Akiva Toronto launched Shevet Yuval, a special needs inclusion program, with a Beit Midrash program for teens and young adults that took place on Monday.

The inclusive study session was very successful, said James Williams, Bnei Akiva’s Shaliach.

The organization opened up their weekly Beith Midrash to teenagers and young adults with special needs ranging from physical disabilities to learning disabilities. The program gave the members of B’nei Akiva the chance to intermingle and learn from community members that were previously excluded from their programming.

In fact, the program was such a success that Bnei Akiva, the world’s largest religious Zionist youth organization with over 400 registered members in Toronto, plans on making the inclusive Beit Midrash a regular event, held once a month.

“In the end, everything was positive about it and we expect for it to happen on a regular basis,” said Williams.

Six or seven special needs children attended. They had different special needs, ranging from physical disabilities to autism. He noted that the session was a great experience for all the kids involved.

While beforehand, there was some apprehension about whether the Beit Midrash could accommodate everyone, afterwards, all involved felt like it had been a wonderful avenue to learn from each other.

The Shevet Yuval – modeled after a similar program in Israel – began when a number of B’nei Akiva families with special needs children approached Williams with the idea of setting up inclusive programming.

Bnei Akiva started by opening up a few spaces at their Camp Moshava for special needs children thanks to UJA funding.

Things progressed from there and B’nei Akiva approached the same families with the idea of starting a Shevet Yuval.

“We thought that there was a need for it in the community,” said Williams.

He added that very few inclusive programs exist in the Orthodox community.

The first inclusive program that B’nei Akiva held was a starter event, a Simchat Beit Hashoeva last Sukkot. When that event proved to be successful, they began to expand the program and the inclusive Beit Midrash was born.

Williams explained that they did not need to make very many changes to how the group normally operates a Beit Midrash.

“We ran it as we would be running normally,” he said.

Instead, they “set the level of learning to the level that the kids with special needs would be able to appreciate and learn from.”

B’nei Akiva will be running a second inclusive special needs program for children with a monthly Shabbat afternoon event in the BAYT for grades 7 to 10. There will also be other inclusive programs, including a Shabbaton.

The Grades 3-4 Mini-Shabbaton took place in a combination of the BAYT and the North Lishka.  The programming focused on the parsha, Channuka and Ethopian poverty in Israel. Motzei Shabbat everyone made channuka cookies with chocolate chips, and then enjoyed  pizza and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory while the cookies baked.

This past Saturday night, BAYT snif enjoyed an incredible Saturday night tochnit!

We took advantage of the beautiful winter weather, showing off our awesome skating skills! Following that, we enjoyed some delicious pizza and an even better mifkad. Everyone had a great time!

“Most definitely the most fun I’ve ever had” – Shira Eklove

By Shira Eklove & Ora Javasky, Roshei Snif

We sang and danced and sang some more, ate, and played some incredible Tu Bishvat Bingo!

Aside from eating some fairly interesting fruit that made some of us a little nauseous, we had an amazing time!

“I love Tu Bishvat!” – Ora Javasky

-Shira/Ora/Joel

Shabbat Parshat Yitro (Feb 5-6^th) Bnei Akiva in Toronto held its first inclusive shabbaton for Shevet Yuval, our inclusion initiative. This Shabbaton was organized and run in conjunction with YACHAD and DANI and supported by the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and Itanu Toronto. The Shabbaton brought together a group of 18 young adults with special needs with a group of 35 Bnei Akiva Shevet Lehava (Grade 9) students. The theme of the shabbaton was Achdut (unity) and was apparent not just in the sessions run but throughout the Shabbaton within meals, davening and down time. The shabbaton reached its peak with a beautiful Seuda Shlishit with Divrei Torah from Shevet Yuval and a moving and introspective story from HaRav Gemara, Rosh Yeshiva, Bnei Akiva Schools of Toronto. All this was accompanied by beautiful Shabbat songs that enhanced the atomposhere, bringing us to a spirtual high as Shabbat was leaving us. At the close of Shabbat Rosh Snif Joel Jesin lead a moving Havadalah taking us straight into a melava malka and talent show. The Bnei Akiva band Kol Ram played as everyone danced, with intermittent performances from shabbaton participants.

The Beit Midrash has hosted many special events during the year including a special break the fast learning session at the end of Tzom Gedalya and a Limmud Merkazi in memory of the 8 students killed in the terror attack at Mercaz Harav.  As well, once a month Shevet Yuval attends the Beit Midrash giving the students the opportunity to learn with chaveirim from this special shevet.

The Beit Midrash is crucial to the essence of Bnei Akiva as it truly exemplifies the prominent devotion to “Torah V’Avodah”.

by Margalit Bernstein, Rosh Beit Midrash

-Shira Eklove & Emuna Gemara

In a partnership between UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and a Bnei Akiva youth group, a new capacity building model to train and support youth leaders to include kids with special needs more effectively has been launched. The idea is that the youth leaders then become counselors, university leaders, etc. ultimately changing attitudes about acceptance and inclusion of individuals with special needs.