Making selichot easy for the disabled
Yad Sarah has facilitated an accessible tour of Jerusalem and the Old City, enabling wheelchair users to experience selichot ahead of Yom Kippur.
Participants at the Kotel
Yad Sarah volunteers drove eight vans with 18 wheelchair users and their caregivers to Jerusalem, with the tour starting on the city’s Haas Promenade, offering a sweeping view of the Old City and then continuing to the Western Wall plaza, where participants were able to pray at Judaism’s holiest site.
In recent years, accessibility to holy sites, including the Old City of Jerusalem, has improved, but even so, logistical complications of transportation and parking can still be a daunting undertaking for both caregivers and individuals who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids.
The recent tour was part of Yad Sarah’s Mangishei Derech initiative, which the organisation runs to bolster accessible touring opportunities across the country. Through the program, Yad Sarah trains tour educators, such as Gilat Carmi-Shilo, who guided this years’ selichot tour. The ‘nechonit’ (van transportation for wheelchair users) service provides participants with transportation to and from tours, including many of the top tourist sites in Israel, such as Caesarea, Ein Gedi, Masada, Latrun, Jaffa and more.
The transport
“Since 2016, Yad Sarah has run over 30 organised accessible tours,” said Yaron Aviv, National Coordinator of Volunteer Drivers. “Though we took a short hiatus during COVID, Thursday’s tour marked our first selichot tour since the pandemic started, making it even more significant for our clients. We are honoured to help provide them with the opportunity to visit Judaism’s holiest site.”
“Yad Sarah’s organized ‘nechonit’ trips are a way for us to provide access to meaningful experiences and connect people facing similar challenges, creating an environment of inclusion, unity, and dignity,” said Moshe Cohen, CEO of Yad Sarah. “Particularly during the High Holidays, all individuals should have access to the sites and experiences related to the holiest time in the Jewish calendar. We believe accessibility goes beyond basic needs and is about creating equal opportunities in all areas of life, whether it’s transportation to the spiritual wonders of selichot in Jerusalem, a doctor’s appointment, or the beach.”
Yad Sarah is Israel’s leading volunteer-staffed organisation and largest nongovernmental social and healthcare service provider
