The new Shalva National Center building in Jerusalem, dedicated to assisting children with disabilities. (Courtesy)
One of Israel’s largest disability groups inaugurated a new $54 million headquarters on Thursday in Jerusalem meant to serve as a community and sports center for the disabled.
The Shalva National Center “is the largest and most advanced facility for children with disabilities in the world,” Shalva said in a statement ahead of the Thursday morning launch ceremony.
While located in western Jerusalem, “it serves people with disabilities of all ages, religions and ethnicities free of charge.”
The facility includes an accessible semi-Olympic hydrotherapy pool, a fitness room with specialized equipment and a 400-seat auditorium, the group said. It will also be home to “Jerusalem’s first public inclusive playground with disability accessible installations” and municipal preschools geared to serving children with disabilities.
Judoka Or Sasson at the April 27 opening of Shalva’s new headquarters (Courtesy)
Shalva, founded in 1990, provides services to people with a wide range of disabilities and advocates for greater inclusion of the disabled in Israeli society.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
The dedication was attended by Israeli Olympic judoka Or Sasson, who started a judo school for children with disabilities at the center, Mayor Nir Barkat, Welfare Minister Haim Katz and philanthropists from overseas.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat at the April 27 opening of Shalva’s new headquarters (Courtesy)
“The center’s cutting-edge therapy facilities have enabled Shalva to bring cutting-edge technology and therapy solutions to Israel for the first time,” the organization said. “Thousands of children with disabilities and their families participate in rehabilitative therapy, inclusive education, vocational training and recreational activities on a daily basis.”
Dignitaries at the April 27 opening of Shalva’s new headquarters (Courtesy)
Advertisement
We can't do this work alone.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
As a Times of Israel reporter, I’m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit’s. But my colleagues and I can't do this alone. If you value work like this,please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
