Introducing A New Accessible Digital Activity in Honor of The Shabbat Project
In honor of this year’s Shabbat Project, Israel’s pioneering leader and innovator in the field of disabilities, Beit Issie Shapiro, launches an accessible digital Shabbat activity to help all children, with and without disabilities, around the world learn about Shabbat in an engaging and exciting manner.
Beit Issie Shapiro is thrilled to launch an accessible digital activity in celebration of The Shabbat Project. This special inclusive activity was created for children with and without disabilities to enjoy and help them learn about Shabbat in an engaging and accessible manner.
The Shabbat Project is a global grassroots initiative created by South African Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein that brings together Jews of all backgrounds, from around the world, to celebrate Shabbat together. This year’s Shabbat Project will take place on the Shabbat of October 22nd-23rd. On this weekend, hundreds of thousands of Jews in over 1,500 cities and 100 countries will participate.
Beit Issie Shapiro’s brand new activity, launched in honor of The Shabbat Project, adds an exciting inclusive element to the Shabbat Project experience for participants throughout the world.
In the activity, children follow Gili through her Shabbat routine with her family. There are interactive activities including hearing the blessings over the wine and the candles, learning about the meaning of the word Shabbat, and even about Shabbat foods.
The activity is available in both Hebrew and English and was developed by Beit Issie Shapiro on the JiTap platform as part of IssieRoots, Beit Issie Shapiro’s program launched to make holiday celebration accessible for children with disabilities so they too can be a part of their tradition, families and communities.
Noa Nitzan, Director of Beit Issie Shapiro’s Technology Center, which developed this inclusive activity, shares “So often assistive technology is used to help the day-to-day activities of people with disabilities and overlooks the importance of play and leisure in their daily lives. Developing this inclusive Shabbat activity in a fun, engaging and accessible manner is a lot of what we focus on at our Technology Center. We are proud to launch this activity in honor of the Shabbat Project and hope families with children of all abilities from around the world can come together and enjoy, which is such an important piece of Jewish tradition.”
“A key tenet of the Shabbat Project is that Shabbat belongs to every Jew,” says Shabbat Project Founder Rabbi Goldstein. “This remarkable new initiative by the wonderful Beit Issie Shapiro gives expression to this idea, and will help bring the magic of Shabbos to all Jews.”
LINK TO ENJOY THE ACTIVITY : https://jitap.net/activities/gegn/play/all-about-shabbat
IssieRoots is made possible thanks to the generous support of The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, The KC Shasha Charitable Foundation and The Speech, Language and Hearing Foundation.
