Thursday, August 20, 2015

Israel's First Special Needs Settlement Gets the Green Light

This is a wonderful initiative. 

"The strength of a nation is not measured by the number of its weapons in its possession, but rather in its ability to assist a weak population during day-to-day life...”

That's a silly platitude, a state's strength is certainly measured in weapons and its army, and Israel does just fine in that department. 

What she may be referring to is the strength of a nation, meaning the people. The nation of Israel-the Jews.

So, therefore, it's more that the humanity of a nation is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable.

"In an idyllic mountainous region in the Galilee, a veritable Garden of Eden for special needs integration may soon crop up on the landscape: Last month, Israel’s top building committee approved land for a community called Shibolet, a town designed for a mixed population of Israeli families and high-functioning special needs adults, clearing a major hurdle in its development."

"The vision, years in the making, would bring in its first stages some 50 families – most of whom have no immediate family members with special needs – and dozens of special needs adults, selected by the Welfare Ministry and the National Insurance Institute. The community will employ the special needs adults alongside its workers in the local services, and in agricultural tourism."