Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Beth Steinberg: "My Child, A Drain On Society? A Chanukah Story"

"A boy with obvious special needs, about 13, is accompanied by a teenaged girl, a couple of years older, to his after-Shutaf-camp program in Jerusalem. During the cab ride, the taxi driver, all smiles, chats with ease with his two travelers, playing the radio station requested by the boy with disabilities. The teen remembers feeling pleased at how pleasant the driver was, how accommodating."

"Upon reaching their destination and dropping off the boy with disabilities, the driver turned to her, a girl really, not quite 15 at the time, and remarked, “These children shouldn’t be allowed to live.

"She was shocked. She remembers the feeling, the horror of what she felt at his statement, made with such seeming ease."

"Who was that 13-year-old boy? My son, Akiva."