Celebrations!
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"It was the first time my son could enjoy Purim!"
--Parent of a child who attended our 2012 Sensory-Friendly Purim Celebration
Please join us on Friday, February 22nd for our second annual Sensory-Friendly Purim Celebration. Featuring a carnival, Shabbat dinner and service, this event is free and open to all families raising a Jewish child with special needs. Please click here for event details.
Click here to see a photo gallery of Celebrations! Sensory-Friendly Purim Event.
Celebrations! has been in the news! Click to read about our program in The Philadelphia Inquirer, e-Jewish Philanthropy and the Jewish Exponent.
Celebrations! is a family education program for children with special needs, thier parents & siblings at Mishkan Shalom. The Celebrations! class is a family education workshop meeting on 10 Shabbat mornings during the year, designed for children who have special needs, their parents and siblings. The focus of Celebrations! is creating the opportunity for families to experience Shabbat together and for children who have disabilities to have a Jewish educational experience designed for their learning needs.
Celebrations! offers two groups, one designed for children 10 and under and one designed for pre-teens and teenagers. Each session features a theme connected to the Jewish holidays and includes sensory-motor art activities, music, blessings and food. An option for Hebrew learning is included. Parents and children learn together for most of the morning and parents also have a 30-minute period together as adults to participate in a text study or guided discussion.
Click here to watch a short video about the Celebrations! program.
The Celebrations! program is designed for students who have cognitive, learning or developmental disorders, including but not limited to autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy and Down Syndrome. If you know someone who might be interested in the Celebrations! class for their family, please share this article with them or give them a new Celebrations! brochure (placed around Mishkan). To register for the class or for more info, contact Gabby Kaplan-Mayer at Gabrielle@mishkan.org or 215-508-0226 X6.
In October 2012, we are introducing Mitzvah Menshes, a social and social action program for young adults with special needs (approx. 18-30). This new program will meet monthly on Saturday evenings and will feature dinner, havdalah and a mitzvah project. Contact Gabby Kaplan-Mayer (info above) to register.
Parents who have children with special needs may also be interested in our spiritual direction groups for parents.
