Inclusion

“Every individual should have the opportunity to participate fully in their community.”

-Naomi Azrieli

As humans, we need to belong. To one another, to our friends and families, to our culture and country, to our world. Belonging is primal; fundamental to our sense of happiness and well-being.

The Azrieli Foundation supports a multitude of programs that promote inclusion, whether through housing, employment or recreation.

Inclusion starts with respect. Azrieli philanthropy is based on treating everyone, regardless of abilities, with equal respect.

Birthright Friends with Special Needs

“A most magical, empowering experience”

Birthright Israel is one of the most exciting, innovative, and successful initiatives in Jewish communal life, providing a gift of a peer educational trip to Israel for Jewish young adults.

The Birthright Friends with Special Needs trip offers a memorable 10-day Israel experience. This customized program incorporates as many of the Birthright Israel core elements as are suitable for the group, resulting in a “magical, empowering experience”, in the words of one participant.

Good, Old-Fashioned Summer Fun!

Every child deserves to experience the joy of summer camp. Trails of Summer Day Camp welcomes children with autism, developmental delays and mental health issues, ranging in age from 3 to 12 years old, and 13 plus, and have a 1:1 ratio of campers to staff.

Canada-Israel Inclusion Mission

“We were one community traveling and working together to increase inclusion in Canada and Israel.”

Reena is a Toronto-based organization whose mission is to promote dignity, individuality, independence, personal growth and community inclusion for people with developmental disabilities within a framework of Jewish cultures and values.

In 2019, Reena organized a trip to Israel to educate and inform Canadian leaders on the innovative work that Israel is doing in the area of accessibility and inclusiveness in the provision of services.

The Canada-Israel Inclusion Mission was organized by Reena in partnership with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and March of Dimes Canada. Over 40 social service agencies from Canada and Israel participated in the trip.

Pushing the Boundaries of Change

The following is an excerpt from e-Jewish Philanthropy, and was written by Robin Gofine, Linda Kislowicz, Liv Mendelson and Susie Sokol.

“Two years ago, four Canadian Jewish organizations (Jewish Federations Canada-UIA, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, D.A.N.I. and the Miles Nadal JCC) came together to mobilize their respective constituencies and look at the Jewish Canadian perspective on disability and inclusion.”