Zev at the Kotel for the first time
“I can’t say it was a ‘dream come true’ because it wasn’t even a dream,” says Miriam Kahn, a single mom from West Hempstead, New York. “There was no way I could picture my son Zev ever going to Israel. Because of his multiple health issues it takes a lot of planning just to take a short trip, let alone send him thousands of miles away for ten days.”
When Miriam first heard that Yachad was offering a free trip to Israel for young adults with special needs, a gift from Taglit- Birthright Israel in conjunction with OU Israel Free Spirit, she dismissed the idea of including Zev. Though he wears braces on his legs he can walk with a walker, but he would have to be in a wheelchair for such a rigorous trip. Moreover, he is medically fragile, has had numerous back surgeries and can eat only puréed food.
But possibilities began to perk in her mind. What if she could find a way to make it work? Would Yachad take on the responsibility for his care? “I decided to go ahead and apply, to see what would happen. I didn’t really think they’d accept him.”
She had underestimated the perseverance, resourcefulness and idealism of Yachad staffers. Nicole Bodner, director of New York Yachad who runs the Birthright Israel trip, told Miriam she was willing to make all the arrangements necessary for Zev to go on the trip. Yes, extra steps would have to be taken, but she was quite sure that she and her staff could deal with them.
“They were great! Nicole was so willing to take on the challenge,” says Miriam. “I started getting excited that Israel would become a reality for Zev, because I go there often to visit my married daughter. All Zev knew of the experience is that I get on a plane, and I bring back pictures. To him, Israel was just photos of family members at the Kotel, not a real place.”
The first thing to plan was how Zev would have the food he needed. As it happened, Miriam had planned to be in Israel in November for a family event, just six weeks before the Yachad trip. “So I bought my daughter a freezer as a gift and I spent a few days cooking and puréeing and packaging food for Zev. I also prepared powdered soymilk in little packets, so the Yachad staffers could just shake them with water to give him his drinks.”
With all in readiness, she returned home. When the big day came, she accompanied the group on the flight. “It was Zev’s first time on such a long flight and I was little nervous about it. But right after we took off, I went over to where he was seated, among the group of Birthright Israel participants and wonderful counselors, and asked him, ‘How’s it going?’ He gave me a broad grin and a thumbs-up. When we landed, my daughter was at the airport with ‘Round One’ of Zev’s food supply, enough for their upcoming three-day trip to northern Israel.”
While Zev was touring with the Yachad group, Miriam stayed with her daughter in Ramat Eshkol, Jerusalem. She resisted the temptation to follow the tour bus all over Israel in her car. “I davened well that there should be no medical emergencies, believe me. But overall I felt calm and optimistic. The Yachad staff understood all of his restrictions and I saw that I could trust them. They were so attentive to Zev’s every need and determined to include him in every activity. I wasn’t sure how they would accomplish that, but I felt confident they would try.”
“Miriam Kahn was fantastic,” attests Nicole. “She kept us supplied with Zev’s food, including a thermos to keep it hot till lunchtime. Dinner was heated in the hotel’s kitchen. When it became clear that it was not always possible to do that, she supplied us with a microwave for Zev’s room. We carried it on trips with us. She seemed surprised that we would go the extra mile for Zev to join us in all of the fun.”
Like all of the twenty-four participants on the trip, Zev made new friends, traveled the length and breadth of Israel, visited a chocolate factory, took the cable car to the top of Masada, took in parks, danced, played the drums, and went jeep-riding in the Negev. “We had to be mindful that Zev had back surgery, so he rode in a jeep that stayed on the road, rather than bumping over the sand, but we all met at the same destination,” Nicole explains. At Beit Hagalgalim (House of Wheels), a recreational/ educational center for children with physical challenges in wheelchairs, the Yachad group prepared flowerpots to landscape the site. Then one of the Yachad participants suggested painting them, to make them even more beautiful. Zev painted happily along with the rest – even playfully painting the face of a nearby staffer.
Zev Kahn & Max Cohen- Thumbs up at the chocolate factory!
“Zev brought laughter and joy to the whole group,” beams Nicole. “He has a sparkling personality and a great sense of humor. And he had a specific tease for everyone – like a high-five, or a thumbs-up he assigned to every member of the staff. Everybody wanted to hang out with him.”
The high point of the trip was when the group went to the Kotel. Miriam and her family were waiting when they arrived at the overlook from where you can catch a first glimpse. As two staffers lifted Zev up so he could see, his face lit up with recognition and he gasped, “Oh my God!” He had made it. He was at the Kotel, the Wall he had seen in photo after family photo. “It was incredible to see Zev go with the group across the plaza, right up to the Kotel and put a kvital (prayer on a paper note) in one of the chinks,” says Miriam. “Everybody was dancing and singing. I couldn’t stop crying.”
In the several months since they returned to the States, Zev keeps up with his Yachad friends on Facebook and Face Time. “And he looks at the pictures taken in Israel every single day. It gives him such joy,” says Miriam. “I had always dreamed of making Aliyah,” she confides, “but I didn’t know how Zev would adjust. Now that I see how much he loves Israel, I’m going to make plans. I’ve got to research how we will manage there, but from our experience with this trip, I’m sure it can be done. Now that would be a dream-come-true.”
For more information on Taglit-Birthright Israel: Israel Free Spirit Yachad trips to Israel contact Nicole Bodner at bodern@ou.org.
Charlotte Friedland is the editor of Belong.
This is an article from Belong Magazine 2014. For more information, or to receive your own copy contact belong@ou.org