Washington, DC, Jul 9, 2009—"V'Khol Banayikh: Jewish Education for All, A Jewish Special Needs Resource Guide," designed for Jewish educators and others involved with students with special needs and written by 1991 Covenant Awardee Sara Rubinow Simon, will be published by Torah Aura Productions in the fall. The book describes various special needs and provides educational options, including program models, professional development, and materials and organizations that can serve as resources. "Despite the growth of Jewish special education programs in recent years, there was a dearth of readily available resources that provided Jewish educators with a familiarity with the language and perspective of special education so that they could adapt it to their particular Jewish religious and cultural settings," Simon, along with co-authors Linda Forrest and Ellen Fishman, wrote in the book's introduction. "We salute the Jewish communities who have responded so generously to the compelling mandate of which we speak, that of making it possible for every Jewish individual to learn about his heritage and to participate in all facets of Jewish life to the best of his ability." The Covenant Foundation supported development of the guide with a 2004 grant to the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning in Washington, DC.

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