Celebrating our Diversity

Israel Elwyn is at ‎Jerusalem-ירושלים‎.

1 day ago

Celebrating at the Katie Manson Sensory Garden – with Rhythm, Color, and Joy 🌸🥁🍓

Each year, we commemorate Katie Manson's, z”l, birthday with a meaningful and joyful sensory activity together with the service recipients at the Sabbah Center in Jerusalem.
This year, due to the war, the celebration was delayed – but we were determined to celebrate.

Today, we finally celebrated Katie’s birthday with a vibrant sensory experience: percussion instruments, sound recognition games, and a refreshing fruit smoothie to end on a sweet note.

It was a joyful and heartfelt way to continue this special tradition and honor Katie’s memory. 💛 ... See MoreSee Less

Israel Elwyn

2 weeks ago

We planned a graduation party with songs, hugs, and certificates for the excited children moving up to first grade. Even though we couldn’t gather in person, we didn’t give up on celebrating together. We met on Zoom—and our hearts were just as full.

🎶 We sang songs together in sign language
📖 We read a story that was written jointly by the Israel Elwyn residents and the kindergarten children
🎥 We said goodbye with a moving video summarizing a year of connection, learning, closeness, and growth.

This was a year in which our residents visited the kindergarten every week—sharing their life stories, explaining, playing, and laughing with the children. A year in which the children learned firsthand about disability, but even more so about abilities. A year in which we watched four- and five-year-olds learn to reach out, and speak proudly about the people in their lives who live with disabilities.

Even on Zoom, we felt just how real, deep, and meaningful this bond has become. And despite the physical distance, the farewell was warm, personal, and filled with love.

Gabi, who lives in one of our community apartments and participated in the project, shared this message with the children:
“Sweet kids, it was so much fun to meet you and visit your kindergarten. You always welcomed us so warmly, and we hope you’ll remember us and everything we learned together forever. Good luck in first grade! We’re so proud of you.”

A heartfelt thank you to our partners, dreamers, families, the dedicated kindergarten and Supported Living staff, our wonderful National Service volunteers—without whom none of this would have been possible—and above all, to the residents and the children, who made this project so unforgettable.

See you next year!

#IsraelElwyn #SupportedLiving #LulavKindergarten #InclusiveSociety #NationalService ... See MoreSee Less

Israel Elwyn

2 weeks ago

💙🌍 Yesterday, residents from Israel Elwyn and our dear friends at ETTA in Los Angeles joined for another heartwarming Zoom meet-up!

Our connection with ETTA has grown beautifully over the years, and since October 7th, we’ve been meeting every month for shared activities that bring smiles and comfort across the ocean. In times like these, every friendly face and laugh reminds us that true friendship knows no distance.

💬✨ Thank you, ETTA family, for the warm conversations, fun games, and endless kindness. Looking forward to better days and many more moments together!

#FriendshipWithoutBorders #SupportedLiving #IsraelElwyn #ETTA #CommunityConnection #TogetherAcrossOceans ETTA.org ... See MoreSee Less