• Home
  • About
    • About
    • Policies
  • Submissions
    • Op-eds
    • News / Announcements
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

eJewish Philanthropy

Your Jewish Philanthropy Resource

  • News Bits
  • Jewish Education
  • Readers Forum
  • Research
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Jewish Philanthropy / Yachad Receives $1 million Grant for the Ralla Klepak Performing Arts Inclusion Initiative for Children and Adults with Disabilities

Yachad Receives $1 million Grant for the Ralla Klepak Performing Arts Inclusion Initiative for Children and Adults with Disabilities

February 9, 2020 By eJP

(l-r): Volunteer Yachad advisor, Shulim Knobloch, enjoying a quiet moment with Naftali Glenner, a Yachad Chicago member.

By Marcia P. Neeley

“Throughout theater history, the stage has been a place for people to communicate in different ways,” said Yachad International Director Avrohom Adler. “Performing arts programs encourage people with disabilities to find creative fulfillment while experiencing profound personal growth.”

The Orthodox Union’s (OU) Yachad, the leading group for individuals with disabilities in the Orthodox community, has received a record $1 million grant to create the Ralla Klepak Performing Arts Inclusion Initiative. A program of Yachad Chicago, it will provide a broad range of experiential and social opportunities for individuals with disabilities through the performing arts. It will be led by experienced professionals, community volunteers and peer participants. “At Yachad, we’re continually looking for creative ways to include individuals from across the community in our programming. The Ralla Klepak Performing Arts Trust gift allows us to do just that,” said Yachad Chicago’s Director of Development, Elliot Cohen.

Yachad member Naftali Glenner explained, “I like to act. I want to pull the curtain string and go on stage.” Yachad advisor (volunteer) Shulim Knobloch stated, “Our members love to interact with their friends and the community. The Ralla Klepak Performing Arts Inclusion Initiative will enhance Naftali’s life in a way that was previously unavailable. We are also excited to include additional community members in the program. We are so thankful for this opportunity.”

The Ralla Klepak Performing Arts Inclusion Initiative will create a unique space for individuals with special needs and provide both formal and informal education focusing on the performing arts. Those with disabilities will be able to participate in a high-quality performance space, setting the stage for acceptance, understanding and friendship. Yachad members with a range of emotional disabilities, autism and developmental delays, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, and other chromosomal disorders will perform and work alongside their typically developing peers.

Ralla Klepak was a legendary Chicago-based attorney whose career accomplishments spanned many areas of the law. For decades, she took on individual civil and criminal cases for people whom she believed were being ill-treated by the legal system, often stating that one of her chief concerns was to try and make sure, in her own words, that “the system worked for everyone or that everyone at least had the opportunity to have the best representation” she could mount.

“The Ralla Klepak Performing Arts Inclusion Initiative will facilitate the inclusion of individuals with all different kinds of abilities across age, socio-economic and religious backgrounds, and facilitate education and participation in performing arts programs,” added Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Allen Fagin. “All of this from one exceptional woman who understood how the performing arts can allow these adults to shine.”

“It is our community’s responsibility to create opportunities for those with disabilities to have a voice and contribute in their own way. The performing arts allows them to do just that,” said Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane. “We’re grateful that through Ralla Klepak’s generosity, they will have this opportunity.”

To learn more about Yachad and its myriad of programs for people with disabilities, visit Yachad.org.

Marcia Neeley, retired Executive Director, Marketing & Communication, UJA-Federation of New York, serves as a strategic foundation and grants consultant for the Orthodox Union.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Jewish Philanthropy Tagged With: Inclusion / Diversity, Orthodox Union / OU

Click here to Email This Post Email This Post to friends or colleagues!

Primary Sidebar

Join The Conversation

What's the best way to follow important issues affecting the Jewish philanthropic world? Our Daily Update keeps you on top of the latest news, trends and opinions shaping the landscape, providing an invaluable source for inspiration and learning.
Sign Up Now
For Email Marketing you can trust.

Continue The Conversation

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Comments

  • Bruce Powell on An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Sara Rigler on Announcement: Catherine Reed named CEO of American Friends of Magen David Adom
  • Donna Burkat on The Blessings in 2020’s Losses
  • swindmueller on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times
  • Alan Henkin on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times

Most Read Recent Posts

  • What Title for Henrietta Szold?
  • Jewish Agency Accuses Evangelical Contractors of “Numerous Violations” but Denies They Evangelized New Immigrants
  • An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Why One Zoom Class Has Generated a Following
  • The Blessings in 2020’s Losses

Categories

The Way Back Machine

Footer

What We Do

eJewish Philanthropy highlights news, resources and thought pieces on issues facing our Jewish philanthropic world in order to create dialogue and advance the conversation. Learn more.

Top 40 Philanthropy Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020

Copyright © 2021 · eJewish Philanthropy · All Rights Reserved