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The Shalva Band The word ‘ Shalva ’ means ‘ peace of mind ’ or ‘ serenity ’ in Hebrew .
The Shalva Band , based in Israel , consists of members who represent a variety of intellectual developmental disabilities and physical impairments . The Band members ’ disabilities include blindness , Down syndrome , and Williams syndrome .
The Shalva Band was established in 2005 and has been in existence for nearly sixteen years . It began when the director of the band , Shai Ben-Shushan suggested the idea to the founder of Shalva ,
Kalman Samuels . Shai did not have any previous involvement in the Shalva organization or working with people with disabilities ; however , he , like the organization ’ s founder , had a personal promise to fulfill . In 2005 Shai had recently recovered from a serious injury from his service in one of the IDF ’ s elite units . He was injured in a complex military mission in which his commander was killed and several other soldiers were severely injured . Shai found himself undergoing several surgeries and rehabilitative treatments and personally struggling with the physical limitations that an individual with disabilities might experience . Once fully recovered , Shai decided that he would give back to the community by sharing his love and talent for music with children with disabilities .
He formally began the Shalva Band as a component of Shalva ’ s music therapy program . Gradually , the band became an entity of its own and a social enterprise of the organization .