Special Education Leaders for 50Years
24 Shvat 5782 • January 26 , 2022
Seeach Sod , the leading special education network in the orthodox community , was founded by Rabbi Dov Levy for the sake of his son Avraham . Fifty years onward , Avraham ' s brother Rabbi Shimon continues his father ' s legacy
Dear Readers ,
Photo : Elchanan Kotler
F ifty years is an era . It marks the period of my lifetime as well as that of my brother , Avraham , whose birth precipitated a revolution that is still going strong today . Looking back on the past 50 years of Seeach Sod ’ s unceasing development and activity , and standing on the cusp of the next half century gives one pause for self-reflection .
My father , Rabbi Dov Levy , z ” l , was thrust by Hashgachah into a journey he never imagined for himself , becoming the father of special education in the chareidi sector and the founder of Seeach Sod .
As a first-time father with a child with Down syndrome , he was confounded by the absence of a professional , high-quality facility for religious children with cognitive and developmental disabilities . With the blessings of his rabbis , he undertook to fill that need , a task that would become his burning mission and which would transform a generation .
Seeach Sod was born as an experimental project for children who until then had been hidden and rejected . It has since grown into an empire that has impacted thousands of families across Israel — together with the burgeoning awareness that people with disabilities have a rightful place in our community .
The following articles highlight some of the individuals driving Seeach Sod ’ s work , including my older brother Avraham and myself . It is truly a privilege to be part of this societal change .
By reading this magazine , you , too , become a part , b ’ ezras Hashem , in helping to transform the world into a better place — for them .
Rabbi Shimon Levy
CEO
Concept and strategy : Gidon Katz , IMP Group Project Manager : Blimi Zonabend , Seeach Sod , Mazal Chifrot , Mishpacha magazine ; Editors : Sharon Gelbach , Tzirel Strassman Production and Graphics : Chaya Lax Sales , Israel and Europe : Dina Ben Guigui Proofreaders : Brachah Geiger , Ariella Schiller , Chaya Leeder , Chava Grossman , Chani Muller Photos courtesy of Seeach Sod Publisher : IMP Group Produced by Mishpacha Magazine ’ s Marketing Department
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The unique challenges of Covid for the special needs population
InIt Together
Cover Photo : Elchanan Kotler
Seeach Sod Israel office : 31 Yirmiyahu St . POB 5788 Jerusalem 91057 . Tel : 02-640-5000 Amuta No . 580014322 . info @ seso . co . il USA : Friends of Seeach Sod , c / o Mr . Mordechai Kurant , 934 East 22nd Street , Brooklyn , NY 11210 , Phone : 718-258-0195 , Tax ID # 11-3339324
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