Israel’s disability community has been hit hard by the loss of several members in the October 7 Hamas massacre, and the trauma and chaos of the war continues to cause hardship, both emotional and practical, as disabled Israelis and their loved ones struggle to find ways to cope.
When 13-year-old Noya Dan, who is on the autism spectrum, disappeared from Nir Oz Kibbutz with her 79-year-old grandmother, it was presumed that they had been abducted to Gaza by Hamas.
Those who understood the difficulties faced by an autistic person held captive by murderous terrorists waited with bated breath, hoping that somehow she would return unharmed.
Noya loved Harry Potter, and friends and family posted photos of her dressed as a Hogwarts student, holding a wand and a Hebrew Harry Potter book. Her shy but proud smile and carefully coordinated outfits and photos speak for themselves: she was a very kind and intelligent girl raised with love and pride in a family that helped her embrace her passions.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was so moved by the photo that she reposted it on X (formerly Twitter) with the following message: “Child abduction is despicable and completely unjustifiable. Naturally, this photo touched my heart. I hope that Noya and all the hostages held by Hamas are returned safely to their families soon.” However, no magic could save Noya and her grandmother. The bodies were identified on October 18th. Noya Dunn in her Harry Potter costume (Photo courtesy of family)
Hamas killings of disabled people
Noya was not the only Israeli person with a disability to be killed by Hamas terrorists: Ruth Peretz, a 16-year-old girl with muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy, had attended the Nova music festival with her father, Eric, but was found murdered a few days later.
Emotional photographs and videos of Ruth and Eric enjoying the festival, with Ruth dancing in her wheelchair, circulated widely in the days after the massacre. Israeli doctors recently made available to humanitarian organizations a detailed list of the medical problems and special needs of those held captive in Gaza. It is frightening to imagine how disabled people might be treated there.
Connect with SHEKEL
Officials at SHEKEL (Inclusion for People with Disabilities), an organization that provides living, employment and leisure services to Israelis with special needs, are praying and hoping for the release of one of their most important and beloved staff members, Gabriella Reinberg, who was kidnapped along with her daughter to Gaza.
Gabriella Reinberg was kidnapped along with her daughter while visiting family at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak (Photo courtesy of SHEKEL)
Reinberg, manager of Shekel’s Eyal Farm, a facility for people with low-functioning autism in Kibbutz Ramat Rakel, was kidnapped with her daughter while visiting family at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. Family and participants at Eyal Farm, where Jewish and Arab youth work and study, have made a video calling for the release of Gabriella and her daughter. Jews and Muslims say how much they miss Gabriella and how they are praying for her safe return.
“Where is Gabriela?” one young man asked, while another said, “Dad, we miss her. I want her to come home soon.” Muhammad’s mother, who attends the Eyal Farm Center, said, “When we heard the news that Gabriela had been kidnapped, it was like a bolt of lightning for us, because we know her and we know who she is. She is a caring, generous woman who takes care of our son as if he were her own, and so does everyone else here – all of Muhammad’s friends.”
“In times of war or national crisis, people with disabilities are some of the most vulnerable in our communities and are in dire need of intensive support to ensure their safety and well-being,” said Clara Feldman, president and founder of SHEKEL.
“SHEKEL is currently operating in full emergency mode under challenging circumstances, providing a safe and warm environment for the thousands of people in our care, while at the same time reaching out to thousands of people across the country who need our support.”
“We are also preparing for the day after the war ends, because the trauma experienced by the people we support during the war will not just disappear one day, but will unfortunately remain with them for a long time.”
On the second day of the war, SHEKEL’s two main treatment centers in southern Israel and Jerusalem opened a National Emergency Treatment Call Center (telephone number 055-7048094) to provide immediate short-term treatment counseling and guidance to children and adults with disabilities, their families and disability staff in the southern Israeli region and around the Gaza Strip, as well as throughout the country.
The need for these services is urgent: children and adults with cognitive, developmental and physical disabilities who face the trauma of war are particularly vulnerable to paralyzing fear, trauma and anxiety, which are often exacerbated by feelings of helplessness and an inability to understand what is happening around them.
This often impacts families and care teams who are dealing with the trauma of war while also caring for a disabled loved one who needs support and guidance. The Centre recently held two public webinars on how to talk to disabled people about bereavement and how people on the autism spectrum and their families can respond to emergencies.
Alut, the Israeli Association for Autistic Children and Adults, has a hotline for anyone needing help during this time: 03-670-3077. Like all special needs organizations across the country, Alut is trying to keep as many of its programs running as normal as possible. Many people on the autism spectrum learn well from what are called “social stories,” which translate abstract concepts into concrete images and explain them in simple terms. Alut has added social stories to its website (alut.org.il) that explain war in ways that may be very helpful to people on the autism spectrum who need to understand why they need to run to a shelter or why they hear loud noises. (Alut’s website also has information on volunteering and donating.)
All organisations helping people with special needs welcome donations at this difficult time when they need extra staff to supplement their reserve personnel, and also to help when rocket alerts are issued and residents have to take refuge in bomb shelters.
Fear of capture and the anxiety that war may bring have plagued people with disabilities across the country. As with the COVID-19 crisis, many programs, including sheltered workshops and other activities, have been closed or scaled back, leaving many to seek ways to cope, and some to find creative ways to express their fears and pain. Limor Shamam Papini, an artist who runs House of Art, an arts program for people on the autism spectrum, said a program she developed in which artists on the autism spectrum are paired with artists from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem to work together, has been suspended because of the war.
“I know they are suffering because of the war and they are all coping in different ways. Some of them are trying to stick to their normal lives and not obsess about the war, but it’s very difficult.”
Some of the autistic artists she works with have been sending her artwork inspired by the situation, and she has been sharing some of them on the House of Art’s Facebook page, along with information about Zoom art seminars and other topics that may be soothing to artists.
Brian Friedland, a Jerusalem artist on the autism spectrum who has written and illustrated a book about living with autism that is sold in SHEKEL stores, has found that drawing allows him some solace from the horrific events in the news.
The first day of the war was tough, he says. “From the moment the sirens started to sound, I was in shock and fear of what was going to happen,” and I couldn’t work. “Tears from Heaven”: Inspired by the war, artist Brian Friedland painted this painting. (Photo by Brian Friedland)
But Friedland managed to paint again, creating a striking painting he titled “Tears from Heaven,” a play on Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” a song about the musician’s grief over the loss of his young son. Friedland said the painting “reflects my grief and the grief of all who have been affected by this terrible ordeal.”
The painting shows a line of people looking up at a hill engulfed in flames, with tears streaming down faces looking down at them from above: “You see the fire on the hill, it represents all that is going on… Up there is a face that represents God, and even God is crying because it’s so terrible.”
But there’s hope, he says, that “the tears will put out the fire.” On his good days, he says, he can “put brush to canvas.”
To donate to SHEKEL, visit http://bit.ly/shekelwar. To volunteer, contact [email protected] 054-6681410.