Beit Issie makes an impact in Israel – and in the UK - The Jewish Chronicle

For months, South African-born mother Ashira Greszes, who made aliyah with her American husband, was told that their toddler son was “lazy”.

When he did not meet developmental milestones, state-funded physical therapists claimed that “he was lazy and stubborn”.

Addressing a fundraiser for disabilities charity Beit Issie Shapiro, Ashira, 23, told more than 100 guests: “We would go to physical therapy sessions once every two weeks, and each session was crueller than the last. We were told that we were not working hard enough with him. I quit my job to do more, but eventually, we thought we should leave Israel so we could get more support and the help he needed.”

Ashira Greszes,whose son receives therapy treatments at Beit Issie Shapiro (Photo: Yoav Pichersky)[Missing Credit]

Diagnosed with a neurological condition, two-year-old Yedidya, who was born prematurely weighing just 1.5kg, was unable to move the left side of his body. “It was too much for us to handle alone,” she said, before being introduced to Beit Issie Shapiro’s early intervention centre in Ra'anana. “The minute we stepped into Beit Issie, our lives were changed forever. We were given the help we needed as a family and Yedidya was given speech, physical and emotional therapy.”

She added: “Now, Yedidya can climb, he can run. We are so grateful and happy to have a child that can actively contribute to society. They helped us cope, mentally and physically.”

Supporting more than 2,000 people a month, from newborns to elderly people, the organisation has now had to expand its services to supporting injured IDF soldiers and displaced Israeli citizens after the October 7 attack.

R-L UK Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro board members Nathalie Esfandi and Michal Cohen-Sagi (Photo: Yoav Pichersky)[Missing Credit]

UK-based board member Michal Cohen-Sagi, whose mother-in-law Ada was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz and held by Hamas terrorists for 53 days, said: “We have technology that helps disabled people communicate. We were told about a soldier who suffered neurological damage, who was struggling to communicate and we were able to help him do so using Beit Issie technology.” She added: “A lot of evacuees are cramped in small rooms with their whole family and their pets; they have no space to escape. We have special rooms at Beit Issie with touch and light therapy that we have installed in hotels so parents and children have a place that they can go to for some quiet.”

Laura Weller, UK Friends of Beit Issie chair and Eylon Levy (Photo: Yoav Pichersky)[Missing Credit]

More than 100 people gathered at the Lilienblum restaurant in East London on Monday night, raising more than £300,000 for the charity. The restaurant, owned by Israeli Michelin award-winning chef Eyal Shani, had been koshered for the event and served an array of dishes including fresh focaccia, tuna tartar and whole sea bass.

Speakers were introduced by former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy, who left his post in March after giving up to 10 interviews a day on international TV stations to advocate Israel’s position.

Speaking to the JC, Levy, who has since set up the Israeli Citizen Spokespersons’ Office, said: “If I am asked to go back, I would – absolutely.”

Singer Michal Greenlick spoke emotively at the fundraiser, performing two songs in tribute to her brother, reservist Captain Shaul Greenlick, 26, who was killed in Gaza weeks after he sang on an Israeli TV show HaKochav Haba, which auditions singers to represent Israel at Eurovision.

“Shauli was an amazing singer, I loved sharing a stage with him,” she said. “He chose to stop participating in the show to fight for the country he loved so much.”

Delivering an emotional performance, she told guests: “Our smiles are a bit smaller, but we are still smiling. I pray for all the hostages to come home healthy. We hope this whole war will end soon.”

Charity chief executive Ahmir Lerner said: “The war has created a tsunami of need in the area of emotional therapy, and there is a real lack of these services for people with disabilities. We are unique in providing them.”

R-L Elena Gabay, Sasha Trump-Weiss, Dr Yoav Heller (Photo: Yoav Pichersky)[Missing Credit]

Elena Gabay, who hosted the event alongside her husband Yakir, described the organisation’s work as a “vital mission”, adding: “In the darkest, most uncertain times, we will come together to support all the good things in Israel.”

Topics:

Beit Issie

Israel-Gaza War

Gaza hostages