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Howard Blas

Howard Blas

Howard Blas is a social worker and special-education teacher by training. He teaches Jewish studies and prepares students with a range of disabilities for b’nai mitzvah. He regularly leads Birthright Israel “classic” and service trips for people with disabilities. His publications can be viewed here.

The IDF Widows and Orphans Organization hosts a coming-of-age celebration for children who lost a parent in Israel’s defense.
Those who have been held captive for so long and deprived of so much might require support for the rest of their lives.
Study by Professor Idit Maya and her team has “significant implications, especially for Jews in Israel and the Diaspora.”
Swimmer Michele Kupfer originally set out to tell stories of the Maccabiah Games, first held in 1932.
Experts explain the invasion of jellyfish in the country this summer while seeking to safeguard Israeli beachgoers.
It is both mind-blowing and beautiful to watch Israel return to normal following two straight weeks of anxiety, terror and the unknown.
Marc and Chantal Belzberg founded OneFamily in 2001 to provide emotional and financial support for Israeli families who have become victims of terror.
Ceasefires, airlines resuming flights to Israel, the start of the spring holidays, and Israelis in the north and south returning to their homes work to assure those involved in group travel that students can visit.
Elana Horowitz recounts: “Philadelphia has a thriving Jewish community, and not a single Eagles cheerleader is Jewish. Why can’t I be that role model?”
After the experience, participants asked a single question: “When can we come back and do this again?”
“Words can’t describe knowing you gave the kids the chance of a lifetime when they needed it most,” Roy Shaul-Morgan, international delegation director of Tzofim Tzabar Olami, told JNS.
The event, held hours after Tu B’Av (the “Day of Love”) bills itself as the “biggest speed-dating event ever.”