A group of nearly a dozen individuals with disabilities from across Israel, as well as their caregivers or loved ones, visited Jerusalem’s Old City on Sept. 11 in a meaningful visit organized by Yad Sarah to mark the selichot season of penitential prayer ahead of the High Holidays.
Volunteer drivers from the organization brought the participants to the Jewish Quarter in Yad Sarah’s fleet of wheelchair-accessible vans, nechonits. The group first wheeled through to the ancient Cardo thoroughfare and then to the Jewish quarter’s main square, led by accessible tour guides Nissim Puterkovski and Galit Carmi-Shilo. Along the way, they learned about the centuries-old Jewish presence in the Old City, before being driven directly into the Western Wall Plaza for private prayer and reflection.
Yad Sarah facilitates the excursion each year, but this was the first one since Oct. 7, as last year’s was canceled due to the security situation.
Among the participants was Tal Kupershtein, father of hostage Bar Kupershtein, who was abducted to Gaza on Oct. 7. Years earlier, Tal was gravely injured in a roadside collision while volunteering as a first responder, leaving him in a wheelchair and unable to speak. Determined to advocate for his son, he has been painstakingly relearning how to speak.
At the Old City, Tal addressed the media, visitors and even an army unit, calling for the immediate release of Bar. Throughout the war, Yad Sarah has stood by him as a partner in mobility, transporting him to hospitals, public events and advocacy meetings as part of his tireless fight for his son’s freedom.
Another participant was Yael Bibi, a special-education teacher from Kfar Saba, who has relied on Yad Sarah’s services for years. Her son, Uriel Bibi, who served as an officer in the IDF’s 202nd Paratrooper Battalion and a Magen David Adom volunteer, was killed on Oct. 7 while defending a nearby community in southern Israel. He was married and the father of two.
Yael, who has been in a wheelchair for a decade and lost her husband shortly after the loss of their son, said: “This was my first time at the Kotel (Western Wall) since my son was killed. I prayed for redemption, for those who have fallen to return, and for his sisters who remain behind, that God may guide them from above. These were the words that came from the depths of my heart and soul.”
Yaakov Slaney, a driver since 2018, reflected on his path to volunteering, saying, “my mother, of blessed memory, volunteered in a hospice for the terminally ill. She dedicated her life not only to volunteering but to convincing others to volunteer as well. When I got to a point where I had some free time on my hands, I thought I’d do the same. So I joined Yad Sarah’s accessible drivers unit. I do this because it’s important, and it feels good to be part of Israel’s largest volunteer-led organization.”
Ilan Golan, from Kfar Saba, usually volunteers once a week, making hospital trips or helping people get to family events. Last week’s tour was his first time driving for one of Yad Sarah’s excursions.
“I think it’s really important,” Ilan said. “Without this, some people might just stay at home. A lot of them don’t have company. That’s why I try to build relationships, why I’ll stop for lunch with someone on the way or take them to the Kotel if they ask.”
He recalled Nurit Churi, a woman from Paris whom he drove regularly until she passed away on Yom Hazikaron two years ago.
“With Nurit, it wasn’t just rides; we built a relationship. One year, she called me on Erev Pesach, asking if I could take her to Ashkelon for Seder night. There were no cars available, so I went all the way to Jerusalem to get a vehicle and came back to pick her up. That’s what this means to me.”
