Deinstitutionalization, Aleh and ADI

Mandy Leighton Bellichach is the Chair of Bizchut's Board
[Image Source]

Bizchut, the leading organization devoted to promoting the rights of people who have disabilities in Israel, sent out a mailer this week emphasizing its focus on deinstitutionalization. Music to my ears!

Their message ended with this:

We help people and their families handle the many bumps on the road from the institution to a life of dignity and equality in the community. In the year 2021, Bizchut's goal will be to double and even treble the number of  people with disabilities who will receive assistance to live - like everyone else - within the community... [Hebrew original - my translation]

Now juxtapose that with the two large institutions, the places formerly called Aleh Negev and Aleh Jerusalem, both now renamed ADI which Doron Almog now heads. 

He is expending great efforts to promote and fundraise for them. He has dwarfed Aleh which, as I've written earlier, now consists of only the Gedera and the Bnei Brak branches and is lagging woefully behind in its PR. 

With Rabbi Yehuda Marmorstein at its helm, Aleh's Facebook page has for the past five days sported a link to its purported website. But when one clicks on it, the ADI website comes up.

Here's hoping this "battle" for our children and young adults with disabilities results in a victory for neither of the combatants but rather for Bizchut and deinstitutionalization.