At Ezer Mizion, we know — children are joy,
and children with special needs are a special joy,
Twenty years have elapsed since the day when sweet Eliyahu was born, a child with Down Syndrome. Eliyahu, the fourth child in a family in Modi’in Ilit, made his parents and siblings into a more special family, a family that the Creator chose to raise a child with a heicher neshamah – a lofty soul.
Bringing up a Downs child demands special strength. Eliyahu was an energetic, active, and bubbly child. He liked to run away from the house and kept his parents busy around the clock protecting him from the dangers he put himself into.
Eliyahu’s childhood years passed. He matured and calmed down, internalizing limitations and learning to take care of himself. But the family’s day-to-day struggle did not end. Eliyahu, like many Down Syndrome kids, is very sociable, loves people, and is warm and friendly. His great love for people does not allow him to “ignore” a nice person on the street. He goes over to him, chats, creates a connection, and gives a hug, and it’s not always appropriate… Eliyahu is learning the concept of “Personal space,” but he still needs very frequent reminders.
Going outside with Eliyahu requires a ton of patience. People and children fascinate him and draw his attention. His pace is slow and heavy and he doesn’t rush anywhere. On a family outing, you need to breathe deeply before and after. He is treated like part of the family, goes with Abba and the boys to shul and participates in family events and trips.
In spite of the copious attention his family showers on him, he needs outings with the attention focused only on him. At Ezer Mizion’s retreats for young adults with special needs, he gets a different, special, and individual experience that fills him with fulfillment and charges him with energy for the whole year.
For Eliyahu, it is a week of the acme of happiness. He experiences the retreat at a profound level, easily connecting with the volunteers and the other retreat participants, and he simply flourishes.
Eliyahu loves the limelight. He likes to speak publicly, to sing and dance, and the bigger the audience, the happier he is. At every retreat, he gets to center stage one way or the other, sings and dances, fills with joy, and “infects” everyone around him with his simchah.
It’s the primary topic of discussion for him. He relives experiences from the past and plans new ones for the future. He tells everyone how much fun it was and how much fun it’s going to be very soon.
In the month of Iyar, his father relates, he took down a suitcase and, on his own, started packing up for the retreat several months down the road… If he’d behave inappropriately, nothing threatens him more than the warning, “You won’t be able to go the Ezer Mizion retreat!” One sentence like that – and Eliyahu doesn’t take the risk.
The retreat is just one of the many Ezer Mizion programs for special needs.
