Kol ha-kavod to Sasone on its 30 years of service to the children and families of the Kansas City Jewish Community!
I was privileged to be serving as associate executive director of Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City when Sasone was established. Federation had just concluded a major community strategic planning process. The rabbis, executive directors and board chairs of congregations and agencies, in addition to a few at-large leaders, worked diligently to identify the needs of the community. One of the four areas of focus was Jewish engagement.
The 1990 National Jewish Population Survey confirmed what many of us were already experiencing — a decrease in congregational membership, an increase in interfaith marriages, a decline in Jewish philanthropic giving and a general lack of interest in things Jewish. If we were to reverse this course, it would be necessary to identify what the people wanted.
Focus groups and town hall meetings revealed that community members were, indeed, looking for a different kind of engagement and were ready to provide input and leadership. Initiatives such as PJ Library, increasing the number of students who attend overnight summer camps and Israel programs, Melton adult learning and changes in the way many congregations offered a variety of worship experiences began to turn things around and see an increase in participation.
The leadership of the then-Jewish Heritage Foundation (JHF) was focused on supporting programming related to health and human services. In learning about the Jewish community’s focus on meeting unmet needs as a way of increasing Jewish engagement, Steve Israelite, executive director of the JHF, and his leadership raised the issue of children with neurodiverse learning styles. Initial interviews with the leadership of Jewish preschools, congregational schools and Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy revealed that our educational institutions did not have the resources necessary to meet the needs of these children, and that most of these children were “counseled” out of our Jewish schools.
An outside consultant was hired with funding from the JHF to conduct intensive meetings and gather as much information as possible from school officials, community leaders and parents. Research indicated that 10% of children have neurodivergent learning styles, and, at the time, there were approximately 2,000 children enrolled in our schools. This meant that there might be as many as 200 Jewish children not receiving a Jewish education and families that often felt abandoned.
The consultant presented her findings to a group of rabbis, educators and volunteer leaders. Indeed, there were approximately 200 students who could not access a Jewish education in our community. A task force composed of school directors, teachers, parents and volunteer leaders with experience in the field created a program which would provide the human and technical support for these students so they could receive the same Jewish education as other children.
Sandy and Steve Passer agreed to serve as chair people for this new initiative of Federation. Their experience with and commitment to this important population made them most suitable for the position. The committee created a structure whereby each school would have a consultant to help identify children who required additional support in the classroom. A program director would support the consultants and work with the schools to provide maximum accommodation. When necessary, a paraprofessional would be assigned to students who needed that extra one-on-one attention so they would be productive in the classroom. An important feature of the program would be that these children would learn together with their peers and celebrate holidays and life cycle events with other families.
The leadership selected Sasone, the Hebrew word for joy, as the name of the program. They believed that the initiative would bring greater joy to students, families and the community knowing that we were committed to a Jewish education for every child.
Today, Sasone offers inclusion grants, professional development, on-site coaching and strategic consultation to early childhood centers, congregational schools, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and J Camp. Rooted in Jewish values and guided by a multi-year strategic plan, Sasone works to support educators, clergy, communal professionals and families in creating a culture of belonging for individuals with disabilities of all ages. Our vision is to create a more inclusive and accessible Jewish community for individuals with disabilities and their families. Rooted in Jewish values, our mission is to help build a community where individuals with disabilities can learn, celebrate and thrive together in Jewish life.
Here’s to the next 30 years!