The party was celebrated in Seeach Sod's Yecholot vocational center. Chairman of Shas Rabbi Aryeh Deri joined, as well as Deputy Mayor Rabbi Tzvika Cohen, MK Rabbi Yoni Mashriki, additional MKs, family members of the employees, the educational teams, volunteers and senior officials from the municipality. This traditional event, celebrated every year, is extremely motivating for both the employers and employees and is a powerful demonstration of the importance of integrating people with disabilities into the community and opening a wide range of employment opportunities for them.
The Jerusalem municipality is the pioneering authority in Israel in devoting resources for the integration of individuals with disabilities into the workforce. In one example, a graduate of Seeach Sod's Yecholot vocational program is employed in the municipality's education department. Mayor Moshe Leon and other members of the municipality have openly expressed their wish to employ additional workers with disabilities in municipal jobs and continue promoting integration into the community.
The first to push integration as a social value was Rabbi Dov Levy, founder of Seeach Sod, who put in tremendous effort to provide a place for individuals with disabilities in the community and to promote inclusion and acceptance. Thanks to his tireless work and the continued efforts of Seeach Sod's teams today, dozens of graduates of the Seeach Sod Yecholot vocational program walk happily to their jobs every day, be it setting tables at wedding halls or hi-tech positions, all over the city.
Mayor Moshe Leon praised Seeach Sod's Yecholot vocational program in Jerusalem. "One of the tools that provides us with exposure to the wonderous world of people with disabilities is their integration in the community," the mayor said. "It is no secret that Rabbi Shimon Levy is one of the most prominent activists in Israel today in leading the issue of integration as a supreme social value, continuing his father's work.
"However, in order for the mission to be successful, we need employers with sensitive souls and open hearts who will take in these employees with love. I want to tell you, dear employers: You are models of social solidarity. You are models of ahavat Yisrael! Integration is a huge development for its beneficiaries who feel needed and productive. It is a huge development for you too, the employers, who enjoy high-quality, devoted workers. But more than anything, it is a moral and ethical development for us as a society. When a little boy or girl walks into a grocery store and sees a disabled person servicing the customers, they learn to view him as a person. They learn to give him or her a place in society and to respect them.
"This kind of lesson – learned from real-life encounters – is far more effective than countless lessons that may be delivered on the subject in school. And this message, which our entire society gains from – you were privileged to lead."
Rabbi Shimon Levy, CEO of Seeach Sod, said, "When you see young men working at full-time jobs with diligence and dedication, and enjoying themselves at a party along with the dear employers who came here today, this echoes the crucial message of integration which we lead together with the Jerusalem municipality."