Kalman Samuels (born Kerry, September 7, 1951) is the founder of Shalva, the Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. Non-denominational and free of charge, Shalva offers services to individuals with disabilities from infancy to adulthood and their families. Shalva provides a range of therapies, inclusive educational frameworks, recreational activities, vocational training as well as respite and family support. Shalva advocates for the inclusion of persons with disabilities through employment programs, community initiatives, and research. Samuels published a personal memoir in May 2020 calle
"Dreams Never Dreamed"
telling the story of his personal journey of self-discovery and the establishment of Shalva.

Early life

Kalman was raised in a non-observant

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

home in

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, British Columbia, Canada where he attended Sir Winston Churchill High School. Upon his graduation in 1969 he was given academic and basketball scholarships to the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

. After his first year studying philosophy he traveled Europe with plans to undergo coursework in France. However his mother requested that he stop in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

to visit relatives. Enamored with

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and heritage, he cancelled the trip to France and enrolled in several yeshivot, and in 1977 he received his rabbinical ordination.

Marriage and birth of Yossi

In 1973 Samuels married Malki Klein and the couple took up residence in

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. In 1977, their second son, Yossi Samuels, at the time 11 months old, was injured by a faulty DPT vaccination and was rendered blind, deaf and acutely hyperactive. After 7 years with no communication, Shoshana Weinstock, Yossi's

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

teacher, achieved a breakthrough by relaying

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with #Non-manual elements, no ...

into the palm of his hand, teaching Yossi his first word, 'Shulchan' (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

, שֻׁולְחָן), meaning table. Malki vowed that if Yossi could be helped, she would dedicate herself to helping other children with disabilities and their families.

Founding and expansion of Shalva

Due to their challenges raising Yossi without adequate support, Malki and Kalman established an afternoon playgroup for children with disabilities. Over time, the program expanded to meet the needs of a broader spectrum of disabilities, from birth through adulthood. Today, Shalva offers a constellation of therapeutic interventions, family support, inclusive educational frameworks, social and recreational programs and vocational training to individuals with disabilities. In recognition of Shalva's accomplishments and an ongoing need to expand the availability of special needs services, the

Jerusalem Municipality The Jerusalem Municipality (), the seat of the Israeli municipal administration, consists of a number of buildings located on Jaffa Road in the city of Jerusalem. History British Mandate town hall (1930) Jerusalem's old town hall was bui ...

provided the organization with a seven acre property adjacent to the planned Route 16 highway and the Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center in the Beit HaKerem neighborhood of

. In September 2016, Shalva opened the Shalva National Center in Jerusalem and has since become an international leader in the field of disability care; housing some of Israel's largest and most advanced facilities for persons with disabilities.

Prizes and acknowledgments

* 1994 – President of Israel Prize for Excellence * 1999 – Mayor of Jerusalem's Award for Exceptional Service * 2004 – Shalem Foundation Award as "Israel's Most Unique Program for the Mentally Challenged" * 2005 – Knesset Speaker's Quality of Life Prize for Leadership & Public Excellence * 2006 – The Jerusalem Foundation

Teddy Kollek Theodor "Teddy" Kollek (; 27 May 1911 – 2 January 2007) was an Israeli politician who served as the mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993, and founder of the Jerusalem Foundation. Kollek was re-elected five times, in 1969, 1973, 1978 Jerusalem ...

Prize * 2007 – Aminadav National Service Award for Excellence * 2009 – Jerusalem's Award of Distinction for National Service Volunteers * 2010 – SHALEM Foundation Award * 2012 – The Ministry of Education Outstanding Volunteer Award * 2018 - Sylvan Adams Nefesh B'Nefesh Bonei Tzion Prize * 2018 - Lions International, Israel's Man of the Year Award * 2019- Honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Bar-Ilan University * 2019- Esteemed Fellowship from Ruppin Academic Center * 2019- Jerusalem Prize for Dedication on Behalf of People with Disabilities * 2020- Yakir Yerushlayaim Honored Citizen of Jerusalem Award *2022- Lighting of Torch at Israel's 74th Independence Day Torch-Lighting Ceremony

Books

* 'Dreams Never Dreamed: A Mother's Promise That Transformed Her Son's Breakthrough into a Beacon of Hope" (a memoir): The Toby Press, April 2020.
'Halomot SheLo Halamti: Al Ahava, Ometz VeShinui - Siporei Hayehem Shel Meyased 'Shalva' UVeno Yossi'
(Hebrew edition): The Toby Press, October 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuels, Kalman 1951 births Living people Medical and health organizations based in Israel Volunteer organizations in Israel Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Bonei Zion Prize recipients