COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Baltimore Jewish Abilities Alliance
5700 Park Heights Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-559-3613 jewishabilities.org
Coordinator: Sara Rubinstein
srubinstein@jcc.org BJAA promotes an inclusive, spirited
environment that celebrates the diversity
in our community and the uniqueness of
every member. It offers an array of support
services in partnership with the agencies
of The Associated: Jewish Community
Federation of Baltimore. Housed at the
Jewish Community Center, the BJAA
connects individuals with disabilities and
their families to resources, services, support
groups, workshops, clinics and recreational
programs within their community. In
addition to information and a community
calendar, there is also a resource directory;
a comprehensive and easy-to-navigate
tool that provides quick access to local
services with the ability to filter by age
and service type.
B’More Inclusive Jewish Disability
Awareness Experiences
Macks Center for Jewish Education
5708 Park Heights Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-735-5023 cjebaltimore.org/special-needs
Yael Zelinger
yzelinger@cjebaltimore.org CJE provides support and advocacy to
Jewish institutions: schools, synagogues
and agencies to increase awareness, sen-
sitivity and inclusion of individuals with
disabilities. Teachers and schools can
use our “Disability Awareness Guide For
Teachers” to help incorporate these Jewish
values into existing lessons with sensitivity
and ease. Contact us to brainstorm with your
staff and/or your students in order to foster a
culture of inclusion.
Center for Jewish Education’s
Jill Fox Memorial Fund
Macks Center for Jewish Education
5708 Park Heights Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-735-5022 Rachel Turniansky
rturniansky@cjebaltimore.org The Jill Fox Memorial Fund, Inc. is partner-
ing with the Macks Center for Jewish Edu-
42 Baltimore Guide to Jewish Life 2017-2018
cation to provide grants to individuals with
unmet medical and healthcare needs that
are not paid for by other sources (e.g. med-
ical insurance, government agencies, health
associations, community organizations,
public or personal resources). The CJE’s Jill
Fox Memorial Fund will award grants to
address these medical and healthcare costs
related to the areas of autism, childhood
obesity or childhood mental illness. Grants
will be based on financial need. Each grant
request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Eligibility and the amount of the grant
depend upon many factors. Individuals in-
terested in accessing funding should contact
Rachel Turniansky.
Community College of Baltimore
County (CCBC) Single Step*
800 S. Rolling Rd.
Baltimore, MD 21228
443-840-3262 ccbcmd.edu/ceed
Director: Melanie Hood-Wilson
case@ccbcmd.edu Single Step at CCBC has been changing
lives by providing classes and career
options for adults with disabilities. Single
Step provides students with academic, pre-
vocational, social and independent living
skills necessary for success in college study.
Dr. Desmond Kaplan,
Board Certified Psychiatrist*
1314 Bedford Ave., Ste. 214
Pikesville, MD 21208
443-940-0023 dmkpsychiatrist@gmail.com
Dr. Desmond Kaplan specializes in child,
adolescent and adult psychiatry, He is a
nationally recognized expert in autism and
developmental disabilities and a part-time
faculty member at Johns Hopkins and
the University of Maryland. Private pay
practice. Gesher LaTorah
Macks Center for Jewish Education
5708 Park Heights Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-735-5012 cjebaltimore.org/gesherlatorah
Rachel Turniansky
rturniansky@cjebaltimore.org Gesher LaTorah is a community based
religious school for students with signif-
icant disabilities. Meeting every Sunday,
students age 5 to 21 learn about Jewish
concepts such as: community, Torah,
Hebrew, prayer, customs and holidays.
Students will enjoy enriching programs
rooted in Jewish values. Personalized
bar/bat mitzvah consultation is available
to help families create a meaningful
lifecycle event that meets individual needs.
Jewish Advocates
for Deaf Education (JADE)
5708 Park Heights Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-735-5023 cjebaltimore.org/jewish-
advocates-deaf-education Yael Zelinger
yzelinger@cjebaltimore.org JADE provides advocacy, events and
education to engage Jewish people who
are deaf or hard of hearing in Jewish life.
The CJE Interpreter Fund helps subsidize
the cost of interpreters at community and
school events. Workshops on deafness,
how to communicate with people who
are deaf or hard of hearing and general
disability awareness are offered to Jewish
organizations and schools at no cost.
In partnership with Towson University
and NCSY Our Way, Deafblind Jews
from around the country and Israel attend
a Deafblind Shabbaton every two years
in Baltimore.
Karma Dogs
Macks Center for Jewish Education
5708 Park Heights Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-735-5022 cjebaltimore.org/karma-dogs
Rachel Turniansky
rturniansky@cjebaltimore.org Shy or reluctant readers can read with
Karma Dogs from H.E.A.R.T.S. Help
Encourage All Readers to Succeed. These
dogs are friendly, non-judgmental and
good listeners. For 5-12 year olds. Adult
supervision is required. Join us on the
First Tuesday of each month.
Little Leaves Behavioral Services*
9545 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20910
202-420-8359 littleleaves.org
President: Marina Major
info@littleleaves.org *Denotes Paid Advertiser
Maryland Special Needs
Advocacy Program
A program of Macks Center for Jewish
Education, MDSNAP provides free educa-
tional advocacy services for Jewish children
with special needs, from birth to age 21.
MDSNAP helps more than 200 families
to navigate the special education system
each year. MDSNAP works with parents
to prepare for IFSP and IEP meetings and
will accompany them to these meetings.
Menucha 2934 Bartol Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21209
410-764-2955 menuchainc.org
menuchainc@gmail.com Esther Ward
Menucha provides supports for children
with moderate to severe developmental
disabilities in the Orthodox Jewish
Community. Desmond M. Kaplan, MD
Board Certifi ed Psychiatrist
Specializing in Child,
DESMOND M Adolescent
KAPLAN, MD and Adult
1/3 H
Psychiatry Pikesville Offi ce Now Open
Accepting New Patients
Dr. Kaplan is a nationally recognized expert
in Autism and developmental disabilities
Call 443-940-0023 to schedule your appointment
Johns Hopkins part-time faculty
Private pay practice
ADULT JEWISH EDUCATION
Lesson in a Box
especially for you
when you contact us
5708 Park Heights Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-735-5012 cjebaltimore.org
Martha Goodman
mdsnap@cjebaltimore.org SHEMESH
5700 Park Heights Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-843-7524 shemeshbaltimore.org
Executive Director: Aviva Weisbord
aweisbord@shemeshbaltimore.org Yachad/National Jewish Council
for Disabilities, Baltimore Chapter
443-695-5505 Baltimore Yachad Coordinators:
Mira and Yehuda Labovitz
Assistant Coordinator: Sima Greenblatt
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children with learning differences to reach
their full intellectual, academic, emotional
and social potential in a Jewish setting.
Services are offered in each school in
accordance with the school’s educational
and religious policies.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Autism is treatable. Early intervention is crit-
ical. Little Leaves Behavioral Services: serving
families in the Baltimore/D.C. metro area.
LEARNING INSTITUTE
ALEPH LEARNING
INSTITUTE PMS 540
CONTACT US PMS TO 423 ENROLL IN THESE PROGRAMS AND MORE
Aleph Learning Institute
6701 Old Pimlico Rd, Balto. 21209
alephjli@gmail.com www.alephlearninginstitute.org
ALEPH LEARNING
INSTITUTE Mrs. Rochelle Kaplan, Director
2017-2018 Baltimore Guide to Jewish Life
43