At Keren Or, we use the contrast between dark and light as a teaching tool.  Thanks to a generous donation by the Moskowitz family of Woodmere, NY, we have completed a dark room at the Center in Jerusalem, right next to the sensory stimulation (Snoezlen) room. 

It is a small, compact space-perfect for the sensory experience that the room provides.  The room has no windows, while the bottom half of the walls are carpeted and top half are painted black.  The room is equipped with specialty items such as a light box, and different lamps. A custom bench table allows access to the special toys and devices.  The room itself is dark, but comes alive with different color lights and ultra violet lamps.  

While students may not be able to see each item clearly, many of them are able to distinguish light from dark and one color from another.  A session in the dark room enables a student to relax and close out other stimuli to focus on the specific illuminated items.  Each session is led by specially trained staff who work on specific goals created for each student.  The exercises and games are created to help the students improve and develop their vision and perception.

The staff and students of Keren Or are grateful to the Moskowitz family for enabling us to complete this unique therapy space.    

"In the story of Megilat Ruth, I was able to find a cycle of kindness... I have learned that when you are kind to someone, it can create an ongoing cycle of kindness and good will.  It may come from those you know, or in unexpected ways." 

These are the words of Ella Kaplun, a young woman who recently became Bat Mitzvah, as she spoke about how she related to the Book of Ruth, which she read at her ceremony.  Ella, who heard about Keren Or from her Bat Mitzvah tutor, Ariella Rosen, continues:  

"I know that I have now reached a big milestone of my life and I will take note of the lessons I have learned from Ruth about commitment, kindness and making good decisions.  In preparing for becoming a Bat-Mitzvah, Ariella introduced me to an organization in Israel called Keren Or--Ray of Light. This organization provides therapy and services to children who are blind and have at least one other disability. I have worked on making a tactile book project for these children. This involved placing different fabrics and materials over the illustrations of popular Hebrew stories so that it is possible to feel what is drawn in the picture. For example, if there is a person with hair in the picture, you would put yarn where there is hair. The books will be part of the library of tactile books at Keren Or.

I was very happy when I heard that there was an organization that had a professional staff and good therapies to help these children. I hope that the books can better help the children sense the beauty of the world described in these stories, and also result in a cycle of positive reactions."

We couldn't have said it any better ourselves, Ella.

Does your company have a matching gifts program?

With matching gifts you can sometimes double or even triple your gift!

Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match charitable contributions made by their employees to non-profit organizations like Keren Or. To find out if your company has a matching gift policy, check with your company's human resources or payroll department.

If your company matches, ask for donation guidelines and see if Keren Or is included on their list of eligible charities.  If it is, ask for the appropriate forms (many are now available online) and make your donation.  If Keren Or is not already listed, give the human resources department Keren Or's website and contact information and they should be able to call us and obtain all of the required information. 

Please submit completed matching gift forms by e-mail to info@keren-or.org or by mail to:

Keren Or, Inc.

350 Seventh Ave, Suite 701

New York, NY 10001

If you need any help, Keren Or will be happy to assist.  You can contact info@keren-or.org or 212-279-4070 during normal business hours.   

Planning to travel to Israel this summer?  Visit the Keren Or Center in Jerusalem and see firsthand the state-of-the-art facilities, the amazing work of our staff, and the smiles on the faces of our students.

We can only succeed in advancing programs for our students' special needs with your involvement and support.  So when you return from your visit, we also encourage you to share your experiences with your home communities, so that they too can understand the importance of caring for these children.  If you are interested, please call 212-279-4070 or in Israel 073-240-0201 and we would be more than happy to arrange a short tour of the facilities.

to funding the needs of the blind and multi-disabled children and young adults at the Keren Or Center in Jerusalem.  Charity Navigator is

the leading web site offering research and analysis of the effectiveness of nonprofit groups.