Our decision to make Aliyah was preceded by several years of research. I talked to many experts and other parents through Nefesh b’Nefesh, as well as friends and friends of friends. Since we have four little girls with special needs, the main focus of my research was on the services and education Israel had to offer. I had already negotiated the special education/therapeutic world in the States, but covering this ground in a new country, and in an unfamiliar language has been an adventure.

Once we decided to live in Ramat Beit Shemesh, where two of our married sons lived, we were able to start looking for information about specific schools. We made the decision to hire an educational consultant. Sharon explained the process of getting a child into the special education system. The first step was to schedule a meeting with the Vaadat Hasama (Placement Board.) Our plan was to make Aliyah in mid-August, which was very late for the next school year. Most of these meetings are scheduled in the spring, but because we were going to be new olim, an exception was made and the meeting was scheduled for mid-September.

Sharon helped us decide which documents should be translated for the committee. She also told us that the most important documents we needed were from an educational psychologist assessing each child. We started assembling a packet for each girl. Sharon also explained that the committee first tries to place the child within the iriya (city) system, but if an appropriate school is not available, a child can attend a school outside of the city, at the city’s expense.

Fortunately, I was able to go to Israel in July for my grandson’s bris. I took this opportunity to look at a number of schools. One surprise for us was that Israeli schools are much more stratified. They all wanted to know the girls’ IQs. At four years old, the schools they had been at in Miami had never talked in terms of IQs. They were all “developmentally delayed” and attended a school with a variety of kids similarly unlabeled. It took a bit of finesse to get around this issue, but armed with letters from both the director and the teachers at their school in Miami, as well as from a psychologist, we were able to satisfy the schools and the committee.

The school I requested for our twins was located in Jerusalem. It was for children with cerebral palsy who didn’t have cognitive impairment. For our daughter with Prader Willi Syndrome (PWS), there was a school in nearby Beit Shemesh for children with mild developmental delays. Finally, for our little one who also has PWS and many other medical problems, a hospital-based medical maon (daycare) in Jerusalem was our first choice.

Our Aliyah date was delayed because the adoption of our youngest daughter dragged on and on. We had to postpone the September meeting until October. When it was clear that we did not have a court date for the adoption finalization, we made a difficult decision. Since the schools could only hold places for the girls until Sukkos, my husband and the three older girls would make Aliyah in advance of the baby and me. They left Miami Chol Hamoed Sukkos.

My husband attended the placement meeting with the educational consultant accompanying him. While there was a bit of a “fight” to get one of the girls into the school in Jerusalem, in the end the committee agreed. It took a couple of weeks to get the paperwork through and the hasaha (bus) transportation arranged, but within a month of arriving, the three girls were in school.

I arrived three months later. Since our youngest daughter was under three years old, her placement was decided by the iriya (city.) There was no placement committee meeting, but similarly, the city had to decide if it would pay for her to attend a program in Jerusalem. As you might imagine, the city is reluctant to pay tuition and transportation, but since there is no medical daycare in Beit Shemesh, the city agreed.

People, both before I came here and after, comment on the difficulty of the bureaucracy in Israel. I suspect that these people have never had to deal with Medicaid and Social Security in the United States, as it seems to me equally difficult to get through the system in both countries. Yes, we have hit snags in getting paperwork from one office to another and delays in this or that, but overall I am extremely pleased with what we have found here in Israel.

The girls are all speaking Hebrew quite well. While my husband and I speak only English to them, Hebrew is their preferred language when speaking to one another. I know that there is some concern among professionals about a bi-lingual environment for children with speech delays, but we are finding that the transition in this area has been seamless. It is difficult to understand one of our daughters when she speaks English because of her pronounciation problems. But as she learns Hebrew with more advanced abilities, her Hebrew pronounciation has become much clearer.

And now it’s time to prepare for another year. One of the twins is moving to a Gan Safa (language school), which is a step towards entering the mainstream educational system. She will be here in Beit Shemesh. The other twin has been accepted to a religious school for children with cerebral palsy in Jerusalem. The medical problems of our youngest daughter have improved so much since we have been here that she no longer needs close medical supervision. She will join her sister with PWS at the school she attends in Beit Shemesh.

That is, if the committee agrees. When making a change from one school or level to another, there is another committee that must okay the change. From what I’ve been told, we may not know for sure which schools have been approved until late August.

One other part of the educational system here in Israel is that you have to make a decision about the track you want your children on—Dati Leumi or Chareidi. In our case, one daughter was in a Chareidi school and three were in secular schools this year. The best programs for their needs were at these schools. Next year, all girls will be in Chareidi schools, and all but one daughter will be in Beit Shemesh.

For anyone contemplating making Aliyah with a child with special needs, I suggest planning as much as possible in advance. Hiring an educational consultant is also very important, especially if you do not speak Hebrew well. I am happy to correspond with anyone who has questions: yaelchai@gmail.com.

In addition to chasing four children five and under, Yael Putney continues to work remotely as Director of Technical Documentation for the company she worked for in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh with the girls and her husband.

If you have a similar experience to share with our readers, please mail your submission to Spirit! Magazine, 48 Scotland Hill Road, Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977. Email to editor@spiritmag.org.

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