This past May, Victor and Lieba Bernstein of Windsor spent three weeks volunteering at Beit Issie Shapiro Center (BIS) in Raánana, Israel — a school that serves disabled children, adults and their families. Six years ago, Lieba and Victor visited the school with Congregation Beth Sholom B’nai Israel in Manchester. Awed by their hydro-therapy pool, Snoezelen rooms (a multi-sensory environment), occupational therapy programs, early intervention center and dental clinic, Lieba expressed a desire to return as a volunteer. Her wish came true for her 71st birthday.

During their stay, the couple resided in Kfar Sava, a neighboring community to Raánana. Five days a week, they woke at 6:30 a.m. to take a 30-minute bus ride and 10-minute walk to the school, where they helped in a classroom of 6-7-year-old children from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We worked one-on-one with students helping them with their academic tasks, activities of daily living and afterschool playtime,” said Lieba, who works as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor at the Mandell JCC in West Hartford. “The first few days were eye-openers, to say the least. We learned to see beyond their disabilities and focus on their amazing abilities.”

In existence for 36 years, BIS serves 30,000 people a year and shares its expertise world-wide to improve the lives of people with disabilities. To date, 700 locations in Israel and 25 international locations have adopted the organization’s cutting-edge model.

“We were amazed that no matter where we were in Israel people knew about Beit Issie Shapiro, and complimented our endeavors by saying ‘kol ha’kavod,’” said Victor, who was last year’s recipient of the Henry Zachs Spirit of Judaism Award presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.

“The professionalism of the staff and volunteers working throughout the building warmed our hearts,” said Lieba. “It is a community of genuine, caring diverse people coming together for a common goal.”

For more information on Beit Issie Shapiro, visit afobis.org.

CAP: The Bernsteins with a new friend from the Beit Issie Shapiro Center.