Our guest this week is Rabbi Kalman Samuels of Jerusalem, Israel. Rabbi Samuels and his wife, Malki, have seven children, one of whom, Yossi, became deaf and blind after being administered a faulty vaccine at two. We’ll hear the remarkable story of how Yossi learned to communicate, to read, and how Kalman and Malki started Shalva, a seven story state-of-the art center on five acres in downtown Jerusalem, which serves as a beacon of hope, helping thousands of disabled children weekly, gain an ability to have a higher quality life.

We’ll also hear about Kalman’s book, “Dreams Never Dreamed: A Mother’s Promise That Transformed Her Son’s Breakthrough into a Beacon of Hope” available on Amazon. It’s an amazing story and one you’ll enjoy on this Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

Links:
SHALVA The Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities - https://www.shalva.org

Book - Dreams Never Dreamed: A Mother’s. Promise That Transformed Her Son’s Breakthrough into a Beacon of Hope - https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Never-Dreamed-Transformed-Breakthrough-ebook/dp/B087NSLDG2

YouTube –
- The Story of Shalva - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN9JlwKIB_k&t=3s
- Ambassadors of Change – the Shalva Band At Google – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0JoqJcEe-Q

Email - kalman@shalva.org

Special Fathers Network -
SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 500+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are raising kids with special needs, have said: "I wish there was something like this when we first received our child's diagnosis. I felt so isolated. There was no one within my family, at work, at church or within my friend group who understood or could relate to what I was going through."

SFN Mentor Fathers share their experiences with younger dads closer to the beginning of their journey raising a child with the same or similar special needs. The SFN Mentor Fathers do NOT offer legal or medical advice, that is what lawyers and doctors do. They simply share their experiences and how they have made the most of challenging situations.

Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/about-the-special-fathers-network/

Check out the 21CD YouTube Channel with dozens of videos on topics relevant to dads raising children with special needs - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzDFCvQimWNEb158ll6Q4cA Please support the SFN. Click here to donate: https://21stcenturydads.org/donate/