October 12, 1999
Shattering Myths in
Washington:
OU/IPA Interns Buck Stereotypes About People With Disabilities
Most college kids who spend their summers interning in Washington
are seeking political experience or adventure. Twenty-year-olds Suzanne Balsam and Mikey
Butler went to the nation’s capital this summer with a different agenda: to shatter
stereotypes of Orthodox Jews with disabilities.
Born with cystic fibrosis, Butler, a resident of Pittsburgh, PA,
interned at the National Jewish Democratic Committee. Balsam, of Teaneck, NJ, lives with
TARR Syndrome, a physical disability and blood disorder that limits her wrist mobility.
She worked in the office of Senator Robert Torricelli (D-NJ).
Balsam and Butler were among a select group of 45 college students
who participated in the Orthodox Union’s (OU) Institute
for Public Affairs Washington Internship
Program last summer. Celebrating its 11th anniversary, the OU/IPA
Internship Program is the only such program on Capitol Hill run by any Jewish
organization.
Balsam, a junior who is majoring in biology at Barnard College, has
dedicated her life to science and medicine, serving as an EMT and pursuing pre-med studies
in college. For her, the IPA internship was an eye-opening experience.
"Entering a political internship program as someone who has
focused so heavily on the sciences, I didn’t know quite what to expect," she
explained. "I was both surprised and thrilled to find my niche: exploring the ways in
which disease can effect society as a whole by incorporating my knowledge of science into
law and government in terms of health care and disability rights," she said.
Working for Senator Torricelli, Balsam was instrumental in the
successful effort to pass a bill that allows senior citizens to have screenings for
scoliosis covered by medicare. "I worked on issues for which I have a true
passion," she said. "Now I am considering the field of law and disability rights
and it is a door I never would have thought of opening before."
A junior who is double majoring in political science and business at
Yeshiva University, Butler explained that his goals for the internship included exposing
officials in Washington to individuals they often don’t meet. "I wanted to help
shatter the myths they might have about Orthodox Jews as well as about people with
so-called disabilities."
Butler accomplished his goal and then some. Proving that living with
a chronic disease does not equal disability, he arrived in Washington with a small arsenal
of medical supplies in his suitcase. In between attending high level meetings for a major
fund raiser with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and working overtime, Butler
self-administered intravenous antibiotics and physical therapy treatments to restore and
preserve his good health.
"It was inspiring to see the positive impact of Orthodox Jewry
on the American political process," Butler said. "The combination of being in
Washington with all of its political resources and being there as part of the
Orthodox community with all of its resources made for an amazing internship
experience. I would love the chance to return to the Hill as an IPA intern again next
summer," he added.
Students in the IPA Internship program hail from communities across
the country and from universities including Yale, Harvard, the University of Chicago and
the University of Pennsylvania. They work for congressional members and high profile
political organizations including AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), the
Library of Congress and the National Jewish Democratic Council.
The public policy research and advocacy center of the Union, the IPA
represents and mobilizes the world’s largest Orthodox Jewish community. Serving as a
powerful and effective political voice for American Jewry, the IPA works to protect Jewish
interests and freedoms by providing government officials with informative policy
briefings, advocating legislative and regulatory initiatives and coordinating grass-roots
political activities.
The Orthodox Union, celebrating 100 years of service to the Jewish
community of America and beyond, is the world leader in youth
work, advocacy for the disabled, synagogue services, adult education and political
action. Its kosher supervision label, the OU,
is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 200,000
products in 62 countries around the globe.
www.ou.org
Comments?
Requests? Questions?
 Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
of America
Department of Public Relations
Sharyn Perlman, Director
Main Office:
11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212-613-8321 Fax: 212-564-9058
E-mail: media@ou.org |
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