OU’S YACHAD AND OUR WAY PRESENT NINTH ANNUAL POWERPOINT PRESENTATION OF MEGILLAT ESTHER FOR PURIM, FEBRUARY 23, 24
Back by popular demand for the ninth year, Yachad | Jewish Disabilities Integation/the National Jewish Council for Disabilities (NJCD) and Our Way are offering a PowerPoint presentation of Megillat Esther for Purim, to help foster the Inclusion of individuals with a variety of challenges.
This year, Purim falls on Sunday, February 24, with the Megillah being read Saturday night, February 23 as well.
Yachad/NJCD and Our Way are agencies of the Orthodox Union, which provide unique social, educational and recreational programs for individuals with learning, developmental and physical disabilities with the goal of their Inclusion in the total life of the Jewish community. Our Way especially provides resources, services, and social programming for the Jewish deaf and hard of hearing.
Batya Jacob, Director of Educational Support Services of Yachad, stated, “Once again Yachad/NJCD is presenting the Megillat Esther PowerPoint. Close to 200 synagogues in North America, Israel and England have already requested the DVD. This engaging program, with Hebrew and English side-by-side, used in conjunction with the Megillah reading in synagogue, allows individuals with hearing challenges, visual challenges, attention deficits, the elderly, and children of all ages to easily participate in their communities’ celebration of the holiday of Purim.”
This year, Yachad has collaborated with the OU’s Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) program to bring the PowerPoint Megillah to college students. Special programming will be presented at Johns Hopkins, Rutgers University, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Yale; and as a joint event by the University of Toronto and York University in Canada. The JLIC at UCLA and Los Angeles Yachad will be hosting a special Purim party, including the PowerPoint Megillah presentation. Additionally, Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York will be offering the PowerPoint Megillah for select patients.
All a synagogue needs is a laptop with a projector and a screen where the disc is shown. The mouse of the computer serves as the place keeper on the screen. Text becomes color-coded for easier participation – blue text for when words should be read aloud, red text to emphasis the mention of Haman. Graphics are included, along with an option for synagogues to insert their own graphics to accompany the Purim story, allowing for an even more interactive experience.
The software is available for a suggested donation of $100. To order a copy or for more information, contact Batya Jacob at 212-613-8127 or {encode=”mailto:batyaj@ou.org” title=”batyaj@ou.org”}.
OU | Enhancing Jewish Life