Peres: One of my sons was disabled by polio

President: "It is difficult to see a child suffering from disability. Every bit of help for them is a mitzva."

By JUDY SIEGEL
shimon peres 88 224 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
shimon peres 88 224
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
One of his three children contracted polio as a child, and he and his wife, Sonia, cared for him until he almost fully recovered, President Shimon Peres revealed Tuesday, at the launch of the Ilan "March of Prutot" fund-raising campaign at Beit Hanassi. "A society that doesn't take care of the disabled is a handicapped society," Peres said. Referring to the arson at a hostel run by Jerusalem's Alyn Pediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation Hospital this week, apparently committed by neighbors who feared the presence of disabled people would lower real estate values, Peres said such abuse of the disabled was "unforgivable and must not be ignored. It is difficult to see a child suffering from disability. Every bit of help for them is a mitzva. I call on all Israeli citizens to contribute as much as they can to Ilan [the Israel Association for Physically Disabled Children]." Ilan, founded in 1952, helps victims of muscular and nerve disabilities such as muscular dystrophy and paralysis. Today, 15,000 people of all ages are helped through its 41 branches. It offers rehabilitation, equipment, employment help and enrichment for the disabled and their families. Ilan also trains disabled high school pupils for work after their graduation; some of them volunteer for service in the IDF. The fund-raising will be held on Wednesday, April 2. Donations will be collected door-to-door by volunteers and can also be made by calling (03) 941-1333. Ilan director-general Shimon Tzurieli said the organization was helping to train disabled people for employment as the result of a new law that encouraged hiring them. Dr. Yossi Meller, the organization's chief social worker, said Ilan was also helping disabled sportsmen prepare for the Disabled Olympics to be held in Beijing this year.