An Accessible Ramp at the Israel Museum. Photo: Wikimedia commons.

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee  (JDC) and the Israeli government will each match a $4 million grant from the Ruderman Family Foundation to expand work on improving the inclusion of adults with disabilities in Israeli society, JDC announced.

Started three years ago with those three parties’ $6 million investment, the Israel Unlimited Partnership will now receive a $12.5 million boost to focus on employing the disabled as well as  “ensuring accessible housing and services that promote independent living; expanding person-centered services and focusing on new groups like Haredim (Ultra Orthodox Jews) with disabilities; and developing projects that help adults with disabilities cope with loneliness,” according to JDC.

“We want Israel to be second to none in its inclusion of people with disabilities throughout society, said Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation, said in a statement. “Our strategic effort has enabled the implementation of nation-wide change through innovative programs that ensure, above all, that people with disabilities are full members of Israel’s national tapestry.”