 Kadima Printed with permission from "The Chesed Boomerang" by Jack Doueck www.judaicapress.com
Rabbi Chaim Plato is a Brooklyn-born Rabbi who graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brooklyn College. He then worked in France and now is one of the leaders of Radin Yeshiva in Netanya, Israel. His tenth child, Moshe, was born with Down Syndrome. Rabbi Plato had a potential tragedy on his hands: He had a baby that was mentally retarded. His response was love. His response was action. Rabbi Plato decided to open the Kadima School for Special Children. His mission was to establish a state-of-the-art program that would help children with Down Syndrome and show their parents (and the world around them) that "not only will they be no burden, but rather they will be their pride and joy!" "Kadima" means step forward, move on! The school "mainstreams" the Down children with normal children and teaches both to focus on positive abilities and attitude rather than on disabilities and differences. Fully one half of the children born with Down Syndrome are abandoned by their parents in the hospital. The vast majority of these children deteriorate rapidly and die. Rabbi Plato decided that "it is crucial to educate society to the true potential of these loving children. They can live normal lives and develop into self-sufficient adults. They are loving and lovable; They have feelings and emotions just like any other child." Many Down Syndrome children today hold college degrees. Rabbi Plato says that their success is a direct result of parental love, special care, and educational support. A Down Syndrome child need not be a victim of the family and society. He can be what God intended : "A special child!" Today, Rabbi Plato helps hundreds of children and families build new, productive lives. He built a school where unconditional love and chesed are the foundation for success. He responded to his sad situation with powerful action, commitment, drive and positive thinking. "Down Syndrome kids have an extra chromosome. I think in that chromosome is an extra bit of love and peace. If the rest of the world could get that from these kids, it would be a more loving, more tolerant and more peaceful world to live in." Rabbi Chaim Plato certainly understood what it means to "put yourself out." He fought his sadness with chesed and turned it into joy.
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