What Is Sulam?

Sulam is an independent non-profit organization with its own teachers and administrative team, operating as a school program that is integrated within a larger Jewish day school environment to fulfill its inclusion goals and mandate.

Sulam serves students in grades 1–12 at Berman Hebrew Academy, and grades 1–5 at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School (Sulam@JDS) with learning differences that include ADHD, autism, language based learning disability, twice exceptional (gifted and talented, learning disabled), and related emotional disorders and intellectual disabilities.

Sulam offers students an innovative approach to education in an inclusive setting, and trains educators in a cutting-edge, research-based framework that elevates the Jewish educational experience and supports the diversity of all learners. We aim to broaden the intellectual, social, emotional, and spiritual lives of students, their families, and the entire community.

Our Mission

Sulam is a 1–12 Jewish special education inclusion program that provides high quality educational, social, and emotional support for students with disabilities, while teaching the entire community that everyone belongs and can make a vital contribution to the world.

Our Vision

Sulam aspires to create an educational approach where people with learning differences are recognized as vital contributors to a diverse world, and are integrated naturally into the fabric of the school community and broader society.

Our Values

We believe:

• Every student has the right to a rigorous Jewish education alongside his/her peers.

• Every student can be a contributing member of the Jewish community and society at large.

• Every student has strengths and wants to be successful.

• Everyone benefits from an inclusive classroom environment in which there are diverse learning styles.

How many people can say they are daily honored to work alongside a group of truly inspiring people?

I believe I am one of the privileged few.

Every day I am struck by the unique and spectacular qualities of our Sulam and Shearim students. Where else does one get to witness the joyful smile of a student with Down Syndrome as he gets a bear hug from his brother and friends attending the same school as him? Where else can a student attend a small class to help him overcome his reading disability, and then join the entire grade on the soccer field during gym? And how about the student who is highly gifted, but needs to take untimed tests because his processing speed doesn’t match his cognitive ability?

Every day I am struck by the extreme dedication and passion of the highly skilled special education team at Sulam. I get to witness colleagues who stay well beyond their working hours to help a student with executive function deficits submit his college application on time. I see a Rebbe who invites his students for Shabbat dinner to help establish a trusting and caring relationship. I observe an educator who puts her own family on hold to travel across the country to participate in an incredible workshop, and then return to Sulam to implement what she learned about addressing the needs of her students.

Every day I am struck by the profound commitment of the Sulam parent body, who believes in the strengths and abilities of their children and go to extraordinary lengths to advocate for them and help them succeed. I see a mother who encourages and supports her Autistic child to participate in the school choir, giving him an outlet to highlight his talent.  I know a father who creates magnificent woodworking projects with a son whose strengths lie in his ability to work with his hands. I hear from a  parent who reads book after book every evening to her child who loves stories, but struggles to read. 

Every day I am struck by the generosity of donors who recognize the essential role that  Sulam plays in our community. I have the honor of knowing a donor who is thinking constantly about how he can make a difference in the lives of the parents and children at Sulam. His concern for others translates into making sure that his donations are regular and meaningful, ensuring the financial health of the organization. I have the privilege of developing deep and meaningful friendships with people who care and have the capacity to translate their care into giving.  These are people who value every human being and are determined to ensure their inclusion in our community, and hope that in turn our community continues to strive for treating the vulnerable in our midst with dignity, friendship and an inviting embrace. 

The list of outstanding people with whom I have the honor and privilege of working is endless. I can’t help but believe that this is because what we do at Sulam is work that is contributing to creating a just and fair society – one child at a time.

Each child is an entire world of his or her own. Our work is to nourish that world, so that we can live within it with joy and celebration.

If you would like to learn more about Sulam, please call or email me.

I welcome the opportunity to tell you, and show you, much more!

Lianne Heller