Today, we lost two members of our community.

Yaron Moshe and his wife, Ilana, were killed by a direct missile strike on their home in Ramat Gan. Yaron used a walker for mobility, and it appears they were unable to reach their safe room in time. Perhaps they tried and couldn’t make it. Or perhaps, like many people with limited mobility, they faced the impossible reality of being asked to get out of bed and run for shelter in the middle of the night.

Yaron was in his early 70s and had been a member of The Center for nearly 15 years. He took part in many of our programs, and Ilana was always by his side. Only the other day one of our coaches met them at the gym and asked how they were coping. Ilana told them, "We can't make it to the safe room — we are in the hands of God."

And in God's hands they are.  

In many ways, they represent a part of our community that is less seen. They were not the wheelchair tennis champions, or the basketball stars. Not the exceptional talents or the inspirational speakers we so often highlight.

They were something else and far more common.

A couple in their 70s. One living with a progressive disability. People who came to The Center to move a little, to swim a little, to share a cup of coffee, and, most of all, simply not to be alone. This is the quiet majority.

Their deaths are tragic. But they also force us to confront a reality that is often overlooked: Disability is not only about access, opportunity, or independence. It is not only about stairs, or jobs, or inclusion. Sometimes, it is about something much more basic — the ability to protect yourself and the people you love.

Yehi Zikhram Baruch.

Boaz