The Children of Jacob

Caring For Those Who Are Disabled and or Disfigured

By Basil Fletcher Kingston Jamaica

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Contents
Contents..................................................................................................................... 2 Reasons For These Letters...................................................................................... 2 The Chain................................................................................................................ 5 On The Question of Love......................................................................................... 6 On The Question of Work......................................................................................... 7 Social Withdrawal Versus An Invitation...................................................................8 The Struggle For Attention Versus Reaching Out....................................................9 And I Hid From Father Mc Klusty...........................................................................11 Embarrassment..................................................................................................... 14 What Is A Disability?............................................................................................. 15 Is There A Jewish Attitude Towards Persons With Disabilities?..............................15 It Was Not Funny!.................................................................................................. 19 At An Intimate Level.............................................................................................. 21 Can We Afford Not To Condemn The Church For Its Dealing With Those Entrusted To Its Care?........................................................................................................... 22 A Prayer................................................................................................................. 25 Written With My Daughter In Mind........................................................................26 Some Times........................................................................................................... 28 If We Must Die....................................................................................................... 30 Planning For Bolt and Ignoring Jacob- Jewish Anti-Semitism by Jamaican Jews In The Construction Industry..................................................................................... 31 Social and Physical Disability-A Wicked Combination............................................32 When a Community Cares!.................................................................................... 36 What Guarantees Can They Offer?........................................................................37

Reasons For These Letters

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Psalm 145 14. The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down. Psalm 146 8. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. Psalm 147 2. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers together the outcasts of Israel. 3. He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. 6. The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.

Dear Ellen; These letters are being written on the behalf of a young lady who is somewhere between the ages of seventeen and twenty five years of age. What comforting words can we as her seniors, her mother and father, to help her to recognize in herself a type of beauty which no kind of vitiligo or illness of the skin can distort or make her unwanted? Ellen, it is very hard and painful for a young person, with dreams of a future ahead; with dreams of love and desire, to watch helplessly, as his or her skin develops patches of white, covering the fingers, surrounding the eyes, the mouth and discoloring ones most private parts. It must be very painful to look at ones self in the mirror. It must be gut wrenching to look at ones own hands; it must be intimidating to open ones door. Why should he or she want to go anywhere? Why should he or she want to get out of bed? Is it enough for us to tell our children, that we know that people say unkind things about them? Is it enough for us to tell our children, that we too, their parents are a bit afraid to take their hands, that we too are a bit concerned about them touching the food we eat? Should we also let them know, how we worry when they go out? Should we let them know that we are afraid for them? Should we let them know that there are times when we wish that we could take on to ourselves their illness and pain? Ellen, why is life so brutal? Why is the world so wicked to our children? I, a Black man, you a Jewish
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woman, why should they think any of the two of us should feel any less the pain and anguish of our children? Ellen, why is it that the world is so coldso brutal on our children? Ellen, into the Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel shall we take them. On our knees, mother and father, sister and brother, shall we go, so that Our God may have His way, so that to us, Our God will show, how even though afflicted that to Him and to Him only do we belong. Yes, into the Synagogue of The Most High shall we go, so that we too will be able to share the love which Our God shares with us. There are many to whom we too can stretch hands of help and encouragement, for it is in the sharing of Gods love and many blessings, that we in ourselves and in our children, cultivate the kind of beauty, a sense of place and purpose, which no illness, no blotches, can ever destroy. With love, Basil

The Chain
Ellen; Today I remember, a Saturday some years ago, the mother of my daughter, asked me to clip together a necklace around her neck. With the greatest of will in the world, I could not clip the two ends together around her neck, my hands simply refused to remain steady. She said nothing, except to state that she will do it herself, nothing more. Yet, I was embarrassed beyond words, my curse, Essential Tremor, scored big that day. Basil

Sometimes individuals with disabilities, the inability to do small things may lead them to question their self worth and their value to others. It is in this regard, that old age can be very similar to a form of disability. I could not attach the chain around the neck of the mother of my daughter, however I was able to clean her shoes, help to take care of the house, paint the fence, and prepare my daughter for school and nearly everything else. A young woman or girl with vitiligo may not want to be the person answering a knock on the door, she surely can however model in the hottest jeans and the sexist swimwear. She may never be the most beautiful teacher, but she surely can become the best teacher in any school. Later!

On The Question of Love

Ellen; I would like to explain to a young friend of mine, that finding true love is of secondary importance to her going out and becoming a part of the world. A person who goes out into the world, gains the ability to identify and develop his or her talents and skills, is able to see that despite his or her challenges, he or she is able to do much more than many with less challenges, and is able to stretch forth even though blotched, a hand of friendship and help to those in need and by doing so, learn to love ones self and even much more important, learns to value the many blessings of Our God. A person who locks herself away, has placed herself in the position of a caged animal-angry with the world, jealous of the world and filled with hatred for self and others; such a person will not be able to find much to give God thanks for. Ellen, were I a woman-I would be better able to find the words to explain it, but true love starts with a love of self, a person who does not love him or herself, can only pretend to love others. A person with no love of self has no love to give or to share. If love is a plant, it is nutured by the acts of giving of oneself and time to helping others, to improving the lot of others. A person living with a disability or disfigurement, challenges others, to look beyond the body and to see the real person, the true I. A person living with a disability and or disfigurement, challenges others to see beyond a good shape, a nice ass, a beautiful face and see a good wife, a good mother or a good and caring husband and father. Many marriages fall apart, because the individuals concerned got married to an image, a social position and not a real person, who is capable of giving and accepting love. It is here, that those with disabilities and or disfigurement have the advantage not only in cultivating love for others and for self but also in pulling to themselves, those individuals who are able to see the real person behind the physical form. Ellen, I would hope that I have expressed the above in a manner and with words with which you can agree. With love, Basil
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On The Question of Work

Ellen; My elder cousin Phyllis says that she would have to hear me speak before she could say whether or not I would make a good Member of Parliament. For us who have disabilities, we do love speeches, we love both the spoken and the written word, however we do have a strong preference for deeds. This is also so with the life of so many who suffers from disabilities and disfigurement, the weight of time rests on their shoulders, their insecurities striking like barbed whips on their naked backs. For that young lady with vitiligo, marriage and children is now, not tomorrow. If the chances of landing a husband now are bad, how much worse will her chances be tomorrow? For the young man with Essential Tremor, in his mind, the money has to be made today, while he can still help himself , not tomorrow when he might not be able to use a knife and fork. The pressure of time, results in anger, frustration, depression and the loose of even more time. Work is of critical importance for the disabled and the disfigured. It provides a source of income, it facilitates the development of self-worth-even the most menial of jobs, creates and or facilitates the opening of avenues for socialization, it creates a sense of independence and most critically it provides the means needed for the attainment of future oriented goals- the purchase of a home or land, the purchasing of a sewing machine or loom, the purchasing of a family car, etc, etc. Work, however can become a cry for help. It can become the manifestation of a mind which refuses to accept the reality of disability and or disfigurement. Here work is not being used as a means of accepting and or coping with the disability but rather it has become an instrument intended to return the person at least mentally to a pre-disability or pre-disfigurement state, an instrument for the denial of ones state of being, now and tomorrow. Here the attitude towards work and work in itself has become a call for help. Work becomes a cry for help coming from the individual with a disability and or disfigurement, whose objectives are aimed at fixing tomorrows problems and the problems of the day after tomorrow, now, today. It is a crippled man of thirty five years of age, who is working with all his efforts to ensure that his wife of the future will not be in need after he is gone two or three decades from now. It is the young lady with the blotches on her skin, who is working very hard to build a home for her grandchildren even before she has met the future father of her children.

Ellen, the real issue here, is that disability and or disfigurement, creates or breeds insecurity both in a present and or future sense. The mind acting through work seeks to deny the existence of present and future insecurity by returning to the past or by seeking again through work to pull the future into the present to be manipulated in keeping with ones own desires. In both cases one is seeing work being converted into a cry for help. Again, it should be pointed out, that the aging process in humankind also carries along with it, very similar responses. From He who Talks Too Much; Basil

Social Withdrawal Versus An Invitation

For many, especially for those who acquired a physical disability or disfigurement in their younger years of life, their mental lives as a result of the coping strategies employed swing from highs to lows, in a form of acquired bipolarity. The constant pressure and the need to prove ones self, means that without a clear understanding that all knowledge and abilities are gifts of the God of Israel, a person sense of ego, sense of accomplishment and sense of self worth, could be one day above the roof and beyond the clouds, only for the reality of ones disability and or disfigurement to trip in the next day to pull the person to another new low. One here must hasten to note, that, modern society for its own purposes and to suit its own needs, also seek to manipulate the mood of the disabled; in one advertisement , the man in the wheel chair is most loved and a champion for all a type of X Man character, in the next advertisement, he wets and defecates on himself-helplessness- thus he needs a particular brand of adult diapers. While the idea of withdrawing ones self from society, could be an alien concept for many without disabilities and or disfigurement, for the disabled, the urge and the need to take ones self out of the race, the urge for social disengagement is real, and is of great value not only in disrupting the bipolar cycle of highs and lows, but also allowing the individual space and the time needed to be with ones self and to satisfy ones spiritual and or reflective needs-perhaps most important-to put ones life within some type of perspective. Family members and friends should not be concerned if their family member or friend with a disability and or disfigurement takes some time to be by himself or herself. Ellen, in my view, what should be of concern to all, is if the disabled and or disfigured person does not wish to rejoin the world. This is when and where social withdrawal becomes an invitation to a loved one or care giver to act to bring the individual back into the wider society. Depending on the type and or severity of the disability and or disfigurement, many do have thoughts of ending their lives, clear 8

ideas as to how to die with dignity. This is why faith in the Living God of Israel is most critical. It is that faith in the God of Abraham, in the God of Jacob, in the God of Moses, which will carry the disabled and or the disfigured across the Red Sea of depression and feelings of failure. Ellen Manaker, love of my life, it is my own personal experience in living with Essential Tremor, which has led me to conclude that the God of Israel will leave none, none of his servants in the waste land of depression and self pity, regardless of the situation. Ellen, it is in working with the disabled and or disfigured that one comes to understand that our educational attainment must be matched by our faith in God, if not we run the risk of not only failing ourselves but others who love us and depends on us. Ellen, life for many is far from being easy, far from being comfortable, those whose needs are real and within our training, experience and abilities, to them we stretch our hands, hands of friendship and love. Yours truly, Basil Fletcher

The Struggle For Attention Versus Reaching Out

While most individuals with disabilities and or disfigurement tend to do the best they can to avoid attention, that tendency has to be counter balanced against the fact that one is dealing with intelligent human beings who also want to be seen, want to be noticed and want to be loved. It is in this respect, that care givers and those who live or work with individuals with disabilities and or disfigurements, need to create the type of events and occasions which allow the disabled and or the disfigured to get their moment to shine. There is a need to recognize that society in general, either seeks to patronize the disabled or on the other hand it at times choose to ignore the fact, that, the disabled and the disfigured have views about the things which affects them and their loved ones- directly and indirectly and that they have the rights of citizens and consumers to express their views and that they do have the rights to have those views considered equally with all other views. It is here, that the various communities of the disabled and the disfigured are forced into a daily struggle for attention to be paid to their views and concerns. One notes, that, even the Church in many of its activities, seek to use the disabled and or disfigured as props, attention grabbers and as propaganda pieces- individuals to be dressed up and shown off, individuals to be preached to, individuals to be ministered to; individuals with no views or opinions of their own. 9

The relationship between the struggle for attention and reaching out, at the individual-household level, must be addressed, if not only because it is an area, most misunderstood and understudied. Depending on the nature and degree of disability and or disfigurement, the individual is forced into a world in which they are highly restricted and controlled, many are forced against their will into a state of a second infancy with the associated dependency. For example, the parents of the young lady, who suffers from vitiligo and lives in Mile Gully, Manchester, Jamaica, knowing their community members, her parents might decide that it could be much less than safe to allow her to go alone to the town square to do shopping and or to conduct any other business- in spite of the fact that the young lady is at least of seventeen years of age. The fact that she is not working and with very limited prospects of gaining employment- has forced her into a high degree of dependency on her parents and siblings. The result of the lost of independence and freedom of movement along with the right to freedom of expression- relative to the rights and freedoms to other individuals of her age group; economically, socially and psychologically forces her back into a pre-teen or post sixties age group. It is against this background that the struggle of the disabled and the disfigured should also be understood and studied. Here one is speaking of adults in minds and in bodies, who in order to survive and to get the attention they need, are forced to utilize the forms of communication of children, to at times struggle with others for the attention of caregivers. One also notes, that it becomes very confusing when these adult-children seek to reach out to others. Here a caregiver is asked to look beyond-the potential manuplative actions of an adult in child form to see and hear the adult who is disabled and or disfigured trying his or her best to reach out and touch the life of another human being. As it is in working with the old, there is much value to all in the discource, as one disabled and or disfigured individual, reaches out, not necessarily to another disabled and or disfigured person. From your boring friend, Basil

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Ellen, should we show these children any less love than children without disabilities? Are they not also the children of Jacob? In the Temple of the Most High God, for them are reserved the very best seats.

And I Hid From Father Mc Klusty

Ellen; Father Mc Klusty S.J. taught me Physics at St. Georges College Extension School. This was during the years 1977 and 1978. During the nights and nearly every available evening, Anthony Ximmines of St. Andrew Technical High School, the late Bulla also of St. Andrew Technical High School, Ford and Reid from Kingston College and I after studying at the St. Andrew Parish Library, would head down to the Mico Teachers College, where we would find a way to capture a class room and study Mathematics and Physics from 7.00 p.m. to 6.00 a.m. the next morning. Sometimes the security guards would come around to expel us from the campus, but we at all times without exception found ways to get around them and recapture a class room.

We were good at Mathematics and Physics, at ages between seventeen and nineteen years of age, we were teaching students and teachers alike. Father Mc Klusty expected great things from me in my examinations. I failed him and I failed myself. I went into the examinations and could not write a single
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word, my hands shook without shame or reserve. Where before I was Blind Mice because I could not see what was written on the black board in school, I was now Shakey. That year, I promised to shoot myself in the head on or before my twentyfirst birthday. I hid from Father Mc Klusty SJ it took me years before I learnt to avoid drawing lines, graphs, curves and or vectors in public spaces. I did not get around to shooting myself. Basil

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Can she be loved? Ellen would you hate your son for seeing beauty in her? For those Jamaican who claim Jewish ancestry tell me would you stop your sons from wanting to marry her? Would you go to the wedding?

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Embarrassment
Embarrassment takes many forms and many shapes, for example, when young men and women lacking any compassion or love take it upon themselves to year a disabled teenaged boy. That is anger and embarrassment. For me, embarrassment was serving myself lunch and trying to use a knife and fork at an all inclusive hotel, here in Jamaica. I learnt the meaning of the word embarrassment, and at what stage of a meal to use the knife and fork and at what stage to use a fork alone. Most importantly, I learnt the value of a beer or two before a meal. For the Italians and the French it is a glass of wine. Maybe one day, Jamaican Christians will realize that the Jews of old drank wine and Jesus himself did so. For individuals with movement disorders, a glass of wine before a meal works wonders. Here I do hope that the staff at Jamaican hotels become aware of the needs of individuals suffering from movement disorders. I am sure that there is a similar need at the restaurants and hotels in New York and New Jersey for the operators to become aware of these individuals with special needs. Ellen, there are some Jamaican women who hold the view that they will not be going out with any man who might embarrass them around a dining table-men like me. I am sure that there are more than a few African Americans who share that view. I am sure that among the Children of Israel, the sons and daughters of Jacob, such views could not exist. These Jamaican women and their African American counterparts should not be surprised, that some of the best and brightest African American men feel much more comfortable going out with White women. They fail to realize that which the White woman has long realized-Life is a trade off- God drowned the supermen a long time ago. Ellen, a glass of beer, is good for us both. Yours, Basil

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What Is A Disability?
Here in Jamaica, individuals suffering from movement disorders such as Essential Tremor, Stiff Person Syndrome, Parkinson Syndrome along with others such as individuals who suffer from Vitiligo and other such challenges are not seen as members of the disabled community. On the other hand, a person who is capable in all sense of the word, except for having one leg a bit longer than the other is seen as a member of the disabled community. This reality leads one to ask:- (1) who defines what is and what is not a disability and (2) What was and is the intent behind such definitions? What is clear, is that at this moment there is a high level of discrimination between the disabled by the state and the wider society. Ellen, what is the situation in the Tri-State area on the East Coast? Is there state promoted discrimination between individuals with disabilities? If yes, how do you think that this problem can be resolved to the benefit of all? With love, Basil

Is There A Jewish Attitude Towards Persons With Disabilities?

The Jewish attitude to individuals with disabilities is best defined by the following verses:Genesis 32 ver 24 to 32- Here Jacob was made disabled by an Angel and rename Israel. Exodus 4, ver. 10-12, God asked Moses who makes a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing or blind?
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The scriptures above laid the basis for the development of a Jewish Attitude towards the disabled and or the disfigured, as different from the Christian Attitude to the disabled. One notes here, that , while Jews accept the disabled and or the disfigured as they are and on that basis provide care, the Christian approach is aimed in essence at getting rid of the disabled by one mean or the other. This is further demonstrated in Leviticus chapters 13 to 15, which describes in great detail, the care and attention, which Jews should give even to those with the most contagious illnesses and those who pose health risks to the wider community. At no time, should the inflicted be made to feel that he I not a member of the community or is so fallen that he cannot speak to the priest; even while he is made to understand that for the health of his family and the community he needs to separate himself. In short the Jewish community does not seek to add new burdens and pain to those who are already inflicted. Thus, from a Jewish perspective, all is done by the Jewish community, to ensure that those who are disabled and or disfigured, maintain their rightful seat in the Synagogue of The Most High God, that the individual is not only seen as being a part of the community but is encourage to play an active role in the life of the community, to the best of their abilities. This is so for even those who are known to be mentally ill. There are no first class or second class individuals among the children of Jacob, let it be remember that Jacob took the spotted sheep not those which were white and without blemish, he took as his first wife she who could not find a husband. This is the Jewish approach. Here one notes that there is nothing pure in real life, in todays world, Christian denominations such as the Roman Catholics and the Salvation Army among others, dedicate significant resources to the care of the disabled and the disfigured, while on the other hand, the are many Jews, who while seeking to carry the Star of David on their forehead for everybody to see, would rather not be reminded that both Moses and Jacob had disabilities. Hence, the question must be reduced to :- As a Jew, what is and should be my personal attitude to the disabled and or disfigured? Ellen, I would have been very glad if I could say that there is a gender difference in the approach to the disabled and or disfigured. Based on the Conflict Theory and or the Functionalist Approach to society, women because of their own experiences with discrimination and victimization, should be
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more sympatric than males to the plight of the disabled and or disfigured. Yet it is my experience and possibly yours also, that attitudes towards the disabled and or disfigured has a much stronger micro-group component and has more to do with micro-group perceptions, than with race, gender, sexuality, religion or any such macro-category. Therefore, in my view, to improve community care for the disabled and or disfigured, one must start from that which informs and shapes small group perception, hence the need for Jews even while using social media such as Face book and other forms of social media to remind themselves and others of the disabilities of both Moses and Jacob; even as one would urge Christians to remember that Jesus removed the disabilities of the disabled. Indeed, the sudden appearance in the New Testament of individuals possessed by evil spirits, an idea and state of being unheard of in the Books of Moses, must raise the most serious of concerns about the treatment of the mentally ill by those members of the Christian community. Here in Jamaica, where Christianity is the dominant religion, the mentally ill are regularly abused with impunity, subjected to physical violence, stoned and jeered by children and are even shot by the police who are not trained to deal with the mentally ill. One can even recall, that a man was beaten to death by his Church brothers and sisters because it was believed that he was possessed by demons. What however, is most unfortunate and troubling is that many a time these incidents occur in the presence of Afro-Jamaicans with Jewish blood in their veins, individuals who are proud to speak of their Jewish grandmothers and or grandfathers. One can nearly be certain that the Jewish Jamaicans also stand on the sidelines in the Bronx and other such areas in New York and New Jersey and watch if not participate in similar types of abuse of the mentally challenged. Shame on these Jamaican Jews, and I do hope and pray that the Nation of Islam under the leadership of the infamous rengade from the House of Jacob and the Torah, with their pitch forks and horns from hell put some fire on these most shameless Jamaica Jews. God created the Devil for his own purpose and Luis Farrakhan, the renegade Jamaican of Jewish ancestry might serve some purpose in the Jamaican Jewish community. Ellen, there are times when a community forgets its own history and in a bid to gain acceptance disassociates itself from itself, ask Luis Farrakhan, he is a world renown specialist in this area. The Jewish community as a result of centuries of inbreeding has had to deal with many cases of disabilities,
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perhaps more than other nations, in addition it has been a victim of Social Disability for centuries in Europe-the Russian Pale and the various Jewish Disabilities legislations are but pages from the past. The experiences of others and ones own experience as a nation among nations should serve to enhance and strengthen ones ability to serve the needs of ones community, especially the needs of those who are disabled. With love Basil

The image face of a person with Vitiligo as downloaded from the internet. Could that have been the condition of Jacobs first wife? If yes, would it have made her less of a woman or any less capable of being a good wife and mother? Ellen, what do you think? What do you Black Jamaicans who claim Jewish ancestry think? The renegade Farrakhan will deal with the cases those Jamaicans.

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It Was Not Funny!

Ellen; While at language school in Podebrady in the Czech Republic, my tremor was diagnosed to be Stiff Person Syndrome. I was indeed very glad that my case of tremor finally had a name. IN Jamaica in the early nineteen eighties, my tremor was attributed to anxiety and I was given valium. Ellen, who in Gods world would expect to find a young Black male suffering from Essential Tremor or stiff Person Syndrome? AIDS yes, it was and possibly still is a Black male thing, but certainly not Essential Tremor or Stiff Person Syndrome. Ellen to speak the truth, would it not be more normal for me, even in your view, to have diabetes, high blood pressure, failing kidneys or liver and even AIDS than having at such a young age Essential Tremor or even Stiff Person Syndrome. Well as a result of the considered medical opinion that I had Stiff Person Syndrome, I had to get an injection of vitamin B to the rear end every Monday morning; they helped. On returning to Jamaica, my Stiff Person Syndrome was diagnosed to be Essential Tremor, by local specialists-no harm done. Now I find myself having to explain to experienced doctors, what medication I should be taking and why. 19

Ellen, it is not easy for a individual such as is myself, who because of stereotypical concepts race to endure the misdiagnosis and or denial of suitable treatment of their disabilities. With love, Basil

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Should it really matter that he is not Jewish or Jamaican? Does God care about his nationality or religion? Ellen Manaker is he deserving of our love? If no , Why? What would Moses have said? What would Aaron have said? What would Jacob have said? Are they no longer our guides?

At An Intimate Level
Dear Ellen; There are many who looks at me, as being more than a bit off, when I say that I would prefer dealing with you a White Jewish woman any day, rather than dealing with a Black Jamaican woman , Jew or Gentile. Ellen, my experience with the Black Jamaican woman is very limited and even less is my experience with the Black Jamaican Jewish woman, however I do know what the Black Jamaican woman (Gentile) expects and demands a lot of her man, but when it comes to holding in dept discussions about disabilities, their implications and outlook for her man or for anyone else, it would be best to speak to a reinforced and hardened concrete wall. I would indeed hope, that the memories of their Jewish grandmothers and or grandfathers, would prevent the Black Jamaican Jewish woman, from adopting the attitudes and practices of the other women around them. 21

If I am to speak to any woman who has high expectations and demands of me, then let it be a woman to whom I may speak openly and frankly about my concerns and challenges, even as I am prepared to listen very carefully to hers. This is the Jewish way. When a puts out his best to make his home , wife and family happy and contribute in a significant and qualitative way to the economic demands of the household, then that man wants to know that if he should fall on the road, he has his woman to help him back to his feet and to dress his wounds, just in the same way as he is there to help her back to her feet if she slips and help her to take her place in the world as a woman and mother. That is the Jewish way. As a person with a disability, but who is willing to work as hard and as productive as any other man, I cannot afford to speak with a Gentile of any given color. Ellen, I do hope and pray that my daughter will get to read this letter, so that she becomes clear in her head as to what is expected of her. The accident of color provides no excuse for variation from the standards expected. With love, Basil

Can We Afford Not To Condemn The Church For Its Dealing With Those Entrusted To Its Care?
While at present, there is no scandal involving the Church about the abuse occurring involving those individuals for whom the society are unable to provide with the type of care they need, and hence is forced to leave in the care of the Church; this in no way means that there is no cause for concern, that there is no reason to worry. One has to worry, firstly, because those who are entrusted to the care of religious institutions, Churches and other similar organizations, are so entrust with the care of our most vulnerable, because we value these children, these individuals with various forms of disabilities, we love them, we want the best for them, but owing to our limitations, our own lack of resources, our own youth and lack of experience, we are as individuals and as a society, unable to take care of them. As individuals and as a society, we are concerned, because many in the religious community, in particular the Church, ascribe special abilities and gifts to the disabled, many are of the view that they have special talents, others are of the view that they are possessed by evil spirits and or demons. Individuals and organizations holding such views are very likely to either exploit or abuse the disabled; especially where it is felt that somehow the abused individuals have the ability to perform and 22

or to carry out some form of great good to compensate for the evil to which he was or she was exposed to. The Jewish people as a whole are very familiar with this type of abuse, one can never forget, that a Roman officer, skinned alive a renown Jewish Rabbi, for such reasons, nor can we ever afford to forget that the horrors which the Jews in the ghettoes of Europe was carried out for the very same reasons, as was Adolf Hitlers Final Solution To The Jewish Question, which resulted in the most brutal and cruel forms of human exploitation ever to be witnessed by mankind. These we will never forget, and this is the one of the reasons why , the Jewish communities around the globe pool their resources as a community, to better enable them to take care of their own, without taking the risks of exposing their loved ones, to the possibilities of such types of exploitation. Unfortunately, the Black Jamaicans of with Jewish bloodlines are not as yet so organized as a community or as communities to care of their own and are thus forced to rely on the Church for support. We note here, that the brutal policy and line of thought which seek to exploit the most vulnerable , continues even to this day. Here in Jamaica, a senior member of the clergy is now in prison for sexually exploiting young boys who were housed at Church operated facility, another in jail for organizing the rape of a young girl in the back of his van, elsewhere a senior member of the clergy is in prison for sexually assaulting a young man in front of the alter and cross of the cathedral. The incidents of the sexual molestation of minors, the abuse of the disabled and the mentally retarded are by far too many to count. This situation will continue as long as those invested with power, those who are blessed with the means, hold the view that they will be able to maintain and increase their power and resources by the victimization and abuse of others, many Church sanctioned. It is within this context, it is of critical importance, to condemn in the firmest manner possible, the Church on its dealing with those entrusted to its care. To take the view, that we cannot afford to condemn the Church for its proven past and suspected on going abuses, is not only to ignore the pain and suffering of the victims of abuse by the Church itself and Church sanctioned abuses, but it is also to encourage the state itself to carry out the deliberate targeted abuse not only of individuals, but also the abuse of entire groups of people. We live in societies, which demand the constant vigilance of all of us, especially those of us who are of Jewish descent and it must be our duty to keep up our defenses against those who are willing to undermine the rights of others for whatever given reasons, especially the rights of the most vulnerable. Jamaicans of Jewish descent, be they Black or White, need firstly to strengthen its sense of community and along with others, in particular Arab Jamaicans ( who are familiar with the European past practice of putting the sins of their people on the heads of individuals of Arab descent then chasing them into the wild, we know what that means) to ensure that they are able within the shortest possible time put in place the organizational structures required to take better care and or supervision of their 23

disabled and or disfigured. One cannot place ones trust in the Christian Church or the state, one must at times seek to develop the ability to take care of their own. The Black Jamaicans of Jewish ancestry living in New York and elsewhere in the United States need firstly to accept themselves for who they are and secondly to begin to act as a community and take care of its children, its disabled, its disfigured and aged. The responsibilities of the family and the community should not be passed on to the Church or to the state, even if it means that there will be a bit less food on the table. Take care of your own! Ellen Manaker, there are times when I get the feeling that I am wasting my time, that I am preaching to concrete walls. It is not easy. Basil

Keep the family together! Keep love in the household even if the bread is sliced a bit thiner . Protect your family members from potential abuse.

It can work! Ask the community to help, if you cannot manage by yourself. Keep those who we love safe from harm. Ellen, would you not agree? 24

A Comment
There is a view, that Black Jamaican Jews are no longer able to organize anything, they have become African Americans, their daughters-bitches and their sons-dogs. The dogs competing for to get into prisons and the bitches competing to see how many children they can have without fathers. The idea is very repulsive and nauseating! Stay where you are, do not put your foot on Jamaican soil! You are not wanted and not welcomed here! Yes, that is how we feel about you. Ellen, I might seem to be unkind and without love. Moses who guided the Hebrews from Egypt had to purge the ranks of the people of all that which was trash, baggage and garbage-we in rebuilding our customs and traditions all walk with the rod of Moses. A good house cannot be made with faulty bricks, one is not trying to build a Church nor are we trying to create a Jewish replica of the Nation of Islam, those who have adopted the ways and thoughts of Inner City America, will first have to discard the garbage before seeking to walk with us, they must get out of the race to prison, get rid of their dog like breeding behavior and learn to love themselves for who they are. The very same approach applies to those who live in Jamaica and to those of our men who have a sense of fatherhood which is less than a male dog passing a pregnant bitch. They are not needed and surely not wanted; they will have to change first. Jewish Blood Is Not Enough, One Also Must Have A Jewish Mind. What is a Jewish mind? A Jewish mind, has a love of God, a love for self, family and community, a love for Israel, a sense of history, a sense of obligation and duty to ones self, family and community, if one has no love for ones self family and has no obligation to ones self and family, one can have no sense of love or obligation to God, to ones community nor to Israel. One has to clean up ones self before he or she can enter into the presence of the Most High God, or to be of any value to ones community or country. Israel does not need any more garbage than that which it already has. Ellen, we now understand what is a Jewish mind. Ellen, many will not like us, but who cares? I hope you dont. Basil

A Prayer
Dear Ellen;

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I should write a prayer to guide our efforts, our work and our thoughts; I however believe that some of the best prayers and songs are to be found among the Songs of David, in the Book of Psalms. I would like us to share the following:Psalms 113 1. Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! 2. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! 3. From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lords name is to be praised. 4. The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above all heavens. 5. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high? 6. Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth? 7. He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap, 8. That He may seat him with princes-with the princes of His people. 9. He grants the barren woman a home, like a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!

Written With My Daughter In Mind

Dear Ellen; One might ask, how is it that I as a Black male and a father of a daughter, should write some of these letters which seem to put the Black female at a disadvantage. Am I not creating a situation, which will make it that more difficult for her to get a Black husband and undermines her as a woman in her relationship with the White woman? Ellen, first and foremost, these letters are based on my own comparative experience in dealing with two women from two distinct racial and religious backgrounds and secondly, they take into account my own more general observations. Here the simple truth is, that Black Jamaican culture in particular and Jamaican culture in general discourages spousal fidelity and encourages infidelity- that is true across races and religions. The Jamaican man is not socialized to stand with the Jamaican woman nor is the Jamaican 26

woman socialized to stand with the Jamaican man. In short the Jamaican culture is Christian on nearly all things but Jewish on the question of divorce. On the other hand , you as a Jew, for whom divorce is an option are far more supportive of your spouse. My daughter is being prepared to deal with the Jamaican reality and is being helped firstly by ensuring that she does not sacrifice herself for someone who does not deserve her and secondly, perhaps more importantly, in being made mentally ready to stand with her man if he deserves it. As a father, I will not be following my daughter through life, therefore I have to do what I can to ensure that she makes the best of it. Ellen, there are those who believe that I should be promoting some ideal type of spousal relationship, I however can at best only seek firstly to take out from the crowd, those who belong to the House of Israel, and help them, my daughter included, to the extent that I can to look back at the relationships described in the Torah as a model. For others, I can only advocate that the rights of all parties involved in the relationship be respected, I can only at best add my voice to the demand, that verbal abuse be seen and treated for what it is-abuse. Here I would like to point out that it is the objective of the verbal abuser to reduce the self esteem, the self worth and confidence of the abused person and create an individual with mental disabilities and an inferiority complex. Many Jamaican men are victims of verbal abuse and live with reduced self worth. I would be very wicked to my daughter, if I were to have told her anything else. Verbal abuse and the insults which go along with it, is an attack on the person, and undermines the rights and well being of the individual. While Christian Jamaica and possibly Christian New York do not seem to have a problem with these abusive types of relationships, we as none Christians, have to ensure that we cleanse our house of that plague and leave it where it belongs. We have very real problems with those types of relationships and I individually would prefer if my daughter became a Roman Catholic nun, rather than becoming a party in any such relationships. Ellen, I must also note, that many Christian Jamaican women seem to have a strange desire to see their men fail, a desire to see them stumble, out of the belief that a defeated mate is much easier to manage and to control. This is anti-Semitism to the core, I as a rationally thinking father would not want to be training my daughter to take that road, if not only because it is as sure as night follows day, that she would loose that man to anyone who saw and respects him as a man. To those who would want to paint Christian Jamaica as a place of ideal marriages and true love, I would say let them do so, however the realty as far as I know it and for many- is that Jamaica is very much the opposite- a land of facilitated and encouraged spousal abuse, spousal sabotage, spousal infidelity and high levels of divorce and separations. As a father who loves his 27

daughter, I surely do not want my daughters future to be that of the average Christian Jamaican woman. With love, Basil

Some Times
Ellen; There are times when we encounter on our march through life, those who would like to convince us that life is made up of some type of unending struggle between the holy and the unholy, an unending war between the righteous and the unrightous. We wish them all the best in their great wars, however for us, if we through our work are able to make the lives of but one more person better, if we are able to improve the lives of but a few persons a day or a week, we would have done a great deal. I saw a young girl in the uniform of the Holy Childhood High School for Girls, not long ago, wearing a black eye patch over one eye. If through our work, we are able to make her life a bit better and offer some hope, then we would have done a great job. If our work, makes the life of the young woman in Mile Gully, Manchester ,who has vitiligo, here in Jamaica a bit better and helps her to feel even better about herself we would have done a great deal. Ellen, if our work helped one woman who was on the verge of leaving her now incapacitated husband, to stand by his side, to walk the road with him, even if they are Christians, we would have done a great deal. For those who fight great wars, we say fight on, we are not in the grand causes, we are not into the business of overcoming great evil nor doing great good, we are in the business of taking the little that we have, and putting it into the service of those who we can best help. Proverbs 14 23. In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty. 26. In the fear of the Lord, there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge. 30. A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones. 31. He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. 28

Ellen, should we in our work, allow ourselves to be guided by just those four verses by the great king, in my mind, we can rest assured that we are on the right path. In this and in other papers written by me, I refer to us and to we, and that is in the recognition that you have remained a constant source of inspiration in my life, a source of encouragement and motivation. The simple truth is that there are many times when I feel that I am wasting my time, that it would be much more profitable to do that which others in my situation would do-nothing, I even played with the idea of getting on to a boat and sail away from these shores; only then to ask myself :-What would Ellen have done in this situation? How would she handle it? Would she stand and fight or would she seek to run away? Well the Ellen Manaker , who I know is not beaten down by events nor by the darker moments in life and hence neither should I. Secondly, I try to the best of my abilities to live a life that will be an example to my daughter. The life of man, was not promised to be easy and without challenges, therefore has a father I owe it to myself and to her, to stand up and face my challenges, so that she too in her life will be able to face her challenges and to overcome her difficulties, which I do hope will not be too many. Ellen, the religion of Abraham, Joseph and Moses is based on the belief of the goodness of man, his capacity to love and his ability to overcome the problems which confronts him, to believe otherwise is to believe that the God of Israel made errors in making man, that man has some sort of factory defect. Israels escape from the bondage of Egyptian slavery, Israels surviving the hardship and dangers of the desert and Israels conquest and settlement of the Promised Land, tell us all that in the creation of man, there was no designer error or manufacturing defect. If there is no designer or manufacturers defect in me, what stops me, what prevents me from doing my best? Moses had a problem with public speaking and Jacob had a limp, did their challenges and disabilities lead them to under perform or to give up in the face of obstacles? If not, what excuse do I have ? Ellen, there are times when many of us, use or disabilities and or disfigurement as a type of vault for the locking away of or talents and skills and as an excuse for avoiding the world and its challenges, we want to be carried on the backs of others; this is not the Jewish way of dealing with our disabilities. If one should use an example of a person advancing in age and has a declining memory. Those who want to be carried on the backs of others, would possibly take the approach of saying that I have done enough, it is time for others to take over the running of the house or doing the gardening. It the person had used a Jewish approach, the person would seek to increase their level of organization, make notes to assist them in remembering things and most critically, take a regimental in the establishment of fixed routines, thus, one places his glasses at the same place at all times, one places his socks at the same place at all times, one drives the same route at all 29

times-this approach reduces the demand one places on their memory and reduces the possibility of not remembering where one places things. Ellen, at no time, should we seek to use each other in such a way, as to escape the challenges we face and or the difficulties of the real world, rather we should seek a source of inspiration to each other along this most difficult road of life. This approach if taken, will enable us to say at the end of the day, Thank You God For A Good and Productive Day! With great love, Basil

Ellen, do you believe that these amputees are able to live normal productive lives? Would you seek to encourage them to use their disability as a means for escaping the challenges of life?

If We Must Die
If we must die, let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
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While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, Making their mock at our accursd lot. If we must die, O let us nobly die, So that our precious blood may not be shed In vain; then even the monsters we defy Shall be constrained to honor us though dead! O kinsmen! we must meet the common foe! Though far outnumbered let us show us brave, And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow! What though before us lies the open grave? Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back! Claude McKay
Ellen, while the Jamaica Claude McKay sought refuge in the Catholic Church towards the end of his days, it is my view, that his poem, If We Must Die has in its core, the spirit the disabled or disfigured person of Jewish origin, be they Black or White needs to take towards life. We as individuals, with or without disabilities have survived even onto this day, because our parents did not role over and die, they overcame the oppressions and slavery of Egypt, slavery and oppression in Europe and claimed the new world. That spirit cannot be allowed to die at this time, too much was invested in ensuring our survival.

Planning For Bolt and Ignoring Jacob- Jewish AntiSemitism by Jamaican Jews In The Construction Industry
Great demands are placed on the small visible Jamaican Jewish community, to maintain the highest levels of standard, in a society in which the vast majority has only seen Jews on the television or read about them in the printed media, and where there is a small but significant segment of population which as process of centuries of co-existence and assimilation have nearly completely lost their Jewish identity. This is also very important also in the countering the imported propaganda which seeks to paint Jews as being wicked and greedy. Ellen, as you know, Jamaica was the only island within the Spanish Caribbean, that allowed both jews and Moors any sense of freedom from prosecution and discrimination, and this was so because unlike Cuba, Hispaniola and elsewhere in the New World at the time, the foundation of the Jamaican economy was based on the breeding of horses for export. As a result both Islam and Judaism have much 31

longer historical roots as uninterruptedly continuously practiced religions than anywhere else in this part of the world. In fact the Jewish core of the New England States and the wider East Coast of the United States was of Jamaican stock. The same holds true for Moslems along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, their earliest historical roots can be traced back to Jamaica. There, unlike in many other places, Jamaicans have very high expectations of our Jews, especially those who are most visible, be they Jews by religion or Jews by cultural heritage and lineage. Even practicing Rastafarians are held up to much higher standards than are Christians, which in part explains the desire among even the wildest of goats to find themselves among the Rastafarians and to seek cover under locks. Here it is indeed a good thing that the door to the Synagogue of the Most High God of Israel is much harder and far more demanding to enter. It is within this context, one must express the deepest level of disappointment in the fact, that while the construction industry has a very strong and visible Jewish component in its leadership, their contribution to the introduction and or usage of standards which would have contributed towards making the lives of the disabled if even only marginally easier, is appalling; with their practices and usage of standards in urban development more catered to for the young, strong and fit-the Bolts of the society while ignoring the disabled and the aged. This type of approach to urban planning is anti-Semitic to the core and feeds anti-Semitism. Our young must be taught, the ways of their fathers and mothers, traditions and approaches cannot be allowed to die nor can Judaism be allowed to become an empty shell. That is not our way. Love Basil

Social and Physical Disability-A Wicked Combination

Ellen; As a young man growing up, there was a very bright male high school student who lived about a block away from my home at the time. One day a set of young men, on seeing a police vehicle driving along the road, ran through his gate and made their exit over the fence at the back of his yard. The police responded by opening fire from their M16 rifles. A shot went through his house door hitting him in the spine leaving his body.

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This young man, was not a person who could be easily criminalized and the fact that he lived, meant that he could answer questions if falsely accused. It was therefore claimed by the police, that the young man was shot in a shoot out with criminals. It was a major blow, not only to his family and to the young man himself, but also to that section of the community, everyone had very high hopes for him, every mother had wanted a son like him, he had come to epitomize the word promise. For a young man growing up in the inner city, prolong stay in the hospital, long absence from school, confinement to a wheel chair and having a poor family, meant the end of the road. No lawyer at the time and possibly, even now, would seek to challenge the words of the police in the court, especially where the client cannot pay and could it be proven who fired the shot which caused the injury. The case above, which occurred on Pouyatt street, in Jones town, Kingston 12, Jamaica- raises several issues, not least among them are the rights of young men and young women who are from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, their rights to life, their rights to a safe and peaceful environment, and freedom from victimization from the state. Of equal importance are the issues raised by being physically disabled will living in conditions of social disability. Social disability in Jamaica is much more than an issue of class, it also has a lot to do with affiliations religious, political, racial and sexual. For example the wife of a prominent lecturer and affiliate of the Roman Catholic Church, who knew nearly nothing about me and surely had at no time in her life had seen me bare feet (not wearing shoes) was not only taken aback by my accomplishments- Thanks be to the God of Israel- but was most upset that this bare feet boy was not only qualified to do his PhD but was considering to apply to pursue that course of study in Holland at the very university at which her husband studied. Here, the issues were more than class, it also had to do with ones relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, ones relationship with the University of the West Indies albeit one acquired through marriage rather than demonstrated abilities, and where one lives, even if the person is but a tenant rather that a owner of the premises. In the example above, the objective of trying to impose conditions of social disability on me was aimed at restricting-limiting- both the ability and the desire of the individual to seek and or to take steps to advance socially within the society. In the case of the young man, by failing to assist him to gain compensation at least through the civil court, the legal fraternity not only facilitated in denying this young man of his rights to just compensation but also facilitate the prevention of him gaining the material resources he needed to continue his education and to lift himself out of a social disadvantaged position. The fact that, the Church, attended by the parents of this young mans parents belonged to one of the younger and less connected denominations and had a leadership which did not have beyond high school education, meant that they did not have the confidence, desire or will to represent the young man and his family in open talks with the relevant organs of 33

the state, which could have given guidance on matters of this nature nor to request of his high school that provisions be made to allow for his re-admittance to regular classes. Being socially disabled, also limits the individuals freedom of movement and freedom of choice. For example in spite of being labeled a bare foot boy by that given lady referred earlier, I was able to walk and to go anywhere in the society without fear of being harassed by the state or by street gangs- even when I was dressed very revolutionary wearing blue overalls and wearing sandals. Many of my friends could not do the same, they were stopped by the police, denied access to public buildings, taxed and harassed by street gangs and had no-go areas. One must also point out that social disability also comes about as a result of a persons place of residence which also negatively influences a persons ability to gain employment. Here one must note, that even where the physically disabled create their own employment and contribute to community development, he or she is still open to becoming a victim of exploitation in the community. Rubber Dub, who is from the Morgans family in Havana, Arnett Gardens in Kingston, started his working life at an age of about fifteen years of age at the Hannah Town Bakery garage, which was located on Blunt Street in Hannah Town in Kingston. Sadly however in his early twenties, he developed Parkinson syndrome which forced him to create his own employment-vending. Rubber Dub, as a resident of the Havana community in Arnett Gardens was known for encouraging others, for helping those whom he could and for lending money, free of interests, to those in need of small loans. Yet, whenever the opportunities presented themselves, the young men and even young women of the community would find ways of stealing from him. Rubber Dub died at sometime between 2008 and 2010; the memories of his kindness linger on. The situation can be particularly difficult for young women with mental and or physical disabilities. Many are exposed to sexual exploitation, sometimes from members of their own families , others by the members of the wider community, with little or no access to safety or protection. One notes here that there are parents who refuse to invest in the education of their disabled children because they see little likelihood of reaping any returns on their investment. Where the disabled child who has been robbed of the opportunity of getting an education is female, one would have planted the seeds for the start of even a much more serious cycle of poverty. In countries such as Jamaica and in sections of the city of New York and other major cities on the East coast of the United States, there is a tendency on the part of the state to look the other way or to try to ignore the problems faced by the disabled community. This therefore demands that , the various communities , in particular the Black Jamaican Jewish community both in Jamaica and in the United States take 34

concrete steps to protect their most vulnerable members. One should not go boasting about their Jewish grandmothers, mothers or grandfathers, when things are good but at the first sight of responsibilities one runs to hide among the ranks and into the arms of African Americans, in Jamaica the place of refuge from Jewish obligations has become either the Seventh Day Adventist Church or the Roman catholic Church, possibly with the view in mind that some way , somehow Christ Jesus will relieve them of their Jewish obligations and duties, leaving these obligations and duties at the foot of the Cross-things do not work that way and invites shame and abuse on the entire community. Black Jamaicans of Jewish descent need to begin to live up to their responsibilities. I would not expect Jamaican pastors and priests to put fire on the tails of these Black Jamaican Jews to shoulder their duties and responsibilities but I surely do expect that the Nation of Islam and Lois Farrakhan to bring these Black Jamaican Jews to book, there in the United States with equal if not more vigor than is now demonstrated in attacking White Jews, it would indeed be sad if the Nation of Islam and Lois Farrakhan should begin to discriminate against Jews on the basis of race, if one attacks Jews, then launch an attack on all without regard to color, or perhaps the good Rev. Farrakhan has a special place in his heart for his Jamaican Sephardic grandparents. He has to be very careful, least the White Jews find out who he really is- a Jew with a racial hang up. I do understand, that to encounter the racial prejudice of some Jews of a lighter hue, there in the United States must be very disconcerting and could lead one to ask why these light skin Jews did not sail out with Christopher Columbus into the unknown and share the risks of going down under the sea with those three matches boxes Columbus called ships. This however does not give the right to a son of Jacob to ride in the ranks of Ishmael. Ellen, with all my heart I would like to address the challenges facing the children with physical and mental disabilities, but that I cannot do here. Ellen, I know that you did not expect me to seek to address the Rev. Lois Farrakhan, but one has to for the simple reason that he too, like many Black Jamaican Jews has tried to make a run from his responsibilities to his own community by hiding under a Moslem turban, one has to smoke him out, let him defend his actions, let him say when has he ever called on the Black Jamaican Jews who live there in the United States, the very same country in which he lives to take up their obligations and carry out their duties. If one is going to be anti-Semitic, one has to be equally anti-Semitic with all Jews. To ignore some because ones grandparents came from the same place as theirs is introduce some very strange elements into the doctrines of anti Semitismthis type of approach makes a mockery of anti-Semitism. With love, Basil

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When a Community Cares!

The East Aintree Community of Greater Portmore in St. Catherine, is a relatively small middle class community of around eight hundred households. This community is the home of five persons with mental disabilities, two deaf persons, one blind man, one amputee, and two persons who were made disabled by polio. The community additionally is the meeting place for a group of deaf persons who visit to play dominoes, cards and to deal with their own concerns. Additionally it is the regular route for a young blind man from a neighboring community. Apart from the four speed bumps (sleeping police) which were constructed by the residents to curtail the speed of young drivers, there is no special material infrastructure in place to aid either the physical or mentally disabled. However the community through the Churches, through the very close relationship between its neighbors and through the Citizen Association, watches very closely over the well being of its disabled residents. There are some challenges which comes about as a result of the capture of the sidewalks by residents for the extension of their drive ways, for the extensions of their gardens-I for example planted sisal along my section of the sidewalk all of which adds value and beauty to the community, but create points of hazards for the disabled; sisal as a plant is potentially dangerous to children and blind persons who can fall into them; they were planted without think f the needs of the blind or children; equally the construction of a tiled driveway extending from ones house out to the street taking over the sidewalk is a source of danger to all , especially when they are wet. Many persons have slipped or had near misses on those sidewalks especially in periods of heavy rainfall, a reality which forces individuals to walk in the roads even if they have to contend with pools of water.

Ellen, the creating of a community which cares for the disabled is an ongoing process and not a single act, and at no time will it be a completed job. The process is made much more difficult when individuals create plans to aid the disabled without the input of the disabled. With hope, Basil

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What Guarantees Can They Offer?

Ellen; I had an uncle, Felix Tawney, he was known to everybody as being soft spoken, well read and had a flair for writing. He lived here in Jamaica in the village of Bethany, in Manchester, he also lived for a while in the United Kingdom. Ellen, he was mentally ill and lived alone. His house where he lived in the village, was stoned, it was scrapped for parts, he was jeered and abused, all in the presence or with the knowledge of his relatives and members of the Church. He died around the year 1986 or 1987 during hurricane Gilbert. He died in the open like a cow, goat, horse or dog, in the wind and the rain, with no roof over his head and nowhere to go to. Ellen, to me, to you, to my daughter, to the people of this world, what guarantees can the residents of Bethany, in Manchester, Jamaica give that such abuses and neglect will never occur there in their midst ever again? What guarantees can these people offer? When I was a boy of around six years of age, in the same village was a woman, Cousin Florence, of around twenty five years of age or more, she was a second cousin. Sadly she was both physically and mentally disabled. Possibly at birth she was while being physically disabled only mildly mentally disabled if any at all. However when she was at home, she was locked away from the family, in the kitchen, in the same way that Miss 37

Phyllis keeps her puppies. Would not being hidden from the public, unable to sit with other family members in the house not cause mental disability? I was told by my Cousin Miss Phyllis, that one Sunday when she was carried to the Bethany Moravian Church by a close relative as was done every Sunday (to ensure that when she died her soul would find rest), an older male Church member laughed at Cousin Florence so much that he had to lay down on the Church floor to avoid falling. Ellen, the Cousin Florence incident occurred at least forty years ago, the stoning and scrapping of my uncles house about thirty years ago. How do we know that these people have changed to become any better? What guarantees can they give to you, to me, to my daughter and to this world, that those types of abuse of the physically and or mentally disabled will never occur in that village ever again? Should their words be taken? How will we know that they have changed for the better? Ellen, life can be very brutal and many are subjected to what can only be called pure cruelty at times, just for the fun of it. Is it any better in the Bronx? Can we say that the residents of the Bronx are any better than those in the village of Bethany, in Manchester, Jamaica? Are they any better? Are the Black Jamaican Jews of New York any better? Ellen I am forced to ask you, what can be done? What must be done? In my view, it is time to rebuild the House of Israel, to gather the children of Jacob. That is the only way that I see. With love Basil

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