For people with mobility issues, visiting Israel’s historical, cultural, and memorial sites might be challenging. As an expansion of its wheelchair-accessible van service, Yad Sarah’s “Accessible Pathways” program allows those with mobility impairments to visit memorial sites throughout Israel.
The father of Bar Kupershtein, who was kidnapped during the Nova event on October 7, Tal Kupershtein, accompanied Yad Sarah on her “Accessible Pathways” tour to a number of the memorial places on October 7. Kupershtein suffered a stroke five years ago after being engaged in a car accident that had to be treated with multiple procedures. He now uses a wheelchair after losing his ability to talk as a result. Kupershtein is adamant about standing up for his son in spite of these obstacles. In order to regain most of his speech, he started working with a speech therapist. This has allowed him to tell Bar’s tale to anybody who will listen.
40 people, many of whom have mobility issues, were transported as part of this journey to honor the atrocity victims. Many program participants were able to see these locations for the first time thanks to our excursion. Participants in this tour, which included the Kupershtein family, went to the “car cemetery” in Moshav Tekum, the former Sderot police station, and the Nova Festival grounds in Re’im, where Bar was last seen.
Tal kept a poster of Bar with him on the tour, signifying his unwavering optimism and willpower. As IDF helicopters returned recently freed hostages to Israel, Tal told Bar’s story at the Nova memorial, emphasizing his son’s bravery and sacrifice.
