Hearing with the Heart

A community's strength is in its story. For the Deaf community in Israel, that story—rich with history, resilience, and urgency—is being told louder than ever before, thanks to a powerful partnership between the Association for the Deaf and CBN Israel. This collaboration isn't just about documenting a heritage; it’s about developing life-saving technology to ensure the community is protected and heard, always.

Connecting the Past to the Present

The Association for the Deaf is creating a crucial historical record, weaving together the narratives of deaf and hard-of-hearing Israelis. The work is a multi-generational effort, bridging the past with the young members of the community.

"We are showing the history of the deaf community in Israel, whether it's in stories of Jewish deaf people that were in the Holocaust or people who survived and came here in the Aliya even before Israel was founded," says Gal Roknian from the Association. "We are taking those testimonies, we write them down, and then we video ourselves to show it and to keep this tradition, to show it to the younger generation and also to the hearing society outside."

For those involved, the work is deeply personal and connects them to a broader Jewish tradition. Eliran Ben Harush, who conducts the interviews, finds the project deeply moving. "I am sitting with people who actually survived the Holocaust, and they're telling me their stories," he explains. "I am trying to bring up that time... transfer their experience to my feelings right now and doing it in sign language. It really touches my heart."

The Urgent Need for Life-Saving Technology

While historical documentation is vital, the ongoing war highlights the deaf community's urgent, unique vulnerability. When air raid sirens blare, the life-saving warning that hearing people rely on is silent for them.

"This morning, for example, we had a siren," recounts Moriah Almkiass. She shared a harrowing moment of confusion: seeing a hearing woman leave her car and lie on the floor was the only signal she had that a siren had sounded. While smartwatches connected to alert apps offer some help, she notes they often arrive "a little bit with a delay." In a life-or-death situation, a few seconds of delay can be everything.

The community is actively seeking solutions. Eliran emphasizes the need for technological support, creative solutions, and outside collaboration. "What we want is so that we could partner with the rest of society," he says. "I really hope that there are ideas out there, maybe from people abroad, that can help us."

A Partnership Built on Trust

The success of the Association for the Deaf hinges on the conviction that the community itself knows best what it needs.

"We, the deaf community, we know the best what suits us, and we need that people will believe in us and know that we can do all things," Gal Roknian explains. She praises the cooperative spirit of the work with CBN Israel, noting they "caught the vacuum that was missing for us. And it was a big big vacuum. And you caught it."
Through sharing their language, their challenges, and their strength, the community is teaching a powerful truth: A world without sound is not silent. It is a world full of compelling stories, of hope, and of a future that is finally beginning to be heard.