About American Friends of Meshi
Meshi – The Children’s Rehabilitation Center provides a unique and comprehensive therapeutic-educational solution for infants, children, and youth diagnosed with complex motor and cognitive disabilities. Founded in 1998 by the late Lipsha Feldman, Meshi has grown under her vision into a beacon of empowerment and inclusion, operating through the Meshi Method – a transdisciplinary, multidimensional, and goal-oriented therapeutic approach.
Today, nearly 300 children and youth study at Meshi centers, receiving all the treatments they need in one place – physical, cognitive, educational, emotional, and social.
Meshi in Numbers
1:1
Professionals for every child
This is our mission
For over 25 years, Meshi has been operating with a deep sense of mission to initiate, develop, and deliver groundbreaking solutions that enhance functional abilities and improve the quality of life for children and their families.
Accordingly, Meshi is a non-profit organization (NPO) and a registered association with valid certification for proper management and recognition as a public institution eligible for tax-deductible donations under Section 46A of the Income Tax Ordinance. All Meshi centers are audited by certified accountants and the Registrar of Associations and are supervised by various government ministries.
Approximately 70% of the organization’s income comes from government and municipal budgets, while the remainder is sourced from donations from Israel and abroad. In addition, Meshi tirelessly works to develop effective initiatives and increase its independent income to provide personalized, comprehensive, and high-quality responses based on the actual needs of the children. This includes additional therapy hours, staffing with specialized professionals, and advanced, customized rehabilitation equipment—items not covered by official budgets.
30%
Donors from around the world
70%
Government and municipal budgets
Building the Meshi Method
Meshi Centers for Education and Rehabilitation of Children operate under the “Meshi Method” – a transdisciplinary therapeutic approach aimed at enabling every child to achieve maximum participation and optimal functionality while fostering emotional resilience and personal well-being. Each center is staffed with multidisciplinary teams that bring together certified professionals from a wide range of health and education fields:
The teams are supported by senior medical consultants, pedagogical guidance, and a broad and diverse group of aides and support staff.
Meshi invests significant resources to create a multidimensional therapeutic framework for each child. This includes allocating dedicated hours for multidisciplinary and cross-team meetings, advanced professional development, and fostering meaningful connections with the children’s parents and families.
To make this possible, Meshi supplements government funding with dozens of additional hours for therapy, training, and professional development, as well as hundreds of thousands of shekels for acquiring advanced equipment to support the treatment routine and enable every child to actively participate in daily activities.
This includes a significant increase in the number of individual therapy hours for children (both in education and health professions), an increase in staff numbers in each classroom, greater availability and variety of rehabilitation equipment (independent of individual eligibility), and the addition of permanent positions for support, guidance, and assistance teams.
Children and Youth Education Centers
Meshi Centers operate in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak, providing a comprehensive educational and therapeutic framework for children and youth, from six months old to 21 years old. For each age group, holistic treatment and rehabilitation programs are offered alongside rich educational programs, utilizing groundbreaking methods and innovative technological tools.
All centers operate under the Ministries of Education and Welfare, embodying the unique vision and therapeutic approach of the Meshi Method, tailored to the developmental continuum and specific needs of each age group:
Multidisability Rehabilitation Daycare
Provides extensive developmental support for approximately 40 infants and toddlers aged six months to three years.
Kindergarten
Classrooms are divided by age and cognitive level, serving about 90 children aged three to six years.
Schools
Includes the school in Jerusalem, where approximately 65 students aged six to 13 and girls aged six to 21 are enrolled, and the growing school in Bnei Brak, serving about 50 students aged six to 13.
Yeshiva High School
Binat Danielli for boys and young men—the first of its kind in Israel. The yeshiva accommodates approximately 25 boys aged 13 to 21, providing the continued therapeutic care they need along with a unique educational program tailored to their way of life.
Leading the Way Forward
Since its establishment, Meshi has gained world-renowned expertise in the fields of treatment and rehabilitation for children and youth, becoming a significant and recognized authority within the global professional community. Over the years, Meshi centers have developed numerous innovative programs that deliver outstanding results for a wide range of complex motor and cognitive challenges, as well as improvements in the well-being and quality of life of its students.
Leading rehabilitation physicians, neurologists, and orthopedic specialists choose to refer their patients to Meshi centers. Additionally, health and therapeutic professionals turn to Meshi’s teams for guidance, support, and the integration of programs and methods developed at Meshi into their own practices.
As a result, the Meshi Method and its remarkable achievements have positioned Meshi as a leading professional authority in developmental and rehabilitative care for children and youth, shaping the practices and pathways of senior therapists and professionals in Israel and worldwide.
