NEW YORK — When Barry Wiener turned 13, he wanted to have a bar mitzvah.
Blind since birth, however, Wiener couldn’t read the Torah. Fortunately for Wiener, the Jewish Braille Institute of America provided him with all the necessary materials in braille — including a braille Torah — so he could study for his ceremony.
“This organization is wonderful, one-of-a-kind,” says Wiener, now 50 and a clinical psychologist living in Brooklyn.
Wiener is not alone. Some 300,000 American Jews — as well as others around the world — who are blind or visually impaired benefit from the free services of the JBI, which calls itself the “best-kept secret in the Jewish world.”
Since 1931, the Manhattan-based JBI provides visually impaired Jews with books, magazines and other publications in braille and in large print as well as audiocassettes to help them participate in Jewish educational, cultural, religious and communal life.
It also counsels parents of blind children and children of blind parents.
JBI was founded by Leonard Dubov, the son of a blind rabbi, with the help of Rabbi Michael Aaronsohn, who was blinded during World War II. It was formed at a time when Judaic materials in braille were generally unavailable.
JBI is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year with a number of receptions and events in conjunction with the New York Public Library.
It provides religious materials such as haggadot and Bibles in large print as well as Reform, Conservative and Orthodox prayer books on tape.
Other Jewish resources include 8,000 titles in JBI’s Talking Book Library and magazines ranging from the in-house JBI Voice to publications such as Commentary and Tikkun. It also sponsors lectures, concerts and dramatic readings in English, Russian, Yiddish, Hungarian and Romanian.
Since its founding, JBI has passed several milestones. In 1950, it published its first braille Torah, and in 1992 extended its services to the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
The books serve a growing population, says Israel Taub, the institute’s associate director.
As the American life span increases, the elderly suffer from a larger number of diseases — including macular degeneration, which limits vision.
JBI’s extensive services help with both the physical and psychological effects of blindness.
JBI “has opened up a whole new world for me,” says Evelyn Liefer, 80, who gradually lost her sight from macular degeneration.
Clarita Gollender, a retiree originally from Argentina, also praises the library, which, she says, does not “cause any problems about overdue books.”
Gollender went blind gradually after contracting measles at the age of 6. She graduated from the Maryland School for the Blind and received a bachelor’s degree from Maryland’s Goucher College, using braille and recordings.
A few years ago, however, she faced a crisis. Gollender had been the only blind member of a book club — participating with the aid of a friend who read to her over the telephone — until her friend dropped out of the club. Luckily for Gollender, the institute helped her to rediscover her love for books.
Books can be ordered from JBI by calling (800) 433-1531 or at www.jbilibrary.org