This website is dedicated to our father, Norman Koch, Rabbi aka Norman aka Abba, Aka Zayde. When we saw him in the Hospital he told us that he had a wonderful life, too short but wonderful and no one could have a better life than him. They could have as good a life as he had, but not better.
Norman Koch Z'l
October 6, 1948 - February 6, 2015
In his memory Yonatan and Matan are working on two projects that he supported with all his heart. If inspired by their stories please help them raise the funds to complete these projects.
Yonatan is working on a book about Learning Disabilities from a first person perspective. Yonatan was diagnosed with Learning Disabilities at the age of five when he was unable to talk, walk, read or write properly. He has had several therapies and years of Special Education classes and according to Yonatan, "Abba was a huge supporter of my abilities to overcome many obstacles in life. He often told me that I could do it. In fact, when I was very young he even sang a song with me using these words." Yonatan's father was very proud of his ability to overcome several obstacles in life as a result of being diagnosed with a Learning Disability. The idea to write this book came out of the aggravation that Yonatan had as a Sophomore in college when he couldn't find any books saying, "Hey, I know how you feel. I also have Learning Disabilities!" When Yonatan created a website, (www.Ldwriter.com) to promote this project he found that teachers and parents also wanted a book such as this. Norman was a huge supporter of this project and in his memory Yonatan wants to complete this project.
To find out more about this project click here
To support this project click here to make a donation
When Matan began his pivot from corporate law to inclusion advocacy, he says, "my father wrote that he was proud, and thanked me for leaving him, "challenged, complacency disturbed, disquieted, and forced to think and grow." He believed, and argued in the relentless fashion that you all know so well, that I should bring this message of change more broadly, and, having learned of crowdfunding on the news, was convinced that he should seek broad popular support for the financial resources to carry my message."
Sadly, in his lifetime, Matan was never quite convinced that he was a messenger worth investment. Exactly one week after his death, Matan was privileged to challenge an audience of almost 1000 Jewish teens to think and grow, and was blown away, not only by their enthusiastic response, but by the immediate enthusiastic response of others who want him to bring his message more broadly.
He has pledged to honor his memory by doing just that, but, in order to sustain himself while building a self-sustaining career of speaking and teaching, he needs financial support. Thus, he has also been forced to concede his conviction that he should reach out broadly to the community of conscience in a crowdfunding campaign.
To find out more about this project click here