Naples philanthropist honors soul mate with new inclusion center in Israel

By Mara Fahl

“Stay strong and keep helping people.”

Those are the two promises that Art Bookbinder asked his wife, Susan, to commit to just days before he passed away in April 2020. Two years later, the newly opened Bookbinder Family Foundation Training Center for Disability Employment and Inclusion at Palmachim Air Force Base in Israel stands as a testament to the Naples residents’ lifelong commitment to making the world a better place for the disabled. By partnering with Jewish National Fund- USA affiliate, Special in Uniform, Art’s legacy and Sue’s promises live on.

At the dedication ceremony on April 27, 2022, with a clear voice and tears in her eyes, Sue recalled how she and Art faced more than 30 years of medical challenges together, taking them as inspiration rather than roadblocks. “Sometimes fate brings opportunities. Somehow, we were going to help people with more challenges than ours,” said Sue.

Bookbinders (right) receive the JNF Tree of Life Award

Just as fate had brought the Bookbinders onto an unexpected journey of dedicating time, energy and money to endeavors that improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, so did fate lead to the creation of this innovative inclusion center. A chance seating at a Jewish National Fund-USA event next to Tiran Attia, the director of Special in Uniform, connected the Bookbinders to the work of creating a better, more inclusive Israel Defense Forces. This partnership ultimately led to Sue’s decision to commit the Bookbinder Family Foundation, founded shortly after Art passed away, to sponsor the inclusion center in its entirety. A decision that she says has made her, and would have made her soul mate, feel like their lives are complete.

At the dedication, Attia recalled, “When I first met Art, we spoke about inclusion and I’m so happy that his legacy is continuing in this place.”

Speaking about the soldiers’ experience of the new building, Attia emphasized that it’s not just about the physical space, it’s about the impact of inclusion on society, saying, “This building has Art’s spirit in so many ways, it’s not a typical army facility; it’s so much more than that. Everything from the colors to the stateof-the-art accessibility makes this a happy, joyful place. The only thing these boys and girls want is to be part of something, to not be left alone, to be included. We could not do this without the generosity of people like Susan.”

The Training Center for Disability Employment and Inclusion is thoughtfully designed to create job training and employment opportunities for soldiers with disabilities and special needs, educate Israeli and international visitors on disabilities and inclusion, and create a friendly, collaborative environment for disabled and nondisabled soldiers alike through the Special in Uniform Café. These three pillars of the center are critical to Special in Uniform’s mission of empowering disabled Israelis to contribute to society, facilitating gainful employment following their service and creating a more inclusive society overall.

For Sue Bookbinder, the center is a direct continuation of the work she and Art began after his first diagnosis with progressive vision loss back in 1976, which led to his personal and professional commitment to bettering the lives of the disabled.

More than anything, Sue hopes the training center will spark more people to commit to improving the world for those with disabilities, as she closed her dedication remarks by saying, “I hope this inspires other people to join the work of ensuring that every person is judged not by their disabilities, but by their abilities.”