The YATIR Initiative
Brilliant minds. Profound challenges. A place to belong.
For twice-exceptional Jewish children, extraordinary intellectual ability can coexist with extraordinary support needs. YATIR is building the resources and pathways to help families find an education that recognizes both.
Understanding twice-exceptionality
The same child. Two very different realities.
דו־יוצאות דופן (2e)
Twice-exceptional (2e) children are intellectually gifted children who also have learning disabilities or neurodevelopmental conditions (including ADHD, autism, OCD, dyslexia, and dysgraphia) that can significantly affect their learning, emotional regulation, behavior, or ability to participate in conventional classrooms.
Intellectually
“Reading three grades ahead.”
Functionally
“Unable to get through a school day.”
Solving complex problems.
Unable to begin a simple assignment.
Using sophisticated language and reasoning.
Struggling to interpret social cues.
Capable of extraordinary focus on their interests.
Unable to shift attention to routine schoolwork.
Gentle, loving, and deeply empathetic.
Aggressive or seemingly defiant when overwhelmed.
Understanding concepts years beyond their age.
Overwhelmed by everyday classroom sounds and transitions.
Examples of possible uneven profiles, not characteristics shared by every 2e child.
Their gifts are real. So are their support needs.
Many schools care deeply about these children but lack the specialized resources needed to support them. Families are left searching for an education that can recognize both.
Understand the 2e GapA child shouldn’t have to sacrifice intellectual challenge to receive the support they need. And a family shouldn’t have to sacrifice Jewish education to find it.
The origin of YATIR
A mother’s search became a community’s assignment.
When I began searching for an appropriate Jewish education for my twice-exceptional twin boys, Max and Yuli, I kept hearing the same answer:
‘We don’t have the supports for your child.’
Then I discovered a Jewish day school in Maryland whose published materials explicitly mentioned twice-exceptional students.
For the first time, I had found an educational possibility that might recognize both my children’s extraordinary intellectual abilities and their significant support needs.
But the school was in another state. Attending could mean relocating our family and paying ordinary day-school tuition alongside substantial specialized program fees.
Finding the school was only the first challenge.
“I finally found a school that might understand my children. I still had to figure out how to get them there.”
That search became the beginning of YATIR.
Tamar Amoyal
Founder, The YATIR Initiative
Read Our StoryNational School Directory
The search shouldn't take years.
Across the country, Jewish schools and educational programs are developing ways to support children with complex learning and developmental needs.
But information about these opportunities remains scattered across communities, and families are often left to discover them on their own.
YATIR is bringing that research together, so families can begin their search with something more than hope and Google.
- Preliminary listings
- 19
- States
- 11
Hover a marker to see the school — click it to open the full listing.
Listings are preliminary research resources, not endorsements, guaranteed placements, or formal YATIR partnerships.
Some of the schools in the YATIR School Directory
חֲנֹךְ לַנַּעַר עַל-פִּי דַרְכּוֹ
"Educate a child according to their way."
Proverbs 22:6
Finding the right school is only the beginning.
Even when an appropriate Jewish educational opportunity exists, tuition, specialized program fees, and geography can make it inaccessible. YATIR is building the resources and developing the assistance programs needed to help families overcome these barriers.
- Find
Research and organize educational opportunities.
YATIR School Network
Research underway
- Afford
Develop needs-based assistance for tuition and specialized educational costs.
YATIR Education Fund
In development
- Reach
Develop support for qualifying relocation and transition expenses.
YATIR Access Fund
In development
- Expand
Work toward stronger school relationships and educational capacity.
YATIR Outreach
Planned
Directory research is underway. Financial assistance and formal school partnerships remain in development.
Explore YATIR's Mission →Where do you begin?
Find educational possibilities.
Explore school options, understand educational models, and access practical resources.
Explore Family Resources
Help families discover what you offer.
Share accurate program information and explore opportunities for future collaboration.
Explore School Resources
Help build what comes next.
Help establish a lasting national resource and the proposed assistance programs that can expand educational access.
Explore the Founding Campaign
The founding campaign
The first doors can open in 2027.
YATIR's proposed $500,000 founding campaign will establish the organization's initial infrastructure and a $285,000 assistance fund intended to help eligible families access appropriate Jewish education for the 2027–2028 school year.
Build the resource. Support the first families. Create a foundation for what comes next.
The campaign is proposed, not secured. First-year assistance depends on funding, admissions, legal structure, operational readiness, and independent governance.