Popular Canadian Clothing Company Features Disabled Orthodox Jewish Friends In Holiday Ads

TORONTO, CANADA (VINnews) – An iconic Canadian apparel company has put a pair of disabled Jewish friends in their advertisements, donning kippas.

Roots, featured Danny Laszlo and Daniel Propper in their newest winter holiday ads.

This is part of the company’s desire to highlight the tendency for Canadians to be tolerant and kind. Laszlo proudly wears his Kippa during the photoshoots, showing pride in his heritage.

Laszlo, 33, and Propper, 39, had been friends before the photoshoot. The pair had met through DANI: Developing and Nurturing Independence, which is a group that aims to aid in the lives of adults with cognitive or physical disabilities.

Laszlo and Propper are some of the first disabled models for Roots.

DANI is inclusive of all people with disabilities and was founded by Jewish families and upholds Jewish education and holidays. Access to Kosher foods is also a focus of DANI.

The current director of DANI, Kathy Laszlo is the mother of Danny, was contacted by Roots through a past volunteer who had moved on to work with Roots.

Roots wanted to do something special for their “Nice Together 2019” advertisements. All of the models for the campaign are “friend[s] of Roots” as explained by James Connell, Chief of Customer Experience and E-Commerce, in an interview with the Times of Israel. Everyone involved with the campaign is a direct friend or friend of a friend to a Roots employee.

Roots were extremely accommodating to Kathy and Danny Laszlo and Propper, changing the day of shooting from Saturday to Sunday. As well there was plenty of Kosher lunch options for the Laszlo’s and Propper