December 2006 /   Kislev 5767

INCLUSION OF JEWS WITH DISABILITIES IN YOUR CONGREGATION 

“All I have ever wanted is to belong.” These haunting words, spoken by Stephanie, a woman whose disability kept her on the outside of her Jewish community, are shared as a part of her bat mitzvah d’var Torah. “The Torah helps me keep my hope and helps me keep working hard to be like other kids.” Daniel, a young boy who has autism, wrote those powerful thoughts, which were spoken from the bimah on Shabbat.  “I am a part of a very large family, the family of all the Jewish people everywhere, and especially my temple family here.” Finally, these words of comfort and connection belong to Alanna, who is deaf. She shared them with her congregation on the occasion of her bat mitzvah. Stephanie, Daniel and Alanna are just a few of the many Jews with disabilities who want to feel that they are meaningfully included in our synagogues. In addition, there are so many other voices that we have not yet heard.

           
Approximately 54 million Americans or 20 percent of the population have some type of disability. These disabilities include ones that are visible, such as Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy and cognitive disorders, as well as ones that are invisible, such as learning disabilities, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Every Jew, youth and adult alike, deserves a full and complete Jewish experience. It is the responsibility of congregations to make this a reality. As we learn in Leviticus 19:14, “You shall not insult the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind.”  As Reform congregational leaders, we are challenged to adapt our culture to welcome all Jews with disabilities and their families.    

How Are We Going to Face This Challenge?
The Union for Reform Judaism’s Department of Jewish Family Concerns recently convened a Disability Task Force to tackle the issue of full inclusion for individuals with disabilities. Organizations within the Reform Movement (including synagogues, camps and Hebrew Union College) will benefit from the work of the task force.

The goal of the task force is to help facilitate change in the culture of Reform institutions by cultivating a desire to eliminate architectural, communication and attitudinal barriers. The task force identified the following key areas:

• To make Judaism and Jewish education accessible to all Jews
• To stimulate and inspire individuals with disabilities to develop their identities as enlightened, involved and committed Jews
• To develop tools and provide support for congregations to be welcoming, accessible and inclusive in all aspects of congregational life 
• To broaden the experience and sensitivity of all our congregants

Disability Task Force Objectives

• Develop a day-long seminar about issues of Reform Judaism and disabilities for all Union for Reform Judaism program departments
• Assemble a collection of best practices currently in use in the Movement that would be available to delegates attending the Union Biennial in December 2007 
• Develop workshops (for the Union Biennial) that support the development of inclusion-focused actions within congregations 
• Raise awareness among the lay leadership in congregations by developing pilot workshops that highlight inclusion so that rabbis and lay leaders in each region of the country can support their congregants

A Call to Action:  How Congregations Can Meet These Goals

You are not alone. Inclusion of people with disabilities is a challenge that many of us want to address, and it is an issue that cannot be ignored. Jews with disabilities are Jews first. It is up to each of us to insure that we are responding to their need to belong to the Jewish community and creating opportunities that are meaningful to the individual and will last a lifetime. Begin by

1. Determining what your congregation is already doing and sharing this information with the Union’s Department of Jewish Family Concerns
2. Assessing the specific needs that you have in your congregation
3. Reaching out for assistance and using the resources that are available

There is a long-standing practice in Judaism to include those among us who have disabilities. Despite Moses’ self-professed speech disability, he was God’s choice to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to freedom. God asked, “Who gives humans speech? Who makes them dumb or deaf, seeing or blind?  Is it not I, the Eternal?” (Exodus 4:11) Moses became God’s partner, and we continue that partnership today. As such, we accept our responsibility to raise awareness about and create meaningful and accessible solutions for all Jews with disabilities.  May we accept our role as God’s partners and may we take this journey together so that access to the richness of Jewish life and learning will be open to Stephanie, Daniel, Alanna and the many others for whom the doors are still closed.  

This article was contributed by Shelly Christensen, M.A., a member of Bet Shalom Congregation in Minnetonka, MN, the program manager of the Minneapolis Jewish Community Inclusion Program for People with Disabilities and the cochair with Allan Bergman of the Disability Task Force, and Lisa Friedman, M.A., the special needs coordinator for Temple Beth-El in Hillsborough, NJ, and a member of the Disability Task Force. For material on those with special needs, Lehiyot, visit the Union's Department of Jewish Family Concerns web site.