JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli synagogues and communities will mark Accessibility Shabbat to call attention to the needs of the disabled community within Jewish tradition and in Jewish institutions. The event this weekend, launched by the Israel-based Tzohar Rabbinical Organization, coincides with International Day of Persons with Disability, marked on Dec. 3. The weekend event will focus on…
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism is launching a new push to help congregations become inclusive of people with disabilities. The initiative, funded by a $375,000 three-year grant from the Ruderman Family Foundation, will involve up to 20 congregations. Each synagogue will assess its current handling of disabilities issues, create an action plan to become…
(JTA) — I have Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary movements and noises called “tics.” My Tourette’s is relatively mild at this point, but I went through a turbulent adolescence when Tourette’s was the most defining thing about me. Between the constant movements and the loud, uncontrollable noises, it was incredibly disruptive. I now…
For the past several years, February has been Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, prompting Jewish communal groups to issue statements, hold events and publish blog posts on the topic of more fully welcoming people with disabilities into our community. The month is often a celebration of intent rather than action. In many parts of…
The announcement this week that Mattel is launching a new line of Barbie dolls with “realistic” bodies was greeted with cheers in the feminist community. It was a welcome response to a decades-long struggle against the ubiquitous commercial messages that an ideal woman should have a ridiculous body size and shape – unattainably thin limbs,…
At the Central Conference of American Rabbis, we have to wrestle with the question “What does it mean to be Jewish in America today?” beyond the theoretical. In our charge is the basic structure and tone of worship for the largest group of Jews in the country, the Reform Movement. And when we took a…
The Ruderman Family Foundation recognized five Jewish organizations that integrate people with disabilities into their services and programs. The Ruderman Prize in Inclusion, which awards $50,000 to each recipient, aims for communities around the world to replicate the integration models created by the prize winners. This year’s recipients are: The Yavne Institute in Montevideo, Uruguay,…
More than two-thirds of Israelis object to the removal of a Conservative rabbi from a bar mitzvah ceremony for disabled children intended to take place at the Israeli president’s residence. The ceremony has been run for 20 years by the Conservative movement and was scheduled to take place at the end of June. It was…
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