Faith Inclusion and Belonging

Faith community inclusion is evolving. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became effective on July 26, 1990 with the purpose to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. It covers all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.

Religious organizations and entities controlled by religious organizations mostly have no obligations under the ADA. However, as Disability Rights Advocate, the late Rabbi Lynne Landsberg, reminded us, “Despite the legal exemption, the ADA is a moral mandate for faith communities.”

RespectAbility understands and believes in the importance of inclusion in faith-based organizations, so much so that it is one of the pillars of our work. Given the significant role that faith and faith-based organizations play in American life, RespectAbility works for full inclusion in all faith groups.

We believe that faith communities are stronger when they embrace and act upon values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

RespectAbility’s Jewish Inclusion programs, listed on this page, provide practical strategies, real-life stories, and so much more for any faith community to use.

RespectAbility’s Senior Director of Faith Inclusion and Belonging, Shelly Christensen, has longstanding experience in Jewish and Interfaith Inclusion. “People with disabilities and mental health conditions, and those who love them, want what everyone wants. To feel a sense of belonging.”

Faith Inclusion and Belonging Newsletter

RespectAbility’s Faith Inclusion and Belonging Newsletter lifts up and amplifies the efforts of people with and without disabilities who are working to ensure that disabled people can fully participate in all aspects of faith community life. Do you want to contribute? Please reach out to Jake Stimell at [email protected].

Jewish Disability Inclusion Toolkit

Download the toolkit

Welcome to your journey of disability inclusion! Your commitment to ensure that the one-in-five members of the Jewish community who have disabilities can bring their talents, gifts, and whole selves to our community can truly strengthen us all. This toolkit is here to help you succeed!

Download the accessible Word document, or view each section of the toolkit by following the links below:

National Disability Speakers Bureau: Jewish Speakers

The Jewish world is becoming steadily more aware of, and eager for, contributions of people with disabilities. As such, speakers in our Disability Training and Speakers Bureau are available to speak virtually (for the time being) at Jewish conferences, synagogues and organizations.

Learn More

“Leaders of the Future” Leadership Series for Jews with Disabilities

Including people with disabilities is something that more than 90% of Jewish organizations say they want to do and yet a survey of the Jewish world shows that fewer than 15% of Jews can identify a single leader with a disability in Jewish communal life. This series was a complement to our previous series training organizations, and was designed to introduce Jewish lay leaders with disabilities to topics and skills that will help them to lead as volunteers and professionals in nonprofit organizations.

Disability Access and Inclusion Training Series for Jewish Organizations and Activists

Jewish organizations, leaders and activists were invited to a free online training series so they could learn how to welcome, respect and include people with disabilities from all backgrounds in the important work that they do. All sessions included American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters and captions, and were screen reader accessible.

What Do You Pray For?

“What Do You Pray For?” is a series of short interviews of Jews with disabilities who tell viewers in their own words what they pray for and what prayer means to them. The project features Jews with various disabilities from across the United States, with a myriad of different connections to their Jewish identity. Watch the videos and read the transcripts at the links below.

Erika Abbott: Writer / Award-Winning Poet
Ariella Barker: Attorney, Policy Advisor and Communications Specialist
Justin Borses: Former College Student and employee at Moorpark College
Lee Chernotsky: Founder and CEO, ROSIES Foundation
Samantha Elisofon: Award-Winning Actress (“Keep the Change”) and member of EPIC Players, A Neuro-inclusive Theater Company in Brooklyn
Alex Howard: Entertainment Media and Jewish Inclusion Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program
Matan Koch: Director of RespectAbility California and Jewish Leadership
Amy Rosenfeld-Kass: Teacher from The Saul and Carole Zabar Nursery School at the JCC
Ben Rosloff: Communications and Jewish Inclusion Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program
Rachel Rothstein: 4th year Rabbinical Student at the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion
Barry Shore: Ambassador of Joy and Successful Serial Entrepreneur
Ari Sloan: Member of EPIC Players who is living with Autism
Joshua Steinberg: Program Associate for RespectAbility California and Jewish Leadership
Rabbi Lauren Tuchman: Rabbi, Public Speaker, Spiritual Leader and Educator
Blair Webb: System Change Youth Advocate at MEET THE BIZ and former Jewish Inclusion Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program
Aaron Wolf: Co-founder of Howling Wolf Productions and Award-winning Actor, Director, Speaker, and Activist

Opening All Gates: Making High Holiday Celebrations Accessible to All, In Person and Online

Download the accessible Word document or view each section of the toolkit by following the links below:

Jewish Inclusion Apprenticeship

If you are Jewish and find that your commitment to inclusion is grounded in those values, then the Jewish Inclusion Apprenticeship may be for you! Jewish Inclusion Apprentices will work closely with our Jewish inclusion team and with our National Leadership Program Director to help RespectAbility assist Jewish institutions in accessibility and equality issues. Individual projects will be assigned based on an individual’s unique ability to “bring something to the table.”

Learn More

Polls on Jewish Inclusion

More Resources

Jewish Disability Inclusion at Chabad – This page has essays and articles written by people with disabilities, family and community members, as well as how-to guides developed by the Ruderman Chabad Inclusion Initiative (RCII) to provide the tools to successfully include people with disabilities.
“Serving Jewish Children with Disabilities and their Families” (Journal of Jewish Communal Service, 12/10/14) – Viewpoint as to why educators should strive to create settings that are open to students of all abilities
“Q&A: Camps Merge to Serve More Children, Together” (Jewish Week, 1/6/14) – Interview with Len Robinson, the CEO of NJY Camps, about integrating Round Lake campers with campers without disabilities
“12 Israeli Technologies Changing the Lives of the Disabled in 2015” (Forbes, 1/20/15) – Israeli technological breakthroughs for people with disabilities
“Nalaga’at Theater at the Kennedy Center” (3/26/14) – Israel’s Nalaga’at Theater Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble, RespectAbility, and the White House’s Claudia Gordon at the Kennedy Center
“Israeli playground, ‘Sesame Street’ help include kids with disabilities” (Washington Jewish Week, 7/31/13) – Sesame Street in Israel modeling positive inclusion by introducing a character with disabilities
“Can You Tell Me How To Get To An Inclusive Playground? (They’re In Israel)” (Jewish Week, 7/31/13) – Jean Judes, executive director of Beit Issie Shapiro, spoke to the UN Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities about the new Sesame Street character with disabilities
“Stop by the vice president’s sukkah: VP Joe Biden invites children with disabilities to decorate a Chabad-built sukkah at his DC residence” (Times of Israel, 9/24/13) – Vice President Biden and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden welcomed DC children with disabilities to decorate a sukkah at Number One Observatory Circle
“The 10 Commandments of Politics for People with Disabilities” (Jewish Week, 3/21/13) – How to make a difference on issues you care about, with a “Passover spin”