Jewish and Faith Inclusion

When the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed more than 30 years ago, it exempted faith-based organizations. Thus, many such organizations do have not yet have the attitudes, physical facilities or training they need to appropriately welcome people of all abilities. Given the very important role that faith and faith-based organizations play in America, RespectAbility is working for full inclusion in all faith groups. However, it has started its faith-based inclusion work with a focus on the Jewish community and institutions. As model practices are established, we will work broadly across faiths to share best practices.

RespectAbility understands that the Jewish community, like all communities, is stronger when it lives up to its values – when it is welcoming, diverse, moral, and respects each other. We want children, parents, grandparents, friends, and other family members with disabilities to be able to fully participate in their communities. We know that many people with disabilities are having a challenging time gaining access to our agencies, synagogues and community.

A Slingshot-recognized organization, RespectAbility is on the front lines – working to ensure that everyone knows that their presence and participation is welcomed and meaningful. Below are free resources for all who care about inclusion and equal opportunity.

National Disability Speakers Bureau: Jewish Division

The Jewish world is becoming steadily more aware of, and eager for, contributions of people with disabilities. As such, Jewish 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

Jewish Disability Perspectives

Jewish Disability Perspectives lifts up and amplifies the great work of Jews with and without disabilities serving the disability community throughout the U.S. and Israel. RespectAbility is honored to share these critical missions through our weekly newsletter and online. Do you want to subscribe or do you have something for us? Please reach out to Joshua Steinberg at JoshuaS@RespectAbility.org.

Read Past Perspectives

“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 Toolkit

Polls on Jewish Inclusion

Poll: Most Jews Don’t Know Any Rabbis or Staff with Disabilities
Poll: Most NY Jews Don’t Know Any Rabbis or Staff with Disabilities
Poll: Most California Jews Don’t Know Any Rabbis or Staff with Disabilities
Poll: Most D.C.-area Jews Don’t Know Any Rabbis or Staff with Disabilities
Poll: “Jewish Camp for Children with Disabilities and Special Needs” (Times of Israel, 3/4/14) – Results from our poll with Foundation for Jewish Camp regarding how Jews with disabilities are included at Jewish overnight camps
Poll: “New Poll of Faith in the Disability Community Released” (1/30/14) – Results from our poll regarding how Jews with disabilities are engaged in Jewish society
Poll: “Online Poll of Jews” (September 2013) – Results from our poll with Jerusalem U regarding Jews’ opinions on the importance of certain aspects of Judaism
Poll: “New poll data of 2607 Jews: These Jews feel strongly about inclusion of people with disabilities, even more so than Israel, Jewish life, marrying Jewish, or having Jewish kids”(9/10/13) – Results from our poll with Jerusalem U on including Jews with disabilities in Jewish life
Poll: “Disabled Jews unlikely to affiliate” (San Diego Jewish World, 1/30/14) – Press about our poll regarding how Jews with disabilities are engaged in Jewish society
“Protecting Jewish Survival by Including Jews with Disabilities” (Times of Israel, 10/15/13) – With so many Jews feeling unengaged in Judaism, it is pivotal to include Jews with disabilities, many of whom want to be engaged. References our poll with Jerusalem U.
Poll: “American Jews with disabilities excluded by community” (Haaretz, 9/16/13) – Press about poll with Jerusalem U about including Jews with disabilities
“A New Survey Reveals ‘A Distance between Words and Deeds’” (New York Jewish Week, 9/11/13) – Press about poll with Jerusalem U about including Jews with disabilities
“Survey: Support of disabled Jews doesn’t translate into action” (Washington Jewish Week, 9/10/13) – Press about poll with Jerusalem U about including Jews with disabilities

Education and Children

“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

Israel

“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

Holidays

“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”

RespectAbility in the News

“Disability Leader Discovers New Role During COVID-19 Crisis” (Jewish Journal, 5/20/20)
“Disability Rights Are Now Life Or Death” (Jewish Journal, 3/24/20)
“Employment Justice for People with Disabilities: Continuing the Legacy of Jewish Civic Engagement” (Jewish Journal, 11/4/19)
“How Mechilah Can Give Us a Model to Go Forward on Inclusion” (Jewish Journal, 10/3/19)
“As We Take an Accounting of Our Souls and Ourselves, a Lesson in Inclusion” (Jewish Journal, 9/25/19)
“From Awareness To Acceptance” (Jewish Week, 2/5/19)
“A Need for RespectAbility” (Jewish Journal, 10/8/18)
“Survey: Lack of Jewish Leaders with Disabilities” (Jewish Journal, 9/17/18)
“Stephen Hawking’s larger and complicated impact on the world” (The Times of Israel, 3/17/18)
“What Can We Learn From What Non-Jews Are Doing On Disability Issues” (The Times of Israel, 2/18/18)
“Equality and Inclusion for People with Disabilities in Israel” (The Times of Israel, 12/21/17)
“Hanukkah, tzedakah and equality for people with disabilities” (The Times of Israel, 12/16/17)
“Win for Israelis with Disabilities as Itzhak Perlman starts ‘re-gifting’ his Genesis Prize award” (The Times of Israel, 4/15/17)
“10 Tips for Including People with Disabilities in Purim and Passover” (The Times of Israel, 3/8/17)
“Hate crimes, bomb threats, anxiety & people with disabilities” (The Times of Israel, 3/2/17)
“Four Oscar nominations for Best Picture go to films with disability connections” (The Times of Israel, 1/26/17)
“Inclusion success at Union Temple in Brooklyn” (The Times of Israel, 10/21/16)
“Wisdom and inclusion from Rabbi Goodman and Union Temple” (The Times of Israel, 10/8/16)
“Successful Disability Inclusion at CSAIR” (The Times of Israel, 10/5/16)
“Park Slope Jewish Center & Jewish Inclusion” (The Times of Israel, 9/25/16)
“Synagogue Inclusion: Success at Park Avenue Synagogue” (The Times of Israel, 9/15/16)
“Gov. Jack Markell: America’s Jewish Governor” (The Times of Israel, 9/3/16)
“School Solutions for Jewish Children with Disabilities” (The Times of Israel, 6/10/16)
“Tips for parents of Jewish children with disabilities” (The Times of Israel, 9/8/15)
“Jews, ADA and Disability Rights” (The Times of Israel, 7/21/15)
“Jews, people with disabilities, and “others” should never be targets” (The Times of Israel, 4/17/15)
“Israel and Disability Issues” (The Times of Israel, 4/5/15)
“RespectAbility named one of America’s Most Innovative Organizations” (10/20/14) – Slingshot includes RespectAbility in A Resource Guide to Jewish Innovation ’14-‘15
“RespectAbility Celebrates 1st Anniversary of Jewish Inclusion Work for Jews with Disabilities” (7/9/14) – Overview of what we accomplished in our first year, as well as plans for the future
“Jewish Activists Unite for RespectAbility: The D.C.-based non-profit organization empowers people with disabilities” (Tablet, 8/5/13) – Article about the launch of RespectAbility, with a focus on Jennifer Laszlo-Mizrahi and Donn Weinberg

General Inclusion

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.
“The Faces of Tomorrow” (eJewish Philanthropy, 2/2/15) – The importance of including Jews with disabilities in Jewish society, which requires a huge change from the norm
“Success Story: Man with a Disability to Give Thousands to Charity” (Jewish Week, 5/14/14) – Article about philanthropist Jonah Selber, who has received services from JCHAI (Judith Creed Homes for Adult Independence)
“KC killing was an attack on us all” (4/15/14) – Reaction towards the hate crime at the Jewish Community Center in Kansas City
“Hate crimes, bomb threats, anxiety and people with disabilities” (Jewish Journal, 3/15/14) – Key issues and steps in case your organization received a bomb threat and/or is the target of a hate crime
“The List: Biggest Inclusion Plays and Players of 2013” (Jewish Week, 01/02/2014) – A list of accomplishments on the inclusion of Jews with disabilities in 2013
“Ruderman Family Foundation is funding the new Chalutzim” (Times of Israel, 12/11/13) – Training on including Jews with disabilities for American-Jewish leaders. Supported by the Ruderman Family Foundation
“Embracing Those with Disabilities” (eJewish Philanthropy, 11/18/13), Jewish leaders increasingly see the importance of welcoming Jews with disabilities
“Needed: A National Strategy for Including Jews With Special Needs” (Jewish Week, 7/11/12) – The importance of including people with disabilities in Jewish society