February is Jewish Disability Awareness Month
By Shelly Christensen
Who decides who may claim their place in the Jewish community and who may not? Is it a question of who can stand when the Torah is carried through the congregation on Shabbat morning? Is it a matter of who can read Hebrew? Or does the desire to actively participate in worship, education, and social opportunities help one gain entree into this special place called the Jewish community?
There are people - people with unlimited potential, hopes, dreams, a love of Judaism, and a desire to be recognized members of the Jewish community - who sometimes feel invisible. These are Jewish people with disabilities.
Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis, through the Minneapolis Jewish Community Inclusion Program for People with Disabilities, provides information and resources to support Jews with disabilities and their families. The Inclusion Program coordinates community-wide efforts to raise awareness, provide consultation and help Jewish organizations understand how to overcome barriers to facilitate the meaningful participation and involvement for all people.
The Minneapolis Jewish Community Inclusion Program for People with Disabilities is a program of JFCS and is funded by the Minneapolis Jewish Federation and the Toodie and Frank Trestman Special Needs and Collaborative Education Endowment Fund of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
Jewish Disability Awareness Month unites Jewish communities across North America to raise awareness about meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities in communal life. The month of recognition was started in 2009 by the Jewish Special Education International Consortium, of which JFCS is a member. All of the major Jewish movements, the Federations of North America and the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies participate and support their member organizations.
The goal of Jewish Disability Awareness Month is to encourage Jewish organizations to integrate inclusion into the organizational way of life.
The community-wide kick-off event is on Sunday, January 31. The event features a screening of “Autistic License” a docudrama based on a true-to-life play that takes audiences on the roller coaster ride of raising a child with autism. Following the screening is a conversation with local playwright, Stacey Dinner-Levin. This free program begins at 3:00 p.m. at the Sabes JCC. You may make reservations by e-mailing inclusion@jfcsmpls.org or calling 952-542-4879. Please leave your name and the number of guests.
Other programs during Jewish Disability Awareness Month will include a Tu B’Shevat Seder at Congregation Darchei Noam in St. Louis Park as part of the Caring Connections program. B’nai Emet Synagogue will host an Inclusion Shabbat with guest speaker Gwyn Leder, who will talk about discovering and living with a brain injury. Bet Shalom Congregation will also host an Inclusion Shabbat. And Adath Jeshurun Congregation will host a session entitled “Social Justice, Judaism and Disability” midway through the month, followed by a Shabbat morning service d’var Torah on inclusion of people with disabilities near the end of the month.
Author Jesse Saperstein will discuss her upcoming memoir “Atypical: Life with Aspergers” at Temple Israel and
then the month will wrap-up with “A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story” an inspiring real-life documentary about hope, compassion, and the power of friendship at the St. Paul JCC.
To learn more about all these programs, and how you can participate, visit the JFCS website at www.jfcsmpls.org.
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Shelly Christensen is the Minneapolis Jewish Community Inclusion Program for People with Disabilities Program Manager.
