Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month
February is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month
We know that people have all different types of abilities. This month is our opportunity to learn to be even better at creating environments, spaces, programs, and awareness for inclusion of Jews with all different types of abilities.
Throughout this month we will learn and grow so that Temple Beth Shalom can do an even better job of living our values. There are numerous ways for you to get involved.
Temple Beth Shalom Presents (Live):
Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion: Where we are, where we want to be, and what this means for our community
Rabbi Eleanor Steinman
Sunday, February 28, 2:00 p.m.
Rabbi Steinman will lead a discussion with Rabbi Anna Beroll and Rabbi Amy Cohen about what Jewish tradition teaches about inclusion, new opportunities and things to learn about inclusion, and ways we can widen our inclusion at Temple Beth Shalom.
We encourage you to prepare for this session by participating in any of the educational opportunities listed below. However, we welcome all participants to this session regardless of their participation in other sessions.
This presentation is for Temple Beth Shalom members.
Additional Opportunities
There are a variety of events happening throughout the country that we are able to take advantage of thanks to online technology to mark this month. The Lifelong Learning committee reviewed the offerings and recommends attending any of the following:
Inclusion Innovations presents:
From Moses to Marlee: Celebrating Jews with Disabilities and Diverse Identities through Conversation, Creativity, and Music
Keynote Speaker Matan Koch
Thursday, February 11, 6:15 p.m.
Register
Kultura Collective presents:
Make Art About It: Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month
Session Series: Sundays at 6:00 p.m.
February 7, 21, and 28
Register
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention presents:
Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention
Tuesday, February 16, 6:30 p.m.
Register
A community-based presentation that covers the general scope of suicide, the research on prevention, and what people can do to fight suicide. Participants will learn common risk factors and warning signs associated with suicide, and how to keep themselves and others safe. There will be a Q&A following the presentation with staff available from JFS MetroWest to answer any additional questions that you may have.
Check out what the Religious Action Center (RAC) has to offer this month as well:
Monday, Feb. 22, 6:00 p.m. - The 2021 Disability Rights Policy Agenda
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2:00 p.m. - Effective Advocacy for Inclusive Policy
Interested in more options? Find more opportunities at www.jewishtogether.org/JDAM
Want to Learn More?
If you are interested in learning more, here are some wonderful books and movies that can help raise your awareness about a wide variety of disability and mental health related topics, family concerns, Jewish community inclusion, and history.
Books
- Inclusion and the Power of the Individual in the Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Rabbi Ari Stollish. (adults)
- Autism Uncensored: Pulling Back the Curtain by Whitney Ellenby (adults)
- Hope Will Find You by Rabbi Naomy Levy (adults)
- Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar (ages 11+)
- Jordan and the Dreadful Golem by Karen Goldman (ages 9+)
Movies
- “Shoelaces” An Israeli film about an aging father and his special needs son. (Available on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video)
- “Wedding Doll” An Israeli film about a young woman with a mild intellectual disability strives for independence. (Available on Amazon Prime Video)
- “Life Animated” is a 2016 American documentary based on journalist Ron Suskind's 2014 book which tells the story of his son, who struggled with autism and learned how to communicate with the outside world through his love of Disney films. (Available on Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and YouTube.)
- “Praying with Lior” is a coming-of-age story about Lior Leibling, a young man with Downs Syndrome, as he prepares for his Bar Mitzvah.
- “Deaf Jam” Follow Aneta Brodski, an Israeli-born teenager living in Queens as one of the first deaf youth to participate in a major poetry slam event. (Available on Kanopy)