Photo courtesy of Temple Israel Center, White Plains, NY
Just in time for national Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, we welcome the below congregations as the fourth cohort of the USCJ Ruderman Inclusion Action Community:
- Adath Israel Congregation in Lawrenceville, NJ
- Agudas Achim in Coralville, IA
- Am Yisrael in Northfield, IL
- Beth El in Norfolk, VA
- Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh, NC
- Beth Shalom in Northbrook, IL
- Beth Tzedec Congregation in Calgary, AB
- Beth Yeshurun in Houston, TX
- Congregation Etz Chaim in Atlanta, GA
- Huntington Jewish Center in Huntington, NY
- Midbar Kodesh Temple in Henderson, NV
- Midway Jewish Center of Syosset, NY
- North Suburban Synagogue in Highland Park, IL
- Ohev Shalom of Bucks County in Richboro, PA
- Temple Beth El Mekor Chayim in Cranford, NJ
Already, 45 congregations have participated in the program. Below are some inclusion ideas from them:
- Educate all staff members who work in your kehilla by providing training sessions on disabilities and inclusion like Congregation Beth El in Vorhees, NJ
- Provide a quiet room where individuals with disabilities can retreat like Anshe Emet in Chicago, IL
- Expand efforts to address disabilities related to the aging population by providing educational sessions with experts in the field like Congregation Beth Torah in Richardson, TX
- Create an accessibility cart holding large print siddurim, page magnifiers, audio loops, book stands and more like B’nai Israel in Rockville, MD
- Employ individuals with disabilities throughout the congregation like Temple Israel Center in White Plains, NY
To learn more on how to be proactive and intentional in the inclusion of community members who have a disability, contact USCJ Inclusion Specialist Jennifer Gendel at [email protected].
