Rabbi David Holtz of Temple Beth Abraham in Tarrytown, with Marci Mehler, a resident of Beach House, one of the 11 group homes for persons with developmental disabilities operated by Westchester Jewish Community Services.
by Merri Rosenberg Special To The Jewish Week
Recognizing that synagogues may not often be the friendliest places for people with disabilities, several Westchester congregations are sponsoring programs this weekend, February 1-3, as part of UJA-Federation New York’s initiative, “Shabbat Across New York” that specifically targets those with disabilities. “UJA-Federation has historically been committed to providing support to member agencies that are responding to needs of special-needs families,” said Roberta Leiner, managing director of UJA’s Caring Commission. “In the last two years, The Caring Commission has raised the profile of autism as an issue the Jewish community should rally around. Last year, UJA sponsored a conference on how to make synagogues and agencies more inclusive. For Jews who are facing challenges in their lives, professional service is important. In addition, there’s the importance
and power of community to help heal — and synagogue is the source of community for many Jews.” Leiner added that as an outgrowth of this weekend, there will be ongoing efforts to work with Westchester synagogues to create more inclusive communities. “We want every Jewish developmentally disabled person to go to a program or synagogue,” said Gail Oliver, special coordinator for the Havorah program for Westchester Jewish Community Services, which has run activities for that population for the past 20 years. “We wanted something where [those from group homes] would feel comfortable. It’s very warm, inclusive and musical. We keep it short, sweet, with lots of clapping and telling stories.” Oliver is running the programs this weekend at Temple Israel of Northern Westchester, Beth Torah and Temple Beth Shalom. The weekend’s activities, cosponsored by the New York Board of Rabbis and the major Jewish movements, offer a range of possibilities, from religious services led by those with disabilities, community Shabbat meals and Israeli dancing, to lectures and panel discussions about meeting the needs of this population. Still, “This isn’t something new,” said Shari Baum, coordinator of Partners in Caring for WJCS. “Getting it on the map is what the synagogues need to start addressing. It’s more about bringing awareness to the synagogue community. This isn’t meant to be a one-shot deal. This needs to be part of who we are in synagogue life, not just to have programming for this weekend, but to raise awareness forever.” It can be something as simple as making sure there’s a ramp to enable those in wheelchairs to get to the bima, offering large-print prayer books for those who have vision problems or even ensuring that children with autism or other disabilities — and their parents — aren’t made to feel unwanted if their behavior doesn’t conform to expected standards. In Westchester, participating synagogues include Bet Am Shalom and Kol Ami in White Plains; Beth El in New Rochelle, the Jewish Community Center of Harrison, Scarsdale Synagogue-Tremont Temple, Temple Beth Abraham in Tarrytown, Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester in Chappaqua and Temple Israel of Northern Westchester in Croton. For many of these synagogues, this special Shabbat weekend is merely an extension of outreach work they already do to welcome those with disabilities to their communities. “We are doing this because we find ourselves to be a congregation that tries to be inclusive of everyone,” said Cantor Margot Goldberg of Temple Beth Abraham in Tarrytown. “We’ve always welcomed those with disabilities. It’s been the congregation’s mission without knowing it.” Temple Beth Abraham, for example, hosts Westchester Jewish Community Services’ annual Yom Kippur service for the developmentally disabled and recently became a host congregation for a Matan site, which provides Jewish education programs for special-needs children. As part of the inclusion Shabbat, the Friday night service will include the congregational school’s fourth graders who are getting their prayer books, along with fourth graders in Matan, and their families. Invitations have also been extended to Jewish residents in local group homes, with the synagogue expanding its handicapped parking and seating for the evening and providing greeters to make these guests feel welcome. “This will be a standard family service, but definitely abbreviated,” said Cantor Goldberg. “We’ll explain that we’re a congregation of all types of people and let them know that there might be some behavior like standing up or clapping, and that’s okay. We’re open and amenable to all of that, this Friday night and every Friday night. However they meet God is how they meet God.” At Temple Israel of Northern Westchester in Croton, there will be Israeli dancing and singing for Shabbat afternoon. “It’s the third year we’re having this Shabbat,” said Rabbi Jennifer Jaech. “We invite lots of young people to help with the guests — to talk with them, to join in the dancing — and then we eat. We’ve developed a relationship with a group home in Ossining, and once a month we go to that group home to have a ‘share-a-Shabbat’ program. We want to be a welcoming place for everybody.” Added Rabbi Jaech, the February 2 program “is about Shabbat companionship. We’re doing it because everybody should feel the joy of being part of the Jewish community.” At Kol Ami, which offers a monthly Friday night service for each religious school class, the event will feature students from Yad B’Yad and Chaverim, the two special-education programs that the school runs. “It’s a lucky coincidence,” said principal Felice Miller Baritz. The students will run the service, and will attend a community Shabbat dinner afterwards with their parents and peer mentors. As UJA’s Leiner said, “The driving force is we’re all made in God’s image. The community needs to rally around those families with special needs and create open gates so that no one is on the outside looking in.”
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