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the Wire: IAM
our story-as it unfolds
Better Together Conference Inspires Jewish Organizations to Take Action
On the final day of February’s Inclusion Awareness Month, Federation, HaMercaz, the BJE, and the Board of Rabbis convened professionals and lay leaders from across the spectrum of Jewish organizations for the Better Together Inclusion Conference. Read More »
The Day Schools that Could Be
My son Ezra wasn’t yet three when his journey to a Jewish day-school education was detoured. Sitting in toddler-size chairs in a synagogue preschool, we listened as his teacher told us he wasn’t fitting in with the other children: While they sang, he flipped idly through picture books. Instead of joining classmates in play, he focused intently on animal toys, spacey and aloof. Read More »
Inclusion and Independence
In the received wisdom that gets passed from one special needs family to another, one favorite is: “What is the first thing that you say to a family when they have a newborn has a disability?” Pause for effect. Answer: “Mazal Tov!” But let me pose a variation on that theme: What does one family, with a special needs son or daughter, say to another when their child graduates high school? Pause for panic to set in. Answer: “What do we do now?” Read More »
To Know Where We Are Going, We Must Know Where We Come From
To know where we are going, we must know where we come from. My vision for an inclusive community is inspired by our patriarch Isaac. One way of reading Isaac’s story is to say that Isaac had special needs, explaining why he needed so much attention, protection and help. When Isaac was a small boy, his mother Sarah hovered over him and protected him. Read More »
The Jewish Federation’s Vision for an Inclusive Jewish Community
As I envision the future of the Jewish community, I see one in which everyone, no matter their ability or disability, is fully participating in Jewish life. That is why inclusion of people with special needs is a key communal issue our Federation is committed to addressing. We have and will continue to support the continuum of special needs services in Los Angeles through... Read More »
Take the Inclusion Pledge
Every day, people with disabilities in our Jewish family have to deal with exclusion. As a community, we can't allow that to happen. That's why our Federation is spearheading Inclusion Awareness Month (IAM). It's part of a national effort to advocate for Jewish individuals with disabilities. Throughout February, we're providing opportunities for you to be inspired, get involved and take action to help promote inclusion in our community. Read More »
Our Journey, Your Journey
Judaism at its essence is about journeys—first Abraham who left his birthplace at God’s instruction to travel to Canaan, Joseph who involuntarily ends up in Egypt, and then the ultimate Biblical journey of leaving Egypt, the Exodus. Our family has been on an unplanned journey. Ever since our second child, Danny, was diagnosed with developmental delays at 13 months, we have navigated medical specialists, a wide range of therapists, and... Read More »
Kick Off Inclusion Awareness Month at the Better Together Shabbat Service
This February is Inclusion Awareness Month in the Jewish community, organized by the Jewish Federation, and we have been asked to explore, as Jewish institutions and synagogues, ways to be more inclusive to our Jewish brothers and sisters with special needs. Read More »
