How To Build A More Inclusive Jewish Community

This article was originally published in The Forward.

By Lisa Handelman, Federation’s Community Disability Inclusion Specialist

Judaism values inclusion. Yet, according to a study conducted in 2013 by RespectAbilityUSA and JerusalemU, most American Jews with disabilities feel excluded from their own gathering places. National Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), created in 2009, was designed to rectify this. As a community, we still have work to do. To that end, The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is proud to announce the launch of our new online Inclusion Tool. This tool, which I had the honor of working to develop over the last two years, can be used by anyone with access to the internet. It is specifically designed to help synagogues and Jewish organizations self-evaluate their level of inclusiveness and move toward ensuring that all potential or current members feel fully welcome in their community.