RabbiLaurenTuchmanWebinarSeriesWeek3
RabbiLaurenTuchman
MatanWebinarSeriesWeek3July2,2020www.rabbituchman.comModernvoices:LiftingupthelivedexperiencesofJewswithdisabilitiesintheeducationalandritualspheres
Pleasenote:
Inthiscourse,wevalueinteractiveparticipation.Tomakeforamoreseamlessandsmoothexperience,weaskthatfolkstypeinthechatasmuchaspossibleandDaniellawillreadcommentsthroughout.Iftypingisnotaccessible,pleaseindicatethatinthechatandwewilluseastackingmethodtoallowformorevoicestobeheard.Astackingmethodisameansofcreatinganonlineorderforspeaking.Stepup,stepback.Ifyoutendtospeakoften,stepbackabittoallowforothervoicestobeheard.
Source1:HowBraillePutJewishTextsatmyFingertipsbyArielleSilverman,publishedonTheUnionforReformJudaismwebsitein2017
LouisBraillewasborninCoupvray,France,in1809.Whenhewas3yearsold,heaccidentallypokedhimselfintheeyewithhisdad'sawlandbecameblind.Atage12,hestartedplayingaroundwithanembossedalphabetthathadbeenusedbythemilitarytoexchangemessagesinthedark,andbythetimehewas15,hehadcreatedwhatwecallbrailletoday.
Inhisshort43years,LouisBraillebroughtliteracytoagroupofpeoplewho,untilthen,couldonlyreadandwriteusingraisedprintletters– whichposedpracticalchallenges.Thesix-dotcodeLouisBraillecreatedissimpleenoughforalmostanyonetolearn(simpler,Iwouldcontend,thanprint)yetelegantenoughthatitcanbewritteninmanylanguages.
Source1:HowBraillePutJewishTextsatmyFingertipsbyArielleSilverman,publishedonTheUnionforReformJudaismwebsitein2017
Iwasbornalmostcompletelyblind,150yearsafterBraille’screation.Myparentsdidn’tknowmuchaboutblindness,buttheyquicklycommittedthemselvestotwothings:ensuringthattheirolderdaughterandIwouldbothlovetoread,andprovidingbothofuswithastrongfoundationinJewishtraditionsandvalues.Duringmypreschoolyears,Ispentfourdaysaweekatalocalpreschoolforblindchildren,whereIlearnedtheEnglishbraillecode,andIspentonedayaweekataJewishdayschool,whereIlearnedtoreciteJewishblessingsbyear.
WhenIwasabout7yearsold,myparentsorderedabraille siddur (prayerbook)formefromthe JewishBrailleInstitute (JBI)inNewYork.WhenIwenttothesynagoguewiththem,Iproudlycarriedmy siddur andtriedtoreadalong– butIdidn’tyetknowtheHebrewbraillealphabet.
Source1:HowBraillePutJewishTextsatmyFingertipsbyArielleSilverman,publishedonTheUnionforReformJudaismwebsitein2017
Atoursynagogue,Hebrewwasn’ttaughtuntilthefourthgrade,butIbeggedmyparentstoteachmesoIcouldparticipateinservices.Theydidn’tknowthecodethemselves,sotheyreachedouttoJBIagainandgotmeaHebrewbrailleprimer.Asitturnsout,thereismuchoverlapbetweentheEnglishandHebrewalphabetsinbraille,withHebrewbraillewrittenfromlefttorightandonlyafewnewsymbolstolearn.
AfterIstudiedmyHebrewprimer,Iwassoexcitedtogotothesynagogueandreadallthefamiliarprayersformyself.Mostexcitingofall,Icouldreadaloudalongsidemyfamilyduringresponsiveprayer,andparticipateinsilentmeditation.
MyJewisheducationcontinued,culminatinginmybatmitzvahwhenIwas13.JBIpreparedmyTorahportioninbraille,andIusedbrailletoconducttheservice,readfromtheTorah,andpresentmyprepared d’var Torah.Mybatmitzvahexperiencewasidenticaltothatofmysightedclassmates.
Source1:HowBraillePutJewishTextsatmyFingertipsbyArielleSilverman,publishedonTheUnionforReformJudaismwebsitein2017
Brailleisthesimplestwayforablindpersontoreadindependently,butnoteveryonepromotesitsuse.Somearguethataudio-recordedmaterialsshouldbeusedinstead,butsightedpeoplehavenotcollectivelyswitchedfromprintreadingtoaudio.Thereareclearadvantagesofreading,inprintorbraille,insteadofbeingreadto.Audiorecordingsandtext-to-speechtechnologyhaveaplaceinmylife,butthereisnosubstituteforbraille,especiallyinthetech-freeShabbatservice.Listeningtoarecordingwouldisolatemeinprayer,butwithbraille,Icanprayaloudorreadalongsilently,whilestillimmersedinmyprayercommunityandtheirvoices.BraillegivesmetheflexibilitytointeractwiththeliturgyinthesamewaysasmyfellowJewsreadingitvisually.
Source1:HowBraillePutJewishTextsatmyFingertipsbyArielleSilverman,publishedonTheUnionforReformJudaismwebsitein2017
Theironyisthattechnology,sometimesthoughtto“supplantbraille,”actuallymakesbrailleeasiertoproducethaneverbefore.Modernbrailleprintersanddigital“brailledisplays”canplacebrailleataperson’sfingertipsinseconds.Digitalbrailledisplaysmakebraillemoreportablethaneverbefore.Braillecanbeusedbypeoplewithlowvision,thetotallyblind,andthosewhoaredeaf-blind,bothyoungandold.Ihaveknownpeopleintheir90swholearnedthebraillealphabetafterbecomingblindinoldage.ThoughproducingbrailleinbothHebrewandEnglishcanposesometechnicalchallenges,librarieslikeJBIhavetheexpertisetomakethishappen.
Twohundredyearsafterbraille’sinvention,weareblessedwiththeabilitytoconvertprintintoamyriadofformats.Allofthesealternativeformatshavetheiradvantages,butIcannotoverstatethesimplicity,flexibilityandequivalentaccessthatbrailleoffers.AsJewswevalueliteracy,andbyofferingourblindcongregantsaccesstoritualtextsinbraille,wegivethemthebestopportunitytoparticipatefullyinourcommunity.
Source2:WhyWouldtheRabbisOfferaBlessingforOurDifferences? BY RABBIREBECCADUBOWE ,2/09/2016THISWASALSOPUBLISHEDONTHEUNIONFORREFORMJUDAISMWEBSITE.
Generallyspeaking,I'mnoteasilyoffended- butIdidhaveaproblemwiththisblessingthefirsttimeIstumbleduponit:
Baruchatah AdonaiEloheinu,melech haolam,meshaneh habriot.BlessedbetheOnewhocreatedusdifferently.
HowdaretheTalmudicrabbisdirectotherstoofferablessingbecauseIamdifferent?
During JewishDisabilityAwarenessandInclusionMonth,Iconsiderthisblessing.InowlookbeyondwhatseemslikeajudgmentcalltowardothersandembracewhatIbelievetobetherabbis’intentinincludingitaspartofourJewishlawsandcustoms.
Source2:WhyWouldtheRabbisOfferaBlessingforOurDifferences? BY RABBIREBECCADUBOWE ,2/09/2016THISWASALSOPUBLISHEDONTHEUNIONFORREFORMJUDAISMWEBSITE.
Ithinktherabbiswerebeinghonestinacknowledgingthediscomfortthatmanyfeeluponencounteringsomeonewhois“different.”TheytrulysawthateveryhumanbeingwasacreationofGod,tobecelebratedforwhattheycando,ratherthanasanobjectoffocusforwhattheycannotdo.Toblessmust betheinitialresponse– ratherthantojudge– notwithstandingthechallengesthatposestous,asindividuals,andasmembersoffamilieswithdisabilitiesanduniqueneeds.
Professionallyandpersonally,Ihavewitnessedthebeautyinhowthe“different”canbringtogetherfamilies,theirfriendsandtheirJewishcommunities.Inparticular,IwasprivilegedtobepartoftheprocessasAubreeBellabecamea batmitzvah.
Source2:WhyWouldtheRabbisOfferaBlessingforOurDifferences? BY RABBIREBECCADUBOWE ,2/09/2016THISWASALSOPUBLISHEDONTHEUNIONFORREFORMJUDAISMWEBSITE.
ThenewsthattheywerefinallygoingtohaveababygirlwascauseforexcitementforDavidandMarlaandtheirsons,NathanandEli.Aubree’slovingparentsweredeeplycommittedtoraisingaJewishfamily.Davidtaughtinthereligiousschool,whileMarlawasaninstructorinthetemple’spreschool.BothwerepassionateaboutinspiringchildrentoembracetheJewishfaith,andbothhadreceivednationalrecognitionandawardsfortheirachievementsinJewisheducation.
Aubree’sarrival,however,turnedtheirworldupsidedownandtestedtheirfaith.
Source2:WhyWouldtheRabbisOfferaBlessingforOurDifferences? BY RABBIREBECCADUBOWE ,2/09/2016THISWASALSOPUBLISHEDONTHEUNIONFORREFORMJUDAISMWEBSITE.
Aubree’sbirthwasadifficultone,anditwasfarfromcertainthatshewould
live.Shehadexperiencedseveretraumathatresultedinmultipledisabilities
toher,includingcerebralpalsyandvisionimpairment.Itwasclearthat
shouldshesurvive,Aubreewouldfacemanydifficulties.
HerdevastatedparentscalledmeandaskedthatIvisitAubreeatthe
hospital.Oncethere,Ifoundtheirbabygirlstrugglingtobreathe,withtubes
alloverherbody.ButIalsosawabeautifulsoul,agraciousfighter
determinedtolive.
AsIheldherhand,tearsflowingdownthefacesofherwearyandworried
parents,Itriedtofindtherightwords.Ultimately,Iofferedthisblessing:
“MayAubree’slightshineandshowustheway,assheisachildofGodlikeall
others.And,oneday,shewillhavea batMitzvah.”Herparentschuckled,butItrulybelievedit.
Source2:WhyWouldtheRabbisOfferaBlessingforOurDifferences? BY RABBIREBECCADUBOWE ,2/09/2016THISWASALSOPUBLISHEDONTHEUNIONFORREFORMJUDAISMWEBSITE.
AndAubreedidsurvive. DavidandMarlaquietlysteppedawayfromsynagoguelifeduetotheoverwhelmingnatureoftheirdaughter’sneedsandtograpplewiththeconfusingfeelingsthatcamewiththequestionofwhythishappenedtotheirfamily– butattheappropriatetime,theystillenteredAubreeinreligiousschool.Itwastooimportanttothisfamilynottodoso.
Movingbeyondtheawkwardnessandtheirdesiretoprotecttheirchildfromstaresandquestions,MarlaandDavidknewthesynagoguecommunitywouldwelcomeandaccepttheirdaughter.Theclergy,too,werewillingtoworkwiththeirdaughter– andlookingforwardtoit.
Asherbatmitzvahapproached,AubreewatchedpatientlyasIperformedthesacredactoftyingeachofthefour tzitzit (knots)ofher tallit (prayershawl).Everyday,shetalkedaboutthis tallit,whichsheknewwasherveryown;shewasgoingtowearitather batmitzvah.
Source2:WhyWouldtheRabbisOfferaBlessingforOurDifferences? BY RABBIREBECCADUBOWE ,2/09/2016THISWASALSOPUBLISHEDONTHEUNIONFORREFORMJUDAISMWEBSITE.
OnthedayshewascalleduptotheTorah,Aubreesquealedwithdelightasthe tallit herfamilyandfriendshaddesignedforherwasdrapedoverhershoulders.Aubree’sbrothersandfatherchantedfromtheTorahwhileshestoodproudlynexttothem,andthehankiesandsmilesthroughoutthesynagoguesignaledatriumphthathadbroughtusalltogetherincelebrationandjoyforAubree,thisspecialchildofGod.
ThinkingofAubree’s batmitzvah,Iamremindedoftheintentbehindtherabbis’commandtoofferablessingwhenseeingsomeonewhoisdifferent:Itisthatwearealldifferentandblessed,andweshouldacceptothersfreeofjudgment. Baruchatah AdonaiEloheinu,melech haolam,meshaneh habriot -blessedbetheOnewhocreatedusdifferently,indeed.