Traditionally, the Jewish community commemorates the Sabbath before the holiday of Purim with a special reading that begins with the word zachor — “remember.” The passage reads, “Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey after you left Egypt — how undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary and cut down all the stragglers in your rear” (Deuteronomy 25:17-18).
It is especially fitting that Shabbat Zachor falls during the month of February, which the Jewish community has designated as Jewish Disability Awareness Month. The Hebrew word in Deuteronomy that we translate as “stragglers” — ha-necheshalim — appears only once in the entirety of the Bible. To explain its meaning, the medieval commentator Ibn Ezra suggests that its Hebrew root may have a meaning similar to a more common Hebrew root that means “to be weak.” As such, he took ha-necheshalim to mean “those who did not have power to walk.” Similarly, Rashi understands it to mean “those who lack strength,” though he adds that this is “on account of their sin.”
Who were “the stragglers in your rear”? They were the slow, the weak, the enfeebled — the invalids. Perhaps in ancient times, these people were, in fact, considered invalid human beings, and so the Israelites abandoned them, leaving the stragglers on their own to struggle at the rear of the Exodus.
Though today we do not connect disability with sin, the invalidation of people with disabilities remains a modern bias. Where are the “stragglers” today? Unfortunately, our society — including many Jewish communities — continues to leave them behind.
As recently as May 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 41.2 million Americans have some sort of a disability — that’s some 15% of the population. While there are no firm statistics on the percentage of Jews with disabilities, there’s no reason to believe that the proportion is very different for our community. Within our midst exist Jews who are hearing- and vision-impaired, Jews with intellectual disabilities, Jews with cognitive or psychological disabilities — Jews who need more than ramps and designated parking spaces to meet their needs.
Rabbis and synagogue presidents often tell me that they don’t have congregants with disabilities who require special accommodations. And in one troubling way, they may be correct — these Jews are often not present within our synagogues because they perceive they are not wanted there. How many of our synagogues have sign-language interpreters or Braille prayer books? How many offer service programs or congregational bulletins in large print? Only a select few synagogues provide religious school classes designed for children with special needs; even fewer have such classes for adults. Fewer still offer any programs, trips or religious services at all designed to include people with all types of disabilities.
Civil rights begin at home — in our synagogues and in our communal institutions. We must make conscious efforts to break down the physical, communicative and attitudinal barriers that separate individuals with disabilities from our community. It is time to come together to help our congregants, indeed all Americans, recognize that people with disabilities are people first — people with unlimited potential, not to be defined by their disabilities.
Hasidic master the Yehudi HaKadosh said, “Good intentions alone not accompanied by action are without value. The main thing is the action, as this is what makes the intention so profound.” This February, the second annual Jewish Disability Awareness Month, let the Jewish community come together to begin a fully committed and educated process of welcoming Jews with disabilities.
Rabbi Lynne Landsberg is the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism’s senior adviser on disability issues and chair of the Committee on Disability Awareness and Inclusion of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
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It is always inspirational to read the words of Rabbi Landsberg. Her words always reach your heart.
As a person with multiple disabilities and an expert on disability issues, I can attest to the difficulty of obtaining appropriate accommodations within the Jewish community. Some of the newer buildings are accessible physically, but that doesn't necessarily equate to people being emotionally ready to interact with disabled congregants. The attitude of "not in my shul" is quite prevalent and difficult to dislodge. What helps the most is the presence of someone with disabilities among the Temple executives. That's when progress is evident and quick!
Kol HaKavod to Rabbi Landsberg for reminding us that ramps alone are not enough! We are all of us "one bad day away" from being Jews with disabilities; each Jew with a disability is more like than unlike any other Jew.
Rabbi Ruth Adar http://JewishExperienceOnline.com
Thank you Rabbi Landsberg!!! I'm a Jew with a disibility. Everyone should walk in our shoes for a day!
HAPPY PURIM
Once again Rabbi Landsberg calls us to be a more inclusive community and reminds us that diversity is a blessing and enriches us all. Thanks Lynne, you continue to inspire and push us to be better. have a great Purim!
Thankyou so much for writing this artical.It is so importyant.Being disabled myself and having a disabled husband yhis means so much to me.Luckily we belong to a congreagation that has a wonderful rabbi and a wonderful social action commity that make points to have people of all disabilities included.Hope that all congregations will do the same.
I apologize for the typos in my previous email .I guess I just caught up in how important an issue this is to me. thanks
Rabbi Landsberg, My deafness is caused by a recessive gene due to my being of Eastern European Jewry. "No Jew Should Be Left Behind" is inspiring me a lot. Just tell you that I admire and still thanks Hope Bard who was Director of Kesher program which involves Jews with Disabilities in Jewish Life. It is very "disability friendly" and accessible (sign language interpreter, Braille, hearing aids, ramps for wheel chaired Jews, etc.) Hello Susan Talve, Long time No hear No talk How have you been doing so far? I still think of you and Jim and how both of you are doing occasionally. Happy Purim to everyone and Shalom
Thank you Rabbi Landsberg for writing about this pivotal issue once again. I have a visual disability and inclusion of Jews with disabilities into Jewish communities is incredibly important to me as well. As a minor aside, I deeply appreciated your mention of Braille siddurim! For those of us who cannot use large print, the presence of a Braille siddur in shul is one way a synagogue can demonstrate its desire to include Jews with visual impairments in Jewish life. Jews with disabilities have tremendous potential and their talents have largely remained untapped. This has got to change! I couldn't agree more with Rabbi Landsberg's assertion that one can make one's congregation a physically accessible place but the hardest barriers to break are communicative, social and attitudedal. Too few Jews with disabilities are seen in synagogues and other Jewish institutions for just this reason. Kol HaKavod and keep up the tremendous and necessary work! l'shalom.
Thanks for sharing this important article with me and letting me be a part of your life.
It is important that you continue to let everyone know that there is no end to injustice and that we continue to have a duty to model proper behavior...no matter how difficult our own trials have become.
To my Italian grandmother, the teaching of Yehudi HaKadosh went like this: Handsome is as handsome does.
And you remain one of the most beautiful people I know.