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.