O pinion
KVETCH ’N’ KVELL
Inclusion Is Urgent Matter
BY EFRAT STERN AND ORLY FRUCHTER
IN FEBRUARY, Jewish commu-
nities across North America and
Israel marked Jewish Disabilities
Awareness & Inclusion Month.

It was heartening that JDAIM
gave voice to millions of Jews
with disabilities and highlighted
disabilities inclusion achieve-
ments, but it was not enough.

Now that February has come
and gone, we must continue
to work urgently to ensure our
communities are welcoming and
empowering throughout the year.

Today there are around 1
billion people with disabil-
ities worldwide. They’re part
of our families and circles
of loved ones, members of
our day schools, summer
camps, synagogues and social
networks. Despite this, they
often live on the margins and
live even more precariously
during times of crises.

COVID-19 has dispropor-
tionately affected people with
disabilities, upending the
support, services and efforts
at accessibility and community
integration that have been key
to their progress. The signifi-
cant gains made on disabilities
issues over the years are in
danger of being lost.

People with disabilities have
once again been largely absent
from public discourse on
pandemic needs. This absence,
and the media’s reliance on old
stereotypes, made it that much
harder for them to retain their
hard-fought place in society.

People with disabilities have
faced outsized pandemic-re-
lated challenges. They have
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM higher rates of unemployment
and loneliness and isolation.

The suspension of in-person
gatherings is further exacer-
bated by the lower rates of
digital literacy in this popula-
tion, cutting them off from
vitally important activities and
medical information.

For many years, we have
worked with people with
disabilities to strengthen and
promote their broader partic-
ipation in society. There are
three important objectives that
can help Jewish leaders and
institutions mitigate losses and
advance self-empowerment.

First, to be inclusive, people
with disabilities need to lead,
be seen and be heard. People
with disabilities must be
central to discussions about
needs and creation of services.

They must have lead roles in
setting community agendas.

Truly inclusive communi-
ties are shaped by people with
disabilities. Second, embrace indepen-
dent living. It’s a cost
effective, safe and rewarding
path to inclusive societies.

People with
disabilities having homes of their own
is an important step toward
achieving full acceptance. As
a society, we need to re-en-
vision self-management skills,
social connections, support
networks, civic responsibility
and create person-centered
services that are financially
sustainable. Israel Unlimited, JDC’s
strategic partnership with the
Israeli government and the
Ruderman Family Foundation,
initiated a supported housing
program with support from the
Azrieli Foundation to empower
people with disabilities to live
in their own apartments, be
involved in the community and
receive support and guidance
from a care coordinator and
mentor. The program assisted
400 people with disabilities in
37 cities across Israel. Research
shows that living in the
community is 30% more cost
effective than an institution.

Third, people with disabil-
ities need increased resources
for better living as they age.

Although the pandemic shone
a spotlight on the outsized
risks faced by the elderly,
there has been little focus on
the growing demographic of
people with disabilities who
are living longer now. On
average, people with disabili-
ties start aging 10 to 15 years
earlier than those without
earlier diagnosed disabilities.

With life expectancy rising,
we must engage in research,
policy and programs to
address the needs of older
adults with disabilities.

Jewish philanthropists and
government bodies in Israel
and North America can be
leaders in this space and build
on their successful history
of creating and supporting
services for seniors. JDC has
launched a comprehensive
study in Israel aiming to build
a strategic map and practical
options for support. We hope
this will become a model.

The current crisis provides
new opportunities to realize
the dream of people with
disabilities to be fully valued
members of our communities.

It’s not just a matter of basic
human justice, but an essential
condition for socioeconomic
advancement and a strong
and resilient social fabric.

When Jewish communities
and Israel partner with people
with disabilities to fulfill this
promise, we give new meaning
to an old and much-cherished
Jewish concept of self-actual-
ization: “If you will it, it is no
dream.” l
Efrat Stern is the director of the
American Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee’s Israel Unlimited and
Orly Fruchter is the manager of
Neurodiverse Initiatives for the
Azrieli Foundation Canada. This
piece was originally published by
eJewishPhilanthropy.com. JEWISH EXPONENT
Thank You From Schoolteacher
AS A RETIRED EDUCATOR from the Philadelphia public
schools who is also a member of the Alliance for Philadelphia
Public Schools (grassroots organization dedicated to preserving
public schools), I was interested in reading Sophie Panzer’s
article on “Jewish Teachers Express Concern about Schools
District’s Reopening Plans” (Feb. 18).

I was so appreciative of her research on the environmental
issues in the buildings, the teachers interviewed for the article
and the history of the labor movement including the importance
of teacher labor leader Karen Lewis who recently died. It was one
of the most in-depth articles on the current problems of teaching
and reopening during the pandemic that I’ve read. Thank you so
much for your coverage of a topic I deeply care about.

Ilene Blitzstein Poses | Philadelphia
Student Is Right to Be Concerned
Thank you, Sophia Rodney (“I’m a Student and I’m Afraid of
Where My Party Is Headed,” Jan. 28). Being concerned about
anti-Semitism on campuses across the country and by certain
congresswomen promoting anti-Israel BDS is commendable and
should be supported by your fellow classmates, not criticized as
“Trumpianism.” These congresswomen — Omar, Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez —
should be ostracized for their blatant anti-Semitism.

Kathleen M. Levin | Philadelphia
Overcoming Willful Blindness
When Donald Trump began his run for president in 2015, he was
characterized by Sen. Ted Cruz as a pathological liar. Soon Cruz
and millions of others ignored the lies and Trump won the election.

Needlessly, the endless lying continued throughout his presidency.

Rabbi Janine Jankovitz is right in condemning those who turned a
blind eye to his behavior (“The Question of Unity,” Jan. 28).

Over the years, the SPLC and the ADL have provided our
security services with data that has supplemented their own
noting that the biggest threat to our democracy is from white
supremacy. Yet Trump invoked his Orwellian mantra about the
election (I won, it was stolen) in spite of the evidence against it.

The result was the riotous insurrection led by white supremacists.

As of this writing, there are many in the media and in
Congress who are downplaying the seriousness of the revolt
and the part white supremacists played. Lest we forget, white
supremacists hate Jews as much as any other race, color or
creed. Once again, willful blindness plagues our body politic.

Though anti-Semitism may not end in our lifetime, parading
and preaching it ought to be a hate crime punishable by law or
we will continue to see T-shirts emblazoned ‘Camp Auschwitz’
and worse. l
Nathan Farbman | Philadelphia
STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER
We are a diverse community. The views expressed in the signed opinion columns and let-
ters to the editor published in the Jewish Exponent are those of the authors. They do
not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and boards of the Jewish Publishing
Group, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia or the Jewish Exponent. Send
letters to letters@jewishexponent.com or fax to 215-569-3389. Letters should be a
maximum of 200 words and may be edited for clarity and brevity. Unsigned letters will not be
published. MARCH 4, 2021
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