This is the first in a series of blogs written in recognition of Inclusion Awareness Month by members of our community with a disability highlighting each of their visions for inclusion in our community:
The Jewish community is beginning to realize that the synagogue, in order to be a beckoning second home, must be a place where all Jews feel comfortable. In the Torah the importance of hospitality to the stranger was made clear by Abraham’s model. In today’s world I think people with disabilities, especially severe autism, have not always found a hospitable home in the larger Jewish community.
I realize that autism is not well understood, even by autism experts. The synagogue may not know what to do with a person who behaves so differently. In the case of my autism, my mind is fully intact but my body does not receive all my brain’s input. The result is that I have movements and noises I can’t always control and I behave in a noticeably unusual manner. I don’t speak. I type. But I am deeply connected to my faith.
When I was little I couldn’t type so I had no means to communicate. In synagogue I was a bit noisy and congregants turned to stare. The truth is that the community didn’t open itself to the stranger. In the end we left the synagogue and became wandering Jews.
I found my spiritual home at Vista del Mar with Rabbi Jackie Redner. She helped me prepare for my Bar Mitzvah. She understood intuitively the needs of non-verbal autistic people. The Moses-Aaron Cooperative is her inspired idea to pair non-verbal autistic teens with typical teens who appear together at different local synagogues. The “Aaron”, who speaks, reads the words of the autistic “Moses” who wrote them but can’t talk. It is changing the way people see autism, little by little. Rabbi Jackie explains to the audience that some people there have trouble controlling their bodies and may make noises. This helps put everyone at ease.
Two years ago Rabbi Jackie and I delivered a speech at my old synagogue on Rosh Hashanah. Last week an autistic friend had his Bar Mitzvah there. The community learned about autism and welcomed him and his family. I think change like this is possible when we can accept that being made in God’s image includes the disabled and that a synagogue community is enriched by fully including all people.
When God saw the need to liberate the Hebrews He chose Moses, a man with a speech problem. He saw inside Moses unique qualities beyond his speech. The partnership between Moses and Aaron became a powerful, early form of inclusion. I interpret this to mean that God wants to see what is in people, that leaders need not be perfect on the outside, and that partnerships between the disabled and those who are not can change the entire world.
Ido Kedar is the recent author of “Ido in Autismland: Climbing Out of Autism’s Silent Prison,” and he blogs at idoinautismland.blogspot.com. He is 16-years-old and lives in the valley with his parents, sister, three dogs and one cat. Ido suffered through years of remedial education before he learned to communicate. Now he carries a full load of classes in a general education high school and is a frequent presenter on autism.
Jewish Federation Los Angeles believes that everyone in our community should have the opportunity to experience and celebrate our shared values, history and traditions. Making Jewish life more accessible for all is one of our top priorities, which is why we are part of a national effort to raise awareness about members of the Jewish community with disabilities. Go to www.jewishla.org/Inclusion for more information.
