Menu
Menu
Menu
When you purchase this new collection, you will also receive a recording of our ‘Writing Disability Torah’ event.
In the event, we explore the wisdom found in Disability Torah and how we can connect our personal experiences to these texts. In the recording, you’ll be guided in a text study followed by a creative writing exercise to help you begin crafting your own piece of Disability Torah.
This conversation was led by Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer from Ritualwell and Rabbi Ash Sofman from Thriving Communities at Reconstructing Judaism with RRC rabbinical students Mat Wilson and Rakhel Silverman-Gitin. Mat and Rakhel have both received Auerbach Ignition grants to support their initiatives in this area.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer is Ritualwell’s Director of Virtual Content and Programs. She writes frequently about disability, spirituality and creativity and edits the Jewish Disability Inclusion News. Previously she directed Whole Community Inclusion, working to make the Philadelphia Jewish community more accessible. Her book The Little Gate-Crasher was selected as a Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance & Inclusion Month book selection.
Rakhel Silverman-Gitin is a student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College whose Auerbach Ignition grantt aims to educate and engage the community of Or Haneshamah, Ottawa’s Reconstructionist Congregation, on disability justice, and place it in conversation with the tradition of Shabbat. Instead of being focused on how to address the “issue” of disability within Judaism (i.e. what Jewish text thinks of disability), this project is focused on what Jews can learn from the wisdom of the disability community regarding rest and joy, and how to apply these teachings to deepen personal and communal Shabbat practices.
Rabbi Asher Sofman is Reconstructing Judaism’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Program Coordinator who has curated Disability and Accessibility resources for the movement. Ash studied creative writing and world literature at Brown University, earning a B.A. with honors in Literary Arts and is a 2023 graduate of RRC. He has served as an associate chaplain at continuing-care retirement communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
Now more than ever, we need the guidance of our ancestors, and creative expression provides a wonderful path for connection.
Express your love and gratitude for those who have profoundly shaped your journey and summon their wisdom into your own life.
Subscribe for the latest rituals, online learning opportunities, and unique Judaica finds from our store.
