Disability Awareness & Advocacy

Too many groups and individuals have historically been marginalized in Jewish spaces, including people with disabilities. We know that 1 in 4 people have a disability and while our Jewish community has made great strides in disability awareness, acceptance and inclusion, there is much work to do around access, reducing stigma and full belonging. We hold that communities must do more than welcome; they must be open to true transformation.

Latest Rituals

A Ritual for Releasing Hametz Without Cleaning or Burning for Disabled or Chronically Ill People

This releasing hametz ritual is for disabled Jews, chronically ill Jews, Unhoused Jews and anyone whose body or circumstances make traditional Pesakh preparation.inaccessible.

accessibility, bedikat hametz, disability, Hamatz, passover

Close-up of a burning candle, with melted wax dripping, against a dark background.

Home-based Mikveh Ritual for Immersion, Renewal, and Transition

This ritual creates an accessible mikveh experience for home-bound people.

accessibility, disability, God, holiness, home-based, immersion, mikveh, sacred

Minimalist bathroom with a white freestanding bathtub, wooden caddy, towels, and large frosted windows.

Dear Moses

“Then how Aaron cradles the blossom for you…”

Aaron, love, Moses, speech

Close-up of a white strawberry blossom with a yellow center next to a green bud, set against a blurred background.

A Sensory Mikvah

A reinterpretation of the mikvah ritual to perform when full immersion is not possible.

accessibility, mikveh, renewal, transition

white hands cupping water over a body of water

A Kavannah and Blessing for Remaining Seated During the Amidah

“whether we sit, rise, bow, or sway, the Divine perceives the murmurs of our hearts”

Amidah, disability, God, prayer

Circular stained glass window with a blue Star of David, set in a brick wall.

Beyond V’Ahavta

Joanie Calem shares music about disability inclusion.

disability, inclusion

an image of people with disabilities and non-disabled people enjoying a park

A Blessing for Disabled and Chronically Ill Jews during Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM)

Rabbi Emily Aronson created this powerful new blessing based on Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Benediction.

disability, JDAIM, priestly blessing

image of people including someone using a wheelchair on a rainbow

Created in Your Image: A Blessing for Inclusion

This blessing honors the soul present inside every human.

aging, disability, inclusion, JDAIM, soul

People gather around a boy holding a Torah scroll, engaged in a joyful interaction.

Kaddish for People with Disabilities: A Prayer of Remembrance

“Blessed is God, Ruler of the Universe, who created people with disabilities in Your image. / Blessed is God, who cherishes disabled lives and desires that they flourish and thrive.”