Service for Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance & Inclusion Month

Together with the Jewish communities of Union County, Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) will host a special Havdalah service marking the end of Shabbat and recognizing Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAIM). The service will take place in person on Saturday, February 25, at 6:30 p.m. in the Scotch Plains synagogue. The service is free and open to the community, but registration is encouraged at www.cbinj.org/event/jdaimhavdalah. A livestream is also available at www.cbinj.org/livestream.

JDAIM, which takes place over the month of February, is a unified initiative to raise disability awareness and to foster inclusion in Jewish communities worldwide.

The Havdalah service will feature guest speaker Meg Zucker, founder of “Don’t Hide It, Flaunt It,” a non-profit organization that encourages everyone to celebrate a world of difference and inspires people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to be proud of what makes them unique. “Don’t Hide It, Flaunt It” partners with Scholastic Inc. to create programming in schools and also offers Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) programs to Fortune 500 companies, the Girl Scouts, camps and underserved communities. Meg Zucker has been featured in national magazines and newspapers and on network television.

The Union County JDAIM Havdalah service will be co-led by clergy representing all the participating synagogues, including: Congregation Beth Israel, Scotch Plains; Temple Sholom, Scotch Plains; Temple Emanu-El, Westfield; Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael, Springfield; Temple Beth O'r Beth Torah, Clark; Temple Sha'arey Shalom, Millburn; and Temple Beth-El Mekor Chayim, Cranford.

Congregation Beth Israel has been recognized as an ABLE Awarded Congregation by the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest for its commitment to inclusion and accommodation for all its members and guests. While CBI strives to be a welcoming community year-round, it devotes the month of February to strengthening its awareness of disabilities and focusing on ways to become even more inclusive.

As part of its JDAIM programming, CBI will designate one of its Friday night services as JDAIM Shabbat. On Friday, February 10 at 7:30 p.m., CBI will hold a Shabbat-in-the-Round service that highlights the importance of everyone coming together and feeling at home on Shabbat. The service is free and open to the community, followed by an Oneg Shabbat dessert reception co-sponsored by CBI’s Inclusion Committee.

In addition, Congregation Beth Israel’s Religious School is celebrating JDAIM throughout the month of February by teaching grade-appropriate lessons about disabilities to its students in kindergarten through seventh grade.

“CBI and our Religious School are always working toward being a welcoming community, where all feel they have the ability to learn and participate,” said Aviva Tilles, Director of Congregational Learning at Congregation Beth Israel. “But in February, JDAIM gives us the opportunity to specifically learn about the importance of inclusiveness in our school, community, and the world. The Jewish tradition of inclusiveness dates back thousands of years.”

Congregation Beth Israel is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue, serving the religious, educational, cultural and social needs of congregants from Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Westfield and surrounding towns.

Congregation Beth Israel is located at 18 Shalom Way, Scotch Plains, NJ (corner of Martine Avenue). For more information about the synagogue or its Religious School, as well as to learn about the resources and accommodations that can be provided for you and/or your child, call 908-889-1830.