Let’s Build A More Inclusive Community

At the recent JFNA GA, Jay Ruderman sat down with JNS Editor in Chief Jacob Kamaras to discuss inclusion, philanthropy, the Israel-U.S. Jewry relationship and more. Below is part one of that interview.

The Ruderman Family Foundation is known for its work to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities, but at the 2014 General Assembly (GA) of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), the foundation’s president used the concept of inclusion to issue a broader challenge to the Jewish community.

“I think that we look at people and we label them very quickly,” Jay Ruderman told me Nov. 11 on the stage of the GA’s “press pit,” a section of the exhibition hall where conference attendees got the chance to listen to journalists interview various Jewish leaders. “[We’ll say] ‘You’re in a wheelchair,’ or ‘you’re a different color,’ or ‘you have a different orientation.’ And that’s not what we should be about. We should be about saying, ‘Okay. You’re Jewish. You identify Jewishly, and we’re all in this together, and let’s figure out how to build a big tent.’”

In addition to disability issues, the Ruderman Family Foundation—which has offices in Boston and Israel—prioritizes fostering a more nuanced understanding of the American Jewish community among Israelis and modeling the practice of strategic philanthropy worldwide. The following is a condensed version of my interview with Jay Ruderman at the GA.

What would you fix about the Jewish community?

“Most Jewish philanthropy is given Jewishly. Jewish organizations are mainly focused on ensuring continuity. So if you’re looking at Jewish day schools, or Jewish camping, or trips to Israel, it’s all about the same thing: How do we engage younger Jews to be connected to our Jewish community? Which makes sense, and that’s a laudable goal. But what we’re not doing a good job at is including people on the fringes of our society—people with disabilities, the gay and lesbian community, intermarried families, Jews living in poverty. There are all sorts of groups that are excluded from our community. First of all, I don’t think that that’s a great value system for the Jewish community. But furthermore, young Americans already live in a more inclusive society, and if you build a Jewish community that looks like a country club that excludes a bunch of people, I think you’re going to turn off the very people that you’re trying to attract. So [our foundation is] out there talking to fellow philanthropists, talking to Jewish organizations, [saying] ‘Let’s build a more inclusive community that represents Jewish values of fairness, and in the process going to build a community that’s more attractive to younger generations.”

During the controversy surrounding the recent report about a senior Obama administration official called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “chickenshit,” your foundation instead focused on another insult of Netanyahu mentioned in the same report—“Aspergery,” derived from Asperger syndrome. What does this usage of a disability insult teach us about the power of language?

“First of all, our point when this whole story came out is based on the premise that it’s true, that someone said it. I believe someone said it, I don’t believe Jeffrey Goldberg would have written it if someone hadn’t said it. I don’t know who said it. In any case, the point is that people can’t use terms of disability in a derogatory manner. And we do it all the time. When I read the [Atlantic magazine] article, it jumped out at me. Like what is this? Aspergery? How could you use a disability that millions of people live with and try to put someone down that way? But we do it all the time when we talk to people. [We say] ‘What are you blind?’ ‘Are you deaf?’ And you hear this all the time. It’s not correct. There’s been a huge campaign that’s been going on for years not to use the word ‘retarded.’ And that’s been a successful campaign. And especially younger people in our society, they know that these terms are not okay, it’s not cool to talk that way. So that was our point [in responding to the ‘Aspergery’ insult]. Obviously the disability community picked up on it, and I have to give credit to the Jewish community, they also picked up on it.”

The interview was originally posted by JNS.

But Words CAN Hurt Me!

Read our last post: An Inclusive Shabbat Experience

by: Jo Ann Simons

The Associated Press just released new guidance to reporters on how to write about mental illness and other conditions, including autism.  The much used Associated Press Stylebook tries to stay current but apparently has not kept up with their own news. For example, autism is not a mental illness and “people first” language is actually the law in much of the land.

While one of my favorite posters of all time read “Label Jars. Not People”, we still are trying to stick people, especially those with disabilities, with meaningless labels.

I understand why labeling a person in the rarest of occasions might be important and relevant. For example, when an Amber Alert is issued in the United States for a kidnapped child, it is essential that specific identifying characteristics be shared. It would be essential to know if the child was black, had an unsteady walk or had Down syndrome. This information would help identify the child and ensure a happy ending.

However, most of the time, they are irrelevant and only serve to prevent the full inclusion of people in our society. They also help perpetuate stereotypes.

For example, the only reason to identify the race or ethnicity of someone accused of welfare fraud, is to create bias.  We all know that fraud is committed across all race and socio-economic lines.

This kind of prejudicial thinking is one of the major reasons people with disabilities are still relegated to the margins of society. Since people with disabilities are the poorest group of people in the world and the recipients of much public assistance, they are at the greatest risk to the negative effects of labels associated with disability and poverty.

This hit close to home for me last month in St. Louis. I am often asked to speak to audiences on the transition from school to adult life for students with disabilities. As part of the discussion on economics and funding streams, I explain the importance and value of the Section 8 program, a housing subsidy program for the poor in the United States (my son uses a Section 8 Housing voucher). It can be argued that it is among the most important benefits for a person with a disability for it ensures safe, flexible and quality housing.

Stereotypes and Reality

This almost always comes as a surprise to my audiences since they often associate this housing program with the negative stereotypes that the press has perpetuated- that largely minority households take advantage of this program and that slum landlords manage undesirable housing.  I spend much time dispelling these myths and my usually white audiences have to be convinced.

I was unprepared and grateful for the small group of black families who came up to me after my presentation to thank me for my comments about the Section 8 program.  They told me that they often feel that others “put their noses” around this subject and that I had done much to “get it right”.

It brought me back to an earlier time when teachers and others always began a description of my son by saying he had Down syndrome. It told you nothing about how he learned, his strengths or the areas where improvement was needed. It only told you how he looked. It was early in my journey so I didn’t question it until I received his progress report from his first grade teacher at Temple Emanuel (Marblehead, MA). She said, ”Jonathan has made much progress since last year. He knows the three meanings of Shalom and he can recite the Shema (morning prayer). He loves music class with Mr. Sokolov. He is a joy to have in class.”

So while the Associated Press gives reporters new guidance on labels for people with disabilities, I can continue to hope for a day when they are not required.

Jo Ann Simons is a Disability Advisor to the Ruderman Family Foundation and President and CEO of the Cardinal Cushing Centers