By David Brown who received and ROI Micro Grant to attend the WCJCS Conference in Israel and visit the Israeli Parliament to learn more about the Knesset’s award winning integration of those with disabilities into its work force.

Ken, Kenes, Knesset
 

So it doesn’t have the same rhythm as Na Nach Nachman Meuman but perhaps these three Hebrew words also have something redemptive to inspire us with when it comes to who we say Yes to Entering our Gathering – communal, social and national. 
 

Thanks to an ROI Micro Grant, after organising and then attending the second Siach global conference, I was able to extend my stay in Israel and attend the World Council of Jewish Communal Service’s 12th Quadrennial on Jewish Peoplehood: Energizing the Present, Envisioning the Future. 
 

I have written some longer reflections on what my two weeks in Israel provoked me to consider about who we seek to include within our Jewish communities and Jewish state. For now, I’ll share one highlight that also offers an inspirational example of opening up our communities to include a more diverse range of people.  
 

Removing barriers to employment for people with disabilities at the Knesset
 

On day two of the conference I visited the Knesset to learn more about the Knesset’s award winning integration of those with disabilities into its work force. 
 

 

One of the highlights of this visit was meeting Nadav, a young man with disabilities, who is an usher at the Knesset. Nadav shared with great humour his experiences and describes the people he works with as like Achim (brothers). Nadav performs a vital role ensuring the smooth running of proceedings in the plenum and assisting MKs, their visitors, other officials and guests around the Knesset. Others commented they find the Knesset site quite bamboozling despite being there regularly, so this was no simple responsibility. We also met MK Ilan Gil’on, himself a person with a disability, who heads the Subcommittee on Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities. Citing the Talmudic prohibition on placing a stone before a blind man, this Meretz MK highlighted one of the ways Jewish values can define the Jewish character of the state that so many others think can only be characterised by demographics. 
 

Later on Dr. Shirley Avrami shared some findings regarding the impact of including people with disabilities within the Knesset staff team. One member of the staff team who did not have disabilities described how this scheme had changed their attitudes inside and outside of work. “This was the first time I really encountered people with disabilities and now I understand disability completely differently. We have some members at my shul with Down’s syndrome and now I see them completely differently, more as a part of my community I can connect with and less as the ‘other’. I was struck by the simple yet powerful way this demonstrated how bringing people into contact with perceived ‘others’ really changes attitudes. 
 

In my longer blog you will find some more troubling examples of Jewish communities and the Jewish state placing metaphorical stones in front of marginalized groups. Perhaps though, the way forward is to foster encounters, develop relationships and harness our networks so we can celebrate diversity and seek to be more inclusive. As MK Ilan Gil’on said in reference to changing how we think about inclusion, access and equality of opportunity, “Imagine if everyone was to look at how we can make everything more comfortable for everyone else”