Inclusion Requires Authenticity


I think about authenticity a lot.

Inclusion requires authenticity; Removing the Stumbling Block

I’m fairly certain one significant reason is that I work with pre-teens and teens - and they will not hesitate to call you out for a lack of authenticity. I actually believe that this is why I have had such great successes in building relationships with teens – because I have proven my willingness to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

This holds true to inclusion. Authenticity is a key element to ensuring that a community’s inclusive efforts aren’t just words on a page, but rather an integral part of who they are and all they do.

When asked how it came to be that I would staff a URJ Kesher Birthright trip to Israel this Winter cycle, I readily share the two reasons:

What Families With Disabilities Wish Their Rabbis Knew


What Special-Needs Families Wish Their Rabbis Knew; Removing the Stumbling Block

Ever read an article that just sticks with you? One that you are thinking about days and maybe even weeks after you read it?

That’s what the article What Special-Needs Families Wish Their Pastors Knew has been for me. It immediately and deeply resonated. Of course, I swapped “rabbi” for “pastor”, but yeah, it might as well have been written for synagogues.

Not all synagogues. Just as you can’t drape this piece like a blanket across all churches, neither can I make the broad statement that it would apply to all synagogues.

But it certainly applies to many.

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