On Feb. 7, Nashuva will host its annual inclusion shabbat, celebrating Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM).
Rabbi Naomi Levy and the Nashuva Band will be joined by members of The Miracle Project (TMP), an inclusive theater, film, life skills program for autistic, neurodivergent, disabled and nondisabled people, to co-lead the service. These individuals will be offering prayers, along with their own songs and thoughts about belonging.
“At a time where the very essence of DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion and access) is being threatened, Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month is more important than ever,” Elaine Hall, founder of The Miracle Project, told The Journal. “We must come together to share the oneness of us all.”
“To be led in prayer by these remarkable souls never ceases to open our hearts and minds as we are made aware that we are created in G-d’s image, B’tzelem Bzellim Elohim,” Levy told The Journal. “What TMP has done, by creating openings through art, theater, music and movement, is to create channels for creative expression for not just brilliance and genius, but also a sincerity and beauty of faith.”
“To see the world through the eyes of these remarkable souls is to see the face of G-d and to experience a sacred heart opening, and also sometimes a heartbreak.” – Rabbi Naomi Levy
During this year’s inclusion Shabbat, ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter Elliott Aronson will be signing the prayers for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Volunteer greeters will usher those who are blind or have low vision or other disabilities to their seats. A row near the front will be set aside for wheelchair users and ear plugs will be available, for those who might find the music too loud.
“At Nashuva, we are not only included, we all belong,” Hall said. “This diverse congregation is interfaith, intergenerational, open to all; congregants with and without disabilities attend and are welcomed at Nashuva throughout the year.
She added, “At this particular Shabbat, the voices of those with visible and invisible disabilities are celebrated as we share our hearts, song, and inner prayer.”
“To see the world through the eyes of these remarkable souls is to see the face of G-d and to experience a sacred heart opening, and also sometimes a heartbreak,” Levy said. “Year after year, all of us at Nashuva realize that in the face of enormous talent, and gifts, and faith and intimacy with G-d, there is a clarity of what is important and what is not.
“What is lacking in many neurotypicals is forthcoming for those who experience the world differently: honesty, faith, compassion, and desire to belong to something greater than ourselves.”
Among this year’s TMP participants are Adin Boyer and Rhiannon Lewis. Boyer, a semifinalist on “American Idol,” will be singing an original song he composed, as well as a soulful rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
Lewis, a cantorial soloist and singer-songwriter, is overjoyed to be rejoining the service for the first time since 2020.
“Being with The Miracle Project has opened my heart in so many ways, giving me a sense of community I didn’t know I was missing,” Lewis told The Journal. “In these unprecedented times, community is what grounds us to our reality, and every opportunity I have with the Jewish community and with TMP feels like coming home.”
The need for togetherness is more important than ever, especially in the wake of the LA fires. Several of The Miracle Project families, along with many others in the disability community, have lost their homes, school and community.
“In a time where there is so much divisiveness, we join together in prayer for a world where we know we all belong,” Hall said. “Let this be a time of togetherness and support for those of us who experience the world atypically.”
JDAIM Shabbat starts at 6:30 PM at Brentwood Presbyterian Church, 12000 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049. Those with disabilities are encouraged to arrive at 6:15 PM to choose seats ahead of the others.
