JDAIM Essay Collections

Looking for an essay to frame your learning and inspire your community? There are a number of options on The Jewish Week's 10 Short, But Important Reads for Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month and JewishBoston.com's JDAIM landing page. 

Two excellent pieces from these collections are an essay by Matan Koch and a "How to Raise a Compassionate Kid."

The piece "How to Raise a Compassionate Kid" includes a nice list for teaching learners about how to be open and welcoming to all sorts of people in their learning spaces.

In this 2020 essay, "Most People Can’t Name a Jewish Leader with a Disability. Here’s How We Can Change That," Matan Koch addresses ways to see leaders that represent the broader swath of the Jewish community. In particular, this line is a call to action: "to sharply expand people’s notion of which Jews can lead, not just Jews in wheelchairs, or Jews with sensory disabilities, but Jews with intellectual and psychiatric disabilities. Jews of all kinds."

Looking for an event to direct your learners to? You can also find a list of these on JewishBoston.com's JDAIM webpage.