2007 - United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

minyan for autistic teens, hired developmentally disabled adults to help with program and reached out to local adults,
creating new categories of membership and including developmentally disabled adults in our committees and social
groups. As we write this we have just received a grant from Legacy Heritage Innovation Project to further our work.
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THE JEWISH CENTER OF PRINCETON
500-900 Princeton, NJ
Submitted by Martha Friedman and 609-921-0100
Roberta Devery
In 2006, a team of dedicated professionals determined to expand the Religious educational experience of our students
with learning differences, created the Yachdav (inclusive) program serving students from Gan through post Bar
Mitzvah.
The Yachdav program offers many levels of service intervention and support to address the varying needs of
our Religious School students, their families, and staff including special training programs for both the Religious
School teaching staff and Yachdav program support staff to learn to identify and support students with varying learning
styles, a Parent support group run by a licensed social worker, and a referral system for teachers and parents to request
a consultation with the Yachdav coordinator.
The Yachdav program offers 3 levels of educational placement for our religious school students: 1) unique
classroom environment with a 1:3 teacher to student ratio for students who need support in both Hebrew language and
Judaica subjects and work best in small groups, 2) Hebrew language lab with a 1:3 teacher to student ratio and
mainstream Judaic studies, and 3) mainstream classroom placement for both Hebrew and Judaic studies with program
modifications made by the Yachdav program staff. The Yachdav program is directed by a pediatric occupational
therapist with 12 years of Hebrew teaching experience, in addition to public school based experience with special needs
children.
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B’NAI ISRAEL CONGREGATION
Over 900
Rockville, MD
Submitted by Suzanne K. Levy 301-881-6550
As a community, B’nai Israel Congregation is committed to the value that all people are created b‘tzelem elohim, in the
Image of God, and that all people are to be valued.
B’nai Israel Congregation prides itself in its long-standing practices of including everyone in its programs,
education and religious services by meeting individual physical and/or educatiohal needs. In the early 1980’s, we were
the first synagogue evaluated for accessibility by a Jewish community organization (Jewish Social Service Agency—
JSSA) and had one of the highest ratings for a Jewish institution within the Metropolitan Washington area.
Since 2005, our Special Needs committee has met at least.4 times a year to insure that our commitment to
inclusiveness is implemented at all levels. The mission of this committee is “to welcome and provide for the access and
inclusion of all populations within our synagogue community who have physical, developmental, mental and/or
emotional needs. The committee will be proactive in creating awareness within the synagogue and the Jewish
communities of the availability of resources and programs.”
B’nai Israel’s commitment to inclusion is evident in all areas of synagogue life, from worship to education to
various social action projects. Its effects reach people of all ages, from children in our Nursery School, Talmud Torah or
High School to elderly adults in the congregation. Our programmatic goal is to make B’nai Israel a most inclusive and
welcoming community.
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CONGREGATION BETH DAVID
500-901 Saratoga, CA
Submitted by Andrea Ammerman 408-257-3333