Jewish Values and People With Disabilities: Appreciating the Variety of Life

Like many Reconstructionists, Wendy Elliott-Vandivier, an artist and disability activist, has long imagined what a more inclusive Jewish world could be — and has worked to bring it about, particularly in her own community, Or Hadash in Pennsylvania.

What does it mean if our communities are not equitable — if the people who make and come into contact with our movements and congregations find unequal access to the sources of connection and meaning they seek?

From his childhood congregation to Camp Havaya and rabbinical school, Rabbi Asher Sofman found his spiritual home in the Reconstructionist movement. Now the 2023 Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) graduate has joined the Reconstructing Judaism team to help even more people find the same kind of life-affirming, spiritually nourishing community.