Enlarging our Ohel, Expanding our Tent: A Two-Part Program on Accessibility and Inclusion
May 27 & June 3, 2021, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Register here today!
$18 for HBT members, $36 for non-members
Part One:
Finding Home: Accessibility in the Jewish View of the World
“Am I welcomed here?”
“Is there a place for me?”
“Is this community my spiritual home?”
Such questions are asked by those affected by physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual challenges. For millennia, our Jewish tradition has endeavoured to respond to the needs of those seeking accessibility, spiritual embrace, and the religious community they will call home.
In our program, we will explore classical and contemporary Jewish texts. We will examine where the different movements in Judaism position themselves on the theme of accessibility. We will view an array of visual / screen-sharing material. And we will ask questions while striving to acquire answers. The thought, feeling and experience of all participants is welcomed.
Part Two
Surpassing the Stumbling Blocks: Accessibility in the Virtual Jewish Universe
The arrival of the pandemic has demanded a near-total transformation of the way we learn, teach, worship and socialize. COVID-19 has compelled communities everywhere to re-imagine the ways through which Judaism can be celebrated.
Our program will examine the tools required on the part of those who organize, host and participate in virtual Jewish programming; that is, ensuring how programmatic experiences are to unfold in as accessible, inclusive and rewarding a manner as possible. Questions and conversations involving participants shall be welcomed.
Brief Biography:
Rabbi Bill S. Tepper was ordained in 2008 at the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. For eight years Rabbi Tepper served Mizpah Congregation of Chattanooga, Tennessee, followed by three years – on a commute basis – as spiritual leader of Temple Shalom of Winnipeg. Presently, Rabbi Tepper serves – on a part-time schedule – Congregation Iyr HaMelech in Kingston, as well as teaching and officiating lifecycle moments throughout the Greater Toronto Area. A native of Toronto – but who also calls several other cities his home – Rabbi Tepper lives in this city with his wife Deborah and son Max.
