Community
Makor Hayim puts inclusion front and centre on Disability Pride Shabbat
The initiative aligns with the congregation’s broader efforts to promote accessibility and rights for people with disabilities
March 14, 2025 09:06
The initiative aligns with the congregation’s broader efforts to promote accessibility and rights for people with disabilities
March 14, 2025 09:06Makor Hayim Synagogue in north-west London marked what it described as “a major step toward inclusivity and disability justice” by hosting a groundbreaking Disability Pride Shabbat service.
The initiative came from three disabled members of the Progressive West Hampstead community, who led the service, and attracted a diverse crowd from across the community.
One of the organisers, student Rabbi Yael Tischler, explained why she felt the service was needed. “In celebrating Disability Pride Shabbat, we were not only speaking about disability justice, but enacting it. We integrated the liturgy and teachings of Jewish disability activists and made space for disabled builders [synagogue members] to share experiences and be honoured with a group aliyah.
“The service was a powerful manifestation of our community's commitment to justice for all humankind, as well as a celebration of our diversity.”
Simone Apsis, who co-led the service, added: “The Disability Pride Shabbat was amazing. For the first time, it was a Shabbat with disability justice at the centre of our service.
"A call for action is what is needed, especially at a time when Jewish disabled people are often excluded because of ableism and disableism within our liturgy and practice.”
Simone added that she hoped the Shabbat would spur the Jewish community “to put disability justice at the core of everything we do in Jewish life, that goes beyond our services. Social change, wherever that is, must be led by the oppressed, in our case, Jewish disabled people.”
The pioneering service provided a platform for disabled members to share their experiences and be honoured for their contributions.
The initiative aligns with Makor Hayim's broader efforts to promote accessibility and disability justice.