[NFBJ] Inclusion of Jews Who Are Observant of Jewish Traditional Practices

[Stewart Prost]

Good afternoon, Ms. Bodek,
I think that there was a plan to have another meeting of this group.
However, the person in charge, Mr. David Stayer has been ill.  I will reach
out to him and see if such a meeting can be organized in the near future.
I probably will not get in touch with him no earlier than this Sunday.  I
suspect that such a meeting will not take place until after Pesach.  Thank
you vor your response.

Shabbat Shalom,
Stewart Prost

On Fri, Mar 12, 2021 at 4:08 PM Rachel Bodek via NFBJ <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> Hi, I think you bring up good points. It would be nice if we can have
> occasional calls from this group for people to get to know each other.
> Although I run a Jewish support group, and welcome anyone, it is more
> orthodox-based and therefore others might not be comfortable being part of
> it. But I would love to participate in calls to get to know more visually
> impaired Jewish people and discuss topics of interest. Thanks and good
> Shabbos
>
> This  message  was  sent  with  my  mobile  phone,  please  disregard
> any  typos  or  grammatical  errors.  Thanks,  Rachel
>
> On Mar 12, 2021, at 3:49 PM, Stewart Prost via NFBJ <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
> Greetings,
> In thinking about being as inclusive as possible, I want to have the NFB
> consider the practices of observant or traditional Jews.  A traditional or
> observant Jew is an individual who observes the practices of traditional
> judaism.  These practices will vary from individual to individual.  Here
> are general examples of traditional Jewish practises:
>
>   - Observance of Shabbat (the Sabbath).  Shabbat traditionally runs from
>   just.before sunset Friday evening to just after sunset Saturday evening.
>   This time is considered holy by observant Jews and is therefore
>   differentiated from the rest of the week.  During this time, some people
>   will not drive or use any motorized transportation, will not use
>   electronics, or attend to regular business activities.  Again these
>   practises will vary from individual to individual and from denomination
> to
>   denomination.  (There have been some changes in practises due to the
>   pandemic.)  these same practises are followed during major holidays which
>   include the following:
>      - Rosh Hashanah (The Jewish New Year)
>      - Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
>      - Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)-the first two and last two days of an
>      eight day holiday)
>      - Pesach (Passover-first two and last two days of an eight day
>      holiday)
>      - Shavuot (Feast of Weeks)
>   - Special dietary practices, referred to as Kashrut or keeping Kosher.
>   In general, this includes separation of milk and meat, not eating pork or
>   shellfish, and eating meat that is produced in a special way.  Some
> people
>   who keep kosher will eat out fish and vegetarian dishes out, others will
>   not.
>
>  What I have described above is very basic and does not include
> everything, nor can I go into detail of the thinking behind all of these
> practices.  I also want to make it clear that there are many Jews who do
> not follow all or even part of the practices I describe ablove.  Therefore,
> there are people who identify as Jews and do not follow all or part of the
> practices described above.
>
> At the last meeting of the NFB in Judaism, there were people stating that
> they were not able to attend NFB meeting because the meetings took place on
> Saturday.  Also, at the last meeting of the Diversity and Inclusion
> Committee on March 8, President Riccobono indicated that some people who
> identified as Mulslim were concerned with the dates of the 2022 NFB
> National Convention.  I have found myself having to make a choice between
> Jewish and Federation activities, both important in my life.  I wish to let
> people know that I do not personally follow all of the practices I have
> described above.
>
> Here are some suggestions that  I have that could make NFB activities more
> inclusive to observant Jews:
>
>
>   - Particularly, in an area of the country with a relatively high Jewish
>   population, consider not holding chapter or affiliate activities on
>   Saturday, choosing instead either Sunday afternoon or during the week.
> At
>   the very least, when possible, avoid having activities on Saturday
> morning,
>   as this is when services are held.  (This would be the same as holding
>   activities on Sunday morning when many people attend church services.)
>   Consideration should be given to not holding NFB activities on major
>   Jewish holidays.
>   -  If meals are a part of any activity, offer either to arrange for
>   kosher food or at least a fish, vegetarian or vegan option.  For those
>   people who choose not to eat out in non-kosher settings, allow them to
>   arrange or bring in there own food to enjoy with others.
>   - If invocations are a part of a lNFB activity, such as a state
>   convention, Jewish members may be invited to lead some of the invocations
>   as other religious groups are invited.
>   - The NFB should stand ready to advocate for our Jewish members to be
>   full participants in the activities of the Jewish community.
>
> I realize that Jews are a minority in our country and In the NFB.
> Therefore, I propose my suggestions for inclusion, realizing that it would
> not be fair or possible to insist on these practices.  For example, I am
> president of the Tidewater Chapter in Southeastern Virginia.  Because of
> transportation issues it is not reasonable to hold chapter meetings any
> other day but Saturday.  We do have the meetings in the afternoon.  These
> are my ideas for increased inclusion and outreach to people who are
> Jewish.  This represents my ideas aone.  I welcome comments and thoughts of
> others.  I feel strongly that the NFB has alot to offer to blind people.  I
> look forward  to any feedback anyone has.  My contact information is
> below.
>
> Warm Regards,
> Stewart Prost
> Email: sprost82 at gmail.com
> Phone: 757-572-6891
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