[NFBJ] Recent Difficulties at NJ NFB Convention

Mon Nov 13 00:26:32 UTC 2023

Kit,

I too am sorry to hear about your experience.  It is not a great consolation, but consider the following idea:

What can be done so that the difficulties you experienced this year do not happen again in 2024?  We have a long way to go in educating the hospitality industry about the intersection of Jewish and disability issues.  

Sometimes a hospitality establishment has a rabbi with whom it consults or sometimes a rabbi in a nearby congregation will take it upon him/herself to intervene if a hotel will  have Jewish guests during weekday and Shabbat events.  

If Yad Hachazakah can be of assistance, please contact me.

Rabbi Michael Levy
President
Yad Hachazakah, the Jewish Disability Empowerment Center

www.yadempowers.org

Sharon Shapiro Lacks, Executive Vice President

516-295-8999  

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBJ <nfbj-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Stewart Prost via NFBJ
Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2023 6:48 PM
To: NFB in Judaism <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Stewart Prost <sprost82 at gmail.com>; Kit Aronoff <kit.aronoff at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NFBJ] NJ Chapter Meetings and Shabbat

Kit,
I am glad to hear that you attended the NFBNJ State Convention  and participate in the affiliate's Deaf-Blind Division.  I am saddened to hear of your experience regarding the banquet at the convention.  I find what you have described as an experience that is unacceptable.  In an article I wrote that appeared in the June, 2022 issue of the *Braille Monitor, *I wrote the following regarding provision of meals to individuals who are observant Jews, "*If meals are a part of any activity, offer either to arrange for kosher food or at least a fish, vegetarian, or vegan option. If there are people who choose not to eat out in non-kosher settings, allow them to arrange or bring in their own food to enjoy with everyone else."  *I plan to reach out to the President of the NFBNJ to discuss this matter.  My idea is not to criticize but to problem solve so that there are no problems in the future.  I hope that you will attend the NFBNJ State Convention and other activities in the future.

*A general note to everyone on this list.  I see one of the purposes of this group is to support each other in both practicing our religion and participating in NFB activities.  If there are others who experiencing * issues as Ms. Arnoff has described, I want to hear about it.  You can either contact me either publicly through this list, or privately, as my contact information appears at the bottom of this list. Together, we can work to help make the NFB a more welcoming orgaanization for all Jews, as well as spreading the hope and positive message that the NFB has about blindness.

Warm Regards,
Stewart Prost, Chair, NFB in Judaism
Phone:  757-572-6891
Fax: 757-210-7504
Email: sprost82 at gmail.com

On Sun, Nov 12, 2023 at 3:17 PM Kit Aronoff via NFBJ <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> I appreciate everyone’s thoughtful input and ideas. It’s nice knowing 
> others have felt this too. Unfortunately the closest chapter is still 
> a few towns over, so it’s not within the eruv. Someone had asked about 
> what I was hoping to get out of NFB. I’d say it’s a mixture of wanting 
> to be more engaged politically on issues related to Blind and 
> Deafblind people in my state and also around the country. It’s also 
> about networking and meeting likeminded folks I think. I’m very 
> interested in agendas related to increasing braille access.
>
> I did have a chance to go to the State Convention over the weekend. It 
> was a great time! My husband joined me for shabbat and we brought all 
> of our food with us and had a nice shabbat meal in the hotel. We just 
> used the stairs to get around instead of the elevator. We go to 
> Science fiction and fantasy literary conventions sometimes, and have a 
> good system for staying in hotels over shabbat. The biggest downside 
> of the convention was… Boy howdy was there a whole kerfuffle around my 
> request for a kosher meal at the banquet. I had emailed about 2 months 
> in advanced to the organizing folks, and asked about kosher options at 
> the hotel. For context,t the hotel was RIGHT next door to a sizable 
> jewish community. So there were like 5 restaurants within a 2-mile 
> radius, and I know people have had bar mitzvahs at this hotel.
>
> The organizers got back to me and said that the hotel stated they 
> couldn’t provide kosher meals. I said fine, but we’d still like to 
> attend. I said we can still purchase tickets if necessary we just 
> wouldn’t be eating. So they said we didn’t need tickets. WELL. When we 
> got there, it turns out we DID need tickets, it’s just no one told us. 
> The hotel refused to seat us at the table without having purchased 
> tickets. We offered to buy tickets, but the organizer said we’d have 
> to pay the $75 rate instead of the $50 rate, which it would have been in advance. I was like, “We’re… We’re not doing that…”
>
> So we didn’t go to the banquet. It was… a weird experience. I guess no 
> one has ever asked for a kosher meal? Which I find odd, because NJ has 
> a pretty big Jewish community. But I guess since all of the meetings 
> are on shabbat, it’s not really giving off “friendly for jewish people” vibes.
>
> The DeafBlind division did move their meeting to be after shabbat, so 
> that is nice! I’m DeafBlind (the convention also struggled to provide 
> DeafBlind accommodations). But it’s nice to be able to connect on some 
> level. I think I might look into joining committees in the state, and 
> see if people would be willing to shuffle the committee meetings 
> around if I were to join, since they’re typically fewer people and 
> online. I imagine this is going to take a lot of advocating on my 
> part, to get some understanding. I did join my local chapter, so I’ll 
> start trying to advocate for them to have some of their special events on other days. We’ll see how this goes!
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Kit Aronoff
>
> > On Nov 10, 2023, at 7:00 AM, nfbj-request at nfbnet.org wrote:
> >
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> >
> >   1. Re: NJ Chapter Meetings and Shabbat (Stewart Prost)
> >
> > From: Stewart Prost <sprost82 at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [NFBJ] NJ Chapter Meetings and Shabbat
> > Date: November 9, 2023 at 3:47:46 PM EST
> > To: NFB in Judaism <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
> > Cc: Andre Zelvin <l.andre.zelvin at gmail.com>, Linda Melendez <
> president at nfbnj.org>
> >
> >
> > Kristen,
> > Let me first apologize for not responding sooner.  The day you sent 
> > your email, I was working as an election officer in Norfolk, VA and 
> > could not use my phone until late that evening.  I also wanted to do 
> > some research before responding to your email.  Just so you know, I 
> > am the chair of the NFB in Judaism group.  I am very concerned about 
> > what you have indicated
> in
> > your email.  I would think that there are a large number of 
> > individuals
> who
> > are blind, Jewish, and observant in New Jersey and in  the 
> > Philadelphia area.  Here are some thoughts and suggestions:
> >
> >   - If by any chance, one of the local chapter meetings are within
> walking
> >   distance of your home and that chapter meets in the afternoon, consider
> >   walking there and attending the meeting.  In a way, the attendance 
> > of
> such
> >   an event is not really in the tradition of Shabbat, but walking 
> > there
> may
> >   not be in violation of Shabbat observance.  For example, I am the
> president
> >   of the Tidewater Chapter in Norfolk, VA.  The chapter meets the third
> >   Saturday of most months.  I would really like to hold it at a different
> >   time, but the members would not be able to attend due to a lack of
> >   transportation on Sundays and weekday evenings.  Our meeting is
> scheduled
> >   in such a way that I am able to go to services and then go to the
> meeting.
> >   - The National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey's state convention
> >   is starting today.  Some sessions are being put out on Zoom, while
> others
> >   others will be recorded.  I would encourage you to check out the
> schedule
> >   of events at their website, www.nfbnj.org .  I understand that the NFB
> >   of New Jersey is also replacing the at large chapter with a series of
> >   webinars.
> >   - This group has meetings via Zoom at least a couple of times 
> > during
> the
> >   year, with an in-person meeting at our national convention, which 
> > is
> also
> >   put out on Zoom.  This would be an opportunity for you to meet and
> interact
> >   with others who are blind and Jewish.
> >   - I can offer you the option of meeting with and joining the 
> > Virginia
> at
> >   large chapter, which meet the third Tuesday of each month from 8-9
> PM.  If
> >   you wish, I can let the person who is in charge of the chapter 
> > know
> that
> >   you are coming.  Here is the Zoom information for this meeting:
> >
> >   *https://zoom.us/j/8297256345?pwd=SFAyamlQNU44ZTJ6dUZNMTV4RmhCQT09
> >   
> > <https://zoom.us/j/8297256345?pwd=SFAyamlQNU44ZTJ6dUZNMTV4RmhCQT09>*
> >
> >   * One tap mobile*
> >
> >   *tell: +13017158592,,8297256345#*
> >
> >   * Telephone Dial: 1 (301) 715-8592*
> >
> >   *Meeting ID: 829 725 6345#*
> >
> >
> > I have also copied the President of the NFB of New Jersey, Linda Mendez.
> > My hope is that once the NFBNJ state convention is completed, that
> someone
> > will reach out to you.
> >
> > GENERAL QUESTION:  Are their others who find themselves in the same 
> > situation as Kristen?  Let me know either by responding to this 
> > email or privately so that we may consider setting up more frequent 
> > meetings to
> talk
> > about what is going on within the NFB.
> >
> > Finally, if you wish, I encourage you to speak with me privately. My 
> > contact information is below.  I hope you find this helpful.
> >
> > Shalom,
> > Stewart Prost, Chair, NFB in Judaism
> > Phone: 757-572-6891
> > Email: sprost82 at gmail.com
> >
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Nov 8, 2023 at 12:20 PM Andre Zelvin via NFBJ 
> > <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Hi,
> >> It's unfortunate that NFB like most of this country is kind of 
> >> Christian oriented.  They generally don't have Sunday meetings 
> >> because that's Christian sabbath, even though it's rarely put that 
> >> wey. It's a shame
> for
> >> the NYC area where the population is more diverse and where there 
> >> is
> public
> >> transit if a group wanted to have evening meetings. I just looked 
> >> to see when ACB in NYC meets, which I know has many Jewish members, 
> >> but
> apparently
> >> not halachicly observant as   it's also Saturdays. I don't particularly
> >> like going to such meetings. For some reason Blind people generally 
> >> have very long meetings without breaks or minimal breaks and not 
> >> even coffee
> or
> >> other drinks where it doesn't seem like much is accomplished. I 
> >> think
> most
> >> of the work of the organizations goes on outside of the large 
> >> meetings
> and
> >> while some do use those meetings to get together with friends or go 
> >> out with them afterwards, I don't think they are very conducive for 
> >> meeting people if you don't already know anyone there.
> >> I'm wondering what it is you hope to get out of these chapter 
> >> meetings
> and
> >> if maybe it's something you could get in different ways.
> >> If it's political involvement, I'd check in with the contacts given 
> >> for both NFB and ACB and ask what issues they are working on 
> >> locally and if something interests you, ask who's running that 
> >> particular campaign and
> if
> >> you can get in touch. Of, as someone suggested, look for groups in 
> >> other states that have virtual meetings. National issues will be 
> >> the same anywhere. You might also look at the lists of special 
> >> interest
> affiliates
> >> for both NFB and ACB, or interest groups that aren't affiliates. 
> >> Most probably meet virtually and possibly through email lists or 
> >> facebook groups. These will be groups for people of similar 
> >> occupations, like teachers or writers, or or by other interests, 
> >> such as the guide dog
> users
> >> groups. Both organizations have long lists and you needn't feel
> compelled
> >> to stick with one organization. For example, I knew people who were 
> >> ACB members who joined the NFB writer's group because it's 
> >> apparently very good, while I think the ACB guide dog handlers 
> >> group is larger than the
> NFB
> >> group and more active.
> >> Outside of ACB and NFB there are different sorts of ways Blind 
> >> people conect. In NYC the NLS branch, Andrew Heiskell has a has a 
> >> lot of local
> and
> >> virtual activities, many are technology related, but you'll see a
> variety
> >> of other activities from reading groups to origami, many held
> virtually.
> >> Because of the growth and popularity of virtual meetings and 
> >> classes
> that
> >> started because of covid, there are such programs all over the place.
> Like,
> >> I think the San Francisco Lighthouse has a lot of virtuall 
> >> programming which is open to anyone anywhere, even though they 
> >> don't promote it as such, There's a lot of good programming out of 
> >> Pittsburgh and perhaps that's not unique, and I just connected with 
> >> it through someone I know
> who
> >> lives there.
> >> Besides that sort of learning and discussion resource, there are 
> >> activities everywhere that are essentially in-person like the 
> >> tandem cycling club in NYC and I think there is a rowing group here 
> >> also, and different cities will have running groups or 
> >> cross-disability running through Achilles.  Many museums have some 
> >> sort of program for Blind and Visually Impaired people and many are 
> >> in-person tours but after covid
> many
> >> started including virtual options. A lot of this doesn't happen on 
> >> Saturdays or has different days as options. Some of these 
> >> activities are also good as places to connect with others.
> >> Well, those are just some thoughts. There's no central place to 
> >> find out about it all. You kind of have to do some searching on 
> >> type of activity
> or
> >> place, and spend a little time doing that searching, but if you 
> >> make
> some
> >> connections you can ask about other things. It's also worth 
> >> checking out facebook groups. There's one called New York City & 
> >> Tri-State Blind and
> Low
> >> Vision Community  which tends to be closer to NYC but it's just a 
> >> small facebook group where mostly people announce things, so 
> >> joining and
> asking
> >> what's happening in your general area might well turn up people who 
> >> have that knowledge.
> >>
> >>
> >> On 7 Nov 2023, at 7:39 am, Kristen Aronoff via NFBJ 
> >> <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> Hello all!
> >>
> >> This is something I’ve been sitting on for a while. I live in NJ 
> >> and I want to join a chapter to get to know people.
> >>
> >> But every single meeting of every chapter in the state is on 
> >> Saturday. I even looked into the Philadelphia chapter (I live near 
> >> Philadelphia),
> but
> >> it is also on Saturday. I tried to join the DeafBlind division, and 
> >> it’s also a Saturday meeting. (I did email about that and I wrote 
> >> an
> impassioned
> >> plea and they moved the time to be after Shabbat).
> >>
> >> I’m feeling very frustrated by this. How do you folks stay 
> >> connected
> with
> >> people in the NFB? It just feels isolating.
> >>
> >> Kit
> >>
> >> Sent from my iPhone
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> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > *Stewart Prost*
> > Phone: 757-572-6891
> > Fax: 757-210-7504
> > Email: sprost82 at gmail.com
> >
> >
> >
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--
*Stewart Prost*
Phone: 757-572-6891
Fax: 757-210-7504
Email: sprost82 at gmail.com
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