[NFBJ] Shanah Tova

[Daveed Mandell]

Shalom, Stuart and everyone:

I have to tell you that as someone who is living on the West Coast in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California, it is awfully lonely! I don't know anyone else in the entire Bay Area here who is blind, whose second language is Hebrew and is  Israeli-American as I am. I don't know anyone here who is blind and who uses Hebrew liturgical material. I have no one here with whom to networkwork. I do know a blind woman who recently converted to Judaism and who needs to learn how to read Hebrew. 

The Jewish community here makes nothing accessible, because there are not many blind people who take advantage of what the Jewish community offers. The Jewish community does not  make its material accessible, because I am the only one who requests it.  Frankly, while in one way I understand where they're coming from, it means that my opportunity for becoming involved in the Jewish community, when it comes to attending classes and obtaining the materials that it provides to most other Jews the current reality is extremely limiting. I'm not always sure how to handle it. 

I am concerned that because most Jewish material for blind people is produced and sent from from New York City, the rest of us do not have similar opportunities. I would like to see JBI reach out to the rest of the Jewish community in this country and beyond, and provide opportunities for Jewish communities in other areas of the country to  become involved in assisting with, promoting and providing materials for JBI Library.

I would like to suggest that we reach out to the Accessible Cultural Center and the Center for the Blind in Israel, and to other institutions that provide material for blind people, such as the Jewish Institute for the Blind. I think we should advocate for a mutual arrangement whereby we can obtain materials from each other's organizations. In reality, there is very little liturgical material in this country. We have access to very few commentaries,  the Talmud and other materi.al It would  bewonderful if we could obtain material in braille, audio and large print from liblaries in both New York and Israel, as well as other institutions throughout the world, if there are indeed others. 

I would also like to see JBI and CSB Care work together in some way. There is a serious shortage of Hebrew bra andmate audiorialrial in this country. As I understand it, there is no existing Yiddish braille material.  

Finally, I would like to see JBI Library establish at least two Ad Hoc committees. One committee would work on format standards liturgical material in  both hardcopy bra illeand refreshable Thecommittee other committee would work with Israeli institutions on setting Hebrew braille code standards. We truly need a unified Hebrew braillea cde.o


We can help by working on some constructive strategies for significantly increasing the amount of Jewish material available in braille, audio and large print throughout the word.   

Shanah tovah umetukah lechulanu!

Daveed Tsvee Mandell