“If there be among you a person with needs, you shall not harden your heart, but you shall surely open your hand.” (Deuteronomy 15:7).
It is with this principle in mind that the Jewish community’s Belonging Task Force has approached work to promote a more inclusive culture throughout organizations, synagogues and programs. The original task force was comprised of dedicated volunteers and professionals, including parents of children with special needs, from Jewish Federation, Jewish Family Services (JFS), Jewish Community Center, Hebrew Day School, and Ann Arbor congregations. The initial focus of the Belonging task force was how to best address the needs of individuals with a wide variety of learning, developmental and mental health challenges. To inform the conversation, identify service gaps, and provide guidance to developing a culture of belonging for all, the Task Force commissioned a needs assessment of the greater Ann Arbor Jewish community. The group consulted with Matan, a national organization which supports Jewish professionals, communities and families in creating and sustaining inclusive settings in educational, communal and spiritual aspects of Jewish life, to conduct the assessment. Matan provided a comprehensive summary of recommendations in the following areas: Community Awareness, Intra-Agency Collaboration and Communication, Personnel, Training, Inter-Agency Collaboration and Planning and Allocations.
JFS concluded a one-year pilot project funded by the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metro-Detroit working with congregations and community partners towards building a more belonging community. As part of the pilot project, JFS worked closely with an expert consultant to create a manual called “Enhancing Belonging: A Manual for the Greater Ann Arbor Jewish Community.” The manual includes best practices and resources to help guide organizations in becoming more inclusive. Community partners have been involved in learning opportunities and consultations in order to review the guide.
Concurrently, The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor and Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County have been working together to synthesize the recommendations set forth by Matan. Federation and JFS partnered to raise new funds which were matched by the Jewish Federations of North America for addressing human service needs in the Jewish community. Some of these funds will be used to fund a new Community Belonging Navigator position to oversee the rollout of these recommendations. JFS is thrilled to be adding this position to their team and will be seeking applicants who have professional experience working with special needs and/or Jewish communal engagement and programming. Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to Jacob at jsinger@jfsannarbor.org.
Simultaneously, plans are being developed to move forward for enhancing the Jewish camp experiences, both at Camp Raanana and Camp Gan Israel. While the pandemic and COVID protocols complicated forward movement for the 2021 summer, the organizations are currently working together to offer education, training and professional development opportunities so that they are prepared to pilot a Jewish camping experience for all in 2022.
Building a stronger culture of belonging is an important and exciting endeavor in the Jewish community. To find out more about how to be involved, whether as a participant, volunteer or donor, please contact: Jacob Singer, jsinger@jfsannarbor.org, 734-769-0209, ext. 363.