Friday Nt. Dinner & Services Shabbat Day at 10:30am & grand Kiddush following services. RSVP REQUIRED (Limited seating). No Charge. Sponsors Welcome.

Featuring local speaker:
Jesse A. Saperstein
Author of: "Atypical: Life with Asperger's in 20 1/3 Chapters", & "Getting a Life with Asperger's"

COLONIE JEWISH COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER IN EFFORT TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE, IN Services & programming, JOINING MORE THAN 500 CITIES AROUND THE WORLD

Featuring local speaker: Jesse A. Saperstein, Author of: Atypical: Life with Asperger's in 20 1/3 Chapters & Getting a Life with Asperger's

ShabbaTTogether will Promote Disability Inclusion and Mental Health Awareness in 500 Communities on Six Continents

The Jewish community of Colonie will take an important step in incorporating inclusion of individuals with disabilities and mental health conditions our Programming & weekend Friday, Feb. 17 - Saturday, Feb.18, in conjunction with Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), which is February. Religious settings such as the synagogue or holiday programs often present a unique set of challenges to people living with disabilities and mental health conditions. A focus of the weekend will be learning how community members can better support people with disabilities so that they feel at home in the synagogue and at community events.

The project, dubbed “ShabbaTTogether,” is a project of the Ruderman Chabad Inclusion Initiative, an organization that empowers Jewish communities to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for people with disabilities and mental health conditions.

“Our community, just like every community, includes people with disabilities,” said Rabbi Mordechai Rubin, Co-Director of the Colonie Chabad Jewish Center. “We may not always see or understand what someone is going through, but we can work to create an environment where everyone feels welcome and like they truly belong at Chabad.”

The inclusion initiative draws inspiration from the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, who taught that all Jewish people are one entity, and while each individual has different talents and abilities, every individual who fulfills his or her obligations to the extent of their G‑d-given capacities shares in the totality of the effort and accomplishment.

Colonie Chabad sees this Shabbat as a time to increase their efforts towards inclusion. Classes, sermons, and discussions over the course of the weekend geared towards adults, teens, and children will focus on creating a mindset of inclusiveness, as well as practical ways to help people living with disabilities feel welcome.

“I wish people would understand that all I want is to participate like everyone else,” said a community member who asked to remain unnamed, “For me, going to Jewish programming is what makes me feel like I belong in the community. I am so thankful that Colonie Chabad is going out of their way to ensure I can participate and contribute in my community.”

Participants will enjoy meaningful discussions, delicious meals, inspirational prayer services and thought-provoking lessons, all in the spirit of inclusion and awareness.

To participate in Dinner, Services or for sponsorship opportunities please contact Rabbi Mordechai Rubin at: ChaiCenterColonie@gmail.com or 518.368.7886