JEWISH FEDERATION
February 2021
Federation Star
3
Programs this month Reneé Bialek Program Director
T
he month of February is Jewish Disability Advocacy Month. We start on Monday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m. with a program featuring Ben Dubin and his daughter, Rachel, who is deaf. They
will discuss inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the Jewish and secular communities. Please join us to hear their story via Zoom. On Wednesday, Feb. 17, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., another program, “Truth be Told: What Women Need to Know to Stay Young at Heart in 2021,” is scheduled. This is a free, virtual, Ms.Medicine event, featuring women’s health experts Dr. Lorna Stewart and Dr. Lisa Larkin from the new Ms.Medicine in Naples.
The JCRC’s Jewish Community Day and Evening of Learning will take place in March and registration is now open for these two free events. And of course, throughout the month of February, we continue to present the Greater Naples Jewish Book Festival. All of these virtual programs will take place on Zoom. Some programs are free while others have a fee. More information on all of the above programs can be found throughout this Federation Star and in our Monday weekly e-blast.
Repairing the world: disability inclusion By Ben Dubin
I
n 1987, I had the good fortune to meet Senator Tom Harkin when my deaf daughter, aged 11, testified before the U.S. Senate in support of deafness research funding and the establishment of the National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders. Three years later, under his leadership, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. This act changed the landscape for people with disabilities, prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, transportation and public accommodations. To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability, which is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a
history or record of such an impairment or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. Today, it is estimated that 20% of the U.S. population has a physical, developmental or mental disability. People with disabilities comprise 11.4% of Collier County’s population. Leviticus 19:14 teaches us, “You shall not insult the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind.” A program featuring Ben Dubin and his daughter, Rachel, who is deaf, will discuss inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the Jewish and secular community. Please join us to hear their story via Zoom on Monday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m. Please register for this free program at www.jewish naples.org. This is co-sponsored with MCA.
Please make sure to register via the link that is provided in the weekly e-blasts. A confirmation email will be sent to you immediately after you register, and the program’s Zoom link will be emailed to you about two hours prior to the start of each program. If you need help registering, please ask me. You can contact me at rbialek@ jewishnaples.org with any questions. Please like us on Facebook!
