Leap of faith: Each individual is of infinite worth

Whilst Kiruv – bringing closer – isn’t a term most people associate with Progressive Judaism, it is something that our synagogues are serious about. 

The word is most commonly used within Orthodox Judaism – referring to the practice of reaching out to other Jews to encourage them to become more observant. In Progressive Judaism, our understanding of Kiruv is also about reaching out and bringing people closer, but in this case all those who might previously have felt excluded.

Just as blind dancer Chris McCausland on Strictly Come Dancing has shown us that a difference need not be a hindrance to participation – so it is in our congregations.

One of the ways our communities demonstrate Kiruv is for individuals of many diverse abilities and needs. Let me be clear, this is not ‘inclusion’ where a group of people compromises their practice to make someone else feel included, but rather a sacred commitment to revel in the diversity of human experience.

We do our best to live out the words of the psalmist: “I have learned from all my teachers.” We know that none of us like being categorised, stereotyped and ‘boxed away’ – labelled only by what we cannot bring to the community. Each individual is of infinite worth and is owed their place inside the Jewish community. That is why, all over the country, our Liberal and Reform communities are expert in learning from those who experience life uniquely and using their experiences to bring us all closer together.

This week, Finchley Reform Synagogue celebrated 10 years of Shabbat B’yachad – its pioneering monthly inclusive Shabbat aimed particularly at people of all ages with special needs. Similar services are held regularly at many other communities including East London and Essex Liberal, Finchley Progressive and Menorah Synagogues. There are cutting-edge services using British Sign Language at both Manchester Reform and Radlett Reform Synagogues. Many of our communities broadcast via the internet. Plus there’s an online offering from Abraham and Sarah’s Tent, led by rabbis with lived experience of difference.

These allow as many people as possible to participate in communal life – including those who are elderly, unwell or disabled and those who don’t feel comfortable in the synagogue environment.

I want to end with a story of Kiruv from my own Oaks Lane community’s B’nei Mitzvah programme, which recently included a cohort of teens with autism. Instead of allowing the sensory experience of synagogue – with its loud noises and bright lights – to push them away, Rabbi Lev Taylor worked with their parents to shape a unique journey to up to the Torah. They focused on the sensory experience of Havdalah. Everyone experienced the cloves pressed into the orange and smelled their mingled sweetness, saw the twisted candle’s flame, tasted the fruit of the vine, and finally heard the hiss. As the candle sputtered away, the joy increased, bringing all present closer to a rich and varied experience of Jewish life. Soon after, each stood at Torah, surrounded by family and community. Each one is now counted amongst my teachers.

Rabbi Jordan Helfman is rabbi at Oaks Lane Reform synagogue