Two articles about Jewish Disability Inclusion Awareness and synagogue, child care center and day school security were of note in the Feb 7, 2019 Washington Jewish Week. Headlines and the front page starts of articles "Activists want more leaders with disabilities" and "Advocacy amid chaos in Richmond" are in the above image.
The jump (continuation) page of "Activists want more leaders with disabilities" retitled "Kaufman" on the jump page disclosed that equal access ADA rules to end architectural barriers don’t apply to synagogues and schools already built (existing construction).
Synagogues lose family members when one person with a disability can't enter or use parts of the building. Families of people with disabilities take their affiliation (and annual contributions) to another synagogue, or school or child care center, that can meet the access needs of one family member with a disability that allows the family to be together.
The jump page of the second article "Advocacy amid chaos in Richmond" (image below and retitled "Chaos" on the jump page
also described security funding appropriations for 2019 in the Maryland state budget. The article "Advocacy amid chaos in Richmond" also described requests for more security funding in the 2020 Maryland state budget for houses of worship (mostly synagogues), schools and child care centers run by religious organizations.
When the longest-ever federal government (partial) shutdown of non-essential services ended in February 2019 $60 million of Non Profit Security Grants to states was included in the federal budget law. The February 21, 2019 article in the image below "Spending bill aids synagogue security" states the amount of funds appropriated and authorized.
That federal money should, but apparently didn’t, require equal access rules in existing construction synagogues and religious day schools that receive grants. If Maryland has state equal access construction laws on accessibility to people with disabilities the question remains regarding why didn't the state security funds require accessibility. The $60 million signed into spending law in February for FY 2019 has been followed with an 'ask' for $90 million in FY 2020.
On May 29, 2019 and June 5, 2019 the jewishstudycenter.org is having a lecture program called "Security and Sacred Spaces: A Community Conversation." Members of the sponsoring synagogues pay slightly less to attend both sessions $25 instead of $35 for nonmembers of any sponsoring synagogue. The subject is how to balance feelings of spiritual security and immediate physical security.
Money that could support making synagogues accessible to Jews with disabilities and their families while also securing them from bombings and shootings is available within Jewish community organizations. The money is often spent on pro-Israel advocacy or Israel solidarity or action committees in individual synagogue communities. The pro-Israel advocacy spending is also spent on a cross-synagogue basis by Jewish Federations (coordinated by the Jewish Federations of North America JFNA) and federation-affiliated JCRCs (Jewish community relations councils and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs) on lobbying local and state governments.
To build real security for religious communities solidarity activism should be centered, including spending priorities, on the local faith, and secular, community the synagogue is located in. Redirect the money allocated by Jewish community federations and JCRCs from Israel Advocacy to accessibility and security at a local level after state and federal funds for security are made contingent on ADA existing construction regulatory compliance. Without a long term shift in diaspora Jewish community organizational spending priorities inclusion of people with disabilities becomes an exercise in 'crip-washing' or putting 'cripface' on the denial of equal rights by Israel to Palestinians as 'pinkwashing' Israeli LGBTQIA civil rights has already become.
