By Arlene Remz, Executive Director of Gateways: Access to Jewish Education

Gateways’ partner Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation which has done so much to raise awareness of including people with special needs as full participants in Jewish life, said it all in this week’s Jewish Week. In a terrific article titled, “Attention to Disabilities Seen Changing,” Jay put his finger on “a critical mass or consensus that’s emerging across the agency spectrum.”

Gateways is proud to be in the forefront of that critical mass of programs delivering services to those who’ve been, until very recently, left outside the community for way too long. We’re able to offer a Jewish education to children with special needs in a wide variety of educational settings, from day schools to our free-standing Sunday school to bar-bat mitzvah classes to, beginning this year, many of our local congregational and community schools too.

Stay tuned for February – Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month -- as Gateways brings you easy-to-use resources for home and class to help make our Jewish traditions more inclusive to all our children.

To see the entire Jewish Week article, click here.