Sharing this information from generation to generation is an integral part of every holiday. For my parents, the weekly observance of Shabbat created an opportunity to sit down to a family dinner with their nine children – a weekly experience marked by lighting of the candles, saying the blessings over the wine and challah, and sharing a family dinner.

During the year, our Jewish heritage mandates attending synagogue to listen to the cantor sing those familiar tunes, reading the Megillah on Purim and loudly clanging the grogger (noisemaker) to blot out the name of Haman, taking turns reciting aloud from the Haggadah on Passover, and hearing the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah in synagogue. However, most of my religious memories center around the dining room table set for eleven.

The Jewish holidays are based on storytelling, and my upbringing would be described today as “hearing privileged.” There were no accessibility issues; I was able to connect to my Jewish heritage whenever and wherever I wanted. If I was unsure of the meaning or significance of specific traditions, I could easily inquire.

Our traditions involve all the senses. Some we view, others we taste, smell, touch and some require us to listen or hear. But what about my Deaf Jewish friends? What was their experience growing up in a hearing family? I had to know.

After interviewing several of my Deaf Jewish friends, raised in traditional Jewish, hearing families, I discovered many similarities in their experiences. They described the observance of Shabbat and holidays as boring, isolating and confusing at best, especially when forced to sit in synagogue for hours on end with no interpreter. The Hebrew language was incomprehensible, as were the meanings behind the rituals. One friend admitted to not even being aware that there was a Shofar on Rosh Hashanah until she became an adult. For her, the extent of the holiday involved dipping apples in the honey to symbolize a wish for a sweet new year.

Conversely, another of my friends remembers the way her mother would sign a particular song from the Haggadah each Passover. She developed warm feelings and memories about the rhythm of the signing, but admittedly did not understand the associations behind the words. The matzoh which is set aside wrapped in a piece of cloth and then hidden is called the Afikomen. All the children love looking for this piece of matzoh and can spend up to an hour doing so! My friend knew she was looking for a piece of matzoh and would get money if she found it, but never learned the reason behind this fun activity.

She is very is grateful for the weekly Sunday school for Deaf children which she attended, conducted in ASL. This school gave her the connection she sought and filled in the gaps of what was missing both in synagogue and at home. She creditsTemple Beth shalom in Flushing, Queens — which provides classes forDeaf Children from all over New York — for the strong Jewish roots she has today. Storytelling was alive in this school because of its approach to accessibility.

Some Deaf Jews became frustrated and eventually gave up on their Jewish community. Their spiritual needs were better met within the Deaf community rather than the community of their faith. With family seders or services inaccessible, rituals didn’t make sense and there was no deepening connection to these practices. However, when they became adults and craved some of the traditions they grew up with, it was Deaf Jewish organizations that gave them the connection they were missing.

Even Deaf Jews who are fortunate enough to be born into a Deaf family and therefore do have access to their heritage through sign language, still struggle within the larger Jewish community and feel that they are unable to be a truly active participant in their congregations.

With the Jewish New Year approaching, I asked about accessibility in relation to the listening to the shofar, an integral piece of Rosh Hashanah. According to the Torah it is a mitzvah. an obligation or commandment, to hear  the shofar. Does this mean only hearing people would be able to fulfill this mitzvah? What if one cannot physically hear it?

Thankfully, times they are a changing. Now with a “handful” of Deaf Rabbis and congregations conducted in ASL or services which are accessible through an interpreter, HEARING the shofar comes in many forms. At Temple Beth Solomon of the Deaf in Northridge California, the Rabbi has gotten creative. Congregants all receive balloons before services. When the shofar is blown, the Deaf congregants who wish to “hear” the sound with their hands will hold the balloon and the vibrations of the shofar causes the balloons to vibrate. The “sound” differs for participants who are hard of hearing, Deaf, or have hearing aids or cochlear implants. At another congregation, a light goes on in the shofar each time the Ram’s horn is blown. At other services, Deaf people are permitted to go right up to the shofar and feel it with their hands or mouth.

Read this article about Deaf Rabbi Deborah Goldmann and Temple Beth Solomon, http://www.homemadenews.com/stories/2014/10/3/5ztt3kuqe5yax9fnaevidbe4rsx7fm. It is so inspiring to learn how the Rabbi leads her congregation on Rosh Hashanah. Or click on the radio show (for which, ironically, there are no captions) to see first-hand the experience of what “hearing” the shofar is like on Rosh Hashanah for some of these Deaf congregants.

Today, Deaf Jewish children have ample opportunity to experience a rich Jewish upbringing compared to those of previous generations. There are more Deaf Rabbis, Deaf Jewish camps, Deaf Jewish societies and foundations connecting Deaf Jews to their heritage. They are succeeding through Deaf culture, American Sign Language, technology and accessibility. That ability to participate in the traditions of Jewish holidays provides the Jewish Deaf community with the possibility to connect more deeply to their Jewish heritage and is proof of the importance of true community in the Jewish faith as a whole.

Rabbi Yehoshua Soudakoff will lead Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in Brooklyn this year. There is a link below to find out more details. I cannot wait to go and have an opportunity to sit in a congregation in a language accessible to Deaf Jews.

Links:

http://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/3424540/jewish/Deaf-Rabbi-to-Lead-High-Holiday-Services-in-ASL.htm/mobile/false

Town and Village Synagogue in the East Village in NYC provides interpreted services. Click below for the schedule during the high holidays. http://tandv.org/events/10449/asl-interpreted-rosh-hashanah-service/org/

http://jewishdeaffoundation.org

http://www.jdrc.org

http://jewishdeafcongress.org

http://wsjdeaf.org

http://jewishdeafmm.org

https://www.facebook.com/deafrabbi

The post How Do We Participate when Tradition Expects Us to Hear? appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.

Photo by Jennifer Wilkinson http://www.consciouscontactli.com/about.html

I wholeheartedly encourage everyone in the world to try yoga – I practice regularly up to five or six times a week. It has changed my life — helped me be a better mother, gotten me through rough patches in my life, brought me better health, more energy, and a sense of inner well- being.

A few months ago, I suggested to a deaf friend that she come to yoga with me. She immediately responded, “Well, I would love to… but I can’t. I’m deaf. How will I follow the class?” I said, “What do you mean, you CAN’T? Of course you CAN. Just show up to class. I’ll be there by your side, and I guarantee you will feel comfortable.”

Thankfully, she agreed.

I arrived 20 minutes early to prepare my teacher at the yoga studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for the deaf yogi that would be attending her class. I’m an ASL interpreter and I taught her a few basic signs — breathe, inhale, exhale, child’s pose, relax — and told her to teach the class just as she always does. I arranged my friend’s mat and props in the center row so that she would have a clear sightline of all angles and students.

I arranged my mat next to hers — I didn’t plan on interpreting in front of the class, but rather alongside her.

When my friend arrived she seemed nervous yet excited. Throughout the practice I used touch signals to let her know when to open and close her eyes or to change movement. When we were lying on our backs for back bends or seated pigeon, I would hold her hand and squeeze it to communicate any new information. When we were both in downward dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) pose, I lifted my right hand slightly and finger spelled LEG then moved my right arm up and bent it at the elbow. She knew to lift her right leg and bend it while following others in the class. I did the same with the left arm when it came time to do the other side.

All the while, I was reminding her to breathe so she understood the importance of Ujjayi breath (a technique used in most yoga practices). I was continuously signing inhale or exhale whenever I had a free hand. Breathing is definitely the most important part of yoga. This Ujjayi breath is a friction breath creating an audible sound on the throat which is often heard by the students. At one point I took my friends’ hand to my throat so she could feel the friction on my throat of the exhale. and then had her watch my nose and belly as I took a deep inhale. I described fogging up a mirror with the exhale. This amazing sound gives not only a focus to the practice but also creates heat in the body as well.

The class (although not as focused for me as my regular practice) was an incredible experience. My friend signed up for a class card. Success!

After that experience, I attended an ASL weekend yoga/meditation retreat in Delaware County. I was one of two hearing individuals. The entire weekend was conducted in ASL. It was a life changing experience for me. We practiced yoga, reiki, meditation, and ate family meals together, sharing stories. I came back from this retreat hopeful that more yoga studios would accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. Where are all the classes for deaf people, I wondered?

Doing my part, I invited another deaf friend to join me for yoga at my studio. This time I interpreted in front of the class. I knew that once I interpreted for my friend a few times she would be able to follow a class on her own.

The teacher and students were all excited to have an interpreter up front. To interpret this class successfully and smoothly, I wore yoga clothes. I demonstrated poses for her once in a while and needed to be prepared.

Many of the asanas (poses) call for eyes closed or head down, so I had to get creative. I signed inhale and exhale on my friends’ back often. When she was in downward dog, I took my fist resembling the head of a person and shook it lightly from side to side directly in her sightline.

She immediately shook her head from side to side. When the teacher instructed the class to hollow out the belly and pull it up towards the spine, I took my left hand and signed a scooping motion of the belly while simultaneously pinching up at her back, pulling it up like a parachute so that she could actually feel it. She totally understood to pull her belly button into her spine.

When it was time to slowly stand up, vertebrae by vertebrae, I signed SLOWLY on her arm then walked my two fingers upwards from her wrist to her elbow.

Child’s pose (balasana) is a simple pose but one in which the head is down and the eyes remain closed. During this pose I signed on both her arms and back. When it was time to lift up her head I drummed my fingers lightly on her mat by her head. She lifted her head.

When she was in shoulder stand (sarvangasana), I stood directly in front of her legs and signed above her. I always made sure to have clear sight lines and bent MY body so as not to interrupt the flow of HER body.

In shavasana (corpse pose) I held firmly onto her ankle. and signed EYES CLOSE. She kept her eyes closed and was able to relax, not wondering when to open them because she felt the firmness of my grasp. The teacher went around massaging oil into our chests, necks and temples. I saw my friend smile in full relaxation mode while inhaling the scent of lavender. When the teacher instructed, after five minutes or so, to bring back the breath, wiggle fingers and toes and wake up the body, I lightly let go of her ankle and she opened her eyes. An unspoken trust.

Practicing side by side OR interpreting with/for a deaf friend requires mindfulness, compassion and a knowledge of yoga. The physical and spiritual experience can be incredibly rewarding for both. It is so empowering for a Deaf person to walk into any class at any time and say, I CAN and I will. All it takes is a human body and soul. And of course, breath.

Resources for Deaf yoga:

www.deafhoodyoga.com
www.deafyoga.org
www.consciouscontactli.com/about.html
www.deafrootsandwings.com
www.yogajournal.com/category/poses

The post Inhale, Exhale, Sign: Accommodating Yoga for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.