ASL SHABBAT COALITION 

eNews

Monday, September 22, 2025 | 29 Elul 5785

Shalom!

In this eNews edition, ASL Shabbat Coalition invites you to view a pre-recording of the ASL Rosh Hashanah service to keep you connected to the spirit of the high holidays. The pre-recording of the ASL Yom Kippur service will be emailed to you just before the holiday commences.

We give special thanks to Hillel Goldberg for coordinating this service. We also give special thanks to lay leaders from the Florida Society of Jewish Deaf, Hillel at Gallaudet, Jewish Deaf Congress, the Jewish Deaf Resource Center, and the Washington Society of Jewish Deaf for making this recording possible.

We wish you and yours a meaningful time of reflection and introspection. 

L'shana Tova from our home to yours.

1. The Jewish Deaf Resource Center's new website is live! 
   
   JDRC is excited to share JDRC's brand new website - a hub of resources, community, and accessibility. Explore the site and bookmark it for easy access to a list of ASL interpreted, captioned, and Deaf-led events, directory of congregations committed to accessibility, and more. Visit the website: www.jdrc.org. 
   
2. Accessible High Holiday Services
   
   Looking for in-person or online High Holiday services with ASL interpreters and/or captioning? JDRC's online list of congregations providing access is now available - and will continue to be updated as new information comes in. 
   
   Last minute plans? Still checking? Look no further - visit the list anytime for the most up-to-date options. See online list here.

Happy birthday to our September celebrants!

Mazel tov to Yisroel Nissen, grandson of Jeff and Susan Cohen, on his upsherin (first haircut). Yisroel turned 3 on his Hebrew birthdate of September 3, 2025. To learn more about the upsherin, visit this link.

If we missed your birthday or a special recognition, please email us and let us know so we can include you either next year or in the next edition. 

In the next issue, we will list October birthdays, anniversaries, or a celebration you want to share. Email us the name(s) of the celebrant(s) you would like to acknowledge, no later than September 26, 2025. Our email address is aslshabbatcoalition@gmail.com.

May all hostages come home now! Am Yisrael Chai!

We are deeply grateful to this past donors for their generous support, which helps fund essential services like voice interpreting, video editing, and Zoom-related costs for our ASL Shabbat services.  

Special thanks go to:

Tina Feldman

Arizona Welsh for donating in honor of Jennifer Ostheimer’s birthday

 As you honor birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, or the memory of loved ones through yahrzeit, consider placing a donation with ASL Shabbat Coalition.

Donate no later than 12:00 p.m., September 26, 2025, so that we can list honorees names in the October edition of the ASL Shabbat eNews.

To donate, go to this link.


Under the "I want my donation dedicated to:" box, you will be given two options: ASL Shabbat and JDRC. Select "ASL Shabbat Coalition."

Special thanks go to Caption Anywhere for their captioning and video editing services.

The ASL Shabbat Gatherings are made possible through a collaborative effort of three organizations that comprise the ASL Shabbat Coalition (ASC): Hillel at Gallaudet (Janie Golightly, representative), Jewish Deaf Congress (Roxanne Baker, representative), and the Jewish Deaf Resource Center (Susan F. Cohen, representative). Volunteers who support the work of the ASL Shabbat Coalition include Staci Blumenfeld, Chris Estrin, Hillel Goldberg, and Toby Silver.

Hillel @ Gallaudet promotes inclusive Jewish educational, religious, social, cultural, and communal activities at Gallaudet University by creating opportunities for diverse expressions of Jewish life among students.

Jewish Deaf Congress (JDC) is an inclusive and accessible Jewish Deaf national organization, network and resource center, rooted in Judaism and Deaf experiences, cultures and values of lifelong Jewish learning to discover, connect and flourish.

The Jewish Deaf Resource Center (JDRC) is a 501(c)3 national non-profit organization that builds communication access bridges through an alliance of Jewish Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals and the individuals and organizations in the wider Jewish community. We aim to do this through advocacy, sharing communication access solutions, collaborating on educational opportunities, providing guidance on inclusive public policy and practices, forming partnerships, sharing resources, and presenting training sessions.

The Jewish Deaf Resource Center thanks UJA Federation of New York for partnering with JDRC through their operating grant.