The Israel National News reports on a seven-year-old program for deaf children there so they can all have their Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah ceremony."All 50 celebrants affirmed their acceptance of the mitzvot (Torah commandments) by expressing the Shema prayer in sign language," the National News reports.
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell, Chief Program and Development Officer of the Council of Young Israel Rabbis in Israel, explained, "In addition to gaining first-hand experience regarding their Jewish roots, the deaf youth use the opportunity to form a social network consisting of people their age who understand obstacles they face in their daily lives."
The Bar- and Bat-Mitzvah Program assists deaf and hearing impaired children from all over Israel prepare for this coming-of-age event. The children who participate in the program all come from state public schools that are not part of the religious school system. Participants must prepare for the Bar- or Bat-Mitzvah ceremony by attending a total of 24 hours of classes.
Rabbi Tirschwell says that for most parents of deaf children face many deafness-related issues and concerns as their children mature so that preparing for traditional Jewish ceremonies are not a priority.
"Judaism kind of takes a back seat. It was the recognition of this fact that led to the development of this program," he said.
The Council of Young Israel Rabbis in Israel, which oversees the Jewish Heritage Program for the Deaf, has conducted rabbinical research into the status of deaf people within Jewish law. According to the guidelines the Council gives to rabbis about life-cycle events, like Bar- and Bat-Mitzvahs and weddings, deaf people are equal.
"It's very important for a family to hear that," said Rabbi Chanoch Yeres, a psychologist and National Director of Young Israel's Jewish Heritage Program for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired, "because they don't really believe it."
About 218,000 deaf or hearing impaired people live in Israel. The Council of Young Israel Rabbis works to raise awareness of Jewish identity among the deaf community.
