Wayne shul adds accessibility initiative
Temple Beth Tikvah in Wayne has begun Shaareinu (“Our Gates”), a new accessibility initiative designed to help ensure that the synagogue is a place where people of all abilities can feel comfortable, welcomed, and included. TBT wants everyone to be able to participate, connect, learn, pray, celebrate, and contribute fully.
“While every synagogue has physical doors, the gates to a truly welcoming community are much bigger than that,” the shul’s rabbi, Brian Beal, said. “Accessibility is about creating a community where everyone has the opportunity to participate fully and where we are thoughtful about removing the barriers that can sometimes stand in the way.”
Over the last few years, the congregation has bought better hearing devices, large-print prayer books, improved live streaming for those who connect from home, added a handicap accessible restroom, added a reading stand to allow people with physical limitations to participate fully in services, and removed the front row of pews to accommodate people with wheelchairs or walkers.
In recent months, a bar mitzvah student completed a mitzvah project making fidget tools available to students and adults who need them to improve focus during service and learning.
Shaareinu will take a broader look at accessibility at TBT, including the physical environment, worship and programming, communication, technology, and the everyday experiences that shape whether someone feels that a synagogue is truly a place for them.
“We want to build accessibility into the way we think about Temple Beth Tikvah,” synagogue board co-president said. “The goal is to develop a culture of asking, ‘Who might be missing from this experience, and what can we do differently?’”
For more information, go to templebethtikvahnj.org/shaareinu.