Synagogue Accessibility in the Greater Toronto Area Evelyn Lilith
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Researching Disability: Synagogue Accessibility in the Greater Toronto Area Evelyn Lilith Finkler A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Environmental Studies and the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Magisteriate in Environmental Studies. York University Toronto, Ontario, Canada June, 2003 Library and Archives Biblioth6que et 1^1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'^dition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre r6f6rence ISBN: 978-0-494-80626-5 Our file Notre r6f6rence ISBN: 978-0-494-80626-5 NOTICE; AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commercials ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extra its substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced re produ its sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondares ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient Indus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1^1 Canada iv Abstract Synagogues today are centres of communal life for Jews of every denomination. Many are accessible to dis/abled persons only in a marginal way. Structural barriers prevent admission to many Jews who are physically dis/abled but attitudinal barriers also exclude those with invisible impairments. Focus group meetings and individual interviews with approximately forty-five people provided information about the current situation for dis/abled Jews living in a large Canadian city. The author writes within a social model framework which views dis/ability as a sociological phenomenon and locates it within oppressive institutional structures. She critiques notions of tzedekah or charity which militate against the implementation of full human rights in synagogue environments. The author argues that while religious law may impact negatively on some aspects of synagogue architecture, it is modem day financial and social realities that limit accessibility to synagogue life. In particular, security concerns among Jews often lead to regressive changes within the built environment. Building ramps, installing elevators and hiring American Sign Language interpreters will definitely improve accessibility to Jews with physical impairments or those who are Deaf, deafened or hard of hearing. However, access to synagogue environments IV must be viewed as an entitlement rather than cause for a fundraising initiative. It is only when the struggle of dis/abled Jews is understood in a human rights framework rather than one proposing tzedekah, that we will take our place within the Jewish community. Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my sister, Sandra Finkler, and to the memory of my grandfather, the Radoszyce Rebbe, Yisroel Yosef Finkler, z"l. VI Acknowledgments Thanks to Bev Altberg, Carol Altilia, Betty Alvarez, Madeline Bassnet, Sheila Block, Janet Bruch, Helen & David Bullingham, Yukyung Kim Cho, Susan Chung, Lisa Dennis, Francois Dionne, Gail & Marty Eisen, Tzvia Eisenberg, Paul Firmegan, Rene Fitzgerald, Michaelanne George, Liette Gilbert, Gerry Gold, Sylvia Gon, Itay & Hila Grynspan, Conine Hershkovits, Ted Isnor, Marilyn & Sidney Joseph, Maylin Kanee, Lawrence Kaplan, Mona Krehm, Becky Lee, Ali Lennox, Reisie & David Lipton, Martin Lockshin, Peggy McGrath, Janet Morrison, Karen Pearlston, Ellie Perkins, Barbara Rahder, Geoff Reaume, Cathy Schwartz, Shlomit Segal, Mel Starkman, Pnina Steiner, Miriam Stem, Sigal & Yakov Stevens, Vera Tarman, Howard Tewsley, John Tulloch, Eran Tzin, Marianne Ubershar, Don Weitz and Rabbi Yossi Yarmush for their support as I wrote my thesis. It is because of all of them that I was able to complete this work. Each contributed to the strength of this writing. All errors and omissions are my own. Perhaps most importantly, I wish to extend my appreciation to the anonymous members of the Jewish community who spent time with me and shared the details of their lives. It is their words and experiences that inform the body of this work. It is their spirit that carries me forward. Vll Table of Contents Abstract iv Acknowledgements vi Introduction 1 Chapter One Dis/ability, Judaism and Urban Planning: A Review of the Relevant Literature 9 Chapter Two Jewish Religious Law and Dis/ability 24 Chapter Three The Synagogue as Architecture Reflecting Life 37 Chapter Four "No Partnerships Before the Revolution?": The Importance of Dis/ability Centred Research 66 Chapter Five Researching Dis/ability: Synagogue Accessibility in the Greater Toronto Area 75 Chapter Six Tzedekah, Tzedek and Tikkun 01am: Justice for Dis/abled Jews in the Synagogue 118 Afterword 136 Glossary 149 Bibiography 155 viii List of Tables Table 1: Physical Features in a Synagogue that Affect Accessibility to Dis/abled Jews; A Review of Three Buildings Participating in this Study 58 Table 2: Denominational Affiliation of Research Participants 82 Table 3: Relationship of Participants to Dis/ability Issues 83 ix List of Appendices Appendix 1: Workshop Outhne 138 Appendix 2: Feedback Form 139 Appendix 3: Flip Chart Notes: Chayei Torah Focus Group 140 Appendix 4: Flip Chart Notes: Anshei Plotsk Focus Group 144 1 Introduction This thesis focuses on synagogue accessibility' to dis/abled Jews. It analyzes the sacred built environment and some of the social forces which influence its development. Like many individuals involved in the dis/ability rights movement, I had initially emphasized aspects of physical access. My appreciation of the pervasive influence of antisemitism and the oppressive practices associated with various impairments developed later. I sought out such explanations in order to contextualize the reluctance of many synagogue congregations to accommodate dis/abled persons. If synagogues wish to be accessible to persons with different impairments, universal design features can be applied. Changing the way in which sacred spaces are structured would enhance usage by all members of a congregation. Unlike barrier free design, spaces created with universal design principles in mind, are equally usable by everyone. For example, a ramp can be used by wheelchair users to enter a premises. Able bodied individuals can use steps. However, a level surface would be equally usable by those with mobility impairments and those who move easily. ' Please note that italicized words appear in the glossary at the end of this thesis. 2 There are, however, many tensions within the Jewish community that impact upon the inclusion of dis/abled Jews. Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews all make their home in Toronto. Each cultural group maintains its own customs and linguistic heritage. Usually, each subgroup forms its own congregation and prays in its own distinctive style. While Ashkenazi Jews adhere to one of four denominational affiliations, many Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews identify themselves as "traditional". Ashkenazi denominational affiliations also influence religious practices involving dis/abled persons. Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist Jews understand Judaism and its application to modem day life in varied and sometimes conflicting ways. For example. Orthodox Jews are stringent in their avoidance of any use of electricity on the Sabbath. Therefore, an electric wheelchair user would not be welcome in an Orthodox synagogue at Sabbath prayers. However, Reform Jews do not adhere to the above prohibition and, therefore, an electric wheelchair user could attend a Reform synagogue. Some might argue, therefore, that the solution to synagogue inaccessibility is simple. Persons using electric wheelchairs should attend Reform congregations! However, our religious, linguistic and cultural heritage also determine our comfort level in particular milieux. As someone raised in a more traditionally observant home, for example, I had 3 great difficulty attending a Reform service. I was disturbed when I heard an organ playing and thought I had inadvertently entered a church! Furthermore, I am comfortable with the Sephardi style of prayer. Ashkenazi prayer using Yiddish pronunciation is difficult for me to follow. At Passover, Sephardi Jews eat rice and soy products, foods forbidden to Jews of European origin. Therefore, Askenazi observant Jews would not eat kiddush in a Sephardi or Mizrachi