Mar 23, 2015 By Suzanne Elliott 3 min read

Members of the Beth El Congregation are joining forces with The Ruderman Family Foundation, a national Jewish philanthropic organization known for championing the rights of the disabled, to come up with an action plan to become an even more diverse and inclusive community.

Beth El was chosen by Ruderman, based in Boston, as one of only 15 participants out of a pool of 45 nationwide for the Ruderman Grant Initiative, which is providing training and assistance for the Scott-based congregation with its effort to develop a strategic plan to help the disabled.

“We have done a great deal in the congregation,” said member Joan Charlson, who also heads the congregation’s inclusion committee, adding that the synagogue has a special light weight Torah with a larger font size that makes it easier for children, or the elderly, to carry and read. “We serve as a good role model.”

But more needs to be done, said Charlson and Miles Kirshner, immediate past president of the 405-member conservative synagogue, explaining the association with Ruderman. Charlson and Kirshner, both Mt. Lebanon residents, spent two days in New York City earlier this month for the initiative’s kick-off event to get advice and gather ideas.

Kirshner said the next step for Beth El is to form a committee and come up with a blueprint about how to become more inclusive, as well as some ideas and to decide which ones are practical and prioritize which are the most important.

“We have between now and the fall to come up with a plan,” said Kirshner, adding that the initiative covers assistance and is not monetary based. It is hoped the plan developed by Beth El could cross religious boundaries and be shared with other worship centers in Pittsburgh, Charlson and Kirschner said.

Charlson said the synagogue formed an inclusion committee five years ago to be more sensitive to the needs of the disabled. She said they have had speakers come in and give talks about their disabilities and had programs on and for the disabled.

The congregation even calls on the disabled to help with worship services at its February Shabbat, which focuses on special needs. Also, Beth El recently hosted state Rep. Dan Miller’s second Annual Children and Youth and Mental Health Summit, a two-day event designed to provide resources for the disabled.

“It’s just not about kids,” Charlson said. “It’s about the elderly, people with mobility issues, as well as those with hearing and vision problems.”

Kirshner agreed.

“It’s important for a community to be more inclusive,” he said. “We need to be more welcoming.”