B'Tzelem Elohim

Rafi invites his first non-Jewish guest, Bill Gaventa, to discuss the role of faith inclusion more broadly, looking at both Christian and Jewish inclusion movements. Bill and Rafi reflect on how faith communities and scripture can uplift disabled individuals and make them feel like they truly belong.

Rafi talks with Samuel Levine, a professor of law at Touro University and a leading advocate for disability inclusion in both the Jewish community and the legal profession. Rafi and Samuel talk about how inclusion isn't just about doing the "nice thing", but it is about honoring a commitment and requirement embedded in the fabric of our society and moral code.

Rafi talks with Shelly Christensen, founder of JDAIM and Senior Director of People and Culture at Disability Belongs to discuss faith, inclusion, self-empowerment, and the history of disability belonging in the Jewish community.

Rafi talks with his Rabbi and Director of Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, Ami Hersh, about the various inclusion initiatives, including the neurodiverity staff program, that Ramah Nyack offers.

Rafi talks with his Uncle Matt Krass, AKA "Matty Roxx," about their relationship and Matt's work to bring inclusive practices to his musical performances and education.

Rafi talks with Michelle Shapiro Abraham, the Executive Director of JBI Library, on their ongoing work to meet the needs of blind and visually impaired Jews. They discuss the importance of individualized inclusion, the impact of accessibility, and the ongoing work that continues to affect all disabled people.

Rafi talks with Meredith Polsky, the new Executive Director of MATAN Inc on their recent report "Closing the Inclusion Gap". They discuss the steps the Jewish community must take in the coming years on this front and explore Selective Mutism, a field in which Meredith specializes in providing support and care.

Join Rena and Rafi as they kick off Season Four of B'Tzelem Elohim. With a focus on ABA, Rafi and Rena discuss the challenges, opportunities, and benefits that behavior modification and related disciplines may provide to families.

Please note: An unforeseen technical error occurred while recording the episode, making Rafi's Audio garbled in a few places. We apologize for the confusion this may lead to in the podcast, but as it is minor, it was decided not to rerecord the episode. This technical error was identified and will be fixed for future episodes.

To conclude Season Three, Rafi talks with Orlee Krass, his aunt, about her work in the field of inclusion. Ranging from NYC special education classes to running a large camp program for Disabled participants, Rafi and Orlee explore the challenges, complexities, and necessities of these initiatives.

Join Rafi as he reads and reflects on five years of blogs. Spanning his early years writing for MATAN's teen blog, to early pieces for his website, to reflections on recent milestones, you'll get to hear how Rafi's rhetorical style and perspectives have evolved! This episode is longer than others, so listeners are encouraged to listen to this in multiple sittings, as each blog can be listened to independently of eachother.

A personal note: thank you to all the people who have brought me to this moment, five years! I look forward to the next five! One blog featured focuses on the life experience of Danny Klein Z"L. As I mentioned in the podcast, it is always best to hear from people directly; thus, I urge you to watch this interview conducted with Danny when he was still with us: https://youtu.be/6PmmcifIqew