Films and events to recognize Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month

February is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month, and South Florida’s Jewish community is observing through events.

As a kickoff to JDAIM, the Miami Jewish Film Festival has been presenting its inaugural Accessibility+Inclusion program for its 25th edition running through Jan. 27.

Nancy Zaretsky, inclusion specialist at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and a leading partner of the festival’s

Accessibility+Inclusion program this year, said, “The festival is a fantastic partner.”

“The Miami Jewish Film Festival in particular understands the power of cinema to tell stories, and to bring experiences that might not be in your immediate life to your life via the screen,” she said. “There’s nothing better than watching someone experience the challenges of all that it is to be human on screen, and to have opportunities to share emotions with them.”

Nine of the program’s 10 films are available to screen virtually for free through Jan. 26. Among them include the made in Florida documentary “Sylvie of the Sunshine State,” which offers a glimpse into modern motherhood that and was entirely made during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Sasha Levinson, a South Florida filmmaker who directed the film which features her daughter as the subject, explained how she feels the documentary connects with the larger themes of accessibility and inclusion.

“I think the larger connection for me is that we are all different,” Levinson said. “We all learn differently and we all see differently, and what I love about accessibility and inclusion being celebrated in the festival is that it’s really a celebration of individuality and a celebration of the human experience, and we fit into that in a very small but meaningful way.”

Another made in Florida film that is part of the program and premiered in an outdoor screening during the festival is the short documentary “Donyoni,” which is about a local artist. The film centers on a Bolivian Jewish family living in Miami who recount the sacrifices and contradictions inherent in raising a son with tuberous sclerosis.

Gisela Savdie, the film’s director who attended the screening, said, “The turnout was wonderful.”

“The first week after the MJFF program came out, it was sold out, so I think people were eager to hear the story,” she said. “To tell you the truth, I insisted on having an in-person showing, and not a virtual one as most of the shorts were supposed to screen in the festival, because I wanted Jonathan, the main subject, to have the experience with the audience.”

Among other films in the program include “Just As I Am,” “No Filters,” “A Reason to Live,” and “The Specials.”

Following its 25th annual program, MJFF will partner with the Greater Miami Jewish Federation on presenting films and educational programming that serve Miami’s special needs community. This includes a community screening of the festival’s 2021 Audience

Award-winning film “Here We Are” as part of Jewish Disabilities Awareness & Inclusion Month on Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Galbut Family Miami Beach Jewish Community Center.

Visit miamijewishfilmfestival.org to stream the films and more information.

Zaretsky also runs a program called Miami Jewish Abilities Alliance, a program of the Federation. Throughout the month of February, programs that are taking place for JDAIM that are under the umbrella of the Federation include a PJ Library Story Time with Miami Children’s Museum on Feb. 6, as well as an inclusion Shabbat hosted by the Friendship Circle of Miami Beach and North Dade.

“For us, this is really an opportunity to spotlight a community experience for people with disabilities so they can be included in daily worship experiences, and to also understand how rich of a tapestry of Jewish life we have here in Miami-Dade,” Zaretsky said.

Visit https://miami. jewishabilities.org/ for more information on events in MiamiDade County, and https:// browardcounty. jewishabilities.org/ and https://southpalmbeach. jewishabilities.org/ for others in South Florida.

A virtual special needs panel discussion geared towards the South Palm Beach County Jewish community takes place at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 2 on Zoom.

Tzippi Rosen, special needs community liaison/ outreach Coordinator for Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services in Boca Raton, said, “The South Palm Beach County special needs panel discussion is an event that aims to educate those within the community, as well as those considering moving to our community.”

“We are hoping to make people aware of the many programs and services available within the South Palm Beach County Jewish Community for people with special needs and their families,” Rosen continue. “The goal of this program is to make individuals with special needs and their families feel welcome and included within our Jewish community.”

Visit jewishboca.org for more information.

Jewish National FundUSA in South Florida presents “No One Left Behind: An Evening with Tiran Attia of Special in Uniform” at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 8 in Miami.

“Director of JNF-USA’s Special in Uniform, Major. (Res.) Tiran Attia, will join Jewish National FundUSA in South Florida to give community members an inside look at this revolutionary program that integrates Israeli teenagers with disabilities and special needs into the Israel Defense Forces and, in turn, into Israeli society,” said event hosts Daniella & Warren Cohn of Converge Public Strategies, in an email. “Frequently referred to as the Israeli military’s secret weapon, Special in Uniform transforms lives and instills a sense of pride in these soldiers, as they too get to experience the rite of passage of serving their country alongside their able-bodied peers and are recognized for their capabilities, rather than their limitations.”