“A human being mints many coins from the same mold, and they are all identical. But the holy one, blessed by God, strikes us all from the mold of the first human and each one of us is [...]
When we run Matan Institute inclusion training sessions for educators and synagogue professionals, we are frequently asked to provide specific ways to help classroom teachers recognize the [...]
As a lifelong Ramahnik and Ramah California Tikvah staff member, I was excited to spend time at the newest Ramah camp in Northern California (“Ramah Galim”) this past summer, helping start a [...]
All of us are created b’tzelem elohim, in God’s image. Each of us is exactly as we should be and worthy of living a meaningful Jewish life. No one has the right to judge what is “meaningful” for [...]
Written by Meredith Englander Polsky, Matan’s National Director of Institutes and Training Remember Lucy? Exactly three years ago, I wrote about her experience in Jewish day school. Two [...]
I teach calligraphers to become Torah scribes, and I teach schools and congregations about Torah scrolls and the Jewish scribal arts. I think all Jews ought to be able to access the magic of [...]
When Jewish children reach the age of bar and bat mitzvah, we celebrate their emerging Jewish adulthood. Most children teach their Torah, participate in leading the liturgy and complete a mitzvah [...]
Matan has been named one of North America’s top 50 innovative Jewish organizations in the eleventh annual Slingshot Guide. The Guide has become a go-to resource for volunteers, activists and [...]
Hopefully by now you know a little bit about Matan’s Dvar Torah Project. We are sharing a weekly dvar torah (word of torah) on this blog that links the parasha (torah portion) to disability [...]
I have always considered myself to be an “out of the box” kind of person. As a very young child I was constantly in the midst of engaging, creative and active play. I never really sat down. I was [...]