People with disabilities in Jewish religious communities in France: An intersectional perspective

• In Event: Negotiating Disability within Jewish Tradition: Interpretations, Rabbinic Discourses, and the Modern Religious Self

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the interaction between disability and religion. Religion often affects the meaning given to the disability by people with disabilities, their families, and communities. Religion also affects the stigma, exclusion, resilience, support, hope, and coping strategies. However, the intersection of disability and religious minority status has rarely been studied.
This research aims to contribute to filling this gap by exploring the case of people with disabilities in Jewish religious communities in France. We analyze the discourse and practices of this minority religious community regarding disabilities, community members with disabilities, and the welfare, educational, and health services they receive. We examine how religious and cultural identities, beliefs, values, and norms impact the participation, recognition, integration, and treatment of persons with disabilities in the Jewish religious community. We highlight the meaning and repercussions of these persons' double minority status in France – as people with disabilities in an ableist society and as a religious minority in a secular state.
Particularly, this study illuminates the challenges, dilemmas, conflicts, and successes related to the efforts of Jewish organizations to provide culturally and religiously adapted services in a secular state where services provided or financed by the state should not include religious aspects. We demonstrate how different stakeholders negotiate the legitimate and optimal professional praxis given this tension, the boundary work evident in the organizations, and its impact on community members. We analyze how these issues are manifested in varied frameworks, such as Jewish welfare organizations, housing institutions, and educational institutions, and the ramifications in terms of equality, autonomy, independent living, integration in society, and socialization.
This research is based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 30 people with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, staff and volunteers working with people with disabilities, caregivers, educators, activists, and community leaders in France.
This research can increase the theoretical understanding of the interrelation between disability, religion, and community life. On the practical level, we hope that this study will help various stakeholders in France to be more cognizant of the needs and challenges of Jewish people with disabilities.
Anatsa Elbaz - Ben Zion, Jerusalem College of Technology, is a non-presenting co-author on this paper.

Authors

• Zvika Orr, Jerusalem College of Technology

• Yael Tibi-Levy, Centre de Recherche Médecine Science Santé Santé mentale Société (CERMES3)