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Service for deaf and hearing impaired offered for fourth year at Montclair synagogue - NorthJersey.com
It's not just for people who are deaf or have some type of hearing loss. Open captioning is for everyone.
For the fourth year, Bnai Keshet Reconstructionist Synagogue is offering open captioning, or Communication Access Realtime Translation [CART], during High Holy Day services, which began last night.
Prayers and readings from the service are typed as they are spoken and appear on a large screen visible from practically any spot in the sanctuary.
Associate Rabbi Darby Jared Leigh, one of a small number of deaf men and women ordained as rabbis, said many people, not just those with hearing problems, can benefit from it.
"People who can hear just fine, but might process information better visually, might be reading along when they're listening, but they're not deaf or hearing impaired," Leigh said. "When there is CART, everybody in the room uses it, for one reason or another."
While it may be a distraction for some, it could be considered a tool for better focusing on prayer, meditation, and reflection, said the synagogue's rabbi, Elliott Tepperman. "This is an opportunity to rededicate yourself to what you're most concerned with focusing on," Tepperman said.
Leigh noted, "Even the people who say it's a distraction … it becomes a spiritual tool for them to train their focus. They are using it too."
For people who are deaf or hearing impaired, it's a big opportunity for inclusion during a very special time, the rabbis said.
"Part of why we are committed to this is that it's great for everybody," said Leigh, who introduced CART to the synagogue when he came in 2008.
The synagogue does not keep track of how many people use the service. But Tepperman guessed that less than 50 people either fully or partially use CART. Tepperman said that on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, more than 600 people typically attend services.
In some cases, perhaps, having a visual tool has helped participants understand portions of the service that they hadn't before, Tepperman said.
"If you missed hearing what page number we're on, it pops back up a moment later," he said. "Part of being a welcoming community is making the service as accessible as possible for everyone."
Leigh noted, "The value of it far exceeds the headcount number.
"Deafness and hearing impairment are invisible. You can tell how many people are in a wheelchair … but you can't count in a congregation where you're providing real-time captioning."
Leigh said he knows of some synagogues in New Jersey that use American Sign Language interpreters, but he doesn't know of any others that use CART. Cost may be a factor, but it's a technology that isn't widely known, according to Leigh.
"People don't know that this is available," Leigh said. "And people don't know what a difference it would make."
One northern New Jersey synagogue, which typically uses a sign language interpreter for the High Holy Days but will not have one this year, has made arrangements with Bnai Keshet to send over its members who use it, according to Leigh.
"Bnai Keshet has an open door. We don't require that you be a member of Bnai Keshet to come and worship."
Action pledge cards will be distributed this year, displaying 15 ways people can volunteer, serve food at homeless shelters, work to strengthen education systems, and learn about global hunger and gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual equality, Tepperman said. Also, the synagogue will hold its annual food drive for the Human Needs Food Pantry, and national nonprofit organization MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. Bags will be available on Rosh Hashanah at Central Presbyterian Church, where the synagogue's High Holy Day services will be held.
The synagogue rents the CART equipment, and Leigh said there is a commitment to maintaining the service.
"Once we've been doing it for 10 years and Bnai Keshet becomes known as that place that people who want to hear and see what is going on, then it will happen more."
It's not just for people who are deaf or have some type of hearing loss. Open captioning is for everyone.
For the fourth year, Bnai Keshet Reconstructionist Synagogue is offering open captioning, or Communication Access Realtime Translation [CART], during High Holy Day services, which began last night.
Prayers and readings from the service are typed as they are spoken and appear on a large screen visible from practically any spot in the sanctuary.
Associate Rabbi Darby Jared Leigh, one of a small number of deaf men and women ordained as rabbis, said many people, not just those with hearing problems, can benefit from it.
"People who can hear just fine, but might process information better visually, might be reading along when they're listening, but they're not deaf or hearing impaired," Leigh said. "When there is CART, everybody in the room uses it, for one reason or another."
While it may be a distraction for some, it could be considered a tool for better focusing on prayer, meditation, and reflection, said the synagogue's rabbi, Elliott Tepperman. "This is an opportunity to rededicate yourself to what you're most concerned with focusing on," Tepperman said.
Leigh noted, "Even the people who say it's a distraction … it becomes a spiritual tool for them to train their focus. They are using it too."
For people who are deaf or hearing impaired, it's a big opportunity for inclusion during a very special time, the rabbis said.
"Part of why we are committed to this is that it's great for everybody," said Leigh, who introduced CART to the synagogue when he came in 2008.
The synagogue does not keep track of how many people use the service. But Tepperman guessed that less than 50 people either fully or partially use CART. Tepperman said that on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, more than 600 people typically attend services.
In some cases, perhaps, having a visual tool has helped participants understand portions of the service that they hadn't before, Tepperman said.
"If you missed hearing what page number we're on, it pops back up a moment later," he said. "Part of being a welcoming community is making the service as accessible as possible for everyone."
Leigh noted, "The value of it far exceeds the headcount number.
"Deafness and hearing impairment are invisible. You can tell how many people are in a wheelchair … but you can't count in a congregation where you're providing real-time captioning."
Leigh said he knows of some synagogues in New Jersey that use American Sign Language interpreters, but he doesn't know of any others that use CART. Cost may be a factor, but it's a technology that isn't widely known, according to Leigh.
"People don't know that this is available," Leigh said. "And people don't know what a difference it would make."
One northern New Jersey synagogue, which typically uses a sign language interpreter for the High Holy Days but will not have one this year, has made arrangements with Bnai Keshet to send over its members who use it, according to Leigh.
"Bnai Keshet has an open door. We don't require that you be a member of Bnai Keshet to come and worship."
Action pledge cards will be distributed this year, displaying 15 ways people can volunteer, serve food at homeless shelters, work to strengthen education systems, and learn about global hunger and gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual equality, Tepperman said. Also, the synagogue will hold its annual food drive for the Human Needs Food Pantry, and national nonprofit organization MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. Bags will be available on Rosh Hashanah at Central Presbyterian Church, where the synagogue's High Holy Day services will be held.
The synagogue rents the CART equipment, and Leigh said there is a commitment to maintaining the service.
"Once we've been doing it for 10 years and Bnai Keshet becomes known as that place that people who want to hear and see what is going on, then it will happen more."