ONCE AGAIN, OUR WAY PRESENTS POWERPOINT MEGILLAH TO ENABLE THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
TO EASILY FOLLOW THE READING
The Megillah-reading experience is one of the main features of the joyous Purim holiday, which is celebrated on March 20 this year. People are in good spirits, they enjoy seeing one another’s costume, and children delight in making noise in protest of Haman’s name. However, for the deaf and hard of hearing, the Megillah reading can be a frustrating experience, as it is hard for them to follow along with the rest of the congregation.
Not so, however, at least for 100 OU synagogues across North America.
Our Way, a program for the deaf and hard of hearing of the OU’s National Jewish Council for Disabilities, has addressed this dilemma. Our Way has put the entire Megillah, including the blessings, on a PowerPoint computer disk that projects the text in both Hebrew and English, side by side, onto a screen set up in the center of the synagogue. The verses that are repeated aloud by the congregation are highlighted in a different color to make it easy to follow along. As the villainous Haman’s name appears, humorous images, such as a raging bull or a rabbi stomping his feet, are flashed on the screen.
The project was developed by Our Way coordinator in Montreal Frank Duchoeny. Since its inception four years ago, Our Way has offered shuls around North America the opportunity to partake in its unique creation of a PowerPoint presentation of the Megillah. Over 100 synagogue and schools from across North America requested the Megillah PowerPoint presentation last year, and according to Batya Jacob, Our Way program director, similar numbers are expected in 2008.
Mrs. Jacob declared, “We find that the shuls love it because it’s really engaging, and adds to the fun of reading the Megillah.” She said that it is not just the deaf and hard of hearing who find it convenient, but also the elderly and visually impaired, who find the large text easy to follow. “The kids love it as well for its interactive nature, and people with ADD or learning disabilities find it really easy to follow,” Mrs. Jacob said.
Rabbi Jack Moline, of the Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, VA, said, “We don’t have a large hard of hearing community, but the presentation is magnificent for the congregation as a whole. Everyone focuses on the actual reading of the Megillah, because it really offers the opera house experience.”
Additionally, for the first time since its inception, the PowerPoint presentation will be screened in a yeshiva in Israel, thanks to the request of one of Our Way’s members who is studying for the year in Jerusalem. Gallaudet University, which caters specifically to the deaf population, once again plans to use the presentation at its Hillel this Purim.
The cost of the presentation is a donation of $100 to Our Way/NJCD. To place an order, contact Batya Jacob at 212-613-8127 or jacobb@ou.org.