February 24, 2000

Estimates vary, but by all accounts the total Jewish population of Indianapolis does not exceed 10,000. And that city boasts the state’s largest Jewish community. There are a handful of synagogues in the area; there is one Jewish day school; and for those who are Jewish and deaf or hard of hearing, participation in the local chapter of Our Way – the Orthodox Union’s national program for the Jewish deaf – is the only way to learn about their religion and connect with other members of the city’s small Jewish deaf population.

On the weekend of March 10-11, children, teens and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing will gather in Indianapolis for the community’s first ever Our Way Shabbaton (weekend retreat). Organized by chapter leader Cassia Margolis – the mother of three children, two of whom are deaf – the weekend event is expected to draw attendees from the immediate local area as well as from neighboring communities that lack resources for deaf Jews.

"We are a small group, but we are a thriving group," says Ms. Margolis. "Out here, we are cut off from the greater Jewish community. Outside of our programs and events, there is no other way for someone who is deaf or hard of hearing to express their Jewishness."

When Ms. Margolis, her husband, Dr. Larry Greenbaum, and their children – Esther, now 12 and Aaron, 9, who is deaf first moved to the area in 1993 (Sarah, now 5 and also deaf, was born after the family’s move) – Dr. Greenbaum began making calls to try to find out about the local services for Jewish deaf children. When the family’s investigation turned up an overwhelming lack of resources, they turned to the OU, where they learned about the organization’s Our Way program.

"Your son is probably the only deaf Jewish child in Indianapolis," Our Way Director Rabbi Eliezer Lederfeind told Ms. Margolis at the time, offering to add her family to the program’s substantial national mailing list and inviting her to attend an Our Way convention in Cleveland.

Two years later, Dr. Greenbaum was studying American Sign Language (ASL) with a local deaf teacher. As the Passover holiday approached, the teacher told Ms. Margolis and Dr. Greenbaum that she had grown up Jewish and asked if she could bring her father – who is also deaf – and her step-mother to their family’s seder.

"It was a completely signed seder," recalls Ms. Margolis. "We didn’t exactly follow the Haggadah (the ancient book read on the holiday, chronicling the story of the Jews freedom from slavery in Egypt), but we certainly told the story of Passover in great detail. It was one of the coolest seders I had ever experienced." The following fall, a get-together for Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year – uncovered more deaf Jewish members of the community. "It was so wonderful," says Ms. Margolis "Jewish deaf individuals and their families came out of the woodwork to attend this event."

Soon after, Ms. Margolis called Rabbi Lederfeind and said, "Let’s start an Our Way chapter here in Indianapolis!" The chapter began with 18 people (including adults and children) and membership continues to grow as people learn about its existence. In many cases, Ms. Margolis reports, the Our Way chapter also provides the hearing family members of the deaf or hard of hearing individuals with their first exposure to the rituals of the Jewish religion.

The chapter’s upcoming Shabbat event will feature signed prayer services, festive meals, recreational activities, educational programs on the elements of the Sabbath and a special signed Jewish storytelling contest.

"Any kind of outreach is an investment in the Jewish people," says Ms. Margolis. "Our goal is to help people develop their sense of Jewish identity so that they will have something to pass on to the next generation. When our members are able to stand up and say ‘I am Jewish’ – to me, that’s success!"

For more information on the Shabbat event in Indianapolis, or to register, please contact Cassia Margolis at 317.726.1266 (voice/TTY). For more information on Our Way, please contact Rabbi Eliezer Lederfeind at 212.613.8234.

Our Way, established in 1969, is currently the only organization reaching out to deaf and hard of hearing Jews across the country, bridging the gap between the hearing and non-hearing worlds. Through a vast array of programs including holiday celebrations, a deaf singles registry, Torah study groups, summer tours, family retreats, conventions and special signing publications, Our Way provides spiritual and social opportunities for the nearly 2,000 Jewish deaf and hard of hearing individuals across the country.

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of America and beyond, is the world leader in youth work, advocacy for the disabled, synagogue services, adult education and political action. Its kosher supervision label, the OU, is the world's most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on nearly 250,000 products in 68 countries around the globe.

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Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America Department of Public Relations Sharyn Perlman, Director Main Office: 11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 Phone: 212-613-8321 Fax: 212-564-9058 E-mail: media@ou.org

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