June 20, 2000
Signing
For Love
Orthodox Union Sponsors
Jewish Deaf & Hard of Hearing
Singles Weekend
Finding
that perfect someone to spend the rest of your life with is a daunting
task. It’s even more
difficult when trying to draw from a narrowed pool.
For the small community of single Jewish deaf and hard of hearing
men and women, finding a Jewish mate is a monumental assignment.
To help
them, the Orthodox Union’s Our Way program for the deaf and hearing
impaired is hosting an international singles convention, Labor Day
Weekend, September 1st-3rd in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Statistics
show that 90 percent of deaf people marry other deaf people, but there are
only about 10,000 Jewish deaf in the world. Given this limited population,
the aim of the Orthodox Union is to help the Jewish deaf marry Jewish.
The weekend will include workshops with deaf speakers, meals,
special Sabbath services run by the deaf, a Saturday night activity and a
Sunday trip to Washington D.C. Rabbi
Eliezer Lederfeind, Founder and
Director of Our Way, explains, “There is a very high incidence of
intermarriage among the Jewish deaf.
We recognize how hard it is to find a spouse when you are deaf, let
alone Jewish and deaf. Our
goal is to create social opportunities for this targeted community in the
hope that someone’s search will be made that much easier.”
Our
Way also sponsors the Jewish Deaf Singles Registry (JDSR), a program that
provides a host of services for the Jewish deaf community in America and
around the world. The JDSR
singles events continue to draw men and women not only from communities in
the New York metropolitan area but also from lands as far away as Israel
and France. "People fly in for our events simply because there's
nothing else," said JDSR coordinator Samuel Landau, a deaf Jew who,
together with his wife Rachelle (also deaf), dedicates his time to helping
deaf Jews find Jewish mates. In
the current JDSR newsletter there is an article about an American/Israeli
deaf couple who met through the JDSR and were married in March, 2000.
For
$10 a year, subscribers to the registry – who must be at least 18 years
old and who must be Jewish according to Jewish law – receive an
anonymous ID number and can prepare a brief description of their
background, hobbies, level of religious observance, appearance, qualities
sought in a mate and method of communication (American Sign Language,
oral, etc.) These
descriptions are published, along with articles of interest to the deaf
community, in a newsletter that is sent to JDSR members around the globe.
Readers select from the profiles and write to those who pique their
interest. All correspondence is handled confidentially.
Those
who wish to attend the Labor Day singles weekend must first join the
registry. For more
information, please contact Samuel Landau via TTY/Fax at 908.352.7395, or
email samuellandau@juno.com.
Our
Way, established in 1969, is currently the only organization reaching out
to Jews across the country who
are deaf and hard of hearing, 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 nearly 1,000 Jewish deaf
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
 , is the world’s most
recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 250,000 products in 68
countries around the globe.
###
www.ou.org
Comments?
Requests? Questions?
 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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