Welcome to Deaf Shul!
DeafShul is a new hub for Jewish resources that have been made accessible in British Sign Language for the Deaf Jewish Community in the UK.
Why have we done this?
Jewish educational resources have not always been made accessible to the Deaf or Hard of Hearing communities in British Sign Language, or BSL. This website was created for Deaf Jewish BSL users, but of course everyone is welcome here!
We aim to provide links to resources for learning Hebrew, Torah study, Jewish history and other educational videos, all made accessible in BSL. We even hope to slowly build a glossary of Jewish signs, collected from Deaf Jewish BSL users. Eventually we hope that Deaf children studying for their B’nei Mitzvah or Deaf adults hoping to travel to Israel might be able to use this website as a place to begin their journeys into Judaism.
A History of Jewish Education of the Deaf in Britain
For many years, Deaf Jewish people were sidelined by the communities in which they lived. As most shuls had no profoundly Deaf members, or maybe only one or two, it was sadly deemed ‘too expensive’ to invest in BSL interpreters for services or for Jewish children in Cheders. The result? Jewish Deaf people left their Jewish identities behind, as they could not connect with the rest of the Jewish community.
However times have changed and British Sign Language is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Jewish communities are more likely to embrace inclusive services now and educators are more aware of the need to make their resources accessible to people with communication needs. And this is where DeafShul comes in.
