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1185 Sheridan Road, Glencoe, IL 60022847.835.0724

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At NSCI, we strive to create an environment in which anyone who participates not only is welcome but feels seen and known. Based on the foundational assumptions that all humans have innate dignity and deserve respect, we work to ensure that NSCI is free of bias, explicit or implicit, including able-ism, homophobia, sexism, transphobia, racism, and xenophobia. Participation of all people aligned with NSCI's mission are welcome, regardless of ability, age, appearance, ethnicity, gender, marital status, national origin, parental status, race, religion, and sexual orientation. We recognize that just as every person is unique and made up of multiple facts, so too is every family. There is no one model for who a "typical" NSCI congregant or family is or can be. 

 

 Interfaith and Different Faith Backgrounds 

NSCI is open to and welcoming of Jews, members of Jewish couples and families from different faith or no faith backgrounds, as well as any individual interested in Judaism aligned with NSCI’s mission. Here are some of the ways we demonstrate this value:

  • Family members from different faith backgrounds or no faith are treated no differently than Jews, unless those individuals specifically request not to participate in a particular way.

  • We officiate at weddings of interfaith couples, as well as baby namings, brit milah and b’nei mitzvah of the children of interfaith couples.

  • We regularly partner with houses of worship from different faiths, in particular through our Glencoe Clergy Association and other local interfaith organizations. 

  • Parents, grandparents, and family members or guardians from different faith traditions or no faith tradition are welcome to fully participate in their family member’s Jewish education.

  • Anyone, regardless of faith background, who shares a commitment to NSCI’s mission can participate in any and all offerings of NSCI, including serving on our Board of Trustees.

  Accessibility 

NSCI is committed to serving all congregants and visitors including people with disabilities in a manner that respects their dignity and independence. Our goal is to create a nurturing environment that strives to permit each individual the opportunity to reach their potential. 

 

Accommodations include, but are not limited to:

  • Hearing enhancement devices and large print prayer books in our worship spaces.
  • English translations and transliterations on the same pages as the original Hebrew in our prayer books.
  • Livestream of worship services and many programs for those who have mobility or time limitations. 
  • Wheelchairs available for use while at NSCI. 
  • Staff assistance to/from your vehicle (please contact us at 847.835.0724).
  • A ramp to access our bimah in the Large Sanctuary.
  • Individualized Education in our Religious School and support throughout the B'nei Mitzvah process. 

Resources:

Matan: Changing the Landscape of Disability Inclusion

 

  LGBTQ+ 

Join us for our annual Pride Shabbat service, featuring guest speaker Rabbi Daniel Bogard, on August 25th, 2023 at 6:15 pm. Rabbi Bogard will share his family’s story of raising a trans child while serving as a congregational rabbi. Click here for more information regarding the subject of our guest speakers presentation. 

 

NSCI embraces a diversity of life experiences and Jewish journeys and fosters connection, communication, and support among our members. We welcome all individuals and families aligned with our mission, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, as full participants in all religious practices and in the entire community life of the congregation. We invite LGBTQ+ congregants, whether single or partnered, with or without children, to join our community, using the same membership categories applicable to all other congregants.

 

As the first congregation on the North Shore to officiate same-gender marriage, we support any who choose to sanctify their unions through Jewish marriage ceremonies, whether a Jew marrying a Jew or a Jew marrying a person of a different faith background. Couples are also encouraged to celebrate an aufruf, pre-wedding blessing, with the community at Shabbat services. This same inclusion extends to all LGBTQ+ congregants who adopt or give birth to children and want to bring their children into the Jewish covenant through public rites of Brit Milah privately and/or naming either privately or in Shabbat worship services. 

 

NSCI is committed to making our educational programs and any person’s journey to the ritual of B'nei Mitzvah welcoming and personal. In particular, we commit to ensuring that a person’s Hebrew name in its full form aligns to their gender identity, and will invite the opportunity to mark any name changes publicly or privately that affirm and honor the person’s full human dignity.  Additionally, as a person approaches B’nei Mitzvah, we will work with them and their families to ensure that the name given to the ritual itself is one that affirms and honors the fullness and truth of who they are.  

 

We believe that everyone, including transgender and gender nonconforming individuals, have the right to be addressed by the names and pronouns that correspond to their gender identity that are of their choosing.  Additionally, we believe that anyone who comes to NSCI should have access to a restroom facility that is comfortable for them.  As such, we have four single-stall, all-gender bathrooms across the span of our building, in addition to gender-bathrooms.

 

NSCI’s staff have participated in LGBTQ+ Inclusion training through Keshet, and we continuously work to ensure that our policies and administrative vehicles are as inclusive as possible.  

 

 

                    



NSCI VOICES OF PRIDE

 

                           

 

Resources:

https://www.keshetonline.org/

http://www.transtorah.org/


 

 BIPOC and Jews of Color 

The Jewish community both in America and globally is not monolithic. According to the "Pew Research Center 2020 Jewish population study," 8% of the adult Jewish community identifies as Hispanic, Black, Asian, or “non-White,” and another 7% identify as Sephardic or Mizrahi (or a combination of Ashkenazi, Sephardic and Mizrahi). At NSCI, we are committed to creating an environment that is welcoming for and inclusive of all People of Color, as well as educating our community on this diversity within the Jewish community.

 

Resources:

 FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Finances should never be a barrier to participation at NSCI. Scholarships for the Religious School, b'nei mitzvah, and other programming, as well as dues abatement are available. Contact Todd Braman, NSCI's Executive Director, for more information. All assistance is held in strict confidence. 

 

Mon, March 18 2024 8 Adar II 5784