Since most of us can’t plant a tree in the wintertime, coloring a tree picture is the second best way to celebrate Tu B’Shevat, aka Jewish Arbor Day.

I love this free printable from Ann Koffsky. For those who may not know, she is a wonderful children’s author/illustrator, and there are lots of other coloring pages and crafts available on her site.

Did you know February is Jewish Disability Awareness & Inclusion Month? Established in 2009, the goal is to raise awareness and foster inclusion of people with disabilities so they can fully engage in every facet of Jewish life.

Chabad has wonderful participation ideas that we can try:

• Host an Inclusion Day at your temple or community center
• Arrange for an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter to be at your next event
• Ensure that people who use wheelchairs, walkers, and canes can access the bimah
• Acquire at least one large-print siddur and one Braille siddur
• Install written and Braille signage 
• Learn and teach your community how to sign six phrases in ASL
• Invite a person with a disability to speak to your community
• Invite people with disabilities to participate in the preparation for kiddush and meal functions
• Extend personal invitations to people who may be on the margins of society
• Invite people from group homes or your local Jewish program for adults with disabilities to services

My favorite tip? Promote inclusion by using social media with hashtags #JDAIM17 and #JUSTASK (can be done even if you’re totally unaffiliated). We need to remember that people with disabilities are handi-capable, not handicapped! Let’s make our communities warm and welcoming to everyone. 

Very exciting news for those of us who love museums and biblical history: a 430,000 sq. foot facility is currently being built in Washington, D.C. Both the Old and New Testaments will be featured, ensuring it will become a popular destination for Christians and Jews alike.

Here’s a description of what will be included at the Museum of the Bible, directly from their website:

Narrative Floor:

The Narrative Floor shares the stories of the Bible by engaging all of guests’ senses. The adventure and drama of the Bible will come to life in riveting presentations. Visitors will walk through the narratives of the Hebrew text from Genesis to Chronicles and then through first-century Nazareth, ending with the story of the New Testament. This floor intertwines immersive experiences with artifacts, executed in highly creative ways.

History Floor:

The History Floor showcases archaeological discoveries through modern cinematic storytelling to bring the biography of the book we call the Bible to life. The History Floor will feature more than 500 world-class artifacts that document the Bible’s preservation, translation, and transmission across centuries and cultures. This floor features many of the greatest biblical discoveries, including writings dating to the time of Abraham, fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, early New Testament writings, and more.

Impact Floor:

The Impact Floor will explore the Bible’s impact over time on cultures, civilization, and daily life, including its profound influence on fine arts, science, government, and more. The Impact Floor will be modern, technologically advanced, visually stimulating, and interactive. It will tell stories of the Bible’s impact and invite visitors to share their own stories.

I know a lot of people claim that Washington is already overrun with this stuff, but the Museum of the Bible is special. The archeological finds, in particular, interest me. I think it will be a fabulous addition! It’s also really nice to see that expressions of faith are welcome in our nation’s Capitol.

In what has to be one of the strangest custody disputes ever, a transgender member of the Ultra Orthodox community in England has been denied all physical contact with biological children. The Judge’s reasoning? The children and their natural mother will be shunned by their peers if it occurs. Calling the two lifestyles “completely incompatible” and stating the he had “real regret about the decision,” the Judge will only permit letters to be exchanged.

A rabbi, speaking for the natural mother, says: “it’s clear that being transgender, and undergoing procedures to achieve a sex change, violate a number of basic principles in Torah law.”

While I’d agree with the rabbi, I think is a very complicated situation that would take the wisdom of Solomon to solve (and I certainly don’t have a solution!). No matter what happens, these children will be hurt. Severing the relationship can cause feelings of abandonment, but having close contact will undoubtedly confuse them. As for the argument about being shunned? Knowing the Jewish community as I do, that’s a given. We are a wonderful People in so many ways, but we have an unfortunate tendency to be extremely judgmental. Maybe in a Reform congregation—and I stress the word maybe—a transgender parent could be accepted, but never, ever by the Orthodox.

Readers are welcome to weigh in. Do you think transgender parents should be kept away from their children?