The Status of Deaf People in Rabbinic Courts: Session 1

Ramban Synagogue
4 Amatzia, Jerusalem This series will be accessible to people with hearing impairments.

As part of his work as head of IDI's Human Rights and Judaism in Action project, Rabbi Dr. Benjamin (Benny) Lau has been wrestling with the question of the status of sign language in halakha. In particular, he has been studying the issue of the special Ketubah (marriage contract) used in Israel when deaf people get married and its status in religious courts. This issue raises difficult halakhic questions and reveals a wide gap between what is accepted in everyday life and what is accepted in religious rulings.

In order to investigate this question in depth, Rabbi Lau is hosting a series of lectures on this issue that will take place over the course of four weeks and will culminate in a concluding conference. This series, which will take place at the Ramban Synagogue in Jerusalem on consecutive Monday nights, is open to the public and will be accessible to people with hearing impairments. It will also be filmed for future viewing.

Additional sessions in this series will take place on May 27th, June 3rd and June 10th, 2013.