JDA – maintaining Jewish Deaf culture and traditions
JDA is the only charity within the Jewish community dedicated to supporting and empowering deaf and hard-of-hearing people to overcome challenges and get the best out of life.
While our services are open to everyone, and our diverse community celebrates a range of different cultures, JDA’s warm and welcoming community centre reflects traditional Jewish values and provides a culturally appropriate environment and activity programme for the Jewish community.
Set up in 1951, the Jewish Deaf Association (JDA) provided a meeting place for the Jewish Deaf community who had nowhere else to go. JDA is still the only community centre in the UK supporting the specific needs of people who are both Deaf and Jewish.
Nowadays, JDA ensures that every older or vulnerable Jewish Deaf and Deafblind person has the individual care and support they need to cope with daily life, someone to turn to for help with whatever challenges they face, and a vibrant community to belong to, where everyone can communicate easily and enjoy Jewish culture and Deaf life together.
Together as a community, we mark all the major Jewish festivals through fully accessible, participative services and celebrations. JDA’s interactive Passover Seder (the only signed Seder in Europe) is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives! Check our events calendar for upcoming dates.
We maintain a Kosher/dairy kitchen, serving delicious meals and refreshments.
Booking BSL interpreters for Jewish events
JDA provides BSL interpreters at synagogue services over the High Holy Days to enable Jewish Deaf people to participate and feel a part of the wider Jewish community. We help with arranging BSL interpreters for Bar/Bat Mitzvot and weddings to ensure Jewish Deaf people can be fully involved in Jewish lifecycle events and religious ceremonies and we are committed to providing BSL interpreters for JDA members in mourning at Jewish funeral and shiva services.
Contact us to find out more.
DeafShul – Deaf Jewish Learning and Culture
We are proud to be supporting DeafShul to create new Jewish learning and cultural activities for Deaf people across the country to join in.
Check DeafShul’s calendar for upcoming dates.
Arranging access to major mainstream Jewish community events
We love to hear about any major events going on in the Jewish community, so that we can offer Deaf members of the community the opportunity to participate.
If you’d like to join in a major mainstream Jewish community event, please let us know (as far in advance as possible) and, if it is likely to interest other Deaf people, we will do our best to arrange BSL interpreters and full access for Deaf BSL users.
Contact us here.