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When I attended a Jewish Day School (called Yeshiva), I remember a class lesson on conversion. Rule #1 in conversion - You cannot convert to Judaism to just marry someone you love. Being Jewish is more than just a piece of paper. It means keeping kosher, attending the synagogue, educating your children in Judaism, follow the mitzvahs (as best as you can) but above all, to live in a Jewish life to the best of your beliefs. Not to say “I’m Jewish, now let’s get married, and please pass the bacon.”

This deaf lady wanted to convert to Judaism to marry someone she loved. The rabbis should’ve ruled that it’s impermissible to marry for love, and stop right there. But no, that’s not the reason why she couldn’t convert. The reason is that “those who cannot hear, cannot fulfill mitzvoth and therefore, believes rabbinical court in 2008, cannot convert to Judaism.” And that’s what this controversy is all about.

Keep in mind that I’m not ignoring or putting down the rest of the non-Orthodox in the Jewish Deaf Communities. The issue is that the ruling was made by a group of Orthodox Rabbis interpreting the Torah and the Jewish Laws their way. So I want to focus on this from their Orthodox angle.

What is an Orthodox Jew? “Orthodox Judaism has held fast to such practices as daily worship, dietary laws, intensive study of the Torah, and separation of men and women in the synagogue.” In other words, to worship daily is a Mitzvah, to study the Torah is a Mitzvah, etc. (Mitzvots is a plural form of Mitzvah). So basically the Rabbinical Court is saying that deaf Jews can’t pray, can’t study the Torah, etc. And this is not the first time they’ve ruled this way. There has been numerous rulings against the Jewish Deaf people simply because can’t do mitzvots. What’s different is that this is year 2008 and we know now that Jewish Deaf are capable of performing Mitzvots, and that the Rabbinical Court needs to be educated why this ruling is so outdated today.

The Israeli Rabbinical Court should visit Baltimore where Orthodox Rabbi Fred Friedman and Rabbi David Kastor lives.

The Israeli Rabbinical Court should visit Nefesh Dovid, the world’s only Orthodox Deaf Yeshiva High School for boys in Toronto.

The Israeli Rabbinical Court should attend the annual Melave Malka held by Beth Torah of the Deaf in Brooklyn, NY where many Orthodox Jewish Deaf gather once a year.

I personally call on Orthodox Rabbi Eliezer Liederfiend of NCSY- Our Way to immediately call the Chief Rabbinical Court to tell them not only that their reasons for their ruling is wrong, but that it is so damaging and dangerous to the Jewish Deaf Community.

The Jewish Deaf community is already facing an estimated 90%+ interfaith marriage rate. The Jewish Deaf community is facing intense pressure from the Christian Missionaries. This ruling is just adding fuel to the fires. I’m willing to bet that the Christian Missionaries are already printing copies of this article to show the next time they target a Jewish Deaf to convert. Oh yea, this will make their job a lot easier!

I don’t think the Rabbis have thought of the consequences of this ruling. And the Chief Rabbinical Court have made a mockery of Judaism, because this is just one of the many crazy and inconsiderate rulings to date. For the sake of the ENTIRE JEWISH COMMUNITY, The Chief Rabbinical Court deserved to be roundly condemned and replaced immediately!

Update: The Rabbinical Court can be enlighted right in their backyard with the Orthodox organization -   Council of Young Israel Rabbis in Israel’s Judaic Heritage Program for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired.

I’ve never met him but I know his parents since our paths crossed at Deaf Rochester events.

Kevin Mowl is a CODA and who has made the ultimate sacrifice to make USA a safer place to live and help bring freedom to Iraq.

Here’s his website: Kevin Mowl.

The Gunter family expresses deep sympathy to his parents and sister.

One of the biggest problem with Super Bowl commercials is that they tend to make at the last minute and despite spending a fortune for production and air time, closed-captioning is always an afterthought.

This time, Pepsi made a commercial ahead of time, using deaf actors signing in ASL with subtitles.

Click Here to see the commercial.

I didn’t understand the joke of “Bob’s House” until I saw the commercial. I do recall this folklore told in different versions. One was a deaf couple staying at a hotel and the guy had to go out to get something but then he couldn’t remember his hotel room so he honked his car’s horn and all the lights were on, except one. That’s how he found his hotel room.

Kokonut Pundit hits another homerun with his posting titled “Pinkberry“.

Of course, being a UbiDuo seller, my opinion may be biased

The key operative word is WORK, as in what works? What faciliates communication between the deaf and hearing in the most effective manner?

Besides sign language and lipreading, what else works in face to face communication?

A pen and paper pad works. A Nintendo DS works (yes, someone uses it as a communication tool with the built-in graffiti program). Email, IM and/or SMS between two cell phones may work, if available. And of course, the UbiDuo works.

A messenger toy? It depends on reliability (how long until it breaks), keyboard, speed of sending and receiving messages, etc. Only time will tell if it will yet be another tool of communication. I’m not holding my breath on this one. Given the choice between the toy thingy and the pen/pad, I’ll take the pen/pad combo any day.

Just an observation that I’m seeing so many deaf people working for Relay Services that it just reminds me of deaf printers union.