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Melinda Jones

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Mar 28, 2018, 5:06 PM

5 Reasons Why Pesach Should Be Called the Festival of Inclusion

The Haggadah -- the book we read at the Passover seder -- is remarkable because as early as the 13th century (and possibly hundreds of years earlier) Jews were being taught lessons of inclusion. The lessons of inclusion are...

Jan 12, 2018, 10:40 PM

Limmud & the Language of Disability

LimmudUK is a festival of Jewish ideas, where controversy and debate are encouraged. So it was not perhaps so very surprising that there were some fundamental differences about approaches to disability expressed by different presenters. The debate was specifically...

Dec 10, 2017, 2:22 PM

Chanukah: A Festival for Building Inclusive Communities

Chanukah has always been great fun at my house. We light candles, sing as many Chanukah songs as we can think of, dance around the room, have dreidel wars and eat ‘ponchkas’ (as my Yiddish speaking grandchildren insist on...

Sep 19, 2017, 3:22 PM

Four Ways You Can Work for Inclusive Communities this Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur provide an opportunity for all of us to indulge in reflection about our lives and experiences of the world. This is a time to take stock individually and as a community. So now is...

Jul 21, 2017, 10:44 AM

Leonard Cohen, the Sisters of Mercy and Disability Advocacy

Being a self-advocate is not easy. When we have one specific problem, it is reasonably manageable to report on the problem and be involved in finding a solution. But as we discovered last week, in Parshat Pinchas, successful self-advocacy...

Jul 7, 2017, 6:01 AM

Balak, Blessings & Disability

The Moabite King Balak was extremely worried about the power of the Children of Israel – that ragtag collection of escaped slaves who, with the help of the Torah, had begun the process of nation-building while wandering in the...

Apr 5, 2017, 6:07 PM

The Haggadah & Meeting the Needs of All Jewish Learners

As Pesach approaches, Jews around the world are preparing for nights when they will share a feast of food and of thought with family and friends. In almost as many ways as can be imagined, the Pesach Hagaddah, a...

Dec 1, 2016, 4:46 PM

Isaac, Disability and Aging in Parshat Toldot

“It came to pass when Isaac was old, and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called Esau his elder son, and he said to him, "My son," and he said to him, "Here I am." Genesis...

Nov 1, 2016, 9:53 PM

Silent Protest while Women Wage Peace

It was a happy coincidence for me to be in Israel for Succoth so I could take part in the Women Wage Peace protest. Over a number of days, Palestinian and Israeli women had began marching in small numbers...

May 30, 2016, 6:02 PM

Give Happy, Live Happy: When People with Disabilities Volunteer

Societies have always depended on a considerable force of people who engage in “good works”. These are usually women making food for a neighbour or helping out with chores or tending to those who are sick or sorting and...

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About Me

Melinda Jones is an independent scholar working on a range of projects related to disability, Judaism and Jewish law. Her previous research into human rights has included books, chapters and articles about the rights of people with disabilities (in domestic and international law); free speech & racial hatred; the rights of the child; religion & the law; and feminism, gender & women's rights. Melinda taught political science and law at Australian Universities for over 20 years.