Accessibility & Inclusion
We are committed to ensuring that everyone can participate fully in the life of our community, with accommodations for disabilities and inclusive facilities for people of all gender identities.
We strive to make our programs welcoming and accessible to all. Our doors are open to anyone seeking a spiritual home: individuals with disabilities, multi-faith families, members of the LGBTQ+ community, Jews of Color, and all who wish to connect more deeply with Jewish life. We are committed to inclusion, embracing both visible and invisible disabilities with care and intention. Whatever your age or stage of life, you’ll find meaningful opportunities for connection and community—especially at a time when Jewish belonging matters more than ever.
Website Accessibility
Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards.
Conformance status
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA.
Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York is making constant efforts to improve the accessibility of its site and services in the belief that it is our collective moral obligation to allow seamless, accessible, and unhindered use for those of us with disabilities.
Wheelchair Access
There are three ways for members and guests in wheelchairs to access our campus:
- For services in the Main Sanctuary and Beth-El Chapels: through the Garden Entrance, the northernmost door of the synagogue on Fifth Avenue between 65th and 66th Streets
- For programs in our religious school and Lowenstein Sanctuary: at 10 East 66th Street
- For programs in our offices, nursery school, Greenwald Auditorium, Museum and Library: at 1 East 65th Street.
Restrooms for the Fifth Avenue Sanctuary are located on the Fifth Avenue mezzanine (one floor down). For members and guests who may find stairs difficult to manage, there is a new elevator at the rear of Beth El Chapel. We recommend entering through the Garden Entrance on Fifth Avenue and taking this elevator to access restrooms. Alternatively, you may still enter through the Community House doors at 1 East 65th Street and use that elevator to access the mezzanine level.
In Lowenstein Sanctuary, restrooms are on the first floor.
Assistive Listening Devices and Large Print Prayer Books
For those who have hearing aids or cochlear implants equipped with t-coils, our sophisticated loop system allows them to receive a direct audio feed of our services and programs in the Fifth Avenue and Lowenstein Sanctuaries.
Please note that the t-coil setting in hearing aids must be turned on before use. Consult your audiologist to ensure t-coils are properly adjusted for this purpose.
Induction Loop Hearing System
Our ushers are happy to provide guests with hearing enhancement devices and/or large print prayer books when requested.
Gender Neutral Bathrooms
We have multiple gender neutral bathrooms on our campus.
Service Animals
We allow service animals, i.e. animals individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability.
We regret that we cannot permit emotional support animals to enter the premises, as they are not trained in the same way.
Department of Lifelong Learning/Religious School
We want every student to feel wanted, needed, and included. We support all of our students and provide resources tailored to their learning needs. We support families and their children who experience learning and social-emotional challenges. In our programs, we strive to implement accommodations in a student’s IEP. We are open to discussing different learning opportunities.
The school has an inclusion coordinator on staff and works with experts in the field to ensure we can meet the needs of all learners. The coordinator also meets with teachers. To this end, the members of the Lifelong Learning team engage in their own professional development
Each student in the third to sixth grade studies Hebrew with a tutor one-on-one online so that their individual needs are met.
Resources:
https://childmind.org/
https://www.understood.org/en
https://www.sensorysmarts.com/
Additional Help
For additional help, please contact the Membership Office at 212-507-9514 or membership@emanuelnyc.org.
