On May 29, Matan honored ABC’s “The Good Doctor” with Rabbis Shai Held and Aaron Kaufman at its annual gala. Matan is a New York-based national nonprofit dedicated to promoting inclusion and belonging for people with disabilities in the Jewish community.
Aaron Kaufman and Dori Frumin Kirshner
“Each year we recognize several recipients,” Matang Executive Director Dori Frumin Kirshner told the Journal, “and each of them embodies our mission of including people with disabilities in our community.”
Past recipients include the late actor Ed Asner, comedian Pamela Rae Schuller, “Sesame Street’s” Emily Pearl Kingsley, author Andrew Solomon (“Far from the Tree”), the late matriarch of the disability rights movement Judy Heuman, Jewish filmmaker Ilana Trachtman and disability rights advocate Matan Koch.
“A strong and vibrant Jewish community depends on its ability to include people with and without disabilities,” Kirshner said. “We exist to make disability inclusion a priority and ensure that all Jewish communities have the tools and knowledge they need to promote effective and meaningful inclusion.”
Kirshner hopes that Matan’s work will help make inclusion and belonging the norm rather than the exception.
Actors Robert Sean Leonard and David Shore
Held, president and dean of the Hadar Institute in New York City, received the Matan Leadership Award. Attendees were presented with a copy of Held’s latest book, “Judaism is About Love,” by one of the most influential American Jewish thinkers and leaders.
“Through this award, we honor his erudition, teaching, writing and openly sharing his experiences of life with chronic illness to help others better understand that it is possible to achieve incredible accomplishments and productivity while battling an illness invisible to most people,” Kirshner said.
“Judaism places great importance on seeing the invisible, remembering the forgotten, and loving those who are often marginalized.” – Rabbi Shai Held
Held told the Journal that he has great respect for Mattan. “Judaism places great importance on seeing the invisible, remembering the forgotten and loving those who are too often marginalized,” he said. “That’s really what Mattan is about.”
He called mattan kiddush Hashem, a way to sanctify God’s name and make Him more present in the world.
“I feel like the history of humanity is, or should be, a journey of more and more people fully understanding and respecting the humanity of every person on the planet,” he said. “Inclusion of people with disabilities (not just including, embracing!) is therefore an important mitzvah and ethical imperative.”
Kaufman, senior manager of legislative affairs for the Jewish Federations of North America, was presented with the Impact Award in recognition of her dedication and work to create an inclusive Jewish community. She focuses on issues of disability and poverty and is also a member of the Maryland House of Representatives.
Kaufman considers Matang’s staff his allies, and said it’s special to be recognized by the organization. “Sometimes people think that accommodating people with disabilities will create headaches or detract from the experience of people who aren’t disabled,” Kaufman told the Journal. “But they enhance and enrich the experience for everyone.”
Jason Lieberman
When asked what inspired the piece, Kaufman said it was the memory of his late brother. “My brother, Jay Kaufman, was a quadriplegic who needed assistance with all activities of daily living, including showering, eating, and using the toilet,” Kaufman said. “Like my brother, I have cerebral palsy, and [Cerebral Palsy]My brother taught me the importance of speaking up for those with greater needs.”
At the ceremony, David Shore, executive producer and co-showrunner of “The Good Doctor,” accepted the Trailblazer Award on his behalf, along with executive producer and co-showrunner Liz Friedman and executive producer Erin Gunn. The award represents Mattan’s heartfelt gratitude for “The Good Doctor” and the enormous impact it has had on audiences around the world.
“The Good Doctor” has not only entertained audiences with its groundbreaking portrayal of Dr Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, but has also sparked important conversations about the capabilities, challenges and aspirations of people with disabilities.
“For the past seven years, this show has shown the importance of focusing on ability and disability and what can be gained by including everyone,” Kirshner said. “The show has depicted so many different types of issues – congenital, acquired, cognitive, behavioral and those that affect mental health. It’s been a master class in increasing inclusion and belonging for people with disabilities.”
Shore said he was honored but a little surprised by the recognition the show received, calling it “a celebration of people who are doing a great job but pretending to do a great job,” telling the Journal. “When we started The Good Doctor, we quickly realized that the show would be a lot more interesting if we were learning from him than the other way around,” Shore said. “We think we know things. We’re comfortable with our own view of the world, and we need someone to come along and unsettle us a little, shake up that view of the world and make us grow.”
For more information about Matan and this year’s honorees, visit MatanEvent.org