Rabbi Yehoshua Soudakoff on Israeli TV

Rabbi Yehoshua Soudakoff was interviewed on Israeli TV Channel 20. The TV program hostess is Lital Shemesh, and the female Israeli sign language interpreter is Shirit Cohen-koka. The following is a transcript of what was said in the interview.

* Now another matter entirely Chabad house which are a few places in the world, but today we will talk to a special emissary Chabad, emissary to the deaf community, and Rabbi in the deaf community in Israel, The Rabbi “Yehoshua Soudakoff” Hello, good evening.

– Good evening, nice to meet you.

* Our translator “Shirit Cohen-koka” will translate to you.

* What does Rabbi Chabad mean for the deaf community?

– This means that finally there are people in the community who can understand their language, Language of the Deaf, Sign language, our perception, our culture, this is how we can connect with the deaf person and this is an important thing.

* How can the deaf person pray in the synagogue today?

– First of all, it’s important to mention that there are different deaf people: there are deaf people who hear nothing, and there are some who hear portion, these two kind of deaf people are treated well in the synagogue, they treated well by good friends who help them and guide them where they are, and some deaf people don’t even come to the synagogue.

* Do you have any advice on how to emphasize prayers for deaf people in synagogues?

– I think in the context of the synagogue it’s like a race, a lot of people are trying to follow where we are. So if there are deaf people, they can show us where they are to help them and give them the sense of community that everyone is really looking for in a synagogue.

Rabbi Yeshoshua Soudakoff on Israeli TV

* Charming, so we really saw in the pictures a bit from your activities, tell us a little about what you do on a daily basis, what the activities look like? What does it include?

– We are in the “Chabad Rishon Lezion center”, also do activity throughout the country in the north as well in Jerusalem in all kinds of places to deaf people, and in the Chabad center we also have guide booklets, for example: a person who is already hearing praying aloud and next to him is someone who explains the same prayer at the same time to fits the deaf audience as well they can finally connect, they can finally understand the prayer, to understand what sign language brings, which is amazing, now in the New Year there was really a quorum of the deaf and it was very exciting, it’s New Year and it’s a holiday and it’s not as we have been for years.

* Charming, are your activities at Chabad is for the religious people only or for the whole people?

– It’s open for everyone.

* What are the challenges and difficulties which encounter you in your work?

– One of the biggest challenges we are seeing in recent times, it’s that there are deaf people in our community who are more disadvantaged, for example: deaf people who are new immigrants -and they are not much- associated with Jewish identity and perception, and some people say that this is how these disadvantaged people are exploited clearly for our activities, and those people don’t understand the difference and don’t understand that it isn’t Judaism, it is a very big problem that it destroys families and really change the lives of many people, and we contacted with Yad L’Achim who is very caring about this issue, they have many years of experience in this field, and we really asked them to know what we to do, and now there’s really a collaboration between us to build a public awareness program for those deaf people, and this is something that is very important, and we really respect the relationship with Yad L’Achim. It’s very important for this organization.

* Rabbi Yehoshua, can you tell us a little about you, about your personal story, when did you lose your hearing?

– I didn’t lose my hearing, it was from the beginning, my family is deaf too, my parents and my siblings are all deaf, I came from the United States – Los Angeles since three years ago, I got married choosing my heart and moved to Israel.

* You were ordained in the rabbinate, you succeeded as a deaf person to pass the whole process which is amazing.

– Right, I’m not the first in the world, even my parents were married by a deaf rabbi, this is something that is very familiar to me, the way I grew up in the United States where there is more awareness to the deaf, and when I actually came to Israel I was the only one in the country who was a deaf rabbi, and the deaf people were wondering, how could you to be the rabbi? how could this? do you hear? but no, I’m as deaf as they are.

* Amazing and inspiring Maybe, in the end, you will teach us how to say in sign language a happy new year (LShana Tovah)?

– Happy new year (LShana Tovah).

* Happy New Year (LShana Tovah) to you and thanks “Yehoshua Soudakoff”, thanks “Shirit Cohen-koka” for the translation.

– Thank you very much for the translation, and for all to the deaf community.

* Thank you very much.

Source: Israel TV, Channel 20

Published On: 4 Heshvan 5780 (4 Heshvan 5780 (November 2, 2019))