24 | FEBRUARY 23 • 2023 

OUR COMMUNITY

A 

few weeks ago, 
Temple Israel 
unveiled two 
all-gender and accessible 
bathrooms.
It’s a major step in inclusiv-
ity that Temple Israel’s Rabbi 
Jen Lader says the congre-
gation has been “dreaming 
about for years.”
“It was a pri-
ority of the con-
gregation and 
something we felt 
strongly about,” 
she explains. 
“Temple Israel 
has been really committed 
to the idea of inclusivity and 
accessibility.”
The two bathrooms are 
located near the temple’s 
chapel for easier access, 
which Lader says can be 
especially helpful for mem-
bers with special needs or in 
wheelchairs. One is a larger 
and single accessible space, 
and the other is a standard 
bathroom with several stalls.
Both bathrooms have new 
signs that designate them for 
all-gender and accessible use.
“We’ve had feedback that 
not only our non-binary and 
trans congregants are thrilled 
about this,” Lader explains, 
“but also people whose part-
ners are in wheelchairs, and 
because they’re different gen-
ders, they couldn’t accompa-
ny them into a bathroom to 
help them.
“Also special needs kids 
and older teens who might 

need a little bit of help,” she 
adds, “and for whom it was 
difficult for their parents to 
find a place to help them in a 
comfortable way.”
Lader says two bathrooms 
of different styles were 
included to help give con-
gregants more options. The 
single bathroom, she says, 
is the only single bathroom 
available in the building.
“If someone’s not com-
fortable using a bathroom 
of either gender or sharing a 
bathroom of either gender, 
there’s a place that meets 
their needs,” she says, “as well 

as for people who need an 
accessible bathroom.”
New accessibility features 
that have been added to the 
bathrooms include handicap 
accessible buttons to open 
the door inbound or out-
bound, rails adjacent to the 
toilet, the removal of any 
barriers to make it easier for 
people to transition from 
wheelchair or walker to toi-
let, and a lock to indicate if a 
stall is vacant.
“We’re just so excited that 
this is meeting so many peo-
ple’s different needs,” Lader 
says.

While Temple Israel 
declined to share the cost of 
the project, the bathrooms 
were created out of existing 
male and female bathrooms. 
One was gutted to open up 
a larger and more accessible 
single space, while the other 
was transformed into an 
all-gender bathroom with 
multiple stalls.
“We want to make sure that 
every single person in our 
community feels comfortable, 
safe, loved and supported in 
our building,” Lader explains. 
“We want to show people that 
we are active allies, and we’re 
willing to put in the work to 
make sure our families know 
this is a safe space.”
Lader says that all-gender 
and inclusive bathrooms are 
just one step that the temple 
is taking to create a con-
gregation that’s welcoming 
to all. There’s a brand-new 
inclusion task force that she 
explains is committed to 
thinking about ways to make 
the building, programming 
and experience “better for 
everyone.”
“We’re thinking about how 
to make our sanctuary more 
inclusive,” Lader shares as an 
example. 
“We’re talking about doing 
an all-needs holiday service 
so that people don’t have to 
worry about kids being loud 
or having sensory concerns. 
We’re really looking at all 
aspects of the temple.” 

Temple Israel unveils all-gender and accessible bathrooms.
An Inclusive Option

Rabbi Jen 
Lader

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

