From The Bimah: Jewish Lessons For Life

When her son was diagnosed as Autistic at age 3, Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman dove into the neurodiversity movement to understand Autistic culture from the inside. What she learned there changed her life. As her son blossomed into a proud Autistic identity, Rabbi Shoshana discovered she was Autistic, too – and that the radical reimagining of normal that benefitted her child could also transform her wellbeing. Interweaving personal narrative with classical Torah, Rabbi Shoshana will speak on the liberatory message of Autistic culture, not only for Autistics but for all of us. Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman is a late-diagnosed Autistic writer, activist, mother, and passionate creative. Her essays have been published in many venues including The New York Times, Tablet Magazine, WBUR’s Cognoscenti, as well as several anthologies. Her first picture book, The Tide Is Rising, So Are We: A Climate Movement Anthem is forthcoming (Beaming Books, 2025). Rabbi Shoshana is co-founder and director of The Artist Beit Midras