A Torah That Opens Doors for Everyone

November 6, 2026

A rainbow. A tree. A goat. A familiar face.

For the youngest students at The Epstein School, these colorful illustrations are an invitation to explore something they might otherwise only admire from a distance: the Torah.

Each year around Simchat Torah, Michelle Young, Judaics Coordinator for Epstein’s Early Childhood Program, welcomes a very special visitor to the school. It’s a larger-than-life Illustrated Torah, filled with images that bring Jewish stories to life. 

And unlike a traditional Torah scroll, this one invites little hands to explore. 

Children from infancy through pre-K gather around the colorful scroll, using yads (Torah pointers) to discover familiar images. They search for rainbows, animals and people, growing curious about the stories they’ll study throughout the year. 

“They are mesmerized,” Michelle said. “It’s something they go home talking about for sure.” 

The experience has become a beloved Simchat Torah tradition at Epstein, extending into the elementary grades, where older students compare the illustrated version with a traditional Torah. 

But the Illustrated Torah isn’t Epstein’s alone. 

It belongs to the entire Jewish Atlanta community, and JAccess, Federation’s disability inclusion team, makes sure everyone has an opportunity to experience it. 

Originally commissioned approximately 20 years ago through the ‘Amit’ program, specialized special education program within The David Academy which ended in 2013, the Illustrated Torah was designed to offer multiple ways to engage with and understand Jewish teachings, reducing barriers to participate and to create a more inclusive learning experience for everyone. 

Today, JAccess houses the physical scroll at Federation and lends it to schools, synagogues, families and community organizations. It has even been used by individuals celebrating their B’nai Mitzvah (coming of age). 

For Michelle, borrowing it couldn’t be easier. 

“I send an email every year, and it shows up at your door,” she said. 

But the Torah represents something much bigger than a resource that travels around Atlanta. 

Amy Murphy, Federation’s Director of JAccess, explains that the Illustrated Torah reflects the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework that recognizes that people learn and engage with information in different ways.

“By offering multiple ways to access and connect with content, UDL helps remove barriers to learning and creates meaningful opportunities for all learners to participate and engage,” Amy says. 

“When we design programs for students with support needs, it benefits all learners”.

And this philosophy is at the heart of JAccess’s work, designing for inclusion from the start rather than making accommodations as an afterthought. 

Beyond lending the Illustrated Torah, JAccess provides accessibility training, supports organizations to design inclusive programs, connects families with resources and offers guidance on everything from accessible Jewish lifecycle celebrations to supported decision-making. 

Last year alone, JAccess trained more than 1,200 people and worked with nearly 60 organizations. 

Through Federation’s work of Caring for Those in Need, donor support helps make this work possible, ensuring that inclusion isn’t limited to a single classroom, congregation or program. Instead, JAccess serves as a community-wide resource, helping organizations and families create Jewish experiences where everyone can participate and belong. 

Because accessibility isn’t just about changing how someone experiences Jewish life. It’s about creating a Jewish community that welcomes them exactly as they are. 

And sometimes, that begins with a child pointing to a rainbow in the Torah. 

Want to borrow the Illustrated Torah or explore how JAccess can support your family or organization? It’s simple! Email Lindsey Flax, JAccess Training Coordinator, at lflax@jewishatlanta.org and she’ll set it up!