‘What Do You Pray For?’ challenges disability stereotypes

Prayer is an intensely personal form of communication and Ben Rosloff, a young man with autism, became fascinated by the idea of getting people to talk about their prayers, which led him to create a 16-part interview series, What Do You Pray For?

The series (link below) can be viewed at the website of RespectAbility a non-governmental resource center that promotes Jewish inclusion, which helped Rosloff produce the series.

In the series, he speaks with a varied group of Jews with special needs, many of whom are in the arts and culture. In short focused interviews, people open up about their heart’s desires, their Jewish identity and their spirituality. Interviewees include poet Erika Abbott and actress Samantha Elisofon, the star of Keep the Change, a movie about a young adult couple with autism and a member of E.P.I.C. Players, an inclusive theater company for talented performers with and without disabilities.

Rosloff said in a Zoom interview that he conceived of the idea when he was filming the bar mitzvah of a young man with autism who could speak only through an augmentative communication device. 

“I was wondering if the words really came from him or from his family and caregivers,” he said. “I started wondering what he prayed for himself.” 

He started filming the series during the COVID-19 pandemic, as synagogues were closed, and people were in quarantine. It has been a tough year all over the world, but the disability community has been hit particularly hard, and Rosloff was among the millions who lost his job due to a coronavirus-related layoff. Throwing himself into the interview project helped, he said.

He was interested to note, “None of them prayed to be non-disabled, mostly they prayed that the pandemic would end and that they would find new jobs and that people would accept them for who they are. It did surprise me a little, but I do understand. Even though it can be difficult at times, I do accept living with a disability.”

It isn’t simple for Rosloff to connect with strangers and ask them questions, he admits. 

“It’s sometimes hard but I do overcome the difficulty.”

One way he manages is by doing research on his subjects. 

“All I have to do is do a lot of research on all the other people and it gets easier.”

 

In spite of his challenges, Rosloff has many accomplishments to his credit. He is a member of RespectAbility’s Jewish inclusion team, fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that Jews with disabilities can contribute their talents to the Jewish world. Rosloff, who grew up in Great Neck, Long Island, is active in Jewish community life and has visited Israel. 

He earned a BFA in Electronic Media from Long Island University and has produced films for a variety of organizations, including his documentary short, Can I Call You?!, which was screened in the US and Russia. Rosloff describes the film as “the story of a person with a disability like me trying to have a relationship with a person who has no disability.”

Rosloff has also co-produced, edited and screened multiple films for the United Nations. These include a film for World Autism Awareness Day, where Rosloff interviewed then-secretary general Ban-Ki Moon, as well as a short titled #Envision 2030 for Disability Awareness Day.

The optimistic and ambitious Rosloff is working on a scripted feature film now and would also like people to know that he is looking for a job and that his profile can be found on LinkedIn.com.

“I hope people enjoy What Do You Pray For?” Rosloff said. “And if it would lead to someone hiring me, that would be great.”