Case of Rabbi Arthur Charles Shalman
 |
| Rabbi Charles Shalman- Clergy Sexual Abuse |
(AKA: Arthur Friedman, Arthur
Shalman, Charles Friedman, Charlie Friedman)
Rabbi, Emanuel Synagouge - Oklahoma City,
OK
Rabbi,
Temple Shaarey Zedek - Amherst,
NY
President, Board of Rabbis - Buffalo, NY
Board of Trustees, Kadimah School - Buffalo,
NY
Rabbi A. Charles Shalman has been removed from the
Rabbinical Assembly, which is the international association of Conservative
Judaism.
____________________________________________________________________________________
April 9, 1999 -- an investigation by the
Rabbinical Assembly, reportedly concluded that Rabbi Shalman violated several
principles of rabbinic conduct (professional sexual misconduct). In a letter
the committee decided that Rabbi Shalman must "enter therapy" with a therapist
approved by the Rabbinical Assembly and report regularly to a rabbinical
mentor. It adds that Rabbi Shalman will "not be eligible for placement in
a congregation or in a position" in which he teaches or counsels women without
the "express written commission" of the ethics committee.
Charles Shalman who was the rabbi of
Temple Shaarey Zedek, Amherst, who
also served as president of the Buffalo Board of Rabbis, was accused of sexual
misconduct toward at least three female members of the Conservative synagogue
in Amherst. The women have accused the rabbi of asking detailed questions
about their sex lives and touching them in an inappropriate manner. .
This case was first reported in The Buffalo News and
on WGRZ-TV, the local NBC affiliate. Temple Shaarey Zedek's board of trustees
voted 20 to nine allowing Rabbi Shalman to retain his post if he sought
counseling and refrained from counseling or teaching women. At the
time Rabbi Shalman was 44, a married father of four. According to his contract
he was paid more than $100,000 a year. Charlie Shalman originially
came to Shaarey Zedek in 1995, after leaving his rabbinical post at the
Emanuel Synagogue, Oklahoma
City, OK.
January, 2008 --
:Rabbi Shalman stepped down in the face of an
allegation that he had an inappropriate relationship with a congregant. His
resignation comes nine years after the same congregation voted to retain
him despite findings of sexual misconduct.
Temple Shaarey Zedek, of the largest Conservative
congregation in Buffalo, N.Y. It is not known at this time if Rabbi
Shalman will also resign his post on the Board of Rabbis of Buffalo, and
on the Board of Trustees at the
Kadimah School of
Buffalo.
June, 2008 -- Rabbi Shalman has permenently
been removed as a member of the Rabbinical Assembly.
September, 2012 -- Shalman assisted during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur ervices at Hillel, the primary Jewish student organization on the University at Buffalo campus.
September, 2012 -- Shalman assisted during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur ervices at Hillel, the primary Jewish student organization on the University at Buffalo campus.
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Table of Contents:
1999
- Death Announcement from Rabbi Charles Shalman
- Discussion at Jewish Community Center Will Explore Controversial Life and Death Issues (05/08/1999)
- Temple Members to Meet To Decide Rabbi's Fate (08/17/1999)
- Congregation Sets Meeting On Rabbi's Fate (08/17/1999)
- Rabbi faces sexual misconduct charges (08/17/1999)
- Synagogue Retains Rabbi After Sexual Allegations (08/20/1999)
- Temple Congregation Votes to Retain Rabbi Accused of Sexual Misconduct (08/21/1999)
- Buffalo Rabbi's in a Brouhaha: Shul votes to keep Clergyman despite complaints (08/27/1999)
2008
- Message From Temple Shaarey Zedek's President (01/23/2008)
- Rabbi Charles Shalman Lecture Series (01/2008)
- Rabbi at Amherst's Temple Shaarey Zedek resigns amid complaint (01/23/2008)
- Rabbi's Resignation in Buffalo Resurrects Painful Memories (01/23/2008)
- Conservative assembly removes former rabbi of Shaarey Zedek (06/14/2008)
2012
- Rabbi who was ousted or inappropriate relationship assists in services (09/27/2012)
- Expelled rabbi's role in High Holiday service condemned (11/04/2012)
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Ramahnik: Official Camp Ramah New England Alulmni Club
Site - 2004
http://www.ramahnik.com/cgi-bin/show_message.cgi
Note: Rabbi Shalman's changed his name
from Charles (Charlie) Friedman to Charles Shalman
It is with great sorrow that I share news of the death
of Moshe Lifshen, age 34, on December 19th. Condolences may be sent to his
parents' home, Rabbi and Mrs. Leonard Lifshen, 5324 Bondy Drive, Erie, PA
16509
Rabbi Charles Shalman
(formerly Charlie Friedman, Palmer 1967, 1973 -
78)
____________________________________________________________________________________
Buffalo News - May 8, 1999
"Is There a Right to Die?" will be the topic of
a discussion at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Holland Building of the Jewish Community
Center, 787 Delaware Ave.
The speakers will be Rabbi A. Charles Shalman of Temple
Shaarey Zedek, Amherst, who serves as president of the Buffalo Board of Rabbis,
and Dr. Jack Freer, associate professor of clinical medicine at the University
at Buffalo Medical School and associate director of the Center for Clinical
Ethics and Humanities in Health Care. Issues will range from assisted suicide
to the morality of disconnecting life support for dying patients.
The program is free and open to everyone. Gospel
messages in Chinese
An evangelistic team from Hong Kong will present a
program of testimonies, song and Gospel messages in the Chinese language
at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Buffalo Chinese Christian Church, 763 Englewood
Ave., Kenmore.
The program will be offered in Mandarin but a Cantonese
translation will be available for those who take FM radios and earphones.
There will be no English translation. The program is free and open to
everyone.
Post-war Poland is forum topic
"Christian-Jewish Relations Under Post-War Polish
Governments" will be the topic of a public forum at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the
Harlem Road Community Center, 4255 Harlem Road, Amherst.
The speakers will be Stanislaw Krajewski, Polish consultant
to the American Jewish Committee, and Piotr Wrobel, professor of Polish studies
in the History Department at the University of Toronto. The Rev. Benjamin
Fiore, permanent chair of Polish culture at Canisius College, will be
moderator.
The program will be sponsored by the Permanent chair
of Polish culture at Canisius and the Polish American-Jewish American Council
of Western New York.
Jewish-Christian dialogue set
The American Jewish Committee and Buffalo Catholic
Diocese will co-sponsor a Jewish-Christian dialogue June 8 and 9 at Christ
the King Seminary, 711 Knox Road, East Aurora.
The speakers will be Professor Dennis D. McManus, associate
director of the Secretariat for the Liturgy of the National Conference of
Catholic Bishops, and Rabbi Leon Klenicki, director of the Department of
Interfaith Affairs of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.
The June 8 program, scheduled from 6:30 to 9 p.m.,
is intended for the general public. It will focus on understanding anti-Semitism
and anti-Judaism and their effects on Jewish-Christian relations, interpreting
contemporary Catholic documents on Jewish-Christian relations and examining
anti-Judaism in the liturgy of Holy Week.
The program on June 9, running from 9 a.m. to 12:30
p.m., is open to clergy and educators. Topics will include identifying the
roots of anti-Semitism, exploring the Jewish and Christian understanding
of God's covenant with the Jews and Holy Week issues.
The fee for each session or for both is $5. Registration
for the June 8 program is encouraged by contacting the seminary. Registration
for the June 9 program is required so a study packet can be provided prior
to the program.
Choirs join for Choral Eucharist
Three choirs will combine for a Choral Eucharist Service
in honor of the Feast of the Ascension at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in St. Paul's
Episcopal Cathedral, Church and Pearl streets.
The groups are the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys
and the choirs of Trinity Episcopal Church, Buffalo, and Calvary Episcopal
Church, Williamsville. The Rev. Allen Farabee, dean of the cathedral, will
preside and the Rev. Stephen Metcalfe, rector of Calvary Church, will preach.
The service is free and open to everyone and nursery care will be
provided.
Sunday service honors mothers
Mothers, living and deceased, will be honored during
a Mother's Day Service at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Shrine of the Crucifixion
in Mount Calvary Cemetery, 800 Pine Ridge Road, Cheektowaga.
The Rev. Mark David Skura of St. Francis High School,
Athol Springs, will conduct the service, which is open to the public. Flowers
will be given to all mothers attending the service.
Grant funds 'Natural Choice'
The state Health Department has awarded a $190,000
grant to the Catholic Health System to fund natural family planning services
and programs for three years.
The project, coordinated by the Office of Natural Family
Planning of the Buffalo Catholic Diocese, will include the teaching of natural
family planning to couples who want to achieve or postpone pregnancy, a fertility
appreciation and education program and an outreach program for women.
The project will be promoted by billboards on the Niagara
Thruway and Scajaquada Expressway advocating "The Natural Choice."
Father Baker video available
The Office of Communications of the Buffalo Catholic
Diocese is offering a 24-minute video of the March 11 Prayer Service during
which the remains of Monsignor Nelson Baker were reburied in Our Lady of
Victory Basilica, Lackawanna.
The video, prepared by Daybreak TV Productions, is
available for $14.95 by contacting the Office of Communications, 795 Main
St., Buffalo, N.Y., 14203.
____________________________________________________________________________________
By Gene Warner
The Buffalo News - August 17, 1999
Temple Shaarey Zedek will hold a special congregational
meeting Thursday night to decide whether to remove Rabbi A. Charles Shalman
from his post because of allegations of sexual misconduct toward several
female members.
Rabbi Shalman, who also serves as president of the
Buffalo Board of Rabbis, has been accused since early this year of sexual
misconduct toward at least three female members of the Conservative synagogue
in Amherst. The women have accused the rabbi of asking detailed questions
about their sex lives and touching them in an inappropriate manner.
Neither Rabbi Shalman, who is on vacation, nor his
attorney could be reached to comment Monday.
Rabbi Shalman has been under a cloud of suspicion since
at least March, when Shaarey Zedek's board of trustees voted 20-9 to implement
several steps to allow the synagogue and its rabbi to effectively continue
their relationship.
Those steps included temporarily prohibiting the rabbi's
one-on-one counseling sessions with women and having him seek counseling
with a qualified professional.
But since then, an investigation by the Rabbinical
Assembly, which represents about 1,400 Conservative rabbis worldwide, reportedly
has concluded that Rabbi Shalman violated several principles of rabbinic
conduct.
That finding helped lead members of the temple to circulate
dueling petitions.
One petition asks simply that he be removed from the
pulpit. The other calls on him to stay as the synagogue's spiritual leader;
urges the congregation to refrain from any remarks that would undermine its
relationship with him: and calls on the congregation to bring closure to
the whole matter.
The full congregation will vote on those two positions
at a 7 p.m. meeting inside the synagogue's auditorium on Getzville Road.
"It's completely destroyed the congregation," said
Krista Gottlieb, an attorney who represents one of the women making allegations
against the rabbi. "It has turned people against their friends and polarized
them about whether he should or should not be retained."
The rabbi reportedly has four years left on a contract
that pays him more than $100,000 per year.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Buffalo News - August 17, 1999
By GENE WARNER, News Staff Reporter
Temple Shaarey Zedek will hold a special congregational
meeting Thursday night to decide whether to remove Rabbi A. Charles Shalman
from his post because of allegations of sexual misconduct toward several
female members.
Rabbi Shalman, who also serves as president of the
Buffalo Board of Rabbis, has been accused of sexual misconduct toward at
least three female members of the Conservative synagogue in Amherst. The
women have accused the rabbi of asking detailed questions about their sex
lives and touching them in an inappropriate manner.
Neither Rabbi Shalman, who is on vacation, nor his
attorney could be reached to comment Monday.
Rabbi Shalman has been under a cloud of suspicion since
at least March, when Shaarey Zedek's board of trustees voted, 20-9, to implement
several steps to allow the synagogue and its rabbi to effectively continue
their relationship.
Those steps included temporarily prohibiting the rabbi's
one-on-one counseling sessions with women and having him seek counseling
with a qualified professional.
The resolution also acknowledged some members of the
congregation were hurt by his actions.
"As a first step in restoring the rabbi's good reputation
in our community, the board affirms its faith that, although members of our
community have been hurt, we believe that the rabbi's actions were never
malicious," the resolution stated. "We believe that he can address matters
of concern, and that the congregation can continue to enjoy the many blessings
that the rabbi has brought our community. . . ."
But since then, an investigation by the Rabbinical
Assembly, which represents about 1,400 Conservative rabbis worldwide, reportedly
has concluded that Rabbi Shalman violated several principles of rabbinic
conduct.
That finding helped lead members of the temple to circulate
opposing petitions.
One petition asks simply that Rabbi Shalman be removed
from the pulpit. The other calls on him to stay as the synagogue's spiritual
leader; urges the congregation to refrain from any remarks that would undermine
its relationship with him; and calls on the congregation to bring closure
to the whole matter. The congregation will vote on the positions at a 7 p.m.
meeting in the synagogue's auditorium on Getzville Road.
"It's completely destroyed the congregation," said
Krista Gottlieb, an attorney who represents one of the women making allegations
against the rabbi. "It has turned people against their friends and polarized
them about whether he should or should not be retained."
Ms. Gottlieb has notified the synagogue and Rabbi Shalman
that her client has a claim against them and will pursue action, up to and
possibly including a lawsuit.
"We're talking about inappropriate, intimate questions
of a sexual nature and inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature, including
touching," Ms. Gottlieb said.
She wouldn't elaborate on the misconduct, which her
client claims occurred on several occasions early this year.
The attorney said her client is not interested in adding
to the already divisive atmosphere within the congregation. The primary concern
of her client is an assurance that this type of misconduct won't be repeated
against anyone.
Rabbi Shalman, who came to Shaarey Zedek in July 1995,
has carved out a reputation as a bright Talmudic scholar and an engaging
public speaker who has been a leader in local interfaith dialogue.
The rabbi reportedly has four years left on a contract
that pays him more than $100,000 per year.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Rabbi faces sexual misconduct
charges
Newsbank.com - August 17, 1999
http://www.lockport-ny.com/buffalo.htm
A Buffalo rabbi, earning over $100,000 a year to service
his congregation, is reported the subject of an ouster action. The
Buffalo News reports that Rabbi A. Charles Shalman stands accused by female
members of his congregation at Temple Shaarey Zedek. The charges have
reportedly been simmering since the Spring and are under investigation by
synagogue leaders. No criminal charges have been placed.
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Buffalo News - August 20, 1999
Temple Shaarey Zedek decided Thursday to retain Rabbi
A. Charles Shalman after a special congregational meeting into allegations
of sexual misconduct involving several women in the congregation.
"In the coming months, we will be focusing our energies
on those things that unite us and to put behind those things that may have
divided some of the members of our congregation," said Ed Drozen, president
of the temple's board of trustees. Rabbi Shalman, who also serves as president
of the Buffalo Board of Rabbis, had been accused of sexual misconduct involving
least three women in the Conservative synagogue in Amherst.
The women accused the rabbi of asking detailed questions
about their sex lives and touching them in an inappropriate manner.
The congregation voted to retain Rabbi Shalman after
a six-hour meeting that began at 7 p.m. in the synagogue's auditorium on
Getzville Road.
Drozen, who declined to give details of the vote,
characterized the meeting as cordial and democratic.
"There was a great deal of information that needed
to be processed and a great deal of discussion. People behaved very
appropriately," he said.
Rabbi Shalman, who came to Shaarey Zedek in 1995, has
been under suspicion since at least March, when the synagogue's board of
trustees voted 20-9 to implement several steps to allow the congregation
and its rabbi to continue their relationship.
Those steps included temporarily prohibiting the rabbi's
one-on-one counseling sessions with women and having him seek counseling
with a qualified professional.
But since then, an investigation by the Rabbinical
Assembly, which represents about 1,400 Conservative rabbis worldwide, reportedly
concluded that Rabbi Shalman violated several principles of rabbinic
conduct.
That finding helped lead members of the temple to circulate
opposing petitions.
One asked that Rabbi Shalman be removed from the
pulpit.
The other called on him to stay as the synagogue's
spiritual leader, urged the congregation to refrain from any remarks that
would undermine its relationship with him and called on the congregation
to bring closure to the whole matter.
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Buffalo News - August 21, 1999
Temple Shaarey Zedek decided to retain Rabbi A. Charles
Shalman after a special congregational meeting Thursday into allegations
of sexual misconduct toward female members of the congregation.
"In the coming months we will be focusing our energies
on those things that unite us and to put behind those things that may have
divided some of the members of our congregation," said Ed Drozen, president
of the temple's board of trustees. Rabbi Shalman had been accused of sexual
misconduct toward at least three female members of the Conservative synagogue
in Amherst. The women accused the rabbi of asking detailed questions about
their sex lives and touching them in an inappropriate manner.
Drozen characterized the meeting as cordial and
democratic.
"There was a great deal of information that needed
to be processed and a great deal of discussion. People behaved very
appropriately," he said.
The measure to keep the rabbi won by a vote of 232
to 87, with 29 contested votes, said Helaine Sanders, a member of the
congregation. A second vote to remove him lost by a vote of 190 to 69, with
20 contested votes, she said. Ms. Sanders attributed the different votes
counts to members leaving the temple after the first vote.
____________________________________________________________________________________
by E.J. Kessler
Forward (NY) - Aug 27, 1999
NEW YORK -- The largest Conservative synagogue in western
New York is voting to keep its rabbi after female members anonymously alleged
that he touched them inappropriately and made improper suggestions.
Temple Shaarey Zedek, in Buffalo, N.Y., took the vote
at a tumultuous meeting last Thursday after petitions circulated among its
membership, one asking for the rabbi's removal, another asking that he remain
in his pulpit. The conduct of the rabbi, A. Charles Shalman, was the subject
earlier this year of a resolution by the synagogue's board of trustees and
of an investigation of the ethics committee of the Conservative movement's
Rabbinical Assembly.
The situation, which was first reported in The Buffalo
News and on WGRZ-TV, the local NBC affiliate, shows how questions of rabbinical
conduct, fueled by anonymous accusations, can tear at the fabric of even
the most stable synagogue. Shaarey Zedek's president, Edward Drozen, said
the shul -- with more than 600 families and a more than 100-year history,
the flagship Conservative synagogue in western New York -- is known for its
vibrant Purim services, for a program feeding the hungry and for its support
of Israel Bonds. Now, he said, the synagogue is seeking help from professionals,
including an Episcopal priest and a Unitarian minister, in order to heal
itself from the ordeal.
"It's a very difficult situation," Mr. Drozen said.
"We have members very adamantly for the rabbi's continued service and members
very adamantly opposed to the rabbi's continued service.... We hope to bring
closure to this episode and move on in the life of the temple.... We have
very good people on both sides of this issue, and I hope they will work
together."
The synagogue's board of trustees voted 20 to nine
in March to allow Rabbi Shalman to retain his post if he sought counseling
and refrained from counseling or teaching women, Mr. Drozen said. The petitions
began circulating after the Rabbinical Assembly made its investigation of
Rabbi Shalman's conduct this past spring. Rabbi Shalman, 44, a married father
of four, came to Shaarey Zedek in 1995 and has four years left on a contract
that pays more than $100,000 a year, Mr. Drozen said.
At the meeting on August 19, the congregants voted
232 to 87 to keep Rabbi Shalman. The text of that motion said in part. "We
believe that behaviors that have been termed `misconduct' have actually been
attempts by Rabbi Shalman -- appropriate or misjudged -- to provide comfort
and support to individuals in need of such assistance." The motion went on
to say, "We sincerely regret that anonymous allegations were aired and acted
upon. To judge a person on anonymous allegations and subsequent rumors is
contrary to paramount principles of Jewish and American law. Due process
of law (i.e. an individual's guarantee of fair procedures) is a fundamental
underpinning of our civil and Jewish legal systems and an integral part of
how we define ourselves as a Jewish people."
A second vote at the meeting, to remove Rabbi Shalman,
failed 69 to 190.
Rabbi Shalman said in an interview that the vote is
"a step in the direction of bringing the synagogue back together." He said,
"I deeply regret that some of my actions, though well-intentioned, caused
hurt." He also said that as stories have been repeated, they have grown.
"I am very encouraged by the congregation's vote of
confidence that we can grow together, learn from past problems and find hope
and healing as the new year begins," Rabbi Shalman said.
The women making allegations against Rabbi Shalman
have not spoken publicly. One has retained a lawyer in order to pursue a
claim against him and the synagogue. The lawyer, Krista Gottlieb, declined
to name her client. "The rabbi knows who she is," Ms. Gottlieb said. "I am
not revealing her name to the public because it's not necessary. I do not
intend to address her cause in a circus scenario." She would not disclose
specifics of her client's allegations, saying only that Rabbi Shalman's behavior
was "inappropriate."
"My client is open to a resolution without having to
drag this through the courts, but if necessary, she will," Ms. Gottlieb said.
She characterized the situation as "extremely difficult for this congregation....
It has turned friend against friend, family member against family member,"
and she said, "we'd love to find a way to heal everybody."
Rabbi Shalman's lawyer and the synagogue's lawyer did
not return calls seeking comment.
The rabbi's situation provides a rare window into the
way the Rabbinical Assembly, a body of more than 1,400 members, deals with
allegations of sexual misconduct among its ranks. The executive vice president
of the Rabbinical Assembly, Rabbi Joel Meyers, said that body is "not looking
to expel" Rabbi Shalman. "The R.A. has acted. The rabbi is following all
requirements the R.A. has imposed on him," Rabbi Meyers said. "Every procedure
has correctly been followed here." He characterized last Thursday's vote
as "a congregation's decision and a rabbi's decision." He declined to comment
further, citing confidentiality.
The Forward has obtained a letter sent to Rabbi Shalman
from the Rabbinical Assembly's ethics committee summarizing its investigation.
"Having heard the participants at our meeting, having had conversations with
other women from your congregation and in the community, having heard from
you about similar potential issues in your former congregations, it is painfully
clear that you have violated several principles of rabbinic conduct which
have caused harm to certain of the women counseled or taught by you," the
ethics committee's chairman, Rabbi Milton Feierstein, writes. "You have violated
their person through improper touching, their integrity through improper
suggestions, and their trust through your behavior. You have `placed stumbling
blocks before the blind' and `taken advantage with kind words.'"
The letter, dated April 9, says the committee decided
that Rabbi Shalman must "enter therapy" with a therapist approved by the
Rabbinical Assembly and report regularly to a rabbinical mentor. It adds
that Rabbi Shalman will "not be eligible for placement in a congregation
or in a position" in which he teaches or counsels women without the "express
written commission" of the ethics committee.
"Normally, given the nature of the conduct, we would
expect you to withdraw from your congregation," the letter continues. "However,
we have been advised that your congregation's Board of Directors, fully aware
of the information, has determined to permit you to remain in office under
very strictly defined parameters. Under the circumstances, we will permit
you to remain in your congregation so long as you are able to satisfactorily
carry out your work as rabbi, that you comply with the directives set forth
above and with the explicit understanding that we will review your conduct
on a periodic basis."
Rabbi Shalman declined to offer details of his account
of the interactions with the women, saying that to do so would not be helpful
in bringing the congregation together. He noted, however, that the Rabbinical
Assembly letter is from April, and that it is now August. "I am in ongoing
dialogue with the Rabbinical Assembly," Rabbi Shalman said.
Message From Temple Shaarey Zedek's President
January 22, 2008
http://www.tszbuffalo.org/
The Temple Shaarey Zedek community was shocked and
saddened by the sudden resignation of Rabbi A. Charles Shalman for personal
reasons. Neither the officers nor the board asked Rabbi Shalman to resign
- that was his personal decision and we are in the process of working out
the details of his departure.
We are a strong community; we have remarkable lay
leadership and we are blessed with a caring and experienced cantor and
professional staff. We will regroup and move forward as we wish Rabbi Shalman
all the best in his future endeavors and we begin our search for a new spiritual
leader.
Rusty Zackheim, President
Rabbi Charles Shalman Lecture
Series
Catholic Bible Studies Program - Jan./2008
http://www.cbstudies.org/Shalman%20Lecture.html
This January marks the 5th annual lecture series given
by our "Rabbi in residence" Charles Shalman. We have come to look forward
to this January "pick-me-up". It changes our stride and lightens our step.
The dates are Thursdays: January 3, 10, 17.
If we consider Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers
to be Israel's Story - Version 1.0, then we can ask: "What is left to tell?"
According to the text of Deuteronomy, Moses takes his last opportunity to
teach the Israelites everything he thinks they need to know. How does "he"
retell the story? Why does it need to be re-interpreted? And how is it at
the end, Moses is able to record the account of his own death? Stay tuned!
Topic: Deuteronomy: Version 2.0
Speaker: Rabbi Charles Shalman
When: Thursdays: January 3, 10, 17, and 24 from 6-7 PM
Where: Mt St. Mary Academy, 2nd Floor Study Hall
Cost: $50.00
Prerequisite: You must be a student or graduate of
the CBS
___________________________________________________________________________________
Rabbi at Amherst's Temple Shaarey Zedek resigns amid
complaint
Synagogue member alleges misconduct
By Jay Tokasz
Buffalo News - January 23, 2008
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/258497.html
Rabbi A. Charles Shalman was censured in 1999 after a Rabbinical
Assembly investigation concluded that he had violated several principles
of rabbinical conduct during his private counseling or teaching sessions
with female members of the synagogue.
The rabbi of an Amherst synagogue who was censured
in 1999 for ethics violations has resigned amid a new complaint alleging
misconduct.
The Rabbinical Assembly, the union that represents
1,400 Conservative rabbis worldwide, is investigating the complaint, filed
by a member of the synagogue who accused Rabbi A. Charles Shalman of having
an inappropriately close relationship with the member's wife.
Shalman submitted a letter of resignation last Wednesday,
citing personal reasons for leaving Temple Shaarey Zedek, a Conservative
synagogue at 621 Getzville Road.
Shalman, who was hired in 1995, told The Buffalo News
on Tuesday that the complaint was just "one piece of a much larger picture"
of why he resigned.
"I have put a lot of thought into this decision and
hope that I can find a less stressful second career, though I know it will
never be as gratifying as my service to the congregation has been," Shalman,
52, said in a brief telephone interview.
He said he was crafting a letter to the congregation
that would explain his decision more fully.
Congregation President Rusty Zackheim said the Temple
Shaarey Zedek community was shocked and saddened by Shalman's
resignation.
The temple board did not ask Shalman to resign.
Zackheim said she was made aware in late December of
the complaint, which she described as being much different in nature from
those that surfaced in 1999, when Shalman was nearly removed as rabbi of
Temple Shaarey Zedek.
A Rabbinical Assembly investigation concluded then
that Shalman had violated several principles of rabbinical conduct during
his private counseling or teaching sessions with female members of the
synagogue.
The assembly's ethics board found that Shalman had
improperly touched, questioned and made suggestive comments to some women.
The assembly ordered him to seek therapy and refrain from counseling or teaching
women, unless approved in advance by the ethics board.
The congregation voted to retain Shalman, who had four
years remaining on a contract that paid more than $100,000 per year.
The 1999 investigation split the congregation into
dueling factions, and the rabbi indicated to board members that he did not
want to see it torn apart again, Zackheim said.
"The atmosphere was circuslike," she said. "He did
not want to see that happen again."
Shabbat services were held Friday evening and Saturday
morning without Shalman and will continue under the direction of Cantor Mark
Spindler and lay leaders, Zackheim said.
The synagogue has applied to receive an interim
rabbi.
The programs of Temple Shaarey Zedek also will continue,
except for a Talmud class that Shalman taught.
Shalman had acquired a reputation as a compelling public
speaker and bright Talmudic scholar. He often participated in dialogue on
sensitive topics with people of other faiths and offered his perspective
in public discussions about Israel and the Middle East, Christian-Jewish
relations and other subjects.
He is a former president of the Buffalo Board of Rabbis
and is listed as a faculty member of the Kadimah School of Buffalo.
Temple Shaarey Zedek, the area's largest Conservative
congregation, with about 500 members, is in the midst of merger talks with
the area's oldest Conservative congregation, Temple Beth El in the Town of
Tonawanda.
Zackheim and Temple Beth El President Ed Drozen said
Shalman's resignation would not affect those discussions.
"It doesn't throw a wrench into it," Drozen said. "It
just gives us something else to deal with."
___________________________________________________________________________________
Rabbi's Resignation in Buffalo Resurrects Painful
Memories
By Anthony Weiss
Forward - Wed. Jan 23, 2008
http://www.forward.com/articles/12540/
The rabbi of the largest Conservative congregation
in Buffalo, N.Y., is stepping down in the face of an allegation that he had
an inappropriate relationship with a congregant. His resignation comes nine
years after the same congregation voted to retain him despite findings of
sexual misconduct.
Rabbi Arthur Charles Shalman submitted a letter of
resignation last week as rabbi of Temple Shaarey Zedek, a Conservative
congregation just outside Buffalo. The resignation came after one of Shalman's
male congregants filed a complaint with the Rabbinical Assembly, the
international union of Conservative rabbis, alleging that Shalman had an
inappropriate relationship with the man's wife.
The R.A. investigated Shalman in 1999, and its ethics
committee found that Shalman had violated principles of rabbinic conduct
on several counts, including "improper touching" and "improper suggestions."
But both the synagogue's board and its membership at large voted overwhelmingly
to keep Shalman. As the Forward reported at the time, the assembly deferred
to the synagogue and agreed to Shalman remaining in his post, subject to
certain restrictions.
Now, it appears that this decision has come back to
haunt both the synagogue and the R.A. The scandal has been an emotional blow
for the congregation, which has been aging and shrinking in the face of Buffalo's
decades of demographic decline.
"It's a shock to most people in the congregation,"
said Shaarey Zedek's president, Iris Zackheim. "A lot of people are
devastated."
Zackheim released a statement saying that Shalman was
resigning for "personal reasons" and that neither the officers nor the board
asked him to resign. She told the Forward, however, that the resignation
came after she and Shalman learned of the complaint that was filed with the
assembly.
The R.A. did not respond to repeated requests for
comment.
According to Zackheim, who, as synagogue president,
was informed of the complaint, an inappropriate emotional relationship had
been alleged. She said she did not know of Shalman engaging in any sexual
misconduct.
At least some see the current scandal as fallout from
the congregation's failure to fire Shalman nine years ago, when a number
of women in the congregation came forward and accused him of touching them
inappropriately and of making inappropriate suggestions.
"I thought it was not handled at all; it was very badly
handled," said Charlotte Schwab, a psychotherapist who has written and lectured
about rabbinic abuse, including her own experiences.
"The women who called me for help were despondent,"
Schwab added. "They were the ones who were vilified and blamed and ostracized."
Schwab, though not a member of the synagogue, was in contact with several
congregants from Shaarey Zedek when the first set of allegations was brought
against Shalman.
The allegations led to an emotional and public dispute
that made its way into the local newspapers and onto television
stations.
The assembly's ethics committee investigated and found
Shalman guilty of wrongdoing. In a letter to Shalman summarizing its findings,
the ethics committee wrote, "[I]t is painfully clear that you have violated
several principles of rabbinic conduct which have caused harm to certain
of the women counseled or taught by you." The R.A. ordered Shalman to work
with a therapist and a rabbinical mentor, and told him that it would not
place him in a position to teach or counsel women without the ethics committee's
written consent.
But the R.A. did not expel Shalman from its ranks,
nor attempt to remove him from his pulpit. Both the synagogue's board and
the members at large voted overwhelmingly to retain Shalman, and the assembly
said it would defer to the congregation.
Schwab said that because of their emotional attachment
to their rabbis, congregants are often reluctant to fire them, even in the
face of serious allegations of misconduct.
"People are very misguided," Schwab said. "They think
that because — people told me that, oh, he buried my mother, he married
my daughter. Because of these things, they seem to give total allegiance
to these men. And so, they keep them."
Dozens of congregants subsequently left Shaarey Zedek,
including the president. Others stayed but remained bitter.
Despite the ethical allegations against him, Shalman
was an accomplished and popular rabbi. He led outreach programs for the elderly
and disabled, taught services for major holidays and helped start a minyan
café. Shalman was also prominent in the Buffalo community, He taught
at the local Kadimah day school, once served as president of the Buffalo
Board of Rabbis and gave public talks on Jewish topics. (He has since resigned
from the day school, at the school's request, according to Zackheim. The
school did not respond to a request for comment.)
"Rabbi Shalman is probably one of the best pulpit rabbis
that you could ever imagine," said Ed Drozen, president of Temple Beth El
and a former president of Shaarey Zedek. "He was very charismatic, he was
very caring, he helped a lot of people through crises. He did a great deal
in that regard, and many people were willing to give him another
chance."
Board Chairman Mark Richheimer, who joined Shaarey
Zedek after the dispute had passed, said that Shalman had proved himself
as a rabbi and that but for the after-effects of the previous allegations,
Shalman might have weathered the current storm.
Now that Shalman is leaving, congregants said that
reactions in the synagogue have ranged from anger and betrayal to sadness
and even sympathy for the rabbi. Shalman is married and a father of four
children.
"I'm disappointed in him," Zackheim said. "I'm not
sorry I voted for him. I'm just so disappointed it's come to this.
___________________________________________________________________________________
By Jay Tokasz - June 14, 2008
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/370088.html
Rabbi A. Charles Shalman was accused of misconduct
with a congregant.
An Amherst rabbi who resigned earlier this year after
being accused of misconduct with a congregant has been removed from the
Rabbinical Assembly, an international association of Conservative
Judaism.
Rabbi A. Charles Shalman was expelled from the assembly
and can't serve as a rabbi at any synagogue affiliated with the Conservative
movement.
"His behavior violated our code of conduct for sure.
I can't say more than that," said Rabbi Joel H. Meyers, executive vice president
of the Rabbinical Assembly, which represents 1,400 Conservative rabbis
worldwide.
Shalman, rabbi of Temple Shaarey Zedek in Amherst since
1995, was informed of the decision in a letter dated June 5. He did not return
a telephone call seeking comment.
The Rabbinical Assembly previously censured Shalman
in 1999 after an investigation concluded that he had violated several principles
of rabbinical conduct during his private counseling or teaching sessions
with female members of the synagogue.
The assembly's ethics board found that Shalman had
improperly touched, questioned and made suggestive comments to some women.
The assembly ordered him to seek therapy and refrain from counseling or teaching
women, unless approved in advance by the ethics board.
The Temple Shaarey Zedek congregation voted then to
retain Shalman, who was widely considered a dynamic public speaker and engaging
Talmudic scholar.
But Shalman resigned his post in January following
a complaint from a member who alleged that the rabbi maintained an inappropriate
relationship with the member's wife. Shalman cited personal reasons and an
interest in finding a less stressful second career.
Another investigation by the Rabbinical Assembly's
ethics committee led to the expulsion.
The assembly's decision doesn't revoke Shalman's
ordination.
"What we have done basically is take away the certification
of Rabbi Shalman. We cannot take away the title, rabbi," said Meyers.
Expulsion from the assembly is a rare occurrence, he
added.
"The decision cannot be appealed. One year from now,
he is permitted to return to the ethics committee and ask for a reassessment
and readmission to the Rabbinical Assembly," Meyers said.
Rusty Zackheim, president of Temple Shaarey Zedek,
would not comment on the decision of the Rabbinical Assembly, other than
to say that the congregation has "tried to move forward."
Shaarey Zedek, the area's largest Conservative synagogue,
is merging with Temple Beth El, which celebrated its final service
Monday.
The new synagogue will be known as Temple Beth Tzedek
and is in the process of hiring an interim rabbi who will serve along with
Rabbi Larry Moldo, who has a contract through June 2009.
A new, permanent rabbi will be hired for the merged
congregation after that.
BY: Jay Tokasz
Rabbi A. Charles Shalman, expelled in 2008 from the worldwide Rabbinical
Assembly amid allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a
member of his congregation, has resurfaced as a featured participant in
High Holy Day services at Hillel of Buffalo.
Shalman assisted last week during Rosh Hashana services at Hillel, the primary Jewish student organization on the University at Buffalo campus, and he is slated to do the same again tonight and Wednesday for Yom Kippur, Judaism's most solemn holiday.
Shalman's return to the pulpit as Torah reader has caused considerable consternation in some circles of the Jewish community, including a letter from a local rabbi to the Hillel board chairman strongly objecting to the move.
"We all know that Rabbi Shalman is a gifted, knowledgeable and charismatic teacher. However, given his refusal to own up or change, it is not appropriate for him to work with the young, vulnerable student population at Hillel," Rabbi Keith M. Karnofsky wrote in a letter obtained by The Buffalo News.
The letter was addressed to Hillel board Chairman Dan Lenard.
Karnofsky also wrote that leading High Holy Day services "imposes an additional requirement that the leader be above reproach" because his "misdeeds can reflect upon the congregation."
Karnofsky, who is currently the president of the Buffalo Board of Rabbis, said in a brief telephone interview that he stood by his letter but that it was his opinion, not a statement on behalf of the rabbi board.
He declined to comment further on Shalman's role in worship at Hillel.
Shalman served as rabbi of Temple Shaarey Zedek in Amherst from 1995 until his resignation in 2008, when he was accused by a member of the synagogue of having an inappropriately close relationship with the member's wife.
It was the second time in his tenure at Temple Shaarey Zedek that Shalman faced allegations of misconduct. In 1999, an investigation by the Rabbinical Assembly's ethics board concluded that Shalman had violated several principles of rabbinical conduct in his private counseling or teaching sessions with female members of the synagogue. The violations including improper touching and suggestive comments.
The congregation voted to retain Shalman, who had to undergo therapy and refrain from any future one-on-one teaching with women.
But following the 2008 allegation, the Rabbinical Assembly expelled Shalman, effectively meaning that synagogues affiliated with the Conservative Judaism movement cannot hire him.
Hillel is not affiliated with a particular movement, and Lenard on Monday defended the organization's use of Shalman in its High Holy Day services. The Hillel board twice, by a 9-2 vote, approved bringing Shalman aboard this year, said Lenard.
"He was a wonderful altar rabbi, and we needed somebody to read Torah for our liturgies," said Lenard, who described Shalman as a friend.
Lenard pointed out that Shalman was not acting as a rabbi or counseling anybody and that a cantor hired out of Chicago was in charge of leading the services.
"What he brings to the pulpit is a tremendous knowledge of Torah," said Lenard.
Lenard also said Shalman has never been accused of any crimes and deserves as second chance.
"The guy is human," he said. "What we've got here is a guy who made a big mistake, showed a lack of judgment and paid a tremendous price for it."
Some members of Shalman's former congregation want to make him into a pariah, added Lenard.
"This is a time of forgiveness in the Jewish religion," he said. "Put it behind."
Shalman declined to comment for this story when reached Monday.
Some members of the Jewish community objected to Shalman's pulpit duties with Hillel but said they were uncomfortable speaking out publicly on the matter.
One father of a University at Buffalo student expressed concern about Shalman's pulpit sermonizing leading students to seek him out after the services.
"If a student would assume he's a rabbi and would want to go to him for advice - especially a female student - I would hesitate as a parent to have my daughter go talk to him," the man said.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Rabbi who was ousted for inappropriate relationship assists in services
The Buffalo News - September 27, 2012BY: Jay Tokasz
 |
| Rabbi Charles Shalman - clergy sexual abuse against adults |
Shalman assisted last week during Rosh Hashana services at Hillel, the primary Jewish student organization on the University at Buffalo campus, and he is slated to do the same again tonight and Wednesday for Yom Kippur, Judaism's most solemn holiday.
Shalman's return to the pulpit as Torah reader has caused considerable consternation in some circles of the Jewish community, including a letter from a local rabbi to the Hillel board chairman strongly objecting to the move.
"We all know that Rabbi Shalman is a gifted, knowledgeable and charismatic teacher. However, given his refusal to own up or change, it is not appropriate for him to work with the young, vulnerable student population at Hillel," Rabbi Keith M. Karnofsky wrote in a letter obtained by The Buffalo News.
The letter was addressed to Hillel board Chairman Dan Lenard.
Karnofsky also wrote that leading High Holy Day services "imposes an additional requirement that the leader be above reproach" because his "misdeeds can reflect upon the congregation."
Karnofsky, who is currently the president of the Buffalo Board of Rabbis, said in a brief telephone interview that he stood by his letter but that it was his opinion, not a statement on behalf of the rabbi board.
He declined to comment further on Shalman's role in worship at Hillel.
Shalman served as rabbi of Temple Shaarey Zedek in Amherst from 1995 until his resignation in 2008, when he was accused by a member of the synagogue of having an inappropriately close relationship with the member's wife.
It was the second time in his tenure at Temple Shaarey Zedek that Shalman faced allegations of misconduct. In 1999, an investigation by the Rabbinical Assembly's ethics board concluded that Shalman had violated several principles of rabbinical conduct in his private counseling or teaching sessions with female members of the synagogue. The violations including improper touching and suggestive comments.
The congregation voted to retain Shalman, who had to undergo therapy and refrain from any future one-on-one teaching with women.
But following the 2008 allegation, the Rabbinical Assembly expelled Shalman, effectively meaning that synagogues affiliated with the Conservative Judaism movement cannot hire him.
Hillel is not affiliated with a particular movement, and Lenard on Monday defended the organization's use of Shalman in its High Holy Day services. The Hillel board twice, by a 9-2 vote, approved bringing Shalman aboard this year, said Lenard.
"He was a wonderful altar rabbi, and we needed somebody to read Torah for our liturgies," said Lenard, who described Shalman as a friend.
Lenard pointed out that Shalman was not acting as a rabbi or counseling anybody and that a cantor hired out of Chicago was in charge of leading the services.
"What he brings to the pulpit is a tremendous knowledge of Torah," said Lenard.
Lenard also said Shalman has never been accused of any crimes and deserves as second chance.
"The guy is human," he said. "What we've got here is a guy who made a big mistake, showed a lack of judgment and paid a tremendous price for it."
Some members of Shalman's former congregation want to make him into a pariah, added Lenard.
"This is a time of forgiveness in the Jewish religion," he said. "Put it behind."
Shalman declined to comment for this story when reached Monday.
Some members of the Jewish community objected to Shalman's pulpit duties with Hillel but said they were uncomfortable speaking out publicly on the matter.
One father of a University at Buffalo student expressed concern about Shalman's pulpit sermonizing leading students to seek him out after the services.
"If a student would assume he's a rabbi and would want to go to him for advice - especially a female student - I would hesitate as a parent to have my daughter go talk to him," the man said.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Expelled rabbi’s role in High Holy Day service condemned
Expelled cleric draws rebuke by local board
By Jay Tokasz
Buffalo News - November 4, 2012
A local organization of rabbis has issued a statement condemning a former colleague’s participation in High Holy Day services at Hillel of Buffalo, on the University at Buffalo North Campus in Amherst.
The statement by the Buffalo Board of Rabbis, sent at the end of October to the leaders of various Jewish organizations in Western New York, expressed “deep dismay and disappointment” that Rabbi A. Charles Shalman was invited to participate in a leadership role during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services.
Shalman was expelled in 2008 from the Rabbinical Assembly over ethics violations related to an inappropriate relationship with a member of the Amherst synagogue where he served as rabbi, as well as previous allegations of misconduct dating from 1999.
“Clergy abuse is extremely serious, and is not ‘just an affair’ or ‘an imperfection.’ It is imperative that members of the clergy who have violated that trust be prevented from functioning in any way that might be perceived as being in the role of a rabbi,” the statement reads.
Hillel hired Shalman for its High Holy Day services after a deal with another clergyman, Rabbi Keith M. Karnofsky, fell through.
Karnofsky subsequently was among a chorus of critics who objected to the hire and voiced concern that Shalman’s presence on the pulpit was a potential danger to vulnerable female college students.
Karnofsky, a Jewish chaplain with the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, wrote a strongly worded letter to Hillel board Chairman Dan Lenard.
At the time, Lenard defended the hiring of Shalman, describing the rabbi as tremendously knowledgeable about Torah and deserving of a second chance.
“I still defend what I did, and so did my board,” Lenard said. “This is a tempest in a teapot.”
Lenard accused Karnofsky of being a “disgruntled employee” who was fired by the Hillel board and is now trying to get back at Lenard.
“It was his fault that this all happened in the first place,” Lenard said.
Shalman did not pose a danger to any student and was “totally supervised” during his Hillel work, Lenard added.
Although well-received at the services, Shalman will not be doing them again next year because of the controversy, Lenard said.
“Maybe it wasn’t a good idea, but it’s over. It’s water under the bridge. He’s not our rabbi. He’s not counseling our students,” he said.
Karnofsky resigned as president of the Board of Rabbis last week, saying he was concerned and disappointed that the organization wasn’t doing enough to inform UB students and their parents of Shalman’s record and should be more forthcoming with information.
In a cover letter to its statement, the Board of Rabbis requested that recipients confine the contents “to those who are the community’s decision makers.”
“They want everything kept real quiet. I can’t in good conscience keep it quiet,” Karnofsky said. “The way to solve the problem for the future is making it public, exposing it to the light of day.”
The Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, a group critical of the Catholic bishops’ handling of clergy sex abuse allegations, also weighed in on the rabbis’ statement.
SNAP President Barbara Dorris called it “better than nothing, but not much better. It’s late, weak and, perhaps worst of all, it tragically perpetuates the dangerous and long-ago discredited notion that it’s best to keep quiet about clergy sexual misconduct.”
Dorris also said that secrecy “benefits the guilty and the manipulative” and “endangers the innocent and the trusting.”
By resigning the presidency, Karnofsky said he can now be more vocal about the issue. Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein of Congregation Shir Shalom in Amherst, who succeeded Karnofsky as president Friday, acknowledged that the statement was not sent to news media but said that it wasn’t a secret document, either.
“It was sent to all agency leaders,” he said. “It’s not something we’re embarrassed about.”
Lazarus-Klein also said the board was planning educational activities on the topic of sexual abuse.
“We’re trying to prevent it from happening again,” he said. “We have an obligation to protect community members as much as possible. … We do not take this issue lightly. It’s with a great deal of gravity and sadness that we approach this.”
Shalman served as rabbi of Temple Shaarey Zedek in Amherst from 1995 until his resignation in 2008, when he was accused by a member of the synagogue of having an inappropriately close relationship with the member’s wife.
It was the second time in his tenure at Temple Shaarey Zedek that Shalman faced allegations of misconduct. In 1999, an investigation by the Rabbinical Assembly’s ethics board concluded that Shalman had violated several principles of rabbinical conduct in his private counseling or teaching sessions with female members of the synagogue. The violations included improper touching and suggestive comments.
The congregation voted to retain Shalman, who had to undergo therapy and refrain from any future one-on-one teaching with women.
But following the 2008 allegation, the Rabbinical Assembly expelled Shalman, effectively meaning that synagogues affiliated with the Conservative Judaism movement cannot hire him.
Lazarus-Klein said the board has had “private meetings” with Shalman to discuss what happened.
Hillel tried to do its best in a difficult situation but erred in turning to Shalman, he said.
“It was a real last-minute decision made in haste,” Lazarus-Klein said. “The Board of Rabbis will have more of a role on the Hillel board to be a support to them.”
____________________________________________________________________________________
Expelled cleric draws rebuke by local board
By Jay Tokasz
Buffalo News - November 4, 2012
A local organization of rabbis has issued a statement condemning a former colleague’s participation in High Holy Day services at Hillel of Buffalo, on the University at Buffalo North Campus in Amherst.
The statement by the Buffalo Board of Rabbis, sent at the end of October to the leaders of various Jewish organizations in Western New York, expressed “deep dismay and disappointment” that Rabbi A. Charles Shalman was invited to participate in a leadership role during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services.
Shalman was expelled in 2008 from the Rabbinical Assembly over ethics violations related to an inappropriate relationship with a member of the Amherst synagogue where he served as rabbi, as well as previous allegations of misconduct dating from 1999.
“Clergy abuse is extremely serious, and is not ‘just an affair’ or ‘an imperfection.’ It is imperative that members of the clergy who have violated that trust be prevented from functioning in any way that might be perceived as being in the role of a rabbi,” the statement reads.
Hillel hired Shalman for its High Holy Day services after a deal with another clergyman, Rabbi Keith M. Karnofsky, fell through.
Karnofsky subsequently was among a chorus of critics who objected to the hire and voiced concern that Shalman’s presence on the pulpit was a potential danger to vulnerable female college students.
Karnofsky, a Jewish chaplain with the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, wrote a strongly worded letter to Hillel board Chairman Dan Lenard.
At the time, Lenard defended the hiring of Shalman, describing the rabbi as tremendously knowledgeable about Torah and deserving of a second chance.
“I still defend what I did, and so did my board,” Lenard said. “This is a tempest in a teapot.”
Lenard accused Karnofsky of being a “disgruntled employee” who was fired by the Hillel board and is now trying to get back at Lenard.
“It was his fault that this all happened in the first place,” Lenard said.
Shalman did not pose a danger to any student and was “totally supervised” during his Hillel work, Lenard added.
Although well-received at the services, Shalman will not be doing them again next year because of the controversy, Lenard said.
“Maybe it wasn’t a good idea, but it’s over. It’s water under the bridge. He’s not our rabbi. He’s not counseling our students,” he said.
Karnofsky resigned as president of the Board of Rabbis last week, saying he was concerned and disappointed that the organization wasn’t doing enough to inform UB students and their parents of Shalman’s record and should be more forthcoming with information.
In a cover letter to its statement, the Board of Rabbis requested that recipients confine the contents “to those who are the community’s decision makers.”
“They want everything kept real quiet. I can’t in good conscience keep it quiet,” Karnofsky said. “The way to solve the problem for the future is making it public, exposing it to the light of day.”
The Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, a group critical of the Catholic bishops’ handling of clergy sex abuse allegations, also weighed in on the rabbis’ statement.
SNAP President Barbara Dorris called it “better than nothing, but not much better. It’s late, weak and, perhaps worst of all, it tragically perpetuates the dangerous and long-ago discredited notion that it’s best to keep quiet about clergy sexual misconduct.”
Dorris also said that secrecy “benefits the guilty and the manipulative” and “endangers the innocent and the trusting.”
By resigning the presidency, Karnofsky said he can now be more vocal about the issue. Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein of Congregation Shir Shalom in Amherst, who succeeded Karnofsky as president Friday, acknowledged that the statement was not sent to news media but said that it wasn’t a secret document, either.
“It was sent to all agency leaders,” he said. “It’s not something we’re embarrassed about.”
Lazarus-Klein also said the board was planning educational activities on the topic of sexual abuse.
“We’re trying to prevent it from happening again,” he said. “We have an obligation to protect community members as much as possible. … We do not take this issue lightly. It’s with a great deal of gravity and sadness that we approach this.”
Shalman served as rabbi of Temple Shaarey Zedek in Amherst from 1995 until his resignation in 2008, when he was accused by a member of the synagogue of having an inappropriately close relationship with the member’s wife.
It was the second time in his tenure at Temple Shaarey Zedek that Shalman faced allegations of misconduct. In 1999, an investigation by the Rabbinical Assembly’s ethics board concluded that Shalman had violated several principles of rabbinical conduct in his private counseling or teaching sessions with female members of the synagogue. The violations included improper touching and suggestive comments.
The congregation voted to retain Shalman, who had to undergo therapy and refrain from any future one-on-one teaching with women.
But following the 2008 allegation, the Rabbinical Assembly expelled Shalman, effectively meaning that synagogues affiliated with the Conservative Judaism movement cannot hire him.
Lazarus-Klein said the board has had “private meetings” with Shalman to discuss what happened.
Hillel tried to do its best in a difficult situation but erred in turning to Shalman, he said.
“It was a real last-minute decision made in haste,” Lazarus-Klein said. “The Board of Rabbis will have more of a role on the Hillel board to be a support to them.”
____________________________________________________________________________________
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
--Margaret Mead