In all streams, steps are taken to address rabbis' sexual abuse
By Joe Berkofsky
Chicago Jewish News - June 18, 2004
www.chicagojewishnews.com
The Jewish religious streams increasingly are cracking down on rabbinic sexual abuse.
New get-tough policies are emerging in the wake of pledges by the
various denominations to respond to cases of sex abuse by rabbis and
others in the past decade.
The Orthodox Union, for example, has established a detailed policy for
its youth group to deal with harassment of all kinds. According to the
policy posted on the Web site of the group, the National Conference of
Synagogue Youth, the union has appointed ombudsmen to handle such
complaints.
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, the O.U.'s executive vice president, said the
position includes two independent professionals trained in harassment
issues. Officials will not say how many complaints of abuse they field
each year, but, Weinreb said, "The system has been tested and we've
found it effective."
Weinreb hopes to get ethics guidelines in place for O.U. member synagogues as well.
Meanwhile, at its recent annual convention, the Rabbinical Council of
America, the largest association of Orthodox rabbis in North America,
approved new protocols for dealing with rabbinic abuse.
The guidelines include appointing an independent assessor to determine whether complaints are substantive.
Violations include "any form of sexual activity or sexualize contact
with any person to whom the rabbi is not married or with any minor; lewd
behavior; the exploitation of the rabbinic position for the purpose of
gaining sexual gratification or sexual favors," and abusive physical
contact or manipulation, the policy states.
Rabbis found guilty of violations could be expelled from the rabbinic
association or reprimanded and ordered to undergo counseling. Penalties
depend on the severity of the offense, whether it was part of a pattern
of behavior or a first offense, and whether other measures are taken to
prevent future abuse.
In the Orthodox and Jewish world generally, "there has been a
recognition that there needs to be a formal protocol rather than an
ad-hoc response to allegations," said Rabbi Basil Herring, the
Rabbinical Council of America's executive vice president.
The Conservative movement's congregational arm, the United Synagogue,
earlier this year instituted guidelines dealing with sexual harassment
in congregations.
The policy bans "leering, catcalls or touching" of a sexual nature,
"insulting or obscene comments or gestures," the display of "sexually
suggestive pictures" or the telling of sexual jokes or insulting
comments.
The movement's Rabbinic Assembly, meanwhile, refers any "serious"
complaints of harassment or abuse to an ethics committee, which
investigates by interviewing the parties and others involved, said Rabbi
Joel Meyers, the Rabbinic Assembly's executive vice president.
Rabbis guilty of harassment or abuse can be expelled from the movement,
barred or suspended from the pulpit and ordered to undergo therapy, he
said.
More minor ethics infractions, such as breaking rules of
confidentiality, might incur a "dressing down" in the form of a
reprimand and mandatory apology, he said.
Unlike its Reform counterpart, the Central Conference of American
Rabbis, the Rabbinical Assembly does not yet have a formal ethics code
in place, though the ethics panel does follow guidelines that the
group's board approved, which will be published online soon, Meyers
said.
The Rabbinic Assembly, which typically receives up to three abuse or
harassment complaints a year, is in the midst of drafting a policy
dealing with rabbinic behavior, but not ethics, Meyers said.
"It seems odd to tell a rabbi something he ought to know-namely, not to harm another person," he said.
The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association was among the first, along
with the Reform movement, to adapt rabbinic ethics guidelines in 1995.
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association President Rabbi Amy Small said
the movement has seen "a few cases" of abuse in the past several years,
but she said she could not provide exact figures.
The association would not make its policy public, she added, but she
said it parallels the Reform and Conservative ethics guidelines.
Any time a charge is leveled against a rabbi, Small said, rabbis in all
the movements take note. In part, that's out of compassion, but "on
another level, people see it as a statement about the rabbinate" itself,
she said.
The Awareness Center closed. We operated from April 30, 1999 - April 30, 2014. This site is being provided for educational & historical purposes. We were the international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault (JCASA); and were dedicated to ending sexual violence in Jewish communities globally. We did our best to operate as the make a wish foundation for Jewish survivors of sex crimes. In the past we offered a clearinghouse of information, resources, support and advocacy.
Friday, June 18, 2004
In all streams, steps are taken to address rabbis' sexual abuse
Labels:
Central Conference of American Rabbis Rabbnical Assembly,
Orthodox Union,
Rabbinical Council of America,
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association,
sexual abuse,
Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
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