Twenty Years Later - Why Haven't Chasidic Leaders Made Changes?
By Vicki Polin - February 1, 2013
The Awareness Center's Daily Newsletter
Please note this article was written nearly 20 years ago. At the time every branch of Judaism was watching, including rabbonim from within the chasidic world. –– Vicki Polin
Please click here to learn about the case of Rabbi Robert Kirschner
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Jews Begin to Address Allegations of Sexual Misconduct
by Rabbis Ethics: Only Reform movement has guidelines. But other
branches acknowledge that they are needed
Los Angeles Times - June 19, 1993
In the wake of recent allegations of sexual misconduct within the
rabbinate, members of the Jewish community are mobilizing efforts to
address the problem and determine the appropriate course of
investigation and healing.
Incidents have been
reported in all three branches of Judaism over the years, but so far
only the Reform movement has directly addressed the issue. It drafted
its first ethics code dealing with relationships between rabbis and
congregants two years ago and is updating and revising it.
Representatives from the Conservative and Orthodox movements
acknowledge the need for a code of conduct but have yet to prepare any
guidelines.
"We are looking toward a revision
in view of the fact that the whole issue has become so prominent
lately," said Rabbi Jeffrey Stiffman, chairman of the Committee on
Ethics and Appeals for the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the
governing body of the Reform movement.
Rabbis
and other experts say sexual misconduct among rabbis is not widespread,
but several recent cases have brought the issue to light.
Two weeks ago, Rabbi Robert Kirschner,
who resigned from his Reform congregation in San Francisco 18 months
ago after four women accused him of sexual harassment, withdrew his
candidacy from a summer teaching post at Hebrew Union College after
community members expressed outrage at the appointment.
In March, a San Diego rabbi, also of the Reform movement, resigned after admitting an affair with an associate rabbi.
In April, the dean of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York,
which represents the Conservative Jewish movement, resigned after
allegedly making sexually explicit remarks to a man during an admissions
interview.
About eight years ago, an Orthodox
rabbi in a community near Los Angeles was dismissed from his
congregation and his ordination was revoked after he acknowledged having
an affair with a congregant, according to Rabbi Danny Landes, who
teaches Jewish ethics at Yeshiva of Los Angeles.
On Sunday, a conference of the North American Reform Rabbinical
Assn., which includes the United States and Canada, will adopt code
revisions that deal with the "process, investigation and means of
enforcing boundary violations," Stiffman said.
One suggested change, Stiffman said, includes publishing the results of
investigations of rabbis found guilty of misconduct. Under the current
code, results are kept confidential. "We want to prevent rabbis who are
found guilty to be placed in new pulpits without first getting
counseling," he said. Reform Rabbi Laura Geller, regional director of
the Pacific Southwest Region of the American Jewish Congress, agreed
that a need for open discussion of the issue is important for the
community and said courses for rabbis in training would be another
positive step.
"I think (sexual misconduct)
happens more than people think in all religious communities," Geller
said. "Clergy people are in powerful positions, and unless people are
adequately trained to understand what's going on, they can find
themselves in inappropriate situations which can be very damaging."
Problems of sexual misconduct have been disclosed in virtually every
major Christian denomination. The reports of misconduct by clergy have
involved adults and minors.
The Orthodox and
Conservative movements acknowledge the potential for sexual misconduct,
but admit they have been slow to take any definitive action.
"It's probably something that we should discuss and develop, and I'm
in full agreement with what the Reform movement is doing," said Rabbi
Joel Rembaum, senior rabbi for Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles and
secretary of the Rabbinical Assembly, the international organization of
Conservative rabbis. "Unfortunately, this whole issue and the
sensitivity surrounding it is a relatively recent one, and we don't
anticipate problems until they arise."
The
Orthodox movement is bound strictly by Halacha, or Jewish Law, which in
many instances works as a safeguard against sexual misconduct, said
Rabbi Landes.
Orthodox Jews, especially
rabbis, are not allowed to be alone with a woman unless there is a
chaperon or someone near, Landes said, and in any private meeting the
door cannot be completely closed. "There should be privacy, but the door
should never be closed and locked-so what happens `behind closed doors'
is not an issue," he said. Landes, who is the rabbi of Temple B'nai
David-Judea in Los Angeles, said any rabbi found guilty of sexual
misconduct would be discharged immediately.
Still, he said, the Orthodox community would benefit from developing structured guidelines built from Halacha.
"I'm very impressed by the Reform guidelines. Our guidelines are the
Shulchan Aruch (one of the books of Jewish law) but an articulated
policy of conclusions should be out there for protection of rabbis and
the congregation," Landes said.
Complaints
about the conduct of Orthodox rabbis are heard by a Beit Din, an
informal court made up of three rabbis. Landes, who has served on two
Beit Din, said that cases concerning sexual misconduct are extremely
rare but that the court is open to hearing such complaints.
In the case of Rabbi Kirschner, who would have taught two classes in
the school of Communal Service at Hebrew Union College, rabbis,
students and alumni of the Reform seminary protested his appointment.
Kirschner, who is involved in a civil suit brought by a woman
alleging sexual harassment, said in a letter to the heads of Hebrew
Union College: "In view of the conflict and antagonism that my
appointment has generated, I believe that it is in the best interest of
the college and Communal Service program to find a more acceptable
candidate."
Dean Lee Bycel defended and upheld
the decision to hire Kirschner, noting that the rabbi had received
professional counseling and had confronted his difficulties "in a
constructive and forthright manner."
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.
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Twenty Years Later - Why Haven't Chasidic Leaders Made Changes?
Labels:
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