Conservative rabbis to review ethics code over abuse, gender inequity
The RA will be working to update ethics codes with Sacred Spaces, an organization that works with Jewish communities to address sexual abuse and power abuse.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFINTERIOR OF the Yael shul today.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The Rabbinical Assembly (RA), the international association of Conservative rabbis, announced this week that it will review and update its code of conduct and ethics procedures, supported by a grant from Safety Respect Equity network, a group of Jewish organizations that work to address sexual harassment and gender discrimination.The RA will be working with Sacred Spaces, an organization that works with Jewish communities to address sexual abuse and power abuse within the movement. The update comes after a 2019 task force, the Gender and Power Committee, appointed to study issues related to sexual harassment and gender inequity in the Rabbinical Assembly, found that the current code of conduct is insufficient for today's world.One example of a way in which the code is lacking is its failure to fully address possibilities for abuse on social media because it was written prior to widespread use of these online platforms.“Given the diversity and ever-changing nature of our rabbinate and our society, our ethics code and procedures need to be reviewed and updated regularly,” says Rabbi Stewart Vogel, the RA’s president.“This review will assess our current practices to ensure they are in line with best practices, so that we can continue to hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards and ensure a responsible mechanism for addressing abuse.”The review will include an audit of current systems, gathering input from members who have experienced current procedures and Sacred Space recommendations for updates.The RA expressed their commitment to "creating a safe space and respectful institutions" as a "Jewish imperative at the core of living a life informed by Jewish Values.""We want to make it clear to our members and our movement that we are committed to doing the work and investing the time for this challenging and necessary process," said Rabbi Daniel Pressman.
