Reporting

This reporting system is intended to identify organizations that may need to assess the effectiveness of their harassment prevention policies and programs. It is based on the premise that we have a mutual responsibility to maintain acceptable standards of safety at our communal institutions.

You can use this system to submit an anonymous account of harassment or misconduct related to a Jewish communal institution. This system will not provide you with personal assistance. For assistance with a workplace issue, please contact the infoline.

Here's How It Works:

• Using the form below, you can submit an anonymous account of something you experienced or witnessed. You are asked not to include any identifiable details about any persons, including yourself. You are asked to identify the name of the organization where this occurred -- whether or not you or anyone else is an employee. Please note that naming the organization is not blaming the organization.
• A panel of Jewish professionals and lay leaders, selected for their expertise and personal experience with workplace harassment, reviews the anonymous accounts periodically. They exercise judgement to decide when a situation merits their intervention. The panel uses its own standards and best judgement to decide when their involvement is appropriate.
• The panel decides, again using their wise judgement, what type of intervention is appropriate. It is often communication with the organization but may include communication with third parties.
• You should not expect any personal response or any immediate action from submitting your account.

Members of the Panel:

The names of the panelists are kept private to protect them from attempts to influence them. The panel includes current and former Jewish communal professionals, Rabbis and lay leaders who have been instrumental in exposing misconduct, a former ombudsperson for a Fortune 100 company and an authority in Jewish ethics of leadership.

Conflicts of Interest:

We have done our best to insure that panel members are free from obvious conflicts of interests. We also follow a rigorous and regular conflict disclosure policy to insure conflicts are disclosed and appropriate recusal taken. Panelists also undergo disclosure of personal experiences with harassment and abuse, either as target, witness or bystander.

Confidentiality:

• Panel Deliberations: Names and other identifying details of alleged targets, harassers, bystanders or other individuals are not shared with the panel. Submissions are screened before the panel receives them to insure no personally identifying information other than the name of the associated organization is conveyed to the panel.
• Communications With Organizations: In cases where the panel feels it is warranted, a letter may be sent to an organization’s leadership. This letter does not contain information about specific incidents but states that the panel is aware of one or more reports of harassment which merit investigation as well as an organization-wide check on the efficacy of harassment prevention policies and programs. Guidance is provided to assist organizations in following recommended safe respectful workplace practices.
• Communication With Individuals: Those submitting a report are assigned an anonymous contact code in case additional information is needed and for followup to see whether conditions have improved.
• But What If This Gets Back To Me? You may be concerned that if the panel acts on your report and contacts organizational leadership they may infer your identity, particularly if the situation you are reporting has a history. We protect against this in several ways. The panelists do not know your identity or that of any alleged harasser, and all submissions are checked to remove any indirectly identifying information before the panel sees them. Communications to organizations mention nothing about the substance of any reports or complaints, focusing instead persuasively on the importance of reviewing harassment prevention efforts and giving guidance on how to do so. The panel at all times acts with awareness that retaliation is real and needs to be prevented.