September 15, 2022

You teach us the true purpose of confession:
to turn our hands into instruments of good,
to cause no harm or oppression.
Receive us, as You promised,
in the fullness of our heartfelt t’shuvah.
   (from the Yom Kippur Liturgy, Mishkan HaNefesh)

    

The past year has been one of intense listening, learning, and introspection for the members and staff of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Throughout the process of the CCAR Ethics Investigation undertaken in the past year, we have heard from hundreds of people, including survivors and their families, congregations impacted by rabbinic misconduct, colleagues who volunteered within the ethics system, rabbis who had complaints brought against them, and their family members, as well as members of the larger community. We learned more thoroughly how the misconduct of some of our members and former members has deeply hurt individuals and communities. We have heard about how in some cases the CCAR’s handling of that misconduct compounded the hurt experienced. And we have been reminded how an act of misconduct can have ramifications for years afterward.

Over the last year, guided by outside experts and always rooted in Jewish values, we took a hard look at how we could make our ethics system sharper, clearer, and in the end, better. Our commitment to improvement means that we must also acknowledge instances through the years when we have fallen short of realizing the ideals to which we aspire, and to do the hard work of repair.

With sincerity of heart and intention, the CCAR apologizes for the hurt that our organization and our ethics system have caused. We acknowledge that there have been times when we failed to meet our own high standards and we are deeply sorry. We apologize, and we are committed to working diligently for a better future. 

The CCAR ethics system is both religious and aspirational. It is a peer-driven process through which CCAR member rabbis are held accountable to our Ethics Code. We call ourselves to lives that demonstrate the highest values of the rabbinate. We are proud that the vast majority of our members uphold our high ethical standards and serve their communities with honor. And we also acknowledge that the cases where that has not been true have caused long lasting hurt and mistrust.

Since the current ethics system was established in 1991, it has been in a process of continual revision and upgrade, with seventeen cycles of changes to the Ethics Code in twenty-one years as well as changes to procedures and processes. We are grateful to the hundreds of volunteers—both rabbis and laypeople—who have served with dedication on our Ethics Committee and in the related parts of the process, all with the shared goal of upholding our Ethics Code in order to foster safe and sacred communities, and to hold rabbis accountable. In recent years we have seen an increase in cases, with approximately fifteen cases currently brought annually before our Ethics Committee, encompassing allegations of financial misconduct, misconduct between colleagues, bullying, plagiarism, sexual misconduct, and other unethical behaviors.

Our work of institutional t’shuvah, or repentance, has included listening with open and learning hearts to the stories of individuals impacted by our ethics process. For our apology to be wholehearted, we understood that we needed to make a significant investment of time and attention, to hear their pain for ourselves.

As part of our institutional work of repair and t’shuvah, the CCAR T’shuvah Task Force issued a public invitation to all who wished to share their difficult, often painful experiences. The Task Force engaged in forty-eight hours of listening sessions, which were in addition to the 140 individuals who came forward to speak, sometimes anonymously, with the attorneys from Alcalaw who managed the CCAR Ethics Investigation. The Task Force will continue to offer opportunities for those who did not come forward previously. In addition, we also heard and learned from personal accounts shared with CCAR staff following the release of the December 2021 Alcalaw Ethics System Report, and in online reflection sessions held with CCAR members. We learned a great deal from all of these important conversations, and we are truly grateful to all who came forward to share their experiences with Alcalaw, the T’shuvah Task Force, and with us directly.

As part of our learning and reflection process, we carefully studied the Alcalaw Ethics System Report and delved into Jewish sources on t’shuvah while also actively addressing issues internal to our ethics process. We heard the concerns of survivors, families, congregants, congregations, volunteers, rabbis, and others about the broader impacts of the ethics process. Our listening reminded us how vital it is to have a clear and focused ethics process and to ensure better communications as the process unfolds. Since the release of the Alcalaw Ethics Investigation Report, we have already changed significant sections of our Ethics Code and system, and we are endeavoring diligently to pursue further changes.

We also recognize that in addition to the instances recounted above, individual CCAR members and former members have caused harm to people in the communities in which they have served. We urge all CCAR rabbis to reflect on and acknowledge any hurt they have caused, to apologize to those they have hurt, and to do their part to work towards the healing of those impacted by their actions.

Looking beyond the parameters of our ethics system, we appreciate that our t’shuvah would be incomplete if we did not also recognize the pain that too many CCAR members experienced over the years during the career placement process. We acknowledge that women and LGBTQ+ colleagues in particular have reported experiencing both implicit and overt bias in the past. We apologize for this pain and continue to reflect on this difficult history. Although our placement system has evolved in significant ways in recent years, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the past. We commit to sustained repair through our deeds, a process that has been ongoing for some time and will continue.

With humility, we acknowledge that our work of institutional t’shuvah and repair is not over. Our staff and leadership have been deeply impacted by the stories we have heard. We remain committed to the ongoing work of t’shuvah—of listening to and acknowledging the pain of our past, and to creating and implementing a better ethics system for the future. In Jewish tradition, repentance is only complete when we are faced with the same situation again and, having learned from our past, respond differently. The CCAR is committed to this foundational virtue of our faith. With the learning and awareness gained from this time of introspection, we will continue to put new systems, processes, and standards into place in the months and years to come. We pledge to keep learning and growing as an organization, and we remain committed to continually revising our ethics system to ensure it enables the CCAR to realize the highest ideals to which we aspire.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Lewis Kamrass, President, CCAR
Rabbi Erica Asch, President Elect, CCAR
Rabbi Ron Segal, Past President, CCAR
Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive, CCAR
On behalf of the CCAR Board of Trustees

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Progress Report

The following list of actions and improvements to the CCAR ethics system is based on the specific recommendations in the Alcalaw Ethics System Report, as well as further recommendations based on observations made in the report and gleaned from input from survivors and others impacted by rabbinic misconduct.

While not yet complete, this list represents the serious commitment to change since the report was published in December 2021, including the investment of thousands of hours of volunteer and staff work, input from outside consultants, and new hires.

We also want to note that significant changes were made to our ethics system in the several years before the investigation and Ethics Report. One of the most significant is a change in the Ethics Code that resulted in a public-facing page on the CCAR website that now lists the names of rabbis who have been censured, suspended, and expelled.

Jewish tradition teaches us that a necessary element of t’shuvah is not engaging in the behavior in question again. We know that words on a page are not enough; during our period of listening we also took action, as outlined below. Since the release of the Ethics Report, we have worked quickly to implement its recommendations and the recommendations of other outside experts. We know there is still more work to be done, and we will continue this work of making our system ever better.

RECOMMENDATION	ACTION TAKEN
1. T’shuvah	The T’shuvah Task Force, under the leadership of Rabbi Erica Asch, the CCAR President Elect, and informed by the forty-eight hours of listening sessions and conversations, completed their recommendations for the CCAR Board of Trustees in regard to institutional t’shuvah.   The CCAR membership was invited to participate in an Al Cheit ritual of acknowledgement on September 8, 2022, based on the idea that we cannot do true t’shuvah without first acknowledging the hurt collectively caused by the CCAR.   In addition, CCAR leadership has been engaged in conversations with individual survivors who came forward and requested follow-up opportunities for apologies and t’shuvah.
2. Make changes in Constitution and Bylaws regarding term limits for Ethics Committee members	Voted on at the CCAR Convention, March, 2022.
3. Increase transparency by listing members of each ethics-related committee on ethics section of CCAR website: Ethics Process Review Committee, Ethics Committee, Board of Appeals, Ethics Task Force, T’shuvah Task Force	Completed.
4. Listening sessions	During the course of the CCAR Ethics Investigation, the Alcalaw legal team spoke to 140 people who came forward to share experiences, stories, and perspectives.   Additional stories were shared during the reflection sessions, to which CCAR members were invited immediately after the release of the report.   CCAR leadership and staff were also approached following the release of the report by those in the community and within the CCAR who wished to share stories privately.   The T’shuvah Task Force spent forty-eight hours speaking with people directly impacted by the ethics process. These sessions informed the recommendations of the Task Force on specific steps for t’shuvah. The Task Force will continue to offer opportunities for those who did not come forward previously.   Together—and while keeping details and names confidential where requested and appropriate—all of these conversations served as a way to meaningfully learn and reflect on what can be changed and improved in our process, our Code, our policies, and our approach. We are grateful to everyone who came forward.
5. Make changes to and provide greater clarity about adjudications	Censure without Publication will no longer be an adjudicatory option. This change was voted into practice by the CCAR membership on June 9, 2022, and is now part of the Code.   Going forward, any rabbi who is censured will have their name published as such on the ethics page of the CCAR’s public-facing website.
6. Update and revise the ethics system	An Ethics Task Force, under the leadership of Rabbis Amy Schwartzman and Nicki Greninger, has been formed to study the ethics processes and codes of different professional organizations, as well as religious membership groups. They are also consulting with experts in areas such as restorative justice and mediation. At the culmination of their two-year process, they will bring proposals for changes to the CCAR Board and then to the membership.
7. Additional education for the Ethics Committee	In February 2022, the Ethics Committee met for its annual training retreat. As part of the retreat, there was a special training done by outside consultants on trauma-informed best practices. Members of the Ethics Process Review Committee and the Board of Appeals were also included in this training, as were members of the Ethics Task Force and the URJ ethics team.  In addition, we have recently received a grant from the Safety Respect Equity Network to implement two years of additional training with outside experts for members of the Ethics Committee, in collaboration with our colleagues doing ethics work in the Rabbinical Assembly and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association.
8. Create a new system for fielding inquiries about the ethics process and for the intake of complaints. This could include a new staff position for an Intake Advisor, who does not serve on the Ethics Committee and is a neutral third party, to be the first point of contact for someone wishing to make a complaint or ask questions.	The CCAR has hired Cara Raich as Ethics Advisor, Inquiries and Complaint Intake. The Ethics Advisor will now be the first contact for those wanting to bring forward a complaint, as well as those looking for more information. This new position provides an impartial and confidential forum where prospective complainants and rabbis considering self-reporting can ask questions about the Code and the Ethics process. When applicable, the Advisor will facilitate the intake of a formal ethics complaint that will be forwarded to the Ethics Committee for adjudication.   Ms. Raich joins David Kasakove, our Director of Rabbinic Ethics, in our expanding professional team responding to ethics concerns. Both bring extensive experience in ethics as lawyers, and both have been involved extensively in the Reform Movement as congregational lay leaders—and, in Mr. Kasakove’s case, as a Reform Jewish Educator.
9. Changes to the CCAR Ethics Code	A special subcommittee of the Ethics Process Review Committee, led by Rabbi Tom Alpert, was formed to expedite changes to the Code and present them to the CCAR membership for a vote. These changes were voted into effect by the membership on June 9, 2022. The specifics of these Code changes are itemized below.   The next round of changes is currently in development and will be voted on by the CCAR membership on December 8, 2022.
10. Add a non-retaliation provision with respect to the ethics process to the Code	Voted on June 9, 2022, and now part of the Code.
11. Revise confidentiality clause in the Code	Voted on June 9, 2022, and now part of the Code.
12. Create bright lines in the Code regarding minimum levels of discipline for sexual boundary violations	Voted on June 9, 2022, and now part of the Code.
13. Clarify that grooming behavior directed toward minors is a violation of the Code	Voted on June 9, 2022, and now part of the Code.
14. Codify current practice that complaints are to be in writing and signed by the complainant	Voted on June 9, 2022, and now part of the Code. In addition, this section now also includes a new provision permitting anonymous complaints.
15. Codify the current practice of the Ethics Committee that all parties involved in the ethics process will keep the proceedings confidential, except in cases of immediate harm or danger, or insofar as they are published by the CCAR in connection with the EC’s adjudicatory decision	Voted on June 9, 2022, and now part of the Code.
16. Create a clear and consistent standard for the information gathering process	Voted on June 9, 2022, and now part of the Code.
17. Allow the Ethics Committee to take action even if a complaint is not filed, in the case where a CCAR member is charged with a felony	Voted on June 9, 2022, and now part of the Code. The EC retains discretion about how to use this power, thus allowing for a situation where it considers the rabbi’s action to be not a criminal act but an act of conscience against an unjust law. Further, this new provision mandates expulsion if the rabbi has been convicted of a felony, even if an EC complaint has not been filed against them.
18. Create consistency between the Code and the Board of Appeals rules	Voted on June 9, 2022, and now part of the Code.
19. Add a provision to the Code requiring notification of reinstatement to the complainant or victim(s)	Voted on June 9, 2022, and now part of the Code.
20. Additional Code changes	There is another round of changes being worked on at the present time. They will be presented at a voting session on December 8, 2022.
21. Addressing other aspects of historic bias	Though not strictly speaking part of the ethics investigation, we also know that too many members have experienced overt bias in the past, particularly women and LGBTQ+ colleagues. As we continue to reflect on this past and make changes for the future, we seek repair through our deeds. Some of this work in the last few years stems from the Task Force on the Experience of Women in the Rabbinate, including the recent policy change requiring the listing of salary ranges for congregations in search—that research clearly shows helps to achieve pay equity—in the newly developed implicit bias training materials already in use for search committees, and continued training for CCAR staff.   We will also continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights—as seen in our Resolutions—and for LGBTQ+ visibility in our communal and liturgical communal life, as seen in recent publications and certificates.
22. Ongoing learning	Together with our partners at URJ and HUC-JIR, we are offering a shared Movement-wide study opportunity this Elul. Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, the author of On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World, is joined in conversation by Rabbi Jill Maderer on the topic of institutional t’shuvah. This session was recorded and made available for communities to use as part of their Elul preparations, during the High Holy Days, or whenever they so choose. The recording is accompanied by a discussion guide. This study opportunity is not itself an act of t’shuvah. Rather, this is a chance for all of us across the Reform Movement to learn and grow together as each of our organizations continues to move forward with our own work of t’shuvah.

Dear friends,

When Alcalaw’s written report on the CCAR ethics system was released, we committed to sharing ongoing progress reports about changes and updates to the ethics system. We shared our first progress reports here.

In the seven months since the report was released, the CCAR has been working as diligently as possible—in a short time frame—to put into effect as many of the recommendations from that report as possible.

There have been some immediate changes that have already impacted the ongoing work of the Ethics Committee. The Ethics Process Review Committee (EPRC), having successfully proposed a first round of changes to the Ethics Code based primarily on the Alcalaw recommendations, is now working on a second round to be considered on December 8, 2022, at our next virtual business meeting.

The Ethics Task Force continues to work on developing ideas for long-term changes that will be proposed to the CCAR board, and then the membership as a whole, next year. The T’shuvah Task Force has created steps toward t’shuvah that include a ritual of acknowledgment for CCAR members, a public letter of apology, and in some cases, individual conversations of repentance.

Many of the recommendations in the Ethics Report have now been directly addressed and many are actively in process. All of this work is part of the CCAR’s ongoing t’shuvah. 

The following is an updated report of specific parts of the ongoing work.

ACTION ITEM	PROGRESS
Ethics Code Changes and Voting	A special sub-committee of the Ethics Process Review Committee (EPRC), led by Rabbi Tom Alpert, was formed to expedite changes to the Ethics Code and present them to the membership for a vote. The first round of proposed changes was shared with the membership in May 2022, and additional revisions were made based on feedback. These changes were voted into effect on June 9, 2022. The next round of changes is currently in development with the subcommittee of the EPRC and will be voted on by the CCAR membership on December 8, 2022. This next round of voting will be preceded by several informational sessions: November 3, 5:30 PM ET; November 3, 8:30 PM ET; November 10, 10:30 AM ET
Overall Changes to the Ethics System	The Ethics Task Force, under the leadership of Rabbi Amy Schwartzman and Rabbi Nicki Greninger, is continuing to study the ethics processes and codes of different professional organizations, as well as religious membership groups. They are also consulting with experts in areas including restorative justice and mediation. At the culmination of this two-year process, they will bring proposals for changes to the CCAR board and then to the membership. Among these proposals will likely be revisions to aspects of the Code and process that are outdated, as well as new systems and approaches. Thanks in part to a grant from SRE Network, they will be meeting in person in December 2022 for an intensive retreat of study and work.
Conversations and Listening Sessions	During the course of the Ethics investigation, the Alcalaw legal team spoke to 140 people who came forward to share experiences, stories, and perspectives. Additional stories were shared during the processing sessions, to which CCAR members were invited, immediately after the release of the report. CCAR leadership and staff were also approached following the release of the Alcalaw report by those who wished to share stories privately. The T’shuvah Task Force spent numerous hours speaking with forty-eight people directly impacted by the ethics process. These sessions informed the recommendations of the Task Force on specific steps for t’shuvah. The Task Force will continue to offer opportunities for those who did not come forward in the previous round. Together, and while keeping details and names confidential where requested and appropriate, all of these conversations served as a way to meaningfully learn and reflect on what can be changed and improved in our process, our Code, our policies, and our approach. We are grateful to everyone who came forward. We are planning another round of listening sessions to be held between Simchat Torah and Thanksgiving.
T’shuvah	The T’shuvah Task Force, under the leadership of Rabbi Erica Asch, and informed by the listening sessions and conversations referenced above, completed their recommendations for the CCAR board in regard to institutional t’shuvah.   The CCAR membership was invited to participate in an Al Cheit ritual of acknowledgement on September 8, 2022.   A public letter of institutional apology will published in mid-September 2022.   In addition, CCAR leadership will be having conversations with individual survivors who came forward and requested follow-up opportunities for apologies and t’shuvah.
Inquiries and Complaint Intake	The CCAR has just hired Cara Raich as Ethics Advisor, Inquiries and Complaint Intake. This new position is a direct response to Alcalaw’s recommendations, so that the person initially explaining options to a potential complainant is not involved in the investigation or adjudication of complaints. The Ethics Advisor will now be the first contact for those wanting to bring forward a complaint, as well as for those looking for more information.    Ms. Raich joins David Kasakove, CCAR Director of Rabbinic Ethics, in our expanding professional team responding to ethics concerns. As lawyers, both Raich and Kasakove bring extensive experience in ethics, and both have been involved in the Reform Movement as congregational lay leaders.
More Education for the Ethics Committee	The CCAR is grateful to have secured funding from SRE Network (the organization that focuses on issues of gender-based abuse, harassment, and discrimination in Jewish workplaces and communal spaces) for additional high-level training with outside consultants for the members of the Ethics Committee. This funding is for joint training with the Ethics Committees of the Rabbinical Association (RA) and the Reconstructionist Rabbinic Assembly (RRA). This joint training will take place over the next two years.
Ongoing Learning	Together with our partners at URJ and HUC-JIR, we are offering a shared Movement-wide study opportunity this Elul. Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, the author of On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World, is joined in conversation by Rabbi Jill Maderer on the topic of institutional t’shuvah. This study opportunity is available for communities to use as part of their Elul preparations, during the High Holy Days, or whenever they so choose. The recording is also accompanied by a discussion guide. This study opportunity is not itself an act of t’shuvah. Rather, this is a chance for all of us across the Reform Movement to learn and grow together as each of our organizations continues to move forward with our own work of t’shuvah.

We remain committed to continued learning and growth as an organization, a process that can only take root in deep self-reflection. We continue to approach, with seriousness and sincere resolve, the many recommendations that came out of the Ethics Report. Operating on the several parallel and concurrent approaches outlined here, this work continues forward with deep and thoughtful care. We have committed substantial resources and a significant investment of staff and volunteer talent toward the long-term goal of healing and repair. We ask for your patience as we continue with this essential work. 

We will continue to share updates as our work progresses.

Warmly,

Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive
Rabbi Lewis Kamrass, President
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Review the CCAR Code of Ethics and communications related to CCAR Ethics.

Dear friends,

When the Alcalaw written report into the CCAR ethics system was released, we committed to sharing ongoing progress reports about changes and updates to the ethics system. Our first progress report was shared and made available here.

Much work has been going on since that time. There have been some immediate changes that have already impacted the ongoing work of the Ethics Committee. The Ethics Process Review Committee (EPRC) has been making the first round of changes to the Ethics Code based primarily on the Alcalaw recommendations, which were voted in yesterday. The Ethics Task Force has been hard at work developing ideas for long term changes. The T’shuvah Task Force has also been engaged in its work.

The following is an updated report of specific parts of the ongoing work.

Item	Progress
Changes to the Ethics System	The Ethics Task Force, under the leadership of Amy Schwartzman and Nicki Greninger, is studying the ethics processes and codes of different professional organizations, as well as religious membership groups. They are also consulting with experts in areas like restorative justice and mediation. At the culmination of their two-year process, they will bring proposals for changes to the CCAR board and then to the membership.
Listening Sessions	The T’shuvah Task Force has spent numerous hours speaking with those directly impacted by the ethics process, and their perspectives and ideas on the CCAR’s t’shuvah.
T’shuvah	The T’shuvah Task Force, under the leadership of Erica Asch, informed by the listening sessions referenced above, is currently completing recommendations for the CCAR board in regard to institutional t’shuvah.
Ethics Code	A special sub-committee of the Ethics Process Review Committee (EPRC) was formed to expedite changes to the Code and present them to the membership for a vote. The proposed changes were shared with the membership in May and additional revisions were made based on feedback. This revised set of proposed changes went out to the membership on June 6, 2022.
Voting on the Ethics Code	On May 17, 2022, we held a special education session about the proposed changes to the ethics code. On June 9, 2022, we convened virtually for a special business meeting of voting on changes to the Ethics Code. The proposed changes were voted in. We will vote on another set of changes to the Ethics Code on December 8, 2022.
Additional Education for the Ethics Committee	In February 2022, the Ethics Committee met for its annual training retreat. As part of the retreat, there was a special training done by outside consultants on trauma-informed best practices. Members of the EPRC and the Board of Appeals (BOA) were also included in this training, as were members of the Ethics Task Force and the URJ ethics team. In addition, we have just received a grant from the Safety Respect Equity Network to implement two years of additional special training with outside experts for the members of the Ethics Committee, in collaboration with our colleagues doing ethics work in the RA and the RRA.
More Transparency on CCAR Website	The names of members of the BOA, the EPRC, and the Ethics Committee, as well as the Ethics Task Force and the T’shuvah Task Force, are now all on the CCAR website.

There is still much work ahead of us. We remain committed to advancing and prioritizing this work. We are also in conversation with our partners at HUC-JIR and URJ about formal ways in which we might collaborate for the good of the Movement as a whole.

We will continue to share updates as the work progresses.

Warmly,

Hara Person, Chief Executive
Lewis Kamrass, President
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Review the CCAR Code of Ethics and communications related to CCAR Ethics.

Dear friends,

When the Alcalaw written report into the CCAR ethics system was released one month ago, we committed to sharing ongoing progress reports about changes and updates to the ethics system.

With this, our first progress report, we are pleased to share that some changes have already been made. In addition, many more changes are in process.

ACTION ITEM	PROGRESS
Changes to the Ethics System	An Ethics Task Force has been appointed. At the culmination of their two-year process, they will bring proposals for changes to the CCAR board and then to the membership.
T’shuvah	A T’shuvah Task Force has been formed and they have already begun the work of determining what institutional t’shuvah might be.
Conversations	The T’shuvah Task Force is already in the process of holding conversations with those who want to share their stories or ideas.
Conversations with survivors	Rabbi Lewis Kamrass and Rabbi Hara Person are in the process of initiating conversations with survivors of rabbinic misconduct.
Ethics Code	A special sub-committee has been formed to expedite changes to the Code and present them to the membership for a vote.
Voting on the Ethics Code	On June 9, 2022 (exact timing TBA), we will convene virtually for a special business meeting of voting on changes to the Ethics Code. This will be preceded by educational sessions.
Changes to and clarity about adjudications	As per the recommendations in the Alcalaw Report, Censure without Publication will no longer be an adjudicatory option.
More transparency on website	The names of members of the BoA, the EPR, and the Ethics Committee, as well as the Ethics Task Force and the T’shuvah Task Force, are now all on the CCAR website.

There is much work ahead of us. We are determined and hopeful about the future that will result from all the different endeavors now underway. As the work proceeds, we will continue to share updates regularly.

Warmly,

Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive
Rabbi Lewis Kamrass, President
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Review the CCAR Code of Ethics and communications related to CCAR Ethics.

Dear friends,

We are writing at this time as the next phase of the audit and assessment of our ethics system is reaching its conclusion.

We look forward to sharing the findings of the Alcalaw investigation into our ethics system in the coming weeks. Just as Chanukah comes to shed light and brightness at the darkest time of the year, this examination of our ethics system will illuminate the way forward for us.

We have not yet seen the report as it is still being completed, but after fielding inquiries about its scope, we felt it beneficial to highlight some unique aspects of the CCAR investigation in order to help clarify its scope, goals, and mandate:

• The scope of the investigation is the ethics system itself.
• The mandate was to provide findings and recommendations to enable changes and updates to the process, and consideration of possible revisions to the Ethics Code.
• We anticipate that the report will be a process-based report that examines the entirety of the CCAR ethics system.

There will surely be much in the report to learn from, and we remain dedicated to utilizing these findings to guide us toward the creation of the next iteration of the CCAR ethics system.

We await the report knowing that as a Conference, the findings will guide us on the path toward change, growth, and repair.

Wishing you a happy and light-filled Chanukah,

Rabbi Lewis Kamrass, President
Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive
Rabbi Erica Asch, President Elect
Rabbi Ron Segal, Immediate Past President
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Dear friends,

There is a great deal in this report that is difficult and painful. Many in our community are hurting, and we see and acknowledge this pain. It will surely take some time to reflect and fully digest the findings and implications of HUC-JIR’s investigation.

We are incredibly grateful to those who have courageously come forward to share the   experiences reflected in the report, and appreciate the willingness of HUC-JIR to engage in these critical conversations. We welcome the recommendations from the report and are eager to create shared Movement norms and processes in order to create a safe and sacred environment for everyone in our community.

At this time, the CCAR’s investigation is still ongoing. We look forward to sharing our findings once that process is complete, and to working with our Movement partners to create a collaborative process of dealing with ethical misconduct and accountability for the future.

Though we are a small and interwoven community, we have not all shared the same experiences while students at HUC-JIR, or faced the same treatment by the institution and its faculty and staff. This is a time for listening and kindness, for being as open as possible to each other’s pain, and for coming together in a community of caring to build a better future.

Rabbi Lewis Kamrass, President
Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Dear friends,

Now that the interview phase of our ethics investigation and review process has come to a close, we want to share next steps with you.

Our legal team, Alcalaw, has now begun the writing phase of the investigation. We are very grateful for everyone who has spoken to them during these months of the interview process. They have a considerable amount of material to review and consider, and it will still be some months before we have anything to share.

In the meantime, we are very pleased to announce the formation of the Task Force on Ethics. This task force of talented and thoughtful colleagues is made up of a diverse group of CCAR members. We are grateful to the chairs and all the members of this group for taking on this challenging but important work for the CCAR.

The Task Force on Ethics includes:

Amy Schwartzman, Co-Chair
Nicki Greninger, Co-Chair

Julie Bressler
Ken Chasen
Leah Cohen-Tenenbaum
Laurie Coskey
Seth Goren
Jackie Mates-Muchin
Steve Pearce
Jason Rodich
Matt Soffer
Rachel Steiner

Ana Bonnheim, ex officio
Andi Berlin, ex officio
Lewis Kamrass, ex officio
Erica Asch, ex officio
Hara Person, ex officio
David Kasakove, staff liaison
Missy Johnson, URJ, ex officio

This new Task Force on Ethics will help lead the change process that will ultimately lead to a new and updated ethics system. This group is charged with creating recommendations that will go before the CCAR Board and, as required by our constitution and bylaws, to the CCAR membership as a whole.

The CCAR ethics system, including our Code of Ethics, is a crucial part of how we uphold the rigorous standards for the ways in which Reform rabbis are expected to engage with their peers, their congregations, and their communities. The Code of Ethics and ethics system ensure our commitment to holding CCAR members accountable to the highest standards of rabbinic conduct and the moral values of our Jewish tradition. Both help fulfill our mission of accountability and maintaining the highest standards of rabbinic behavior.

This system is always evolving as times change and as we discern new insights about better ways to manage a complex system. You may recall that at CCAR Convention in March 2021, it was announced that we were embarking on an audit and assessment process of our ethics system, using outside consultants with specific professional expertise. Just when we were putting that process in place, we received serious allegations about flaws in our ethics system from the past. Based on those allegations, we opened up a rigorous neutral ethics investigation, led by a team of lawyers from the firm Alcalaw, who are experts in investigating sexual misconduct and come from a place of trauma awareness.

The results of their investigation will form the first part of our audit and assessment process, with the end goal of strengthening our ethics system and doing all we can to ensure safe and sacred communities. The outcomes and recommendations of the investigation will result in the need to make significant changes to our ethics system driven by this new Task Force on Ethics. Though they may be painful, we welcome the findings from this investigation because we are confident that they will support our original goal of undertaking a full audit and assessment of the system, to reckon publicly with our past, regain trust, and create a better future.

This will be a long, thoughtful process, and change will not be immediate. But we are committed to taking the time necessary to create deep, meaningful, and long-lasting change. The formation of this new Task Force on Ethics is a critical step in this important process.

Wishing you a sweet, happy, and healthy new year. Shanah tovah um’tukah.

 

Lewis Kamrass, President
Hara Person, Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis

With the coming of Rosh HaShanah, we turn our thoughts to the Book of Life and our place within it. How have we grown, how have we fallen short, how can we turn back to our highest aspirations? Where can we learn from our past mistakes, make amends, and build toward a better future?

As I write this, the current phase of the historical investigation of the CCAR ethics system is coming to a close. As a reminder, if you would like to speak with our investigators, you are invited to do so by August 27, 2021. This investigation is a painful but necessary process that provides a presents a clear and necessary opportunity to work towards healing and a better future. I am grateful for your support as we continue the very important and challenging work of examining our past to prepare the groundwork for moving forward.

After this listening phase ends, our legal team, Alcalaw, will embark on the next phase of their work, in which they will analyze the information they have learned and present findings and recommendations. After that, we will enter into a third phase: follow-up planning and change-making in order to both properly understand the past and plan for the future.

Each phase requires a tremendous amount of work to design and execute with care, concern, and dignity. I am so truly grateful for your patience. We will be in this process for some time to come because we want to be thoughtful, careful, and caring as we both reckon with the past and map out what comes next for the CCAR, our members, and those with whom we interact.

When we talk about our lives, we often have a tendency to recount only the good things. It can be painful and even retraumatizing to speak of the bad. But our tradition of Torah study teaches us the importance of also telling the hard stories. All stories, good and bad, happy and difficult, have something to impart. We need to acknowledge them and face them, to learn from them so that we can move into the new chapters that are to come. Our haggadah, Mishkan HaSeder, offers the following:

          In the dark times,
         Will there also be singing?
         Yes, there will also be singing
         About the dark times.
         —“Motto” by Bertolt Brecht

Even the darkest of times—the times of pain and despair—need be talked about, brought into the light, and incorporated into our collective story. They are part of who we are.

We are so grateful to all of you, both within and outside the CCAR, who have taken the courageous step of speaking with our investigators, and when relevant, with me, members of the CCAR staff, and CCAR leadership. The telling of these painful stories has been key to this important period of reflection, learning, and incorporating the brokenness so we can once again build toward wholeness and healing.

Thank you for being part of this journey toward repair.

 

Rabbi Hara Person
Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis

As I shared last week, our investigation into the history and application of the CCAR’s ethics process, as well as into matters that took place before that process was in place, is moving toward the conclusion of the listening phase of the work. Our legal team at Alcalaw has asked anyone who would like to speak with them to do so by August 27, 2021. You can contact Alcalaw here.

Before that date arrives, I want to once again share some thoughts about this process and, specifically, its scope and anticipated outcomes.

In the fall of 2020, I asked the CCAR Board to invest in a deep and rigorous assessment and review of our ethics process. In becoming CCAR’s Chief Executive, it became clear to me that it was time to do this work, as difficult as it might be, because we had an obligation to our members and the communities they serve. Much has changed since our current ethics process was established, and though I am proud that continual updates are built into our system and happen almost annually, I had come to understand it was time to take a step back and engage in an even deeper reflective process with the goal of creating a fully upgraded system for the 21^st century. The CCAR Board enthusiastically supported this process and voted to commit significant resources to it.

The investigation by Alcalaw will now form one part of that assessment and review process. The investigation has two primary areas of focus:

First, we have asked Alcalaw to focus on our ethics process—where and how it has worked and, as importantly, where and how it has been flawed, and why some have been reluctant to come forward at all. We did this because the CCAR is committed to making practical, systemic, and meaningful changes to this system moving forward. Once Alcalaw has completed its work, we will commence a process to rebuild and strengthen the ethics system based upon the information learned.

Second, we are deeply focused on the need for the institutional reckoning and t’shuvah that we know must be part of this process in order to help bring about healing. Therefore, we strongly encourage anyone to share their story with the Alcalaw team, regardless of whether or not it was reported to the Ethics Committee. Over the coming months, as we move into the next steps of this process, having the fullest possible picture of our own past will be critical to guiding our repentance. We also continue to encourage people to be in touch with the Ethics Committee to report new cases.

I know that many of you have already participated in this investigation process, and we are very grateful for that. I want to again encourage anyone who may have a story to share to reach out to the Alcalaw team before August 27, 2021. As I said last week, we understand these can be painful and even triggering conversations but, for those who feel comfortable sharing, these stories are so important in creating a record that will enable us to do the work of repair for the future.

 

Rabbi Hara E. Person, Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Dear colleagues,

Below is the latest update on our investigation. This message comes to us from our legal team, Alcalaw. We are very grateful to everyone who has come forward and spoken to Alcalaw. We know that much of what has been shared has been painful, and we appreciate your willingness to impart your story or experience. We are now beginning to look at next steps in this process. Please note the date that they have set as the end of the listening phase of the work.

Rabbi Hara E. Person, Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis

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As you may be aware, at the request of the CCAR, Alcalaw has spent the last 12 weeks listening to members of the community about their experiences with, and reflections on, the CCAR’s ethics process. Many of you have contributed to this process already, and your input has been invaluable. Our mandate is not only to engage with the community in this way, but also to critically examine the operation of the ethics process and identify for the CCAR ways in which the process could be modified to better achieve its goals.

As we look ahead to the conclusion of the listening phase of our work, we want to provide ample notice to anyone who may wish to share information with us but has not done so yet. If you have information about the CCAR’s ethics process that you think may be relevant, or would like to reach out with a question, please contact us at ccar@alcalaw.com.

We are endeavoring to conclude the listening phase of our work by August 27, 2021 and request that anyone who wishes to reach out do so by that date.

We want to thank those of you who have already shared your experiences with us and look forward to speaking with more of you as we continue this important assignment.