RABBI’S MESSAGE

Dear Friends, As we gather back together this fall, I want to highlight the important work of our Child Safety Team. Mental health professionals, educators, synagogue staff and other health professionals have been working all year on updating our child safety policies to reflect best practices. This is a critical task for the synagogue that reflects our deepest commitment to the health and well-being of all our children. This process has been facilitated by a Sacred Spaces initiative called Aleinu which is funded by UJA Federation of NY. It “provides Jewish youth-serving organizations with the education and practical tools they need to prevent child maltreatment and take responsible action should instances or suspicions of maltreatment emerge.” Is anything more important for a shul than protecting our children? With the revelations of child maltreatment throughout the Jewish community, some of which impacted organizations with which we closely affiliate, these efforts have become even more critical. I want to thank our COO Mia Mandel who has been leading these efforts, as well as the task force that is examining, developing and updating our policies, procedures and training. We want this issue to become a cultural touchpoint for the community, not just a policy that is stored away somewhere. We aim to create a culture in which parents, educators, children and all members of our community discuss child safety and the safety of all people. We strive to be a community in which each person who walks through our doors feels at home and safe. To achieve this we must work to raise awareness, provide educational opportunities and communal engagement around these issues. As such, we will have a dedicated space on our new website dedicated to Child Safety at Beth El. On that site, our policies will be transparent and the procedures for getting support or making claims of maltreatment will be clearly conveyed. The process of implementing best practices around policies and training is iterative. As such, our committee will continuously ensure that our approach reflects the everchanging conclusions of research and best practices and this will be reflected on our website. We will also offer educational programs targeted toward specific demographics in the synagogue as well as communitywide programs that share best practices and reinforce our policies for creating a safe community, including a Child Safety Shabbat on February 11, 2023. I am very proud of our community for investing time, energy and money in building this culture. Please look out for future updates about our progress. L’Shalom,

Rabbi David A. Schuck