Jewish Women’s Aid is to work with the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council to tackle sexual harassment in the Jewish community.
The organisations three CEO’s held a consultative meeting to examine a suite of measures to ensure every person in the community feels respected, secure and protected from harassment.
Board of Deputies president Jonathan Arkush has backed the initiative.
“I’m delighted that our three organisations are working together to tackle this crucial issue,” he said.
The Board noted JWA, as community’s experts in this field, are the ideal organisation to lead the implementation of measures.
A joint statement recognised that Jewish Women’s Aid can develop its expertise as specialists in issues associated with harassment and abuse.
Measures will be available for vulnerable members of the Jewish community to access support and to give a voice to their collective stories.
“Jewish Women’s Aid has its own established training programme which has provided numerous rabbis, rebbetzens and other professionals across the breadth of the community with the skills to identify domestic abuse in all its forms,” a Board spokesperson said.
“By exploring new ways of addressing sexual harassment alongside its existing work on domestic abuse, Jewish Women’s Aid will be able to provide sensitive and practical advice to assist those affected by this issue.”
Measures now being considered by the JLC and Board include training for staff and trustees of communal organisations, refreshing policies/procedures related to sexual harassment, and ensuring the British Jewish community embodies a culture that does not tolerate sexual harassment of any kind.
“We intend that such measures would be introduced in close collaboration with CEOs and trustees of Jewish communal organisations,” a Board spokesperson added.