| Institutional Teshuvah: Taking Responsibility for and Healing from Our Past |
| Action Item | Progress |
| Build a meaningful teshuvah process to understand survivor experiences and hold ourselves accountable. | - Nov. 2021 – HUC publicly released the Morgan Lewis report.
- May 2022 – HUC formed a Teshuvah Working Group under the leadership of Rabbi Laura Novak Winer and Rachel Margolis, RJE.
- Summer 2022 – The Teshuvah Working Group convened learning sessions with Dr. Guila Benchimol and Rabbi Rochelle Robins for HUC, CCAR and URJ board and ethics process members to develop a shared framework for Reform Movement Teshuvah work.
- Spring 2023 – The Teshuvah Working Group shared recommendations for a meaningful approach to repair and reconciliation with HUC’s leadership. The recommendations were accepted in full.
- Summer 2023 – Rabbi Rachel Maimin hired to implement an institution-wide process of healing and accountability in the 2023 – 2024 academic year.
- Jan. 2024 – Restorative justice practitioners Rachel King and Jay Wilgus are hired to design listening circles for impacted individuals who wish to share their stories directly with HUC.
- Fall 2024 - Listening circles are facilitated for impacted individuals to share their stories with HUC leadership and one another.
- Spring 2025 – A summative report of HUC’s teshuvah process is issued, including future commitments.
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| Design rituals moments of healing. | - Spring 2023 – The Teshuvah Working Group included proposals for ritual moments of healing in the recommendations submitted to HUC’s leadership. The recommendations were accepted in full and ritual opportunities will be made available in the 2023 – 2024 academic year.
- Fall 2023 – A process was opened to reissue graduation and ordination documents to alumni who wish to receive them because their original documents contain signatures of people who caused harm or contain gendered language that they would like corrected or changed. Over 230 requests for new documents were fulfilled.
- Spring 2024 – Four reaffirmation of ordination ceremonies conducted for alumni who are interested in this ritual of healing and repair.
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| Remove endowed chairs, statues, and other public recognitions that memorialize or honor wrongdoers. | - Principles and Procedures for Renaming Buildings and Other Features at HUC were adopted in June 2022.
- HUC’s Chair and President empaneled a Renaming Committee to evaluate named features and provide recommendations. Their recommendations were issued to the Chair and President, and then approved by the Board in Jan. 2024.
- Implementation of the recommendations, which include removing certain busts, recreating or removing certain plaques, and replacing certain photos with explanatory messages are underway, and will be completed in early 2025.
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| Setting Jewish Ethical Expectations for All Who Enter Our Sacred Space |
| Action Item | Progress |
| Review and revise policies and procedures consistent with the findings of the Presidential Task Force on Safe and Respectful Environments and the Morgan Lewis report. | - Fall 2020 – Reviewed and updated HR policies impacting faculty, staff, and students following a Board-led review of policies and policy changes. Initiated a process to align faculty, staff, and student handbooks to reflect revised policies.
- Spring 2021 – Implemented updated Name Change policy which allows for legal or preferred names throughout all internal systems and on diplomas and ordination documents.
- June 2022 – Created webpage for non-academic policies to promote and reinforce communal standards of behavior for students, staff and faculty. Created Sacred and Respectful Community webpage to clarify incident reporting protocols and share ethics and DEI content in a central location.
- Winter 2022 – Reviewed field placement lodging and homestay policies to ensure uniform standards of security and privacy for all students.
- Summer 2023 – New Rabbinical School Fieldwork Coordinator role created to ensure consistency of requirements and policies for fieldwork sites.
- Spring 2024 – Implemented a document management platform to centralize the retention of institutional policies, streamlining access to important guidelines that reinforce our values of respect, integrity, and accountability.
- Fall 2024 – Fieldwork reporting protocols for all schools are being reviewed to ensure consistent information sharing and reporting standards.
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| Set forth clear expectations regarding behavior and hold people accountable when they do not comply. | - The Offices of Human Resources and Student Support have clarified and updated behavioral expectations for all community members and codified incremental disciplinary processes for those who do not comply.
- Summer 2024 – Implemented a new performance management program that focuses on clear expectations, regular feedback, and accountability, ensuring employees align with HUC’s core values of respect, integrity, and inclusion. Policy reviews are conducted at regular intervals.
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| Build more transparency into the system so community members feel comfortable coming forward. | - Incident reporting protocols are clearly outlined on the HUC website and are reinforced with all students, staff, and faculty.
- Nov. 2023 – EthicsPoint, a third-party online reporting system with a 24-hour hotline, was implemented to improve confidential reporting options.
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| Consider modifying the process for signing ordination certificates. | - A modified process for signing ordination certificates is currently under review.
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| Develop a centralized record retention system. | - Record retention protocols and processes are being reviewed and will be revised and implemented as appropriate.
- Centralizing record retention is an ongoing process taking place alongside upgrades to HUC’s databases.
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| Consider implementing a student discipline panel or an escrow system. | - The Director of Student Support role was created in 2020 to oversee student affairs, including disciplinary matters.
- Under the Director, the Office of Student Support is responsible for addressing documented matters of student misconduct and recommending disciplinary actions when warranted.
- The Student Support Help Desk was created for reporting concerns and potential policy violations.
- HUC implemented new case management software to streamline investigations of misconduct.
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| Appoint an ombuds. | - HUC instituted a system of third-party anonymous incident reporting in Summer 2020.
- Nov. 2023 – HUC improved confidential reporting options by implementing EthicsPoint, a third-party online reporting system with a 24-hour hotline.
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| Enhancing a Sacred Space: Fostering a Culture of Shared Accountability and Support |
| Action Item | Progress |
| Conduct a culture assessment. | - Sept. 2019 – HUC announced the Presidential Taskforce on Safe and Respectful Environments. Their report was released in Feb. 2021.
- Feb. 2021 – HUC engaged DEI consultant Dr. Taj Smith for a preliminary Cultural Climate Assessment per the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on Safe and Respectful Environments.
- May 2022 – SEES (Strategic Ethical Expert Solutions), a consulting firm specializing in diversity, equity and inclusion, was engaged for an 18-month process to design and embed best practices for cultural change at HUC.
- Spring 2023 – SEES completed a robust cultural assessment based on interviews and focus groups with staff, faculty and students as a foundational element of their work with the College-Institute.
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| Conduct training on creating a culture of respect. | - Fall 2020 – Title VII and Sexual Harassment Training conducted for Board of Governors and HUC’s academic and administrative leadership.
- March 2021 – DEI training for faculty conducted by Rabbi Micah Buck-Yael from Keshet.
- June 2021 – Two-day faculty in-service training with Dr. Taj Smith focused on building syllabi, course materials, and classroom environments with a focus on equity and inclusion.
- Spring 2023 – SEES implemented workshops for students, staff, and faculty to support a culture of respect at HUC.
- Sept. 2023 – New annual Title IX, sexual harassment, and DEI training program implemented for students, faculty and staff.
- Sept. 2024 – Second year of new annual training program is implemented for students, faculty and staff.
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| Consider making trained mental health services available at each campus. | - Each campus has mental health referral resources available to students.
- LA students have access to the USC Mental Health Center.
- Cincinnati students obtain referrals to local mental health resources and support for services through the Cincinnati Rabbinical Program Manager.
- Jerusalem and New York students have access to on-call counselors for short-term mental health support and referrals for continued therapeutic care.
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| Promote a culture of diversity and inclusion | - Sept. 2021 – Secured a generous gift to establish the Berkman Scholarship to Support Diversity at HUC, the Berkman Fellowship to Promote Equity and Inclusivity at HUC, and the Berkman Student Support Programming Fund.
- Aug. 2023 – Sacred Spaces brought onboard as an advisor to HUC’s sacred and respectful community work.
- Nov. 2023 – a Day of Learning focused on themes of inclusion and belonging took place on all U.S. campuses.
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