Independent report: Sexual harassment and discrimination at Hebrew Union College go back decades
Photo: HUC campus, Los Angeles. Credit: HUC-JIR
An independent review looking into allegations of sexual harassment, gender bias and other forms of inequitable treatment at the Reform Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC) spanning 60 years was released on Nov. 4 by global law firm Morgan Lewis.
The 33-page report details findings as well as recommendations after a 4 1/2-month review of all four of HUC’s campuses (Cincinnati, Los Angeles, New York City and Jerusalem). The review comprises a review of hundreds of documents and interviews with 170 former and current students, faculty and staff.
Morgan Lewis noted in its findings that it had been tasked by an HUC special committee to “conduct a broad and fully independent review of allegations of prior and current misconduct by anyone associated with HUC. Specifically, the Special Committee tasked us with investigating complaints of past sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, or discrimination on the basis of sex, including gender, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation, by HUC faculty, staff or others associated with HUC.”
The alleged misconduct was broken down into the following categories: gender discrimination; sexual harassment; LGBTQ+ discrimination; (bullying and disrespect; failure to provide accommodations); and racial discrimination, including a professor’s use of the term “tar baby,” a professor wearing blackface during Purim, faculty and students mistaking students of color for support staff, and comments about students’ countries of origin and parents’ jobs.
Gender Discrimination
The most prevalent comment noted when it came to discrimination/bias against women was that of a “good old boys” mindset across all four campuses. The report stated, “Women credibly reported being subjected to direct gender discrimination, ranging from comments disparaging women in the rabbinate generally, to a woman being told she was ‘too high strung to be a rabbi,’ to female students and faculty being treated negatively because they chose to focus on feminism in their scholarship.”
The report also highlighted “more recent microaggressions against women, such as being interrupted while speaking, being ignored by male colleagues, or being called by first names rather than ‘doctor’ or ‘rabbi’ or ‘professor.’ ” Other issues raised included male faculty or administrators commenting on women’s weight and appearance.
Sexual harassment
The report noted numerous allegations from “forcible sexual touching to off-color jokes and comments about breasts and penis size.” However, it also was noted that many students did not report sexual harassment to faculty or the administration for fear of retaliation.
LGBTQ+, disability and racial discrimination
While the most egregious allegations were from many years ago, the report stated the alleged behavior continues to be an issue, with allegations of bullying by faculty and administration. In addition, Morgan Lewis stated in its findings, “We also received reports of difficulties obtaining accommodations for disabilities and pregnancy/new parenthood,” and also heard allegations of racial discrimination.
Repeated credible allegations of misconduct
The investigation reviewed repeated credible allegations of sexual harassment by the following faculty members: *Steven Cohen, *Michael Cook, *Alfred Gottschalk, *Stephen Passamaneck, *Bonia Shur and Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman.
* deceased.
Campus breakdown
While most of the reported issues occurred over all four campuses, interviewees noted distinctions:
Cincinnati campus
Cincinnati was noted as being the center of the “old boys club”; it had very few openly gay students and fewer female faculty members, perhaps as a result of a reported history of gender discrimination.
New York campus
The “old boys club” seemed to exist more among older than younger faculty.
Los Angeles campus
Although most interviewees saw the L.A. campus as more “vibrant and more supportive” than the other campuses, some of the more egregious behavior occurred on the Los Angeles campus.
Jerusalem campus
In Jerusalem, there were “heightened reports of discrimination, particularly with respect to LGBTQ+ individuals, failure to accommodate disabilities, and racism. The culture of bullying is viewed as of particular concern in Jerusalem.”
Recommendations
Following its review, Morgan Lewis laid out four ways in which HUC could address these issues and move forward:
- Engage in the process of teshuvah (repentance) by making the report public; establish a public forum where individuals who wish to tell their HUC stories can do so; and thank all who came forward to share their experiences.
- Prevent the reported conduct from recurring, beginning with a cultural assessment, including surveying current students, faculty and staff, and conducting focus groups and individual interviews. In addition, HUC should set clear rules prohibiting harassment, discrimination and bullying and ensure they are enforced.
- Develop and implement policies and procedures for reporting, investigating and remedying misconduct.
- HUC should evaluate relationships with partner synagogues and sister organizations and make adjustments as necessary and appropriate, e.g. going forward, HUC should terminate relationships with synagogues where students reportedly are treated inappropriately during their student pulpits.
A Los Angeles rabbi shares her story
Rabbi Sarah Bassin of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, who graduated from HUC’s Los Angeles campus in 2011, shared her experience with Facebook friends and agreed to have her thoughts republished by SoCal Jewish News.
Her essay here encapsulates some of the pain and guilt that the Morgan Lewis report touches on, including how many witnesses (witnesses were interviewed via video) broke down in tears, while others noted they had spent years in therapy.
HUC already has undertaken one of the recommendations by making the very detailed report public. It is available to download here.