Association of Reform Jewish Educators Ethics Statement

ARJE is committed to ensuring that all our members uphold the ethical standards set forth in our code of ethics. Our organization believes that a potential violation of this code should be taken seriously, thoroughly investigated and brought to a thoughtful resolution. We appreciate you bringing this concern to our attention. We know that filing a formal complaint is not done lightly or easily, and we agree to bring that same sense of gravitas to the ethics process. 

Once completed, this form will be sent to the chair of our Ethics Committee and ARJE’s Executive Director. One of those two people will contact you within 2 business days of completing this form. They will discuss the complaint with you in order to gain as much information as possible and also share the steps moving forward in this process. 

Please note that all questions on this form are optional. During the call with the Ethics Committee Chair/ARJE Executive Director, you will have a chance to answer those questions then if that is more comfortable for you. Please note: if you do not give us your name or a way to contact you, we will not be able to move a complaint forward at this time. We will keep all anonymous submissions on file. If you have further questions and aren’t ready to fill out this form, you can email the Ethics Committee Chair and ARJE's Executive Director at ethics@reformeducators.org or call 212-452-6519 to speak directly with our Executive Director.

ARJE Resources and Responses

  1. ARJE Announcement of Ethics Code and Committee Established January, 2022
  2. SRE Network webinar on Responding to Disclosures with Dr. Guila Benchimol
  3. Resources for training, prevention tips for caregivers, and information on how to ensure healthy relationships with children from the Center for Hope
  4. The URJ Resources for ensuring the Sacred and Ethical in Congregations including a guide to creating a congregational ethics code.
  5. The Women’s Rabbinic Network resources for survivors including spiritual resources, expert guidance, and procedures for reporting.
  6. ARJE Members Suspended, Expelled & Reinstated
  7. For Ethics concerns and reporting in other areas of the Reform movement see reformjudaismethics.org to access the other professional organizations

     

ARJE Ethics Committee Members
Rabbi Rena RIfkin, Chair
Lisa David, Vice-Chair
Rabbi Melissa Buyer-Witman, RJE
Susan Cosden, RJE
Denise Crevin, RJE
Debbie Niederman, RJE
Rabbi Allison Peiser
Rabbi PJ Schwartz, RJE
Rabbi Melissa Simon
Lauren Trexler
Brad Zicholtz, RJE
Paula Markowitz, NATA Executive Director
Rabbi Stacy Rigler, RJE Ex Officio