Congregation Betenu Anti-Harassment Policy

I. Introduction

Congregation Betenu is committed to providing an atmosphere that promotes compassion, tolerance, and respect. It is likewise committed to providing an environment free from all forms of harassment (as defined below) and will neither tolerate nor condone harassment of any of its members (including Religious School faculty and students).

II. Policy

All forms of harassment are unacceptable at Congregation Betenu. All members shall be responsible for guarding against behavior that could be considered harassment, for fostering the attitude that it is unacceptable behavior, and for addressing such behavior when it occurs. Congregation Betenu will provide fair, accessible, and constructive methods for dealing with harassment complaints.

III. Definitions

• Harassment is a physical or verbal act, which may include the use of written material or visual behavior, that is unwelcome, offensive, or hurtful, or expresses hostility against or ridicules another person or persons. It must be persistent or significant to the extent that it has a detrimental effect on a person's enjoyment, comfort, and performance.
• Complainant is the person who believes that s/he has been the subject of harassment.
• Respondent is the person accused of harassing another person or group.
• Mediation is the process whereby a neutral person attempts to reach an agreed settlement between the parties.
• Investigation is the process whereby a neutral person or persons examines the circumstances surrounding a complaint and reports his/her findings to the Board/Grievance Committee.

IV. Contact People/Grievance Committee

The committee will consist of a group of four or more people, appointed by the Board. These people will serve as committee members for a period of one year or longer if mutually acceptable and deemed appropriate by the Board and the specific committee members. These individuals, who should be trustworthy and approachable, will be available, as either a group or some subset of them, to receive members' complaints.

V. Procedures

Education: The membership will be made aware of the existence of the harassment policy by notification through the Congregation newsletter as well as a listing on the Congregation website. The full document will be kept at the Temple with other policies and will be available on the website.

Complaint Resolution: The Congregation will take all reasonable steps to resolve complaints of harassment quickly and fairly. The complainant will contact a member of the grievance committee (via voice mail, email, or written note via Temple mailbox). The committee member will notify the complainant of the informal and formal options for resolution, which are as follows:

• Informal
  1. Speak with a counselor/counseling body (i.e.: Rabbi, President, member/s of the grievance committee)
  2. Write letter to respondent
  3. Meet with respondent in a safe place with a support person (family member or friend who will be with complainant for support, but should not take part in the discussion)
  4. Take no action
• Formal
  1. Seek investigation through grievance committee and Board via written complaint to Board.

The goal of the above process is to resolve complaints quickly and in an appropriate manner. The standard approach will be to use the most appropriate informal option first and to use the formal option only if the informal option/s has/have been unsuccessful.

Formal Option of Complaint Resolution

Mediation Panel: After the complainant has submitted a written, detailed description of the complaint, a mediation panel will be assembled to consider the complaint. The Board will determine the members of the mediation panel, chosen from the grievance committee members. The mediation panel will consist of four persons - three members acting as voting members and one acting as a non-voting facilitator.

Notification of Respondent: The respondent will be notified in writing and by a telephone call from a Board or grievance committee member.

Procedure: All mediation will include an arrangement to discuss the issue with the respondent and with the complainant as well as discussion between the concerned parties either face-to-face or in writing.

Outcomes: The Board will decide on the resolution of the complaint based on the findings of the mediation panel. The outcome can range from dismissal of the complaint with no consequence, to written reprimand, to request for resignation from Temple membership.

Submitted: Fall 2000