Clergy Behaving Badly

 Clergy Behaving Badly

Tuesday at 12:00pm PST

Against the backdrop of the #MeToo/#GamAni movement, veteran anthropologist Dr. Elana Sztokman chronicles sexual abuse in Jewish settings, answering the question on everyone's mind: How is this happening? With a portrait of high-profile figures, including their personality types and tactics, Dr. Sztokman's analysis is grounded in interviews with 84 abuse victims/survivors, Jewish communal professionals, and volunteers. Learn how communal settings are ripe for abuse, how abusers coopt Jewish values as a grooming tactic, how high-profile abusers often receive high-profile support, and how the search for support and accountability often doubly victimizes the abused. Dr. Sztokman and Dr. Jeffrey Herbst will discuss recommendations for social and cultural change, reminding us that we are not free to desist from action, especially not now. Buy the book HERE.

Dr. Elana Maryles Sztokman is a Jewish feminist thought-leader, anthropologist, and writer whose research and ideas help shape a vision for a compassionate society. Author of six books (so far!) on gender in society, and a two-time winner of the National Jewish Book Council award, her most recent book, When Rabbis Abuse: Power, Gender, and Status in the Dynamics of Sexual Abuse in Jewish Culture, explores the painful issue of sexual abuse in our community and what we can do about it. Elana is the creator of the Jewish Feminist Academy (www.jewishfeminism.org), where she offers courses and content to help shape conversations about gender in Jewish life. She writes, speaks, and consults with groups and organizations around the world on gender issues and women's experiences in the world.

Dr. Jeffrey Herbst is the fourth president of American Jewish University.  At AJU, he has focused on promoting innovation in the university’s academic programs.  He has also supported the growth of the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys, expansion of the B’Yachad/Together digital platform, and capital improvements on the Brandeis-Bardin Campus. Prior to joining AJU, Dr. Herbst was president and CEO of the Newseum and the Newseum Institute in Washington, DC. From 2010 to 2015, he was president of Colgate University, where among other accomplishments he is credited with helping the university complete its nearly half billion-dollar fundraising campaign, leading the development and initial implementation of a university-wide strategic plan, and increasing the diversity and academic caliber of its educational programming. Dr. Herbst earned his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University, and a master’s degree and doctorate in political science from Yale University. He is the author of the award-winning “States and Power in Africa” and, with several co-authors, the just-published “Making Africa Work.”