New Code Of Conduct & Updated Va’ad HaKavod Procedures
Dear Colleagues –
With deep gratitude, we are pleased to announce that the Executive Council of the Rabbinical Assembly has approved the new Code of Professional Conduct (“Code”) [PDF: English, Hebrew, Spanish, English by section] and the updated Va’ad HaKavod Procedures. With tremendous gratitude to all who gave their time, expertise, and feedback, these contemporary and living documents are the culmination of nearly three years of extensive work and dedication of our Code and Procedures Task Force guided by the expert consultation of Rahel Bayar, Esq. and Dr. Guila Benchimol. In addition, the work of the Task Force was guided by additional professional experts, attorneys, and the input that we received from so many member colleagues. This Code represents our understanding that when we take appropriate steps to ensure safety, we create the conditions that allow our communities to become nurturing, vibrant, ethical, and holy spaces.
The new Code sets out the standards that our members are expected to uphold in their professional and personal capacities, and that will guide RA rabbis in our interactions with all the communities we serve.
In developing this Code, the RA has taken great care to acknowledge the higher ethical duties that rabbis owe to one another, the Jewish people, and society, while also recognizing the humanity of rabbis and their needs for support. It provides enhanced guidance to RA members about contemporary everyday interactions, sexual misconduct and professional boundaries, and the role of technology, among other subjects.
This Code of Professional Conduct is extensive, but certainly does not cover every case. It is understood that our goal is to observe both the letter and and the spirit of this Code. The Va’ad HaKavod enforces the Code with that same understanding. As part of its mandate, the Task Force also updated the Procedures guiding the work of the Va’ad HaKavod to provide more clarity on how the Va’ad HaKavod reviews ethics complaints.
The new Code will be in effect as of March 1, 2025. This will give colleagues time to review it in its final form before it takes effect. As you review the Code, you will note that some provisions are mandatory and binding, while other parts serve as guidance to help all of us navigate the complex ethical questions we face in our work. We hope that our membership will see the Code as an educational tool and seek guidance when necessary.
Our collective commitment to a respectful and ethical rabbinate depends upon shared standards that all members adhere to. Indeed the behavior of every RA member affects not only themselves and those in their immediate family and community, but also brings credit or discredit to other members and the rabbinate as a whole.
We therefore are requiring all RA members to review the new Code and acknowledge understanding of both its content and its purpose.
Background & FAQs
We have previously shared that the new Code reflects the diversity of the RA membership, and the various professional roles that RA members will hold throughout the arc of their careers. A diverse leadership Task Force worked diligently to review and continue to codify Sacred Spaces’ recommendations, in consultation with rabbinic colleagues, experts in trauma-informed processes, and lawyers. And, we solicited and received meaningful feedback from many of our RA members throughout the revision process.
Please refer to our Revisions Process as well as revised FAQs previously provided about the new Code and updated VHK Procedures. We are so grateful for all the input from our members as the Task Force worked to update our Code and Procedures through:
- Feedback during the open comment periods on the new Code & Procedures update following the
initial member feedback survey at the start of the review process - Attendance at information meetings
- Input during focus group meetings to align the new Code with the diversity of rabbinic work settings (military, chaplains, youth facing, entrepreneur)
- Participation in the Ethics Learning Series with the Hartman Created Equal Project on particular areas of Code and Procedures revision
Next Steps
Professional Development: A key finding of the Sacred Spaces review of our Assembly was the need for RA members to regularly read and receive professional development on the Code. For this first year of implementation, we will pilot several modalities to ensure that all members review the new Code. Additional details about those sessions will be forthcoming as we want to incorporate feedback from your review of the new Code.
Ongoing Updates: We are also continuing our work to align our budget and governance structures to effectuate additional enhancements to our Code and Va’ad HaKavod Procedures. As that process unfolds further, we welcome RA member input into those efforts.
Va’ad HaKavod Application: As part of our initial implementation of the recommendations we are working to expand the number of people serving on the Va’ad HaKavod.
Annual Review: Finally, because the Code is a living document, we will engage in an annual review of the Code and Va’ad HaKavod Procedures to ensure their ongoing effectiveness. We will launch an Annual Review Committee in the Spring of 2025.
Closing
Colleagues, as RA members, we serve in sacred roles and are privileged to hold the trust and deference of communities, individuals, organizations, and synagogues. This Code expresses our mutual responsibilities as rabbis to ensure that we may bring blessings to those with whom we work and live, and to one another as a community of colleagues. We believe that the new Code will help all RA members to flourish and fulfill our individual obligations, while enabling all of us collectively to uphold the sanctity of the rabbinate and the meaningful work we do in this very challenging world.
As we study the new Code, we recall the prayer that we recite in that sacred moment when we open the aron kodesh and prepare to study Torah on Shabbat and holidays: יהא רעוא קדמך דתפתח לבי באוריתא ותשלים משאלין דלבי ולבא דכל עמך ישראל לטב ולחיין ולשלם, “May it be Your will that You open my heart to Your Torah, and that You fulfill the desires of my heart and the hearts of all Your people Israel, for goodness, for life, and for peace.”
Jacob Blumenthal and Jay Kornsgold