December 26, 2000
NCSY
Special Commission
Cites Rabbi Lanner’s "Abusive" Behavior Toward Teens &
Calls For Change In OU Governance And Operations
NEW
YORK – The NCSY Special Commission, comprised of prominent members of
the Orthodox Jewish community that was convened by the Orthodox Union (OU)
several months ago, has found that Rabbi Baruch Lanner, who recently
resigned as an executive of its youth division, engaged in
"abusive" behavior with teenagers during his years with the
organization.
The
Commission also found that some members of the lay and professional
leadership of the OU and NCSY "made profound errors of judgment in
their handling of Lanner throughout his career with NCSY." As a
result of the Commission’s findings, the organization has begun a
review of its leadership in order to implement any changes that may be
necessary.
The 331-page Report,
which took nearly four months to complete, also addressed what it termed
serious weaknesses in the OU’s overall management structure,
including: procedures for staff selection, development, training,
supervision and evaluation; procedures for financial accountability; and
internal audit and lay oversight.
Since
the allegations surrounding Rabbi Lanner were raised this past summer,
the OU Officers and Board of Directors have instituted a number of new
management programs and policies in NCSY. These include: establishing a
comprehensive sexual harassment policy for staff; an ongoing sensitivity
training program for staff that was launched during a two-day seminar at
which attendance was mandatory; and stricter hiring policies and
training programs for NCSY advisors. An NCSY ombudsman will be appointed
shortly who will investigate any allegations brought to his or her
attention. NCSY is also creating a professional standards committee —
comprised of mental health professionals, educators, rabbis and parents
— to address issues that confront those who work with children and
teenagers.
NCSY
has also initiated a program with a leading New York medical institution
to refer mental health professionals to work with current and former
members of NCSY who feel they could benefit from counseling as a result
of Rabbi Lanner’s actions. For further information on this program,
please call the NCSY national office at 212.613.8380.
Additionally,
new policies and procedures for all OU programs and staff will be
developed – including overall management and governance of the
organization.
"On
behalf of the Orthodox Union, I want to personally thank each of the
Commission members and their counsel for presenting us with a very
comprehensive Report that provides a thorough road map of ways we can
improve the management and operations of our organization," said OU
President Mandell I. Ganchrow, M.D. "We view the findings and
recommendations of the Report with great seriousness. Now we will begin
the process of how we set our house in order. The Commission has taken
several months to do its work and write the Report. There is no doubt
that it will also take the OU several months to consider and implement
the changes that are necessary to improve our operations.
"We
are distressed that behavior like this could ever have occurred within
our organization," Dr. Ganchrow added. "We sincerely apologize
for the pain and suffering these young people experienced as a result of
Rabbi Lanner’s actions. We also wish to apologize to the families of
these young people who entrusted their children to us. We promise to use
this sad event as an opportunity to assure that behavior such as this
will never again occur within our organization."
Harvey
Blitz, who will assume the presidency of the OU later this week at the
group’s biennial convention, added, "I am grateful to the members
of the Commission for their thoughtful Report. The new administration
will promptly and carefully study the Commission’s recommendations and
adopt and implement them appropriately to ensure that the Orthodox Union
becomes a more responsible and responsive organization. We believe this
will greatly enhance our ability to serve the community in the
future."
A
copy of the NCSY Special Commission’s 54-page executive summary is
available on the OU’s web site at www.ou.org.
The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of America and beyond, is the world leader in
youth work, advocacy for the
disabled, synagogue services,
adult education and political
action. Its kosher supervision label, the
OU, is the world's most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 250,000 products in 68 countries around the globe.
###
www.ou.org
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 Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
of America
Department of Public Relations
Sharyn Perlman, Director
Main Office:
11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212-613-8321 Fax: 212-564-9058
E-mail: media@ou.org |
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