Safeguarding Our Children
"Taking Responsibility for the Wellbeing of Our Most Vulnerable and Precious Community Members: Our Children"
- November 11, 2020 - Slingshot | Cliff Nerwen
Child Protection Policy
This child protection statement was approved by the CSAIR Board of Trustees on March 21, 2017.
Executive Summary (English)
Executive Summary (Spanish)
Full Policy - Updated 9/26/2024
Reporting an Incident
To report an incident, please submit this form to the CSAIR Child Safety Committee by emailing childsafety@csair.org, mailing it to 475 West 250th Street, Bronx NY 10471, or dropping it in the slot of the Committee's private, locked mailbox, located in the lower level lobby.
Training Video
A one-hour presentation on child protection by Dr. Victor Vieth, founder and director of the Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center.
Online Resources
Related articles and organizational websites.
Committee Email
childsafety@csair.org
Child Abuse Hot Line
1-800-342-3720
Members of CSAIR:
As much as we would like to believe otherwise, and as hard as it can be to comprehend, all youth-serving institutions have the potential to attract people who might intentionally do harm to children. We read about this in the news too frequently. It is our responsibility to do everything we can to protect our children from danger or abuse.
With that goal in mind, our committee and other dedicated members of our community have worked to create and continually update a comprehensive policy for our community, "Safeguarding Our Children, A Child Protection Statement." This document proactively outlines how we intend to create a positive and enriching Jewish educational, spiritual, social, and cultural environment for the children who enter our doors. It details the steps we are taking to protect children, how our synagogue will respond to violations of our policy and allegations of abuse, and the culture we want to create in our community.
This policy has been reviewed by experts in the field, including psychologists, educators, and lawyers. It was first unanimously endorsed in March 2017 by the CSAIR Board of Trustees and subsequently updated. The most recent version, available on this site, was approved by the Board in May 2019.
While the work to create this statement and the process of Board approval were and remain big tasks, the real work of continuing to educate our community and raise awareness still lies ahead. This website is one piece of that mission. Here you will find the full policy statement, an executive summary of the statement, background articles, and other information that will facilitate the education and sensitization of our members to this important topic. Additionally, we continue to plan and run programs, including child abuse prevention training for our staff and volunteers. We hope that together we can use these tools to implement a vital change of culture where every member of our shul family is empowered with the task of ensuring that our children are safe.
We welcome your feedback and are eager to partner with you to protect our children. The Child Protection Committee members can be contacted at childsafety@csair.org at any time.
Jewish tradition cares deeply about children and their welfare. In this spirit, we are deeply committed to safeguarding the young people in our community.
Barry Dov Katz, Rabbi
Ephraim Edelman, President
Committee Members
Hadar Schwartz, Committee Chair
Shira Atzmon
Rebecca Berger
Amy Skopp Cooper
Ephraim Edelman
Shirley Gatenio Gabel
Rabbi Barry Dov Katz
Cliff Nerwen
Gary Pretsfelder
Ami Schwab
Mason Voit
Sat, December 21 2024 20 Kislev 5785