Sacred Spaces Launches Keilim Policy Toolkit

March 22, 2022: Sacred Spaces launched its Keilim Policy Toolkit, available at keilim.org. Keilim is developed to scale Sacred Spaces’ policy work from eight pioneering organizations to the 9,500+ Jewish organizations across North America. 

Keilim guides Jewish organizations in the development of policies and procedures for creating safer, more respectful, and more equitable environments for those who work at or access their organizations. The Policy Toolkit’s open access model enables organizations to utilize all of Keilim’s educational modules, resources, and sample policy language free of charge.

“Sacred Spaces is excited to provide a critical resource to Jewish communities across the country. Our hope is that by offering this open access model, Jewish organizations across the country can take proactive steps to cultivate spaces of safety, respect, and equity – both as workplaces and as spaces where everyone in the community can thrive,” said Shira Berkovits, President and CEO of Sacred Spaces.

Keilim was built upon the infrastructure of our Sacred Synagogues program, which guided a cohort of pilot organizations through a process of comprehensive training on developing policies and practices for creating safer, more sacred synagogues. “I’ve been aware of these issues for years, but it’s as if someone finally gave me a new set of glasses through which to see,” stated a participant from one pilot synagogue. Another said, “we are engaging in systemic change as opposed to just slapping a code up on a wall.”

This first-phase launch of the Keilim Policy Toolkit will include the release of 3 of its 6 modules. Organizations utilize the modules to understand core concepts; and to draft, develop, and revise their policies.

1. Foundational Elements lays the groundwork for creating safer, more respectful, and more equitable environments for an organization’s employees and stakeholders.
2. Prohibited Conduct steers organizations through drafting legally required policy language around prohibited conduct, such as harassment and discrimination, as well as values-based policies such as prohibiting bullying, in order to create a safer, more respectful, more equitable environment.
3. Organizational Response guides an organization through important structures and policies from developing a reporting structure, receiving a report, action planning, and fact finding.

Additional modules will launch over the coming months.

In this inaugural year, two Keilim cohorts have begun: a 10-synagogue cohort sponsored by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), and a seven-organization cohort in Southern Arizona sponsored by Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona and the Tucson Jewish Community Center.

Keilim was developed with funding from the SRE Network. A panel of Expert Reviewers, representing a variety of viewpoints, ensured that Keilim’s materials were as inclusive as possible. A full list of expert reviewers can be found at keilim.org/about.

Sacred Spaces is a cross-denominational initiative to address sexual abuse and other abuses of power in Jewish institutions across North America. For questions or additional information, please contact info@jewishsacredspaces.org. You can learn more about Sacred Spaces at jewishsacredspaces.org.