Big Not-For-Profits Pressure Jewish Organizations To Help Prevent Sex Abuse

By Josh Nathan-Kazis November 9, 2017

Four major Jewish foundations have signed onto a new effort requiring recipients of their donations to take certain steps to prevent sexual abuse of children participating in their programs.

The new effort, called the Child Safety Pledge, is an initiative of Jumpstart Labs, a Jewish philanthropy think tank. Signatories include the Samuel Bronfman Foundation, the Leichtag Foundation, the Ruderman Family Foundation, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation — four of the largest foundations focusing on the Jewish community.

“Child safety needs to be a front-burner issue for the Jewish community,” Dana Raucher, executive director of The Samuel Bronfman Foundation, said in a statement. “As funders, we believe that our investment in the future of children also means making sure they have safe places to learn and grow.”

The pledge promotes “the adoption of comprehensive child sexual abuse prevention and response frameworks” by “youth serving organizations” funded by the foundations. The foundations pledge that youth-serving organizations to which they make significant donations “take appropriate steps to prevent and respond to sexual abuse of minors” through the adoption of frameworks and policies.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.

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