4011011110111 0NOWINOMPONIPINOMMIPPRIMPIMININ . aftmessimpawnompftwwwwwwww. UP FRONT 16% Nil f)eci4t aliotiba# r Aoppit41 pteee 9 -4 1 1 014.. Harassment Continued from preceding page ONE DAY ONLY SUNDAY, NOV. 10th from 12 to 5. We've enjoyed serving you throughout the year and our "gift" to you this holiday season is 30% OFF . everything in our Gift and Accessories Department. Think of us as a GIFT STORE this holiday season... we have something for everyone on your shopping list! COMPLIMENTARY GIFT WRAPPING Two Convenient Locations SOUTHFIELD Tel-Twelve Mall •12 Mile & Telegraph Daily 10-9 Sun 12-5 • 354-9060 WEST BLOOMFIELD 6644 Orchard Lake Rd at Maple • 855-1600 Mon-Th-Fri 10-9 Tu-Wed-Sat 10-6 Sun 12-5 • :: ' 41=2; 4". or t • ti)1 ; • - .010 - COIN JEWELRY . . . All sizes and styles to meet everyone's budget! BUY WHERE THE DEALERS BUY COIN AND BEZEL STARTING AT $85 ALSO GOLD CHAINS BY WEIGHT. • t‘ ABBOTT'S COINEX CORPORATION 4411 •; 1393 South Woodward Ave. • Birmingham, MI 48011 • 644 8565 - 5 Biocks North of 14 Mile • Hrs. 8-5 M-F: 9-1 Sat Croat; grr ■ •• • 12 4 r.— • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1991 "r44 :...erno. rte . • . AI! supervisor relationships, but we have lay-professional re- lationships," he said. "There are many different subor- dinate-supervisor relation- ships, which offer the possi- bility of power being used for sexual harassment." "That isn't about sex; it's about power," he said. "The structure of this community tends to increase the possi- bility for that kind of behav- ior, because so many men are in dominant positions." The problem is made worse by the fact that the Jewish community assumes that it is somehow immune from such abhorrent behavior. "Sexual harassment is probably more covert in Jew- ish life," said Arm Lewis, di- rector of the American Jew- ish Congress Commission for Women's Equality. "Sexual harassment is probably not more of a problem in Jewish organizations than in non- Jewish organizations — but the gap between perception and reality is probably greater." Diana Aviv, associate ex- ecutive vice chair of the Na- tional Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council (NJCRAC), noted that part of the problem is that the leadership network, both lay and professional, is intert- wined. "The leaders of one organization will sit on the board of others. Oppor- tunities for professional growth can be shut off by vindictive leaders. So there is a strong disincentive to speak up, because it will hurt careers." Ms. Aviv said she has ex- perienced harassment but has not spoken out because she felt it would hurt her ca- reer. "I find myself continu- ing the secrecy with real shame, because I still believe that coming forward would have hurt me. It's difficult for me to encourage other women to come for- ward, because of the conse- quences." Rabbinic seminaries are not immune from sexual harassment — an increas- ingly common topic of con- versation when women rabbis meet with each other in private. "It happens," said a Jew- ish woman familiar with life in the seminaries. "My guess is that it's less preva- lent than, say, in the busi- ness world. It involves a very small proportion of the teachers. But the fact that it happens at all is deeply disturbing to the women who are its victims. When it happens in the religious en- vironment, it is perhaps even more damaging be- cause these people are supposed to know better." What can be done to bring the Jewish community's values more in line with be- havior in the workplace? First, according to several women, formal mechanisms have to be developed within the community to make it easier and more comfortable for women to pursue charges of harassment. "The corporate world has written into its policies rules prohibiting sexual harass- ment," said Rabbi Lynne Landsberg, associate direc- tor of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. "The Jewish communal world has yet to do the same." The AJ Committee's Gary Rubin said that "it is a mark of shame for our connnun- "I still believe that coming forward would have hurt me." ity" to not only have the problem but not have the mechanism to deal with it effectively. More fundamentally, the underlying male dominance of the Jewish community needs to be altered, accor- ding to several leaders, male and female. They suggested that until the Jewish com- munity makes a concerted effort to seek out qualified, talented women for leader- ship positions, sexual harassment will continue to be a problem. The fact that it may be less of a problem than in the business world is less impor- tant to some women than that it exists at all in the Jewish community. As one woman explained, "It was more shocking to me when it happened in a Jewish con- text because I had made the foolish assumption that it wouldn't happen here." Ell Early Deadlines Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, The Jewish News will have early advertising for the issue of Nov. 29 and an early local news deadline for the issue of Dec. 6. Nov. 29 deadlines: Classified, 3 p.m. Mon- day, Nov. 25. Display, 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22. Dec. 6 deadline: Local news, noon Wednesday, Nov. 27.