A recent investigation into toxic hook-up culture among American Jewish teens, published in the digital magazine New Voices, shone a light on pervasive sexual harrassment within certain groups of Jewish organizations, such as BBYO, United Synagogue Youth and NFTY. To many people who have attended Jewish youth groups, this may sound like nothing new—but it does feel like a tipping point, as society at large grapples with systemic sexual harrassment in various industries and cultures.
What are the solutions? How can organizations and community members change things? And why can this trend not simply be brushed aside as “teens having sex”?
To help answer these questions, this week’s edition of Bonjour Chai, The CJN’s weekly current affairs podcasts, welcomes Rahel Bayar, a former sex-crimes and child-abuse prosecutor and the founder of the Bayar Group, a consultancy that works with camps, schools, corporations and faith-based organizations to help them identify and root out sexual misconduct, harassment and abuse.
Plus: the hosts debate the controversy surrounding the new Netflix reality show, My Unorthodox Life. Is it worth all the hubbub it’s caused in Orthodox circles?
Listen and subscribe above.
Relevant links:
- Learn more about Rahel’s work at thebayargroup.com
- Read the New Voices piece, “How Jewish Youth Groups Are Breeding A Toxic Sexual Culture For Teens”, at newvoices.org
- Find My Unorthodox Life on Netflix
- Learn about Dvir Cahana at theameninstitute.com
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network.
