Romemu Child Safety Committee

Romemu is a community that nurtures the sacred – As such, we are the shomrim (protectors) of children. 

We believe that all children are whole and made in the image of the Divine, that all children should feel safe and honored for exactly who they are, and that it is our responsibility to promote and protect our young people’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual development.

• feel physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually safe and brave in any Romemu space
• be unconditionally loved, respected, appreciated, and nurtured for who they are without judgment
• be heard, believed, and taken seriously
• feel that they are an important part of our community

Community Members should….

• be accountable  for the safety of every child that enters Romemu or participates in a Romemu activity

The Romemu Congregation should…

• implement Romemu’s child safety policies and procedures
• provide all children with access to a safe adult
• build and foster a culture prioritizing the accountability for and protection of children
• recognize the meaning, importance and responsibility of being shomrim (guardians) of children’s physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wholeness.

The Child Safety Committee is therefore dedicated to developing formal policies and procedures for all Romemu clergy, staff, volunteers and community members who interact with children in Romemu youth programming. Reflective of Romemu values, our goal is to build a culture around the sanctity and wholeness of young people and to create an environment where our young people feel safe, seen and heard, and encouraged to develop their own special identity.

Please contact Noa Gendler at noa@romemu.org if you are interested in joining our efforts.

Our goals are to:

Form and Sustain a Child Safety Committee

• share our purpose, mission, values, and goals through the Romemu website and Shabbat of the Child
• compose and publicize our Romemu child safety policies and procedures
• train clergy, staff, and volunteers in Romemu child safety procedures

Engage the Romemu Community in Child Safety

• members agree to building a culture of child safety when they sign the Romemu Brit
• members will be continually apprised of Child Safety Committee and Shabbat of the Child actions, policies, and activities through: website, newsletter, program, and pulpit announcements

Build a Culture of Accountability and Investment in Child Safety at Romemu

• accountability to child safety will remain “a living, breathing entity”
• the Committee will implement related programs within multiple contexts and spaces in the Romemu community, including:
  • Shabbat and holiday programming
  • Youth & Family programming, including Seekers Holistic Hebrew School
  • planning and programming for all committees including
    • Youth & Family Committee
    • Chesed Committee
    • Yad b Yad (Membership) Committee
    • Social Action Committee

Build a Culture of Shomrim (Guardianship) at Romemu

• Along with clergy, we endeavor to teach and emphasize……

• • that Judaism recognizes that the parent (and community) has the ultimate responsibility of guiding the child
  • the meaning and importance of being shomrim
  • the importance of children thriving
  • the importance of protecting not just children’s physical safety but also their emotional, mental, and spiritual safety
  • the importance of guarding the wholeness of children.
    

The co-chairs of Romemu’s Child Safety Committee are:

Maggie Jacobs
Batia Eyob-Serrette