Earlier today we linked to Michal Kohane’s article “40 Plus and Screwed” in the Daily Briefing. Hours later we learned that Kohane, an employee at the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco had been let go for violating policies prohibiting employees from taking public positions without prior approval.
Jennifer Gorovitz, the federation CEO, sent us this statement:
As the professional leader of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation, I wholeheartedly support robust and meaningful debate about the many important questions facing the Jewish community and the leaders who support it. The Federation strives to listen and grow and improve continuously.
The post published recently in eJewish Philanthropy, however, does not represent the views of the Federation. In fact, it runs very much counter to the spirit and culture of our organization, which works to engage and benefit EVERYONE in Jewish life, at every stage of their lives, and to promote an open environment that allows civil discussion of complex issues affecting Jewish life.
The fact is that most major philanthropic organizations around the world are exploring how to better engage youth. Our desire to do this in no way diminishes our commitment to our other critical community members and stakeholders. It’s never been an either/or situation, and we want to make sure that message is clear to our wider community of supporters and leaders.
We have shared with our employees the explicit expectation – one that is fundamental to good operational procedure in any organization – that public communications from within the organization require review and approval prior to publication. This is particularly important when they involve the use of official Federation titles and positions. Violations of this policy are taken seriously and require a thoughtful and deliberate response in consideration of all the facts and circumstances surrounding an individual’s overall performance. None of this changes our commitment to a culture of lively discourse both within and beyond the Federation’s walls that advances our critically important work in the community.
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