On May 19, Stephen Wise Temple sent an email to its membership explaining that it recently received a letter from a former student of the Academy of Jewish Religion California (AJR) alleging that Cantor Nathan Lam, former cantor of the Temple who also served as dean of the AJR Cantorial Program, had engaged in a sexual relationship with the person filing the complaint. Cantor Lam had earlier this year informed the Temple of the relationship, after which he resigned his position from Stephen Wise and the AJR.
The Temple said it recently learned that some of the alleged actions occurred on the Temple campus and that it was unaware of that when Cantor Lam announced his retirement earlier this year. The AJR informed the Temple that it conducted an independent investigation which concluded that Cantor Lam’s relationship with the student violated its institutional standards. The AJR also said that had Cantor Lam not resigned, he would have been terminated.
The email also informed its congregants that as a result of this new information, it has retained independent counsel to conduct a “complete, fair and impartial” investigation of the allegations and “any other misconduct that may be disclosed or discovered in the process.” It said it will undertake a review of its policies and procedures related to such matters.
“Stephen Wise Temple has a zero-tolerance policy regarding behavior as described here,” the email, which was co-signed by Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback, President Janine Kolodny and Executive Director/COO Sharon Spira-Cushnir, stated. “We take allegations of misconduct by a member of our Clergy very seriously, and we are disheartened by any actions that violate the sacred trust placed in our institution and our leaders.”
The Temple asked recipients to reach out to Spira-Cushnir with any information related to this investigation or other situations. The Temple leadership stated that they “are committed to ensuring that Stephen Wise Temple is an inclusive environment,” and that they have “an obligation to model how a sacred community responds to misconduct, regardless of when it occurred.”
Harvey Farr is a local community reporter for the Jewish Journal.
