Supporting Your Jewish Employees During the High Holidays…(and, Really, Every Day)

It's fall and that means you've probably been seeing a host of Jewish holidays crop up on your Google calendar. In fact, this article is being published on the eve of the holiest day of the year - Yom Kippur - which begins just before sunset on 10/4/22. Or maybe you've been following the raft of disturbing antisemitic trends and hate crimes across the country. According to a 2020 Pew Research Poll, 75% of Jews feel there is more anti-Semitism in the United States than there was just five years ago, and 53% feel less safe than they did five years ago.

Given the disturbing rise of "replacement theory" - a right-wing conspiracy theory that believes Jews and nonwhite Americans are in cahoots to replace white Christians - among Republicans (61% of Trump voters, to be exact), this feeling is more than valid.

“I get it. But what’s this have to do with our org?”

If you're not Jewish yourself, you may have questions about the 7.5 million US citizens who identify as part of this population, and you may be wondering how you can help as an employer. There are simple steps you can take to ensure that your Jewish employees feel safe and welcome at work. Here are a few.

Step One: Gain a Basic Understanding of Jewish Holidays

There are a number of holidays central to the Jewish faith, including the High Holidays, or High Holy Days, which begin in September with Rosh Hashanah, the head of the Jewish New Year, and which funnel into Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, a week later. The High Holidays conclude with festivity: the holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah, which bring fall to its joyful end.

Chanukah (also spelled Hannukah) and Passover, which you may be more familiar with, are also important to those of the Jewish faith: Hannukah in the winter to celebrate Judah the Maccabee's defeat of a much mightier Greek army and the reclaiming of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and Passover in the spring to celebrate the anniversary of the Jew's Exodus from Egyptian slavery. Both holidays last for eight days and have their own rituals and traditions.

Take the time to learn even more about Jewish holidays, including what work is permitted and how Jews celebrate. Your Jewish employees will appreciate it if you greet them with a "l'shana tova" during Rosh Hashanah, or if you're mindful that they may be fasting on Yom Kippur.

But, Don’t Assume. We know where that gets you…

First off, not everyone with a 'Berg' or 'Mann' is Jewish. Let's just get that on the table right now. Also, the opposite is true; don't assume someone does (or doesn't) celebrate.

Second, Jewish people celebrate the holidays of their faith in all different ways; some may require individual accommodations from their employers to do so. Do not assume you know what holidays an employee may want to take off from work, or how they are celebrating. As an ally, work to respectfully accommodate religious requests from your employees, including time off (paid, if possible) and the right to don religious garb, such as a Yarmulke.

Be aware that Orthodox Jews may request a regular accommodation to leave early on Fridays during the winter months, and not work on Saturdays as they celebrate Shabbat, or the Sabbath. Similarly, observant Jews may request a quiet space to pray during the day. The best practice is to account for religious accommodations in your employee handbook and to ask your employees what they may need to feel comfortable at your organization.

Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t note that not all individuals feel comfortable participating in Jewish events due to safety concerns. About 12% of all US Jewish adults say they have hesitated but still participated in Jewish observances or events, and one-in-ten (about 5%) say they hesitated and chose not to participate in Jewish observances or events because of safety concerns.

As a woman who was raised Catholic, and now participates in Jewish traditions with my family, I was appalled the first time I saw an armed guard outside of our Temple. Appalled, and saddened because I have never once seen a similar precaution taken at a Catholic mass. But I would be lying if I didn’t think twice about having my small children attend our local celebrations these past years…

And That Takes Us To: Consider the "I" in DEI

Consider the “I”. No, not you...the "I" in DEI, which stands for Inclusion. It's not enough to have policies in place (although it's a vital starting point) - rather, you need to model what it looks like to authentically include folks in the Jewish community in your organization.

Ask yourself whether there’s anything you can do to make it easier for other Jewish colleagues to observe them in the ways they prefer. Conversations will likely be more effective than social media posts.

‘Inclusion’ also means listening and being an upstander or a leader if you hear microaggressions or harm aimed at your Jewish employees - such as complaints about why our kids don't have school on the High Holidays or joking remarks about religious garb (either wearing it or the absence of). Kim Scott has an incredible framework for what this looks like if you need a starting point!

So, where do you go from here?

Stamp your good intentions with a DEI policy: a key to ensuring a welcoming workspace. You'll see tangible benefits from doing so, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, particularly among Millennials and Gen Z-ers, who prioritize company culture and expect this to be part of any progressive organization. This high-level overview statement defines what DEI means for your organization and promotes a welcoming, diverse, and harassment-free workplace.

Need help crafting one? Or need a review of your handbook? Agile Talent Consulting is here to support you as you write or revise your policies and practices to meet the needs of 2022.

G’Mar Chatima Tova to those celebrating, and to those allies who support these celebrations.