CJP employee sues for discrimination in Boston
Image by sabthai/iStock
By Molly Boigon January 28, 2021
An employee at Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies filed suit in Massachusetts Superior Court Wednesday, alleging that the nonprofit Jewish federation discriminated against him for his religion and sex, and retaliated against him for taking parental leave.
Zachary Kogan is suing CJP and Kimberlee Schumacher, the vice president of partnership and services, whom Kogan said in the complaint revoked a promotion after he decided to take parental leave in anticipation of the birth of his son and created an environment that was hostile to his Orthodox Jewish faith.
Kogan said in the complaint that Schumacher asked why his wife could not take more maternity leave so that he could shorten his own leave.
The complaint also describes Schumacher telling Kogan, an Orthodox Jew, that “you people always make it difficult” during a conversation about streaming services during the High Holidays. Kogan alleges that Schumacher deliberately catered meals on fast days.
In an emailed statement, CJP called the claims “absolutely baseless and without merit” and said the organization is “committed to upholding all laws governing religious discrimination, religious accommodation and parental leave and would not tolerate any violation of these important principles.”
“The suggestion that we would discriminate against an Orthodox member of our community is preposterous,” the statement said. “Ms. Schumacher and all of our managers, who are widely respected community leaders with impeccable integrity, have our full support. We are confident, after thoroughly investigating these claims, that our managers acted properly, followed the laws and consistently applied our CJP policies.”
The nonprofit, which granted nearly $150 million to nearly 800 charities in 2019, settled for an unknown amount in 1993 when an employee sued for age discrimination.
Matthew Slater, the lawyer representing Kogan, said he represents another individual with a “discrimination and retaliation complaint” against CJP, and anticipates that suit will be filed in Superior Court “within a number of days.”
CJP laid off 25 employees in 2020 due to anticipated losses from the pandemic.
Kogan is seeking lost wages, lost benefits, emotional distress damages and other costs.
Molly Boigon is an investigative reporter at the Forward. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @MollyBoigon.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
