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- Jewish billionaire philanthropist Michael Steinhardt accused of pattern of sexual harassment: NYT
Jewish billionaire philanthropist Michael Steinhardt accused of pattern of sexual harassment: NYT
Steinhardt denied the accusations in a statement but admitted that he may have made some jokes in bad taste
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Billionaire philanthropist and co-founder of the Israel birthright trip Michael Steinhardt has been accused of a pattern of sexual harassment, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
Seven women -- six who were interviewed by the Times and one by way of a lawsuit -- have accused the 78-year-old man of repeatedly propositioning and making inappropriate sexual comments to women who interacted with him as part of their work in Jewish philanthropy or the arts.
“Steinhardt asked them to have sex with him, or made sexual requests of them, while they were relying on or seeking his support,” the report said.
The hedge fund investor reportedly discussed the women’s bodies and fertility.
Back in 2018, Steinhardt was said to be under investigation for “inappropriate sexual remarks” made to two women who work in one of the organizations he finances.
Some accused him of trying to have sex with them, propositioning others to engage in a threesome and offered to have babies together.
None of the women interviewed for the report alleged that Mr. Steinhardt touched them inappropriately, "but they said they felt pressured to endure demeaning sexual comments and requests out of fear that complaining could damage their organizations or derail their careers."
The women said witnesses to Steinhardt's demeaning behavior either said nothing or laughed along.
https://x.com/i/web/status/1108689513042378752
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Several women said they had tried to inform their superiors within their organizations but their complaints were dismissed.
Steinhardt generally denied the accusations in a statement but admitted that he may have made some jokes in bad taste that were “boorish, disrespectful, and just plain dumb.”
Two of the women who complained of harassment were involved in lawsuits that were either settled or dropped, the report said.
According to a statement released by Steinhardt's son David, the family accuses the report of "going out of its way to leave the false impression that Michael propositioned a handful of women."
https://x.com/i/web/status/1108816356366012416
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“He, of course, did no such thing. Nor does the article actually claim that he ever tried to have sex with anyone. But the innuendo and purposeful distortions are clearly designed to harm Michael and mislead readers.”
"Michael’s sense of humor can be insensitive, and he has apologized for the unintended bad feelings his remarks have caused," the statement admitted. As he said months ago: ‘I am sorry and deeply regret causing any embarrassment, discomfort or pain which was never my intention.’”
A statement from Steinhardt also adds: “I hope my inappropriate banter, which was always meant in a lighthearted way, does not now become twisted into being something it is not.”
A Jewish scholar who says Steinhardt suggested that she become his concubine while he was funding her first rabbinical position in the 1990s denied there was anything innocent in his "jokes."
“He set a horrifying standard of what women who work in the Jewish community were expected to endure," said Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, who has since become a professor of Jewish thought and director of admissions at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion-- the US' largest Reform Jewish seminary.