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| Annual Meeting Minutes - 2009 |
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Temple Israel Annual Congregational Meeting Minutes – PENDING REVIEW AND APPROVAL Sunday, April 19, 2009 Members Present: See signature list. Call to Order: 4:17pm Rabbi’s blessing Approval of last year’s minutes: Ken Burstin moved to approve the minutes, Mark Rushefsky seconded, and all were in favor. Minutes were approved. Rabbi’s report: The Rabbi reviewed Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, conversions, children’s programs, Sunday School, Hebrew School, summer classes for adults, fund raising events, and the new mosaic in the social hall. The Rabbi noted the revitalization of the Sisterhood, and the award won by our garden, thanks in large part to Joel Waxman. She thanked the choir. She discussed the outreach programs she does routinely, and the newspaper coverage we have had this year. She discussed the reorganization of the URJ including a reduction in staff and the closing of several offices due to financial difficulties. The Rabbi reviewed upcoming events and holidays we can look forward to. She stated the board was successful and worked well together. She thanked Howard for all of his hard work, and she welcomed Elizabeth Weiner as the new president. Treasurer’s Report: David Morrow presented the treasurer’s report. Mandy Van Ostran had concerns about how Hebrew School and related programming was represented. The report showed that the programs lost money, but this is apparently not correct. Cindy Rushefsky asked about Arts Fest because it appears that we lost money on it, but that is not the case. Ray Van Ostran brought up questions about grounds maintenance and how much the expenses have gone up. Fred reported we had 18 ½ acres of land, and Harry Branscom indicated the expenses were reasonable given the size of the property. David agreed to check with Kevin Sweckard on this issue. Fred addressed Cindy’s question by explaining we now have new software to correct the problems we have had with our accounting for the past several years. Pat Branscom raised the idea of advertising to bring in more members. David stated we have a lot of free advertising when we have community events and when the newspaper writes articles about us. Joel Persky reminded us that 1/3 of the congregation does not pay dues, 1/3 pay the recommended dues, and 1/3 pay more. He suggested that the new president ask the 1/3 who do not pay to pay some amount as part of their membership. Joel moved that the new president personally contact these families and encourage dues payment. Harry Branscom seconded, and none were opposed. Foundation Report: Howard reported The Foundation is almost nonexistent at this time. He reviewed the absence of several members and why they have not been able to fully serve this year or will need to step down. He stated The Foundation was formed to build our building. For the last year, The Foundation has essentially been inactive and it is difficult to get people to serve on the board, let alone a separate body of decision-makers. June Weiss asked what the role of The Foundation is, and Fred Hamburg reviewed its role, including the fact that the land and cemetery are in its name. Marc Ekhause read the description of The Foundation also. He reviewed the financial status of The Foundation, which included no deposits. His emphasis was on the vision needed for this group to thrive. June volunteered to be on The Foundation and to do some research about how we might proceed. Joel Waxman encouraged us to continue The Foundation rather than dissolve it, and he stated there is still a need for us to have long-term financial planning for ourselves. There was discussion both for and against the continuation of this entity. The Rabbi suggested that, since June volunteered, we let her explore what is going on with The Foundation and what might be needed. Fred Hamburg suggested that possibly The Foundation become dormant rather than be dissolved in case there is a need for it in the future. The legal implications were also raised regarding the dissolution of that entity. Lance Luria suggested the board hammer out the details on how we would proceed with The Foundation. Fred indicated the board may not have the power to make decisions regarding The Foundation. He suggested that we look to make a decision at the next annual meeting, or call a separate meeting before that if needed. Judith Peavey suggested we ask for volunteers in Temple Talk who might be interested in serving on the foundation. Cindy Rushefsky stated we should not dissolve The Foundation, but agreed with the idea of exploring how to make our investments more viable. She suggested we elicit information from the congregation regarding their thoughts about The Foundation and how we might invest. Joel Persky talked about how we gathered one million dollars for this building through the foundation. Cindy moved that the new president, new treasurer, June and Marc form a task force to gather congregant information and to assess the viability of The Foundation. Ray Van Ostran seconded the motion, all were in favor. Fred added that by next annual meeting, The Foundation should either be active or we should consider dissolving it. Alternatively, the board could make the decisions The Foundation has made. Harry Branscom stated the board cannot take over The Foundation’s duties automatically. Religious School: Mandy Van Ostran reported on Hebrew School, which has 13 students in 4 classes. There is an orientation for new students coming up. She reviewed the child-lead services this year. Marc Ekhause is going to start reading Haftorah at these services. She reviewed the family Hebrew classes, adult Hebrew classes and the materials they have been using. We started a website for Hebrew School, but it also has a Sunday School page. There is a page for each Hebrew School class. There is a place to access the homework and the book text if books are lost. There is also a page for students who want to learn the prayers in the prayer book. Kim Hamburg reported on Sunday School, in which we have 30 students. She presented a financial report including tuition, donations and expenditures. She thanked Ilene for her work as the librarian and Sisterhood for buying the new shelving for the library. The teacher appreciation service is May 29 at 6pm. House Committee Report: Kevin Sweckard was not present to give a report today. Last year, Fred Hamburg had commented that we need to become more energy efficient and we have done that. Irwin Cohen has replaced all of our light bulbs himself. We have put in a new refrigerator, freezer and dishwasher, paid for by Lisa McQueary. We do not know the full financial implications of these new items just yet because they are all relatively new. Anisa asked if foundation money can be used to make the synagogue more green. Howard recommended we resurrect The Foundation and then look at how we might spend the money we raise. Fred reminded us that The Foundation has the final say in all structural changes in the building, so Anisa’s suggestion would fit well with The Foundation’s goals. There was discussion about any rebates we might be eligible for though City Utilities as we become more energy efficient. Social Action Committee: Joel Waxman reviewed the annual clothing drive, the garden project (Harry Dorman was thanked explicitly for his work) from which we donate around 2000 pounds of food per year, and the social action award we have been granted. Joel has been contacted by Bob Dixon who wants to make a house resolution or proclamation to honor us also. He is leaving town at the end of June so we will need a new social action chair. He reported on the One Thousand Gardens project and indicated we might want to be involved with it. Sylvia Persky reported on the Adopt a Caseworker project. It is being run under the Council of Churches. She described the needs of the case workers and what our involvement might be. She asked for luggage or backpacks for the children. She also asked that, before you get rid of toys or furniture, that you consider calling her to see if the case workers need that item. Cemetery Warden Report: Ray Van Ostran provided this report. He showed us the financial report for the cemetery. Judith asked Ray to put something in Temple Talk about information regarding the cost of cemetery plots, which are $500 a piece. Harry Branscom and June thought putting something in Temple Talk was also a good idea, but Harry did not think we would have a lot of interest. Fred reminded us that the foundation policy at this time is $500 per plot, and discounts are not currently authorized for buying more than one plot. Ray showed the work he had done on a bench in our cemetery, which now looks great but was previously not usable. Interfaith Report: Irwin Cohen gave his report. He reviewed the Habitat project we participated in, the traveling panel that discusses differences and similarities amongst religious groups, and the interfaith meetings. Choir/Concert Committee: Ken Burstin reported this year we will have our twelfth concert event. He continues to be interested in coordinating events if we are willing to support them. He thanked the choir, and stated we are looking into getting sheet music. Fund Raising Committee: Lance Luria reviewed the Riad dinner, the Club 52 dinner and the Arts Fest which was spearheaded by Fred Hamburg. He asked for volunteers to head Arts Fest this upcoming year. He stated we generated about $10,000 last year. He emphasized the importance of raising funds, but also the importance of us pulling together as a religious community to achieve a common goal when we come together for something like the Arts Fest. He reiterated the importance of putting on such an important community event. Fred emphasized the importance of raising money through ads in our directory, and he thanked Anisa for her hard work on the directory. Sisterhood/Men’s Club: Judith Peavey reported the primary goal of Sisterhood at this time is making the synagogue more green. They are encouraging recycling as well as the use of our plates rather than paper products for onegs. They have done some baking and cooking for select events, as volunteers, but they do not want to be seen as a group that primarily provides this service. They donated large print prayer books to the congregation. They ran the Tu b’shevat service, cleaned the tallit, and hired Tom Peavey to put up shelves in the library. They donated to the Religious School, and the dance event was very successful. They will be hiring Riad for the upcoming concert. They will also be buying a leaf for Joel for all his work as the head of the social action committee. The book club is still very active. There was a tour of the Jewish Archive just this weekend. There is an upcoming spa day at Margo Hudson’s and an Israeli dancing event. Howard thanked Judith for revitalizing the Sisterhood. Enews: Nancy Kaufman is no longer doing enews. Amber will be doing it from now on. Website: Mitch is going to update the website. He reported he has been able to figure out how to make it work more efficiently. Fred thanked Mitch for all his hard work on our new software. Old Business: The hearing impaired system is now in place. New Business: Howard read our slate of officers. Mandy Van Ostran moved to accept the slate, June Weiss seconded, and all were in favor. Meeting adjourned: 6:30pm |