Minutes from the Temple Beth Israel Congregational Meeting May 26, :00pm TBI 29th and University

Transcription

1 Agenda Minutes from the Temple Beth Israel Congregational Meeting May 26, :00pm TBI 29th and University o Chanting led by Rabbi Ruhi Sophia o Opening Blessing led by Rabbi Ruhi Sophia o Torah Study by Rabbi Ruhi Sophia This week s parashah, Behar, discusses among other things, the Shmita year, the biblical mandated year of agricultuaral rest and release of debt that occured ever seventh year. In the Shimtta year, in very physical ways, ownership of land was suspended, and people were not allowed to work the land or take in the harvest, so that the land could rest and so that everyone could eat from the bounty of what the land voluntarily produced. Of course, it takes work in advance to be ready for a year of no planned production. The storing away of surplus, the rationing must all take place in the earlier years. In fact, we are currently in year one of the Shmita cycle, so if we started planning now, we might be able to figure out how to live this kind of macrocosmic Shabbat. If we want to be able to rest on Shabbat, it only really works if the laundry is done and the food is prepared, so to speak, ahead of time, on erev Shabbat- the day preceding Shabbat. In fact, according to contemporary Jewish scholar Blu Greenberg, the late eminent scholar Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik used to say that the true mark of a pious Jew is not that he or she is a shomer Shabbat (a Sabbath observer) but is shomer erev Shabbat (one who properly prepares on the eve of the Sabbath). So too, I would say, of Jewish community. While I am delighted to see people showing up for Shabbat services, the work that is fundamentally the work of erev Shababt of planning events, sending out mailings, getting food prepared, plotting the vision of the congregation that is the work of erev Shababt. And so, as Rav Soloveitchik put it, the number of pious Jew in this community, who do the background work that enables us to come together for our moments of rest and celebration, is far greater than just those who are coming to services. I Want to thank you all! o Proposed TBI Budget o State of Temple Beth Israel by Rabbi Ruhi Sophia o TBI has been accomplishing a phenomenal amount of community work for an organization of our size and budget. We have vibrant youth and adult education programs, from the youngest up. o Our preschool got a five star rating in QRIS which independently evaluates pre-school programs. Ours was one of only two preschools in all of Eugene to receive this rating. o Our Talmud Torah curriculum revamp is getting a lot of positive feedback, allowing for greater flexibility and pursuit of individual interests. Several new families have come into the community this year through the Talmud Torah program.

2 o We have several offerings for teenagers, including Rosh Hodesh, OWLs and serving as madrichim. o Beginning next year, we will also be running a regular Teen Leadership and Jewish Values program that will meet twice per month. Half of the funding for this is already pledged and we are in the process of raising the rest. o Our total membership is growing. We have strong adult educational and cultural offerings, with our ten week Melton courses, the Jewish Literature group, Read with the Rabbi, and the auxiliary programming put on by the Sisterhood and Brotherhood. There will be more significant Melton offerings beginning in the fall. o Several new initiatives are engaging members: o Mitzvah Kitchen o Membership Task force, Israel Task Force, Tikkun Olam committee more about these will be presented later during this Congregational Meeting. o Lay Leadership Training this Summer o Services are growing o Regular Shabbat, as well as Tot Shabbat and Kid Friendly. o The truth is, a congregation of our size and staffing often struggles to adequately engage members and run professionally. The fact that so many of you are so invested in so many ways is really a testament to the strength and creativity of this community. I ve only been at TBI for less than a year, but I am very excited to be here now. I hope you all feel that this is an exciting time to be here as well. o Budget presentation by Nathan Philips and Amy Steckel o Report/Highlights from the Budget o TBI Now campaign along with the proceeds from the sale of the Portland Street building and refinancing has resulted in a loan balance of $440,000. This provides a reduction of our monthly loan payments from about $8,000 per month to about $2,500 per month. We still have $110,000 in unpaid pledges so not accounting for any new pledges we will end up with a loan balance of about $330,000 which we feel is sustainable for our community. o We completed fundraising for contributions to the retirement fund for Rabbi Yitz that we agreed to in his final contract. o Once again, we project that we will end the fiscal year with positive net operating income without transferring money from reserves as had been budgeted.

3 o Proposed Budget (The proposed budget for was on the meeting announcement sent to the congregation and there are copies in the back of the sanctuary during the meeting). As in Fiscal Year 2016, the budget doesn't balance and the deficit is funded by a transfer from with reserves. Details below. o Dues and Circles of Giving donations cover 35% of Talmud Torah expenses. Total tuition revenue has been budgeted to remain about the same as last year while budgeted expenses are up by $20,000. o There is a 2% COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) increase for all staff and some staff are getting slight additional increases based on years of service and planning for compliance with new minimum wage laws. o The budget includes a much needed investment in upgrades to our computer server and software. o The TBI Finance Committee and the TBI Board have agreed to rename the MIA (Mortgage Interest Assessment) and replace it with a Building Assessment to be used for debt service, building operations, and eventually to build a reserve for capital equipment replacement. In making this decision, consideration was given to the fact that there has not been a basic dues increase in seven years. o Approval for this budget was requested. Action: Motion to approve the proposed TBI Budget was made and seconded. The congregation unanimously approved the proposed TBI Budget. o Proposed TBI By-Laws Revision (The proposed TBI By-Laws Revision was on the meeting announcement with a link the full document). o Craig Starr, Chair, and the entire TBI By-Laws Revisions Committee were thanked for their hard work on this process. o Questions were solicited. There were no questions. o Approval for the TBI By-Laws Revisions was requested. Action: Motion to approve the proposed TBI By-Laws Revisions was made and seconded. The congregation unanimously approved the proposed TBI By-Laws Revisions. o Report from the Membership Task Force- Bruce Kreitzberg o The purpose and goals of the Membership Task Force are:

4 o Task force formed to evaluate non-jewish member policy around voting, committee participation and governance. o Seek community participation through a Values Based Decision Making (VBDM) process o Research by the Membership Task Force o Seeking comparable synagogues; data seeking methods; meeting with Rabbi David Teutsch o Contacted big tent synagogues in medium sized towns, including 11 Reconstructionist, 6 Reform, 1 Conservative, 1 Renewal and 1 Unaffiliated. o Data were collected by phone interviews, response to survey questions, review of congregation by laws and review of websites. o Findings were mostly consistent with trends described by Rabbi Teutsch: o Reconstructionist synagogues generally allow non-jews to vote and join non-ritual committees. Governance participation policies vary for non-jews o Reform synagogues are similar to above o Conservative synagogues do not allow non- Jews to be members o Four community meetings about values yielded a variety of responses o TBI should be a welcoming, inclusive place o TBI should be a Jewish institution run by Jews o TBI should maintain the valuable participation of non-jewish members who support TBI life in many ways, including financially o TBI should distinguish between secular matters where non-jews may participate and sacred matters where they do not o TBI should consider "associate" or "affiliate" membership as a vehicle for non-jewish participation in synagogue life o Next steps for the Membership Task Force o Stretch our timeline to engage more congregants and explore values more deeply. Examples include: o Seeking understanding of what "welcoming" is. What is important about Jewish vs non-jewish leadership? How can

5 we allay concerns about non-jewish civic participation and be a welcoming place? o Seek participation by more congregants via questionnaires, response, meetings with established communities within TBI. Including: Talmud Torah B'nai mitzvah cohort, PJ Library families, Sisterhood, Brotherhood, Queer Chavurah, Interfaith Chavurah, Preschool. o Completion of proposal anticipated for one of the 2016 or 2017 congregational meetings. o A Membership Task Force TBI Values Questionnaire was distributed to Congregational meeting attendees and is available on the TBI website. All congregants are highly encouraged to complete and submit the survey----as the process is based in the values of the Congregation. Here is a link to the survey, you are encouraged to complete the survey: o Report from the Israel Task Force Shlomo Libeskind o The aim of the Israel Task Force is to discuss possible events about Israel for the TBI community. o The first event this year was the celebration of Yom Haatzmaut, Israel Independence Day. There were about 100 people for the potluck. There was Israeli dancing which was followed by a movie The Return (the last part of Simon Scama s The Story of The Jews). A discussion followed. o Looking to do another program in September. Rabbi Maurice and Reuben Zahler have a program on Israel that they developed with a Federation grant a few years ago. They agreed to present in September. o Discussion: o Add discussion, panel, etc. after showing movies about and/or made in Israel. o Anticipates fraught issues re: our election and Israel and create way to facilitate discussion about this. o How to respond to BDS. o Task Force created post the Gaza war and response to it; creation of Crisis Response. o We shouldn t be afraid of defending Israel w/o defending the government.

6 o This discussion more important that movies; it could be an explosive issue. o Israel is far more than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has the potential to edify the congregation about the amazing and current achievements. o Israeli cooking. o Will send ideas via . o Report of the Tikkun Olam Task Force Stacey Goldenberg Currently, a task force consisting of Aura Solomon, Roz Slovic and Stacey Goldenberg, with Rabbi Ruhi Sophia as consultant/advisor, is developing a Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice at TBI. The following objective/agendas/parameters have been suggested and are being considered: o Objective: o To form, launch and sustain a Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice (TOCSJ) at TBI. o Goals: (1) to form a committee of some number of TBI Members to encourage, support, promote, administer social justice efforts within / on behalf of TBI community; (2) to impart an understanding to TBI Membership that the work of Tikkun Olam ( TO ) and the related commitment to promote social / environmental / economic justice are core Jewish values that lie at the center of Jewish traditions & Jewish communal life; (3) to honor that, for some Jews, TO is fulfilled through his/her spiritual practice (eg., don't alienate members who are not interested in playing an active, community role in TO/SJ; (4) to create a Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice Task Force that serves as a match-maker (connecting organizers with like-minders and other human & non-human resources (including volunteers); (5) to provide TBI community with information, direction, education, encouragement, resources & forums to build / execute TO/SJ action so that TBI serves the values of humanitarianism and social justice; (6) to earn recognition of TBI as a Jewish community that is welcoming of Jews of color; (7) to recruit at least 1 teen member for Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice Task Force (someone who seems inclined to form a youth TOCSJ); (8) to promote TO/SJ in the TBI community, our Jewish

7 community and our community-at-large; (9) to create a pamphlet / template to introduce Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice Task Force to TBI Membership at Yom Kippur / High holidays; (10) to create & distribute survey to TBI membership-at-large, from which we can determine the following: o Who are the individuals for whom social justice is a top priority? o What TO/SJ themes/topics are of great interest to whom? o Who is really passionate about what TO/SJ themes/topics? o What TO/SJ themes/topics are of wide interest to a large/sizable component, plurality or majority of TBI members? (Possible themes include racial, climate, economic justice; food insecurity, refugees.) (11) to work collaboratively with the Jewish Federation of Lane County and other Jewish organizations and to foster intergenerational activities, interfaith activities; (12) to provide direct relief; (13) to create and administer phone trees (such as in the context of gathering resources [food, clothing, shelter] (14) to determine who is willing to pledge a minimum # of hours per year to further TO/SJ through or outside of the TBI community (for ex: will families pledge 3-5 hour per year for TO/SJ; they could rotate family members to fulfill commitment]) (15) to compile list of names/contact info for further resources, organizations, groups, like-minded/supportive Jewish and interfaith individuals, groups, leaders (16) to identify sources for grant funding, scholarships that could be used to support or promote TO/SJ (17) to encourage TBI Members to honestly, humbly face the impact of our lives / actions on others in the world (18) to sponsor/spearhead one event / theme annually scope Projects will vary in terms of level of participation, sustainability, o Role of the Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice Task Force: o Share leadership among Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice Task Force members. o Clarify operational procedures / standards, including setting expectations for member tasks, term limits, procedure for moving on / off committee, forming clear admin process for decisionmaking.

8 o Provide and administer 'Activity/Idea Surveys', and determine how to interface with TBI Members willing to take leadership roles in TO/SJ efforts. o Work with steering committees. o Address congregational affiliations and/or endorsements. o Respond to funding/resource requests (presented via 'Activity/Idea Survey'). o Create & administer process for selecting / encouraging new TO/SJ projects ('Activity/Idea Survey'). o Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice Task Force Member Responsibilities: o Commitment to group decision-making. o Diversity of members, ideas. o Spearhead an annual TO/SJ event/theme/activity. o Prepare for meetings & learn about issues. o Prepare unified response / decision-making around proposals o Have a procedure / process for receiving, reviewing and responding to requests to initiate, support activities (new or ongoing). o Establish themes and priorities. o Develop agendas, schedule and facilitate meetings. o Report to TBI community about the work of the Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice Task Force. o Begin & end meetings on time. o Committee transparency, accountability: o Agree about / predetermine the manner/purpose of Committee outreach to members on behalf of Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice Task Force. o Determine how non- Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice Task Force members (who don't attend regular committee meetings) will participate in Tikkun Olam Committee for Social Justice Task Force decision-making. o Budget Clarification and Summary Amy Steckel o The TBI Board and the TBI Finance Committee want to point out that in the long term, or even in the medium term, we are on an unsustainable path by balancing our budget by using our reserves. We have increasing costs and increasing demands for services. Over the last four years our average contribution for dues and Circles of Giving per member household has declined by over 8%.

9 o In order to survive, TBI needs additional support on the order of an average increase of at least 10% per member household. o If you are on dues reduction, please ask yourself if you can afford to donate another 10% in order to make TBI financially sustainable. That means if you are paying $100, consider paying $110. o If you are paying $500, consider paying $550. o If you are paying full dues, consider making a Circles of Giving contribution of at least $180. o And, if you are already making a Circles of Giving contribution, consider increasing your total contributions by 10%. o Of course, another way to increase revenue is to increase the number of full dues paying members. We encourage all of our members to talk to their unaffiliated friends about supporting Temple Beth Israel, the center for Jewish life in Lane County. o Closing Prayer Rabbi Ruhi Sophia