Present: Penina Arbit, Randi Garber (co-chairpersons), Kobi Abelman, Jody Blum, Warren Burstein, Dov Cooper, Esther Edell, Donna Goldberg, Daniel Rohrlich, Neil Pearlman, Bobbie Silberklang, Philip Yakar (administrator)
Apologies: Simon Caplan, Yonni Hammer Kossoy, Debbie Weissman
Minutes of the Previous Meeting were approved and signed.
All went very well with the t'filot and batmitzvah. The family of the batmitzvah had felt very welcome.
The time of the chol hamoed shacharit minyan will be discussed with the regular participants.
For the Siyum copies of the material to be learned should be provided for everybody. If possible the Siyum should be planned well in advance. The Kiddush on the seventh day was deliberately kept simple.
The decision whether to have a Kiddush on the first day and on Shabbat Chol Hamoed will be taken next year.
A large crowd came and the content of the film was excellent. Questions were raised about the need for discussion afterwards (given the length of the film), and whether we should have a film again next year.
Penina will take responsibility for decorating the shul and will ask children and youth to help, starting from 6:00 in the evening.
Yedidya Melchior will be asked to introduce Rav Melchior, the guest speaker. Kobi offered to advertise the event on Janglo.
Song sheets will be prepared by Pinchas Leiser and Danielle will be asked to prepare the dances. The right (Yedidya) version of the El Malei Rachamim will be sought. Mincha at 18:50, Arvit at 19:30.
Neil will ask the batmitzvah family (Klein) if they want to help in decorating the Shul. A budget of 400 NIS was approved. Suggested Laura Rosen be consulted over the decoration.
So far 2 teachers have been confirmed for the Tikun – Yair Furstenberg and Elkhanan Reiner. Daniel maintained that shiurim in English should be acceptable. Kobi, however, felt that there should always be at least parallel shiurim in Hebrew.
The Tayelet Shacharit will be coordinated with other congregations.
Following the above meeting, attended by some 50 members, a summary of the group discussions was prepared by the group of former yoshvei rosh who had initiated the meeting. The summary comprised the following issues and suggestions:
- more members should be active,
- we should bring in outside consultants,
- chairpersons' and staff functions should be re-defined,
- ensure representation of younger members on the decision-making bodies,
- consider having a Rabbi or Scholar-in-Residence, spiritual and or educational leader,
- renewal in the structure of the Vaad, toward decentralization.
A draft organizational chart, based on these ideas, was presented by Randi to the vaad. It formed the basis of a lengthy discussion.
A number of observations were made and recorded (in a separate document) all of which will be made available for future reference.
It was decided that:
- Philip will contact Shatil about outside consultancy, check cost and timetable.
- An enlarged discussion group will be set up consisting of the forum of former yoshvei rosh who helped prepare the draft chart plus Bobbie Silberklang, Aliza Moss Rabinovich and Yonni Hammer-Kossoy.
Since Michael Stahl has joined the team of Gabbaim he should be asked to be the contact Gabbai and join the vaad instead of Yonni Hammer Kossoy.
13.05.07 at 20:00.