SUMMARY OF THE AUGUST 25, 2013 MEETING

OF THE KEHILLAT YEDIDYA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Participants:

Executive committee members: Kobi Abelman, Gary Ginsberg, Adina Golombek, Linda Gradstein (chair), Josh Margo, Avital Ordan, Daniel Rohrlich, Bruce Rosen.

Audit committee members: Eliezer Finer, Josh Shoffman

Others (for part of the meeting): Marc Render, Jay Rosenberg, Eudice Winer, Shaiel Yitzchak

Membership discounts

Background: KY currently offers a membership discount for the first two years of membership. At the AGM, one of the members asked the kehillah to find a way to make it easier for young families with small children to afford KY membership. 

At the VM meeting, several VM members spoke in favor of providing membership discounts beyond the initial two years, with various suggestions raised regarding who would be eligible for a discount (considering parameters of age, family size, etc.) and the size of the discount.

In the course of the discussion it became clear that to make an informed decision, it will be important to estimate the "cost" of various options.

Subsequent to the meeting, the YR asked Bruce, Josh, Gary and Eudice A and B to prepare this information, with a target date of September 30^th.

Membership enrollment update

 Eudice Weiner reported that 156 households have enrolled as KY members for the coming year, and revenues to date from membership dues are approximately NIS 160,000. This does not include payments for extra seats, contributions submitted along with dues, etc. There are another 42 households who are currently members who have not yet renewed and it is estimated that about half of them will ultimately renew. Interest was expressed in seeing data on how this year's membership/revenue situation compares with previous years.

Earthquake insurance and other building maintenance issues

The building maintenance committee recommended that KY add earthquake insurance to its insurance policy, such that the new annual cost of insurance will be NIS 21,000.

In the discussion it was noted that earthquake insurance carries a deductible of NIS 650,000 which is approximately 10% of the value of the building.

The building maintenance committee's recommendation on earthquake insurance was adopted by the VM.

The building maintenance committee also reported that expenditures to comply with new building codes/insurance requirements are estimated at between 10 and 15 thousand shekels.

The committee also provided an update on the e-mail exchange with the architect about the repair to the facing stones. The plan is to discuss how the costs of the repair will be financed only with regard to a repair method that is acceptable to KY. Methods other than the generally accepted "one stone/one pin method" will be considered only if their functionality and aesthetics have been demonstrated in a section of the building.

The VM thanked Marc Render and the other members of the committee for their many hours of work on this issue.

Sifrei tora valuation and registration

All of the sifrei torah have now been registered and evaluated. As a result of the new evaluation, it was discovered that KY has been for years carrying coverage for double the actual value. KY will request that the agent correct the valuation and lower our premium accordingly. Eudice requested that someone be assigned to be in charge of the sifrei torah. The YR took upon herself to identify a member to work with Eudice on this, and to do so in the coming days.

Building rental

Background: Rental of space in the KY building is handled by the building use committee. In deciding whether to renew a rental contract, the committee can take into account a variety of considerations, including availability of space, past experience, and appropriateness of the activity.

 At the VM meeting one of the renters asked that the decision not to renew his contract be reconsidered. The VM decided to return the issue to the building use committee. [Subsequent to the meeting, the renter was informed accordingly.]

Piano

Jay Rosenberg reported that someone has offered to loan a piano to KY at essentially no cost (i.e., no cost aside from NIS 150/year for tuning) and without KY having to assume responsibility for any damages.

The VM identified several potential uses including those related to the purim shpiel, Yom Haatzmaut and the AGM. The VM also discussed potential downsides such as the space that a piano would take up.

The VM then voted to accept the loan of the piano for a one-year trial period.

Deputy chair

The VM decided to create a position of deputy chair on a one year trial basis. The VM noted that, unlike the position of chair, which is described in the new KY takanon, there is no mention of a deputy chair in the takanon; therefore this is in some sense an "unofficial" position. Bruce Rosen was elected to the position of deputy chair.

Signatories

The VM selected the following KY members to serve as official signatories for all KY accounts: Esther Edell, Gary Ginsberg, Linda Gradstein, Gary Heller. In addition, Hana Levine, Dorit Meijers, Ellie Render, and Mindy Schimmel were selected to have signatory authority for the kupat tzedakkah account.

Responsibility of Kiddush toranim

 It was noted that some of the older members on the Kiddush roster have trouble carrying bottles of drinks for the Kiddush. The VM voted to amend the instructions to the Kiddush toranim to indicate that the coordinators should be sensitive to the varying physical abilities of the toranim in deciding who should bring what to the Kiddush.

Preparations for the upcoming holidays

Linda Gradstein indicated that the KY manual is proving to be a great help in preparing for the chagim and expressed her appreciation for the work that Penina Arbit and others put into its preparation

Bruce Rosen described the efforts underway to develop an effective High Holiday toranut schedule.  In particular, he noted the effort to give the most difficult/sensitive assignments to members who have particularly good people skills and a good understanding of the needs of our varied membership.

The VM noted the need for "the men" to learn from the example of "the women" with regard to the careful choosing and preparation of the simchat torah honorees.