Copies of previous meetings are available in the office.

OHAVI ZEDEK SYNAGOGUE
MINUTES OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ohavi Zedek Board Meeting Minutes
January 17, 2008

Attending: Mike Kanarick, Rick Wolfish, Mary Beth Bowman, Rabbi Joshua Chasan, David Pearl, Sue Schein, Deborah Lashman, Iris Banks, Diane Rippa, Harriet Rosenthal, Basha Brody, Lee Lichtenstein. Absent: Arthur Kunin, Leon Urbaitel, Sam Alpert, Rabbi David Steinberg.

In Basha's absence, Deborah Lashman convened the meeting at 5:35 p.m. with a quorum. Basha arrived at 5:45 p.m. and assumed leadership.

D'var Torah by Rabbi Joshua.

Announcement by Rabbi Joshua about Bubbies, Babies & Bagels, OZ's Monday morning outreach program: anyone who goes where young parents gather, like libraries, pediatricians' offices, play groups, etc please post a flyer that he circulated.

Yoram moved that the minutes of the previous meeting be accepted. Rick Wolfish seconded. Minutes accepted with a correction that Harriet Rosenthal had attended the last meeting.

FINANCIAL REPORT:
Health Insurance for Employees: Rick Wolfish reported that we have renewed our current health insurance plan, despite a 17% increase (BlueCross/BlueShield of Vermont had initially reported a 25% increase). We had budgeted for a 10% increase. We will research cost-saving alternatives in an effort to implement as early as July 1st.

Accounting Manager position: There was discussion about hiring a full time person to handle finances. Rick W reported that when Michelle worked at OZ, our financial reports were relatively accurate. Since her departure at the end of May, our financial operations have been lagging and we have not received timely financial data. We hired a CPA for 20 hours in an effort to carry us through the transition while Mike K was coming aboard. Rick reported that we have reliable financial records until June 30th.

Currently Mike feels we're not serving our congregants properly and this has an impact on our ability to raise money and gain trust. If we go on as we have been, we raise doubts about our ability to be excellent stewards of our financial operations. Even before last May, a lot of processes had been irregular. Mike believes it is an office staffing issue, and believes streamlining will result in savings and efficiencies that will pay us back. We may be able to roll this new employee into tasks associated with the capital campaign fundraising. He asked the Board to endorse hiring a full time accounting manager.

Mike and Rick did an analysis of the current part time staff (i.e. Carol), to see if there was capacity (even with Michelle coming in some extra hours to help), but it's clear that part time staff is not able to produce what we need.

Question is whether we need staff in-house, or outside contractor? Rick says it's VERY hard to find qualified person. Then, serendipitously, a highly qualified person came to our attention. Rick checked references and the Finance Committee, Rick and Mike recommend we hire her full time.

Basha proposes we frame this as 2 questions:

• Is there a need for full time person who would be hired from now until June 2009?
• If yes, where do we find the money?

Corollary questions:

• Space? In classroom #1, in Carol's station? If Mike K moved up front, the new Accounting Manager could be in Mike K's office.
  
• Transition time between Carol leaving in February or March and the new staff person beginning immediately. Carol knows about our plans to replace her and is prepared to move on to other things.

Lee moved that we hire a full time Accounting Manager. Mary Beth seconded. Passed unanimously. Mike is authorized to offer job to this candidate to serve full time until June 30, 2009.

During a meeting break, Mike called Jan Stickle and offered her the job of Accounting Manager. She accepted and begins on Tuesday, January 22nd.

Rick will work on projections for our current budget. Income is slightly down. Mike K will be contacting by letter those approximately 80 families who have not yet made a dues pledge (or paid) for fiscal year 2007/08 and will report back to the Board in February about his progress with this project.

Rick reported that Leon will head the budget subcommittee of the finance committee and that Leon and Mike will be working together to contact department heads and committee chairs to obtain their budget requests so work can begin on our 2008/09 budget.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT:
Bob Evans, a fundraising consultant, visited last week and had a dinner meeting followed by a morning meeting with the capital campaign leadership and others, to light a fire under capital campaign fundraising. Harriet Rosenthal reported that this re-energized the committee. We may or may not hire a consultant but this visit with Bob got everyone talking about issues and raised hopes that we can raise more than $1 million in the next phase. We need to explore how this ties into long range planning. On January 25th the capital campaign committee has another meeting. They'll meet every other week and will prepare an action plan. Yoram suggests we get our financial house in order before we begin any new fundraising.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT:
Long range planning is getting renewed attention, with focus on OZ as a community, beyond being simply a building. All are welcome to attend the next meeting on Tuesday February 5th at 7:30pm. An email is going out to all committee chairs.

Rabbi Joshua is on the Board of Kids-4-Peace, USA, whose next Board meeting is in Israel. He'll be leaving April 22nd or 23rd, returning May 1st. Thus he'll be away the last 2 days of Pesach, Yom HaShoah and Yom Ha'atzmaut.

We need to decide if we are going to adapt the USCJ standards of congregational practice.
Question is: are these the standards we want for ourselves? We need to communicate to committee chairs and leadership about this. We have nothing like these codified, to date. Some practices are described in the bylaws. We may use the USCJ standards to enhance existing bylaws. A decision was made that the Religious Committee would analyze the standards in relation to our bylaws at its February meeting and report back to the board.

Minyan was at 7pm, at which time Basha had to leave and VP Deborah Lashman reconvened the meeting.

PJ Library:
Gabe Hartstein, Rebecca Goldberg and Deb Lichtenfeld presented about the PJ Library grant proposal. See more at www.pjlibrary.org. The PJ Library was started in Western Mass by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. The Foundation sends books once a month to Jewish children who enroll, aged 6 months to 7 years. A family signs on, receives packets, with OZ named as donor (should we contribute.) Usually Jewish Federations fill this role of local sponsor. Vermont aims to have 250 kids as recipients from the northern tier of state in the 1st year. Would look to grow this population to up to 3K over time.

This committee approached OZ to help with some up front costs to pay for a part -time administrator. In the 2nd year there's a cost per family of $18. The committee is asking OZ:

• $500-1K cash donation
  
• Names/addresses of families with kids in the age range (not necessarily OZ members)
  
• Spokespeople/boosters for the program to help publicize

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Evaluation committee: Plan is to have Rick Hecht formulate questions and constitute a subcommittee who will be evaluators. They'd have a set list of questions to use as they interview select persons about specific staffers. Once data is gathered the committee will collate the data, formulate an evaluation and then present to the Board, likely in March

Hebrew School Committee: Sue Schein asks for guidance about a mural. What are the proper channels for a proposal for a children's fabric art project? She was directed to Jeff Alpert and the House committee. Sue will bring them a concept and rough plan. Mike K will help liaison.

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Saturday 19th January: Three Stars by the Lake with Steve Goldman and Rabbi Joshua providing music, Dan Stein leading folk dancing, and Jason Lorber doing storytelling.
  
• Sunday 20th January: Combatants for Peace 2pm Sunday
  
• Friday 25th January: family service and Tu B'Shevat seder with food by the Cheryl Goldstein
  
• Shabbat 26th January: Roz Grossman will be doing the Haftorah, on the anniversary of her Bat Mitzvah
  
• Friday February 1st at UVM's Billings Center: a shared Shabbat service with Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Glazier, and Hillel students, with featured speaker Ruth Messinger

NEW BUSINESS FOR FEBRUARY MEETING:

• Condition of Torah scrolls
  
• Scott Lowe will make a technology presentation
  
• PJ Library contribution
  
• USCJ standards: the Religious Committee will report
  
• Rick W's budget ideas for Accounting Manager salary
  
• Mike K to report on progress of pledges from families who have not yet pledged

Lee moved and Harriet seconded the meeting be adjourned at 8pm.