Beth Israel Congregation Board Minutes
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Present: Rashes, Finerman, Leber, Bernstein, Hartman, Hirshbein, Kaplan, Rosenblum, Sorkin, Dobrusin, Blumenthal, Rubenstein, Bender, Winkelman, Liberman-Lampear, Rubinfeld, Landau

The meeting was called to order at 8:10 p.m. The agenda was approved. Minutes from the June meeting were corrected and approved. Landau/Winkelman

Rabbis� Reports: Rabbi Dobrusin reported that plans for the Israel trip for June/July 2009 are in the works. A general information meeting with an Israeli guide is scheduled for Set 10.
Selichot services will be held on Sept 20. A new custom which is hoped to become a tradition will be implemented: prayers of dedication for the memorial plaques installed this year will be said to honor the merit of those who came before us.
Rabbi Blumenthal thanked the board for the warm welcome and noted that High Holiday plans are moving along.

President�s Report: Rashes thanked the Board for their condolences and support for the loss of his sister-in-law, Susan Lichter. A letter from Eileen Nadler was read which thanked Beth Israel for being a welcoming and �haimish community� and expressed appreciation for helping to celebrate her daughter�s Bat Mitzvah. Rabbi Blumenthal was welcomed to the meeting. Rashes noted that � of the bids for the office renovation had been reviewed and a recommendation may be ready in September. A meeting with Scott Cranis from USCJ is scheduled for next Friday. The USCJ Midwest Region Tri-Regional Biennial will be held November 16-17 in Skokie, IL. Rashes reminded the Board of the Beth Israel Fair on September 7.

Treasurer�s Report: Liberman-Lampear reviewed the status of dues payments and religious school revenues. It was noted that it is early in the fiscal year.

Executive Director�s Report: Sorkin reported on membership status. The new business server has been installed and the back up is working well. Wireless will be installed within the next few weeks. Holiday preparations for the building are in progress, including carpets, windows, security, police, Vitosha Guest Haus, flowers and programs.
New Business: He requested approval for purchasing a third Lavaliere clip-on microphone.
Motion: �To approve $700 to purchase a new microphone, using funds from the Building fund.�
Liberman/Lampear/Hirshbein. Approved

New Business: Winkelman brought up some congregants� questions concerning High Holiday tickets for full time students and first and second year residents. After discussion the board decided to table the issue for 2 to 3 months in order to get a more accurate distribution of the demographics in question. Amendments to the policy may be made next year.

Executive VP: Bernstein reminded the Board of the BIC fair from 11:00- 2:15 on Sept 7. He also reported that the staffing committee had met and reviewed annual evaluations.

VP of Finance: Rosenblum reviewed status of finances year to date and noted that the Congregation has responded positively (i.e. has been paying) to the $250 increase in dues. Rosenblum reported that we are functioning well within the budgeted reserves, despite the difficult economy. 255 membership pledges have been received, to date.

Membership VP: Rubenstein reminded the Board of the BIC fair from 11:00-2:15 on September 7. The new member dinner will be held on Monday, October 27. 23 New Member baskets will be assembled and distributed for Rosh Hashana. They will be brought to the Sept 24 Board meetings so Board members may help with the deliveries. BIC will have a presence at Apples & Honey at the JCC on Sept 21 � the BIC presence will include the gift shop, cookie decorating and membership materials.

Programs VP: Hirshbein announced that the BIC Fair will be held Sept 7 from 11:00-2:15. Activities, including the concert by Gemini in the Main Sanctuary at 1:30 were described. The Board was encouraged to attend. Sept 19 is �Pet Shabbat� in the courtyard. The program theme �love your neighbor� was discussed. Service oriented, young family programming was described as well as ideas for expanding program development, including a potential program for �empty nesters�.

Religious VP: Input for new ideas and exploring options were encouraged by Kaplan. The sign up list for High Holiday honors has had a positive response � many have signed up, to date. A minyan brochure explaining what minyan is, what it means, and the mitzvah of minyan were discussed.

Written reports from the Beth Israel Mitzvah Connection, Cemetery Committee, Men�s Club, Protest Response Committee and Social Action Committee were read by Board members. No further discussion noted.

Meeting adjourned at 9:15p.m. Liberman-Lampear/Landau

Respectfully submitted,
Pamela Landau
Communications Secretary

Beth Israel Congregation
Written Reports for
Meeting of the Board of Directors

August 27, 2008
Beth Israel Mitzvah Connection
The Beth Israel Mitzvah Connection Committee attended Bikkur Cholim training on the Jewish approach to visiting the sick and to give volunteers the tools to feel comfortable visiting congregants who are sick or hospitalized. The training, conducted by Rabbi Sara Adler was well attended by 21 people. All reported a very positive experience. The second part of the training will take place on Sunday morning, September 14.
Submitted by Carol Finerman
Cemetery Committee
Issues remain with Arborcrest. Several congregants have contacted Elliot Sorkin, Rabbi Dobrusin and Haran Rashes directly with complaints about the way Arborcrest is dealing with them. Haran Rashes has recommended that the congregants submit their complaints to the Michigan Cemetery Commissioner.
Submitted by Haran Rashes
Men�s Club
Please sign up to be a High Holiday Ushers on the Beth Israel Website. All Board Members are encouraged to usher at either Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur or both..
Submitted by Haran Rashes

Social Action Committee
Rabbis for Human Rights will be holding its annual conference from December 7 through 9 in Washington, D.C.. The Social Action Committee would like to encourage people to attend and will possibly subsidize registration fees with the expectation of participation in a community discussion afterwards. Please let Rabbi Dobrusin know, as soon as possible, if you are interested in attending.
Submitted by Ruth Kraut

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