Summary of December Board Minutes

The following is a summary of the Board of Trustees meeting on December 14, 2020.

Adult Education Committee report– Ivy Weingram

For dates of new classes/events read the weekly Thursday blog. In addition to on-going clergy classes in January we had several talks: helping couples to stay together after their 50’s; T&K Grassroots Kosher food truck; the 2020 “Jewish vote; Jonathan Krasner on Hebrew infusion: Language and Community at American Jewish Summer Camps, and the launch of a new class, Judaism 201. A wide variety of classes and talks will follow as we move into spring to keep watching the weekly blog for announcements.

Tikun Olam Committee report – Rosalie Kurz

In December Alyssa Bailkan and Rebecca Krasner organized several events to bring food and socks to the homeless and baked goods to transplant patients.  Look for a new Zoom knitting class on the last Monday of the month and the Anti-Racist book club.  The last discussion was James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time.

Marketing Committee report – Rabbi Bonnie Goldberg

Technology has improved making our marketing and social medial presence more helpful and informative. Explore our website which now has BZBI videos and our presence on Facebook (second most followers to Rodeph Shalom), Instagram and Twitter. Of course, we also have 25-30 Zoom events/classes each week.

Community Committee report – Eileen Dwell

In December we cooked for our Stocking Up program, mailed Chanukah cards to the community, had a wonderful Zoom Volunteer Appreciation party, and sold over 100 meals from the Kosher Food Truck.  Challah bake with EC children will start again in February, as will inter-generational reading to the EC children.

Clergy report – Rabbi Abe and Rabbi Annie

Although the State has exempted places of worship from the lockdown, the city had requested that we stay closed, and there are no plans for regular indoor services anytime soon,  We have had occasional graveside services.  The clergy acknowledged and appreciated people’s kind response to the work they do.

Executive Director’s report – Rebecca Slavin-Phillips

The new membership video was completed and should be posted around Passover.  Rebecca has attended conferences for temple administrators and participated in nonprofit management courses to further support her in the role of ED.  We began providing administrative and financial support for the Center City Kehillah.  The HVAC repair was not as extensive as we thought, and therefore cost less. Our organ is gone, and that area will become a tallit closet, allowing the chapel closet to be reorganized. We are learning how to use our new phone system, which allows texting clergy if the synagogue is closed.  Kitchen renovation plans are moving along.

Membership Committee report – Sharon Greis

The committee now has two new volunteers: Tanya Hess and Sarah Fleishman. We have two new families, who were called and welcomed, and each may be assigned a “buddy” congregant to continue to support them as they become integrated into the community.

Development Committee report – Suzanne Litke

We have 129 AG donations, but the total to date is larger than last year with $220,925.43 in AG now, as well as $4,947 in pledges.  We also have $59,245.93 in all other giving for a grand total of $280,171.36.

Youth & Family Education Committee report – Anne Albert 

In response to concerns about the fees for b’nai mitzvah families, the Committee concluded that all b’nai mitzvah families will be charged a $1,000 basic fee, and an additional $1,000 if a student uses a BZBI tutor.   The $1,000 basic fee covers the communal nature of celebrating this simcha in our synagogue and helps cover general costs associated with preparation for and hosting of b’nai mitzvah. The in-house tutoring does cost more than $1,000, but the rest of the cost comes from the synagogue operating budget as encouragement for people to use us.

Finance committee report – Brian Bushee

We reviewed and approved the parsonage claims of the Rabbis Abe, Annie and Max that are required by the IRS. These designations shall be effective until modified by the Board. Our PPP loan was completely forgiven. This meant that our $10,000 EIDL loan does have to be paid back over a period of 18 months, so monthly payments, including interest, are low.  Though both schools continue to struggle, for various reasons, we are sitting on more cash now than last month.

Visioning and survey reports – Cara Levinson

The full report on the survey will be presented in January.  There will also be a blog post for all congregants.  The task force will do the visioning with a diverse representation from our congregation, and feel that talking to people in the process of the creation of the vision statement should be very enriching.

President’s report – Nikki Morris

We are all appreciative for the rich programming of the holiday season. Michael Radbill will be retiring from the board at the end of June as he will be moving to the Poconos. There was much appreciation for the work he has done.

Respectfully submitted by Board Secretary Terry Hirshorn