COMMITTEE AND BOARD MEETINGS
7 p.m. unless otherwise noted

Click here to see our Calendar for listing
of board meetings this month and next!

COMMITTEE AND BOARD MEETINGS

Executive Committee Wed, June 4, 7 pm, Mon, July 7, 7pm
Board Meeting  Wed, June 11, 7 pm, Mon July 14, 7pm

Zimriyah, Graduation and Annual Meeting

Sunday, June 8:  It’s all happening on Sunday morning, June 8 at Agudas Achim beginning at 9 am.  Hebrew school students will join in song and celebration at the conclusion of another school year.  The State of the Synagogue will be reported from the Board of Trustees, and new officers will be voted in.  A community potluck luncheon will follow.  Membership packets and volunteer sign up sheets will be available.  Don’t miss this important event!

The morning’s schedule is as follows:
9:00 am—Welcome & Coffee
9:10 am—Procession & Havdalah
Zimriyah featuring Songs, Teacher Recognition, Slide Show & Grade 3 Siddur Presentation
10:15 am—Annual Meeting
11:45 am—Zayin Class Graduation
12:15 pm—Closing Prayer, Lunch, Membership Packets & Volunteer Sign Up Sheets

From the Nominating Committee

Slate of Officers to be voted at Annual Meeting
 
The following members are nominated to the Board of Trustees pursuant to the by-laws of the congregation:
 
New for a term ending in June 2010:

President:  Deborah Mandell
Past President:  Michael Rudnick
Treasurer - Glenn Gruber
Financial Secretary-- Bruce Levine
Secretary -- Susan Bradie
VP Personnel – Jacki Hecht
VP Youth -- Vanessa Lubiner
At-large – Lori Abbott

Continuing for a term ending in June 2009:

VP Administration - Marcia Szymanski
VP Adult Education – Susan Sussman
VP Religious School -- Michael Shapiro
VP Social Action -- Donna Cohen Avery
At-large – Todd Goldstein
Youth -Sarah Rose O'Connor

OPEN positions

VP Ritual - *
VP Building - *
VP Membership - *
VP Social Programming - *
VP Fundraising -*
 
If you wish to nominate someone or have any interest in serving on the Board, please contact Deborah Mandell or Marcia Szymanski

Nominations are being accepted for Congregant of the Year.
 
Each year, a worthy congregant is honored at the Annual Meeting for his or her contribution to Congregation Agudas Achim.  Do you have any views on who should receive this award?  Previous winners include:
 
2007    Gerry Bradie
2006    Michael Rudnick
2005    Susan Bradie
2004    Deb Mandell
2003    Gary Price
2002    Susan Sussman
 
Make your voice heard!  If you would like to nominate someone, please drop Helen Urban a note or email (office@agudasma.org) by May 15th.

Current Officers and Committee Members

From the Adult Learning Committee

We are soliciting essays about personal or family Shabbat practice from members of the congregation as we continue to explore the varied ways we each bring Jewish rituals and traditions into our lives. If you would like to submit an essay please contact Susan Sussman at ammsus@comcast.net.

Notes from the School Committee

       The school committee has completed its review of the Hebrew School curriculum. Most recently, the committee met with the hebrew school teaching staff and also had an opportunity to review the curricula of other local and national synagogues. We will summarize and share our findings and next steps, as well as a school mission statement at the community Zimriyah (annual meeting) in June. Again, we appreciate the cooperation of the community in this effort.
       Look for information about our upcoming Second Annual Hebrew School Plant Sale at the "Mitzvah Morning" event on Sunday, May 4th. We are working out the details of selection and pricing as this goes to press and will share that information with you prior to the event. If you have any suggestions please let us know.
       Stuart Freiman
       School Committee Secretary

Calling All Members — The Membership Committee Needs Your Help!

Plans are under way to re-invigorate the Membership Committee. Our goal is to better serve the synagogue community by welcoming potential members, helping new members get involved in our community and retaining members. We need your ideas and input.

Early in the New Year, we will have a Kick-off Meeting to brainstorm the Committee's role and develop plans. Please contact Michael Rudnick (401-273-2703 or Michael@RCC-pcSupport.com) if interested.

Ritual Committee Examines
Synagogue Policy on Shabbat Photographs

In response to a number of requests from community members, the Ritual Committee is re-examining our policy regarding pictures on Shabbat.  Currently, no taking of photographs or video recording are permitted on the grounds during Shabbat.

As we study and debate the issue, we would like your feedback.  After reading this article, we invite you to respond either in writing or in person to any member of the ritual committee (listed below)

In our deliberations, we are seeking to balance the sanctity of Shabbat with the congregation’s desire to encourage people to celebrate significant events with our community at the synagogue.  We do believe that having b’nai mitzvah celebrations and other life-cycle celebrations here at the synagogue would be a positive expression of the kind of community we are seeking to create. However, for some members, the restrictions against photography may become a disincentive for them to hold their parties and celebrations here on Shabbat.

After looking at the halacha (traditional Jewish law) and other teachings about Shabbat, we recognize that the traditional limits against electricity, lighting a fire or using electronic equipment are not particularly relevant for us. We already use lighting, a microphone and the oven to warm things on Shabbat. We do not believe that the camera or taking of the pictures itself is an issue. However, there is a greater understanding of Shabbat practice at stake as well.

One of the values of Shabbat, often stressed in Reconstructionist and other non-halachic settings, is that Shabbat, as a day of rest, is a day for being and experiencing life as it is; not creating or striving to make something for the future. Very specifically, creating something on Shabbat for later use, or trying to "capture the moment" of Shabbat on film is in direct conflict with this value of Shabbat as a moment in time unique in and of itself.

And yet, we certainly understand the desire of some to have photographs of family members and friends gathered from afar – family members who may not be present for future gatherings and celebrations. Certainly, the creation of family memories and the enhancement of those bonds is also something that we hope Shabbat facilitates.

  As you can see, there is no easy and obvious answer here. The Ritual Committee is struggling with the issue and has determined the following basic assumptions upon which our decision will be based:

* Shabbat practice and expectations at the Synagogue are and should be more traditional than those in many members’ homes. Many of our congregants expect the synagogue to present a model to aspire to in our own lives.

* Bar and Bat Mitzvah is an affirmation of Jewish faith and practice within the context of community. We do want to encourage families to consider sharing their celebrations with us here at the synagogue itself.

* Creating memories and recordings of family milestones is an understandable and desirable part of life-cycle celebrations. 

* The sanctuary itself must be maintained at a higher level of sanctity and reverence than the grounds of the building or possibly other areas within the building itself.

* Given the diversity of practice, expectations and levels of comfort of our community, it is imperative that the broadest spectrum of our community be made to feel welcome and comfortable at all public and communal gathering times in the synagogue.

Based on these assumptions, the Ritual Committee is exploring a modification of our current policy to allow the taking of posed photographs outside of the building beginning an hour after the end of services.

As chair of the Ritual Committee, I welcome and seek your input.  Please feel free to contact me or any other member of the ritual committee:

Glenn Gruber, chair
Erin Price
Julie Libon
Sharon Friedman
Marty Gruder

Building Team
HELP WANTED!

The Building Team has done a lot of work in the synagogue during the spring and summer.   More projects are scheduled through the fall.  We are looking for people with the following skills:
* Electrical
* Carpentry
* Dry walling
* Painting
* Floor tiling
If you have any of these abilities or are just willing to give a hand, please e-mail Gerry Bradie at bradie@mindspring.com or call him at 508-541-8552.  All help will be gratefully

appreciated.

Board of Directors Pledge

The Board of Directors recently developed the following pledge for board members. This final document is the result of several discussions among the members about their roles and responsibilities as members of the Agudas Achim Board. The pledge is meant to clearly describe the commitment that an individual member makes when he or she agrees to serve on the Board. It also represents the commitment that this particular Board, as a whole, agreed to make. We expect that the pledge will be revisited by each incoming Board to ensure that it continues to accurately represent the members charged with carrying it out:

We recognize that in accepting positions as members of the board of Congregation Agudas Achim, we are making a commitment to actively support and enhance our Jewish community. We understand that we must act as role models for members of the congregation and therefore must make ourselves available and visible to the community. We also recognize that we are being entrusted with the fiduciary health of this community. In short, as members of the board of directors, we are charged both with executing and sharing the mission of the congregation during our term on the board. Shared expectations and responsibilities are crucial to the success of a well functioning, productive board. Therefore, we each have agreed, as members of the board, to strive to:

* Have a strong base of knowledge regarding our community. Specifically, we should be familiar with our mission statement, bylaws, congregational history, and any other documents that are necessary for effective leadership.
* Participate in the spiritual, social, and financial growth of the community to the best of our ability.
* Act as an extension of the membership committee. We must each take an active role in reaching out to existing members and in welcoming new and/or prospective members.
* Build a community of trust within the board and within the congregation. We will hold open and honest conversations, and not shy away from difficult decisions.
* Be respectful of each other and of the congregation. We must honor our attendance responsibilities by participating fully and joyfully when called upon as Shabbat hosts, at board and/or committee meetings, at services, and at other events and functions.
* Support the board's decision-making process and respect its decisions especially when those decisions differ from our own views.
* Strive to apply Reconstructionist values and interpretations to our work as a board.

Finally, as board members we will consider our own spiritual journeys and embrace opportunities that will allow us to learn and to grow.

Revised November 30, 2003

All board meeting minutes are available to review in the synagogue office.