November 17, 2010

The following chaverim were in attendence or on the conference call: Daniel Alter, Aaron Borow, Judah Dardik, Ira Ebbin, Arie Folger, Simcha Green, Basil Herring, Shlomo Hochberg, Shmuel Jablon, Yaakov Kermaier, Moshe Kletenik, Sam Klibanoff, Barry Kornblau, Doniel Kramer, Elly Krimsky, Ira Kronenberg, Asher Lopatin, Akiva Males, Leonard Matanky, Yehuda Oppenheimer, Ari Perl, Fabian Schonfeld, Yoel Schonfeld, Ze’ev Smason, Adam Starr, Elie Weinstock, Richard Weiss, Shlomo Weissman, Daniel Yolkut, Howard Zack, Michoel Zylberman. 

The following minutes were approved at the January, 2011 meeting of the Executive Committee:

At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America, held at the RCA’s office, Wednesday, November 17, 2010, the president in the chair, and Barry Kornblau acting on behalf of the secretary, the following items were decided:

1. A motion to accept minutes of previous Executive Committee meeting (September, 2010) passed unanimously.

2. A motion to pass the following special resolution regarding the RCA pension plan passed unanimously: “Be it resolved that the Rabbinical Council of America hereby confirms that all payments from the Rabbinical Council of America Pension Fund to member Rabbis on their retirements are designated as parsonage payments which are eligible for exclusion from Federal income taxes to the extent substantiated by the Rabbi in accordance with Internal Revenue Service Rules and Regulations. This Resolution shall remain in effect until terminated or modified.”

3. A motion to improve the RCA Member Discussion Forum, hosted on Google Groups, as per the following passed unanimously: “The number of individuals serving on the present “Tone of Dialogue” committee will be increased. In identifying and disciplining problematic individual posters based upon the content, length, tone, and frequency of their contributions over time (in rough accordance with Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s obscenity rule, “I know it when I see it”), the enlarged committee’s collective judgment shall constitute the RCA’s mechanism to decide what is acceptable Discussion Forum behavior. Penalties imposed may include simply contacting a problematic chaver, censuring him, monitoring his posts before distributing them to the entire Discussion Forum, or temporarily or permanently expelling him from the Discussion Forum.”

4. A motion to approve a resolution seeking clemency for Jonathan Pollard passed unanimously.

5. Motion to accept the applications of new members [Jonathan Bienenfeld, Daniel Mark Eden, Eliezer Rubin, Aryeh Spiegler, and Moshe Yeshurun] passed unanimously.