June 15, 2011

The following chaverim were in attendance or on the conference call: Shalom Axelrod, Gedalyah Berger, Jack Bieler, Nasanayl Braun, Daniel Cohen, Howard Finkelstein, Joel Finkelstein, Dov Fischer, Barry Gelman, Shmuel Goldin, Uri Goldstein, Avrohom Gordimer, Shlomo Grafstein, Simcha Green, Jacob Greenberg, Barry Hartman, Basil Herring, Shmuel Jablon, Benjamin Kelsen, Moshe Kletenik, Barry Kornblau, Ira Kronenberg, Chaim Marder, Leonard Matanky, Ari Perl, Mitchell Rocklin, Mel Sachs, Fabian Schonfeld, Yoel Schonfeld, Yerachmiel Seplowitz, Tzvi Sinensky, Ze’ev Smason, Shlomo Weissman, Michael Whitman, Daniel Yolkut, Michoel Zylberman.

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

At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America, held at the RCA office on Wednesday, June 15, 2011, the President, Shmuel Goldin in the chair, and Barry Kornblau acting on behalf of the secretary, the following items were decided:

1. A motion to accept the minutes of the March, 2011 and the May, 2011 meetings passed unanimously.

2. A motion to accept the applications of new members Jeremy Donath, Aaron Feigenbaum, Moshe Hammer, Yitzchak Hecht, Mordechai Rhine, and Yechiel Shaffer passed unanimously. The applications of Mordechai Gershon and Bryan Kinzbrunner were also approved unanimously on the condition that the RCA membership submits no untoward information upon being informed of their application in Bemaga.

3. President Goldin made a motion, unanimously accepted, to defer Executive Committee action upon the results of the 2011 resolution requiring the Executive Committee to encourage N. American kashruth supervising agencies to create a heter mechira symbol to be used in the forthcoming shemita year until the Executive Committee’s next meeting so that he first can speak to OU Kashruth division and others about the matter.

4. President Goldin sought and received unanimous, non-binding support for his plan to appoint, at the recommendation of the 2011 Resolutions Committee, a committee to develop guidelines for the Orthodox community, in accordance with halachah and Torah values, for proper usage of the Internet, social networking sites and related issues. Shmuel Jablon was asked to chair this committee and agreed to do so.

5. President Goldin sought and received nearly unanimous, non-binding support for his plan to appoint a Membership Committee to establish the RCA’s non-semicha candidate evaluation procedures and criteria.