March 7, 2017

Minutes for March 7, 2017 meeting of the RCA Executive Committee
At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America, held in person at Congregation Keter Torah, 600 Roemer Ave., Teaneck, NJ, and by conference call, on Tues., March 7, 2017, President Shalom Baum in the chair, and Reuven Tradburks acting on behalf of the secretary, the following attended: Alter, Daniel; Baum, Shalom; Berger, Gedalyah; Bieler, Jack; Blau, Binny; Dratch, Mark; Engel, Zvi; Folger, Arie; Friedman. Daniel; Glatt, Aaron; Goldberg, Efrem; Grauer, Seth ; Kramer, Doniel; Krimsky, Elly; Leibtag, Aaron; Lubetski, Uriel; Matanky, Lenny; Muskin, Elazar; Schonfeld, Yoel; Shaffer, Yechiel; Silber, Shmuel; Smason, Zeev; Strauchler, Chaim; Teitz, Eliyahu; Topp, Kalman; Tradburks, Reuven; Trump, Yaakov; Weinstock, Elie; Weissman, Elie; Weissmann, Shlomo; Whitman, Michael; Wilensky, David; Wolk, Howard; Zack, Howard.
The following items were decided: Minutes of meeting of November 29, 2016 and Jan. 10, 2017 passed unanimously. The hire of Mrs. Abby Lerner as the National Director of Conversion Services of the GPS to work alongside Rabbi Michoel Zylberman, Director of the GPS was announced. Executive Vice President Mark Dratch: Reported on and requested an allocation for participation in a legal case in which the RCA/BDA Pre Nuptial agreement is being challenged. Allocation approved. Yechiel Shaffer reported on the upcoming Convention on June 19-21, 2017 to take place in Stamford, Ct. Motion to nominate for the Nominations Committee, Akiva Males, Chair, Kenny Brander, Zev Smason, Lenny Matanky, passed unanimously.

Motion to nominate to serve on Elections Committee, Daniel Alter, Chair, Jerold Isenberg, Wes Kalmar passed unanimously. A motion to create a free loan program, to grant loans of no more than $5,000 to RCA members for emergency needs from a grant of $100,000 from Rabbi and Mrs. Myron Rakowitz, to be allocated by a committee to be appointed at the discretion of a standing committee of the President and 2 officers passed unanimously.