November 6, 2019

At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America, held by conference call, on Wed., Nov. 6, 2019, President Daniel Korobkin in the chair, and Reuven Tradburks acting on behalf of the secretary, the following items were decided:

Motion to accept minutes of Sept. 11, 2019 Executive Committee meeting passed unanimously.

Daniel Korobkin, President, reported on:
The recent Officer’s retreat was very productive and included discussion of the following:
The Financial Report which is available to all Executive Committee members in information packet sent today.
The document requested from us by the OU on how to acknowledge life cycle events and other accouncements for the LGBTQ members. This is a very sensitive issue and received due deliberation.
We have been offered fully funded support for a website entitled Find a Rabbi for life cycle events. The site would list RCA rabbis willing to officiate for non affiliated people. We need to address the issue of follow up in the event of a need for a get and the use of pre nups.
We recognize the importance of involving Executive Committee members in our committees. Each Executive Committee member has either volunteered or will be assigned to a committee of the RCA.
In the area of Rabbinic Welfare, we hope to provide a Rabbinic Bill of Rights to help protect rabbis in their work.
We are reaching out to our rebbetsins to identify ways in which the RCA can be helpful to them.
We are working with Koren in the area of publications, both in the possible publication of a Madrich and for other publications.
We are inaugurating a rabbinic exchange program between RCA rabbis and Barkai rabbis in Israel.
Discussing with the OU an RCA-OU partnership to engage Christian clergy for enhanced cooperation in addressing anti Semitism and other issues. Seeking input as some Christian partners could be positive and some not. Discussion ensued and included comments that existing communal advocacy group engage Christian partners and we ought to investigate increasing orthodox involvement in these existing efforts.

Mark Dratch, Exec. VP reported on:
RCA continues to have a strong involvement in interfaith matters through IJCIC.

A successful Webinar with Keshet Starr of ORA was held and a link to it distributed through the membership mailing.

A 3 part Webinar series on Hate and Violence on the Internet will be held.

Concerted effort to involve Executive Committee members on the different RCA committees.

The 2020 Budget being proposed is a balanced budget.

Motion to accept 2020 Budget passed unanimously. Rabbi Korobkin commended Rabbi Dratch on the proposed balanced budget.

David Israel of the Religious Zionists of America discussed the upcoming World Jewish Congress elections, Jan. 20 – March 11, 2020. There are 150 delegates in the USA. The hope is to improve on the 30 delegates of the last election, an equal number with Conservative and less than ARZA. This election directly impacts the WJC $850 million budget allocations. Rabbis need to be active in soliciting votes.

Mrs. Abby Lerner, Director of Conversion Services, GPS, reported on her active availability to candidates, her liaising with Batei Din and Sponsoring Rabbis, on the distribution of the Sponsoring Rabbi handbook and on the almost completed Conversion Candidate handbook. Being a woman who is not a part of the infrastructure of the Batei Din allows candidates, Rabbis and Batei Din to feel comfortable with using her as a resource. She urged RCA members to recognize the financial needs of our Batei Din and to support them.

Rabbi Shlomo Weissmann, Director of the Beth Din of America, reported on actitivites including the high volume of gittin, requests for documentation of personal status, and that the more difficult gittin cases are more quickly resolved because of pre nups. So far in 2019 there are 150 open cases in the Beit Din, 40 of which went to a Din Torah. This is a large increase due to perhaps the encouragement for people to litigate with the BDA and a PR effort with the Jewish Jurisprudence blog.

Rabbi Reuven Tradburks, Israel Region, reported on the inaugural upcoming rabbinic exchange program featuring 6 RCA members being hosted by Israeli graduate rabbis of the Barkai rabbinic training program as scholars in residence in their shuls and the reciprocal hosting of these Israeli rabbis in the RCA members shuls. The RCA Ulpan l’Giyur has also received much interest.

Good and Welfare