Steering Committee  Minutes of September 11, 2017

Compiled by Susan Laemmle

Present at the meeting: Diane Herman, Jerry Krautman, Jackie Krautman, Mayer Brenner, Miriam Prum Hess, AJ Happel, Susan Laemmle, with Sandra Lepson (Rosh) presiding, at the Krautman home.

I. High Holy Day Report: Mayer reported that Michelle Stone will play multiple roles this year, including Kol Nidre and Yizkor. Rabbi Cantor Chorny will do Pseukai D’Zimrah on Yom Kippur.

The question was asked if there would again be a booklet distributed; the answer is no because Miriyam Glazer no longer attends the Library Minyan, no one else stepped into the role of creating the booklet, and it would not be possible now to get hold of any booklets remaining from last year.

There is a need to check that the microphone is working for the holidays. Mayer will discuss this with Rabbi Chorny.

II. There was a discussion of the larger issue of amplification for LM services. Some people are asking for more use of the microphone, especially for the Drash.

After discussion, the following motion was made, seconded, and passed: We will make it a matter of course to have the box taken off the mike so that it is active for the Drash as long as the Darshan is comfortable with this.

Alisa will be asked to alert Darshanim to this situation ahead of time, and the Gabbai should help as needed. Sandra will make an announcement about this new policy and may also send it out via an email message.

Furthermore, Sandra explained that there are multiple problems with the acoustical system in the Chapel. She has discussed this with Rabbi Chorny already, and will now focus discussion on the need to upgrade the acoustical system before May 2018, when (nearly) all TBA bnai-mitzvah will begin taking place in the Chapel due to remodeling of the sanctuary. Mayer added that it would be important to accelerate planning in this regard to be sure that sufficient budget is allocated; he believes that Rabbi Chorny is the best person to carry this project forward.

AJ suggested having a discussion at the next SC meeting of how the Chapel environment can be improved in other ways. She explained that Bob Roosth has good items to suggest, and indicated that she would solicit his suggestions and distribute them to the SC.

III. New Siddur: Sandra said that she would like to postpone use of Siddur Lev Shalem beyond already announced date of Shabbat Shuvah. After considerable discussion, the following motion was moved, seconded and passed unanimously: Siddur Lev Shalem will be used for Shabbat services beginning on October 28, Shabbat Lech Lecha. Gabbaim are asked to prepare for this by spending time going over the new siddur. They will be expected to announce pages in the new siddur only.

AJ volunteered to prepare a sheet that correlates the location of elements of the service in the new and the older siddurim. This sheet will be available on the table in the back of the Chapel where some of the old siddurim will be placed for those who choose to continue using them.

Sandra suggested that someone reach out to Rabbi Chorny to find out how the shul handled the transition — what worked well and what did not.

IV. Succot: The first and second days of Succot will be in the Ballroom, with clergy leading. This will be announced by Sandra and perhaps also sent out in an email message. While there will likely be some people who don’t like this arrangement, it was decided not to highlight their concerns ahead of time. Rabbi Chorny seems to be making an effort to take a broad range of views and needs into account.

V. Resignation of Jon Friedman as Finance Chair: Everyone expressed regret that Jon felt the need to resign and appreciation for his service. It was decided to ride out the current leadership cycle without trying to replace him, while making a strong effort to have a new Finance Chair in place for the new cycle.

VI. Leadership Transition by Tu B’Shevat: Sandra will count back to provide a calendar that outlines the steps/target dates toward having a new Steering Committee and a new Rosh in place by the Charter’s stated date of Tu B’Shevat. This topic will be addressed at the next Steering Committee meeting, which will take place sometime after the Chagim.

VII. Carl’s Kiddush Proposal: Carl has proposed creating a minhag of making a contribution to a hunger organization into a meaningful part of sponsoring a special Kiddush. Carl asked to come to the next SC meeting to discuss the idea, and this was accepted after an informal vote.

VIII. Kiddush Donations: There followed a discussion of concerns about how and when Library Minyan Kiddush donations are spent. AJ suggested that many people simply want their names in the bulletin in connection with a particular Kiddush, but don’t insist on all the money they give being spent for a particular date. Others do want their donation to go specifically to a particular Kiddush. Still others want to contribution a particular item to be purchased with their donation. We should consider ways to meet all of these needs. This topic should be included in the agenda of the next SC meeting.

Meeting adjourned at 9 pm.