Although there is no playbook for leading a synagogue through a pandemic, all signs are pointing in a positive direction for moving forward and reclaiming some of the precious and familiar parts of our lives. Our community has stayed connected in many ways, with stimulating programming, engaging services, and learning opportunities for all ages and generations. We have used our parking lot to gather in person for a number of events and are looking forward to gathering under our canopy in the rear courtyard and moving inside safely to once again come together in our building.
The vitality of Temple Shir Tikva in Metrowest Boston has never been more relevant, and your active engagement in planning for our future has never been more essential.
With that context, I sincerely hope you will join us this year at our ZOOM Congregational Annual Meeting, held at 7:00 PM on Monday, June 7. Registration (an email address) is required to attend this meeting, as it is only open to TST members in good standing. Please click below to register.
After you register, you will be sent a PERSONAL ZOOM invitation link. You must use this link to join the ZOOM ANNUAL MEETING. This link will be personal for you only and you must register so that you can vote during the meeting. If there are two voting adults in your household, both will need to register with an email address. While you will be able to join the meeting via phone, unfortunately the technology will NOT allow you to vote or ask questions by phone unless you attend via an electronic device.
We will open the Zoom connection at 6:30pm so that you may connect with neighbors and friends. At 7:00pm, we will be muting all lines except those of the scheduled speakers and presenters. We will provide instructions at the beginning of the meeting on how to use the Chat Room to submit any questions you have during the meeting. A meeting host will actively review comments and questions as they are submitted and then share them with the speakers at set times during the meeting.
You will hear from the Chairs of our Nominating Task Force who are presenting the slate of Board of Trustee nominations for the upcoming 2020-2021 year. You will also learn about our current state of finances and our budget for next year from our Treasurer. Finally, Rabbi Danny and I will share a few remarks. Click below to review the agenda, minutes from last year’s annual meeting, Nominating Slate, Dues and Fees and overview of the proposed budget. (If you would like to review a detailed budget, please email TST Treasurer, Jeff Maimon).
I look forward to seeing all of you digitally on June 7. I hope you choose to spend some time with us from the comfort of your own home during these unprecedented times. L’Shalom,
Harry Merkin
Temple Shir Tikva
Annual Meeting
June 6, 2021 7:00 pm
Agenda
6:30: Open for schmoozing7:00: Call to Order
Call to Order Harry Merkin
Clergy Remarks Rabbi Danny
President’s Remarks Harry Merkin
Approval of June 1, 2020 Annual Meeting Minutes
Vote: Approval of June 1, 2020 minutes Jane Horne
Development Report Ginny MacDowell
Treasurer’s Report
Vote: 2021-22 Dues and Fees Vote: 2021-22 Budget
Jeff Maimon
Nominating Committee Report
Vote: Officers and Trustees Rachel Heckler Peter Abend
Old Business, New Business Harry Merkin
Temple Shir Tikva Annual Meeting on June 1, 2020- Meeting Minutes Jane Horne, Recording Secretary
Call to Order- Scott Cohen.
Break-Out Room Exercise- Congregants “split” into groups to discuss how COVID-19 has caused each of us to reflect on our relationship with TST.
Clergy Remarks by Rabbi Danny- Rabbi Danny was delighted to see so many faces on the screen. He acknowledged the protests and demonstrations in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, and how as a Jewish community we stand in solidarity against racism and prejudice of all kinds. A moment of silence took place for all the victims of racism. Rabbi Danny next thanked Susan Altman for her great care, compassion, and commitment to the temple. Rabbi Danny also thanked Scott Cohen for his leadership over the past two years, including during the pandemic. Rabbi Danny noted that while the temple building has ben closed since Purim, TST has been open and available to the community through our
screens. Rabbi Danny said that while we have been physically separated, we have come together to support one another, the primary lesson being that TST is much more than just a building.
President’s Remarks- Scott Cohen described how we have “come home” in more ways than one—and how technology has enabled us to come together and stay together. These times have allowed us to come as we are and every challenge opens the door for
opportunity and growth. Despite the pandemic, we have still “kept our foot on the gas and plowed forward.” Scott noted that Stephanie Lerner will be joining us with her warm and nurturing presence as Director of the ELC. Scott thanked Marcia Gilitz on the exceptional job she did filling in at the ELC, the clergy and the Board of Trustees, Susan Altman for her unwavering commitment to TST, and his wife, Susan Cohen. Lastly, Scott thanked the members of TST for their trust.
Vote- Jane Horne made a motion for approval of the June 3, 2019 Annual Meeting Minutes, which passed.
Treasurer’s Report- Michael Abrahams presented the financial report. He first noted that it costs about $215,000 per month to run TST and that we can use a portion of temple income towards this cost, but not any principal of the Endowment Fund. He noted that 76% of TST’s assets are illiquid and also cannot be used to pay operating funds. We used $60,000 from the Endowment Fund this year (just income, not principal). The Endowment Fund has declined due to recent conditions as of late. Michael noted that cash collections have deteriorated somewhat due to current conditions, and that collection of dues will need special attention. However, TST has been able to pay its obligations in a timely
ELC. On the positive side, the generosity of members is amazing, allowing us to nearly hit our $631,000 Annual Fund target this year. Actual expenditures for FY20 are expected to be below budget as the building is closed. Dues and school fees are down. The SBA loan of $348,000 was approved and is potentially forgivable based on how we use the funds. We will file an application for forgiveness and estimate about 80 – 85% forgiveness. We are proposing a 3 percent increase in dues, which is in line with other synagogues. School dues fees are being restructured. We are continuing the Complimentary Membership Program. The Annual Fund is planned to be set at $650,000. The clergy team and professional staff have come forward and agreed to freeze salaries at the FY20 level. Michael thanked Ellen Herbordt (Assistant Treasurer), the Finance and Development Committee, donors, the staff, and Susan Altman. Alison Weikel then discussed the new religious school fee structure, noting that we looked at the school fees charged by surrounding synagogues and evened out our fees to reflect not just our surrounding community but the improvements that have been made in our programs.
Dues and Fees for 2020 – 2021- A motion was made to approve the dues and fees schedule for FY21. The motion passed.
Budget for 2020 – 2021- A motion was made to approve the FY21 budget. The motion passed.
Nominating Committee Report- Peter Abend presented the new Board of Trustees slate. He thanked the Nominating Committee and outgoing Board of Trustees members Ellen Herbordt, Larry Rosen, Brad Puffer, and Trudy Sonis. A motion was made to approve the Nominating Committee Report for Officers and Trustees for 2020 – 2021, as proposed (noted below). The motion passed.
FIDUCIARY OFFICERS Nominee Term
President Harry Merkin 2 years
Past President Scott Cohen 1 year
Treasurer Jeff Maimon 2 years
Assistant Treasurer Michael
Abrahams 1 year
Recording Secretary Jane Horne 1 year
Marketing and Communications Justin Adelson 2 years
Development Ginny
MacDowell 1 year Childhood Education and
Engagement Jen Weiner 1 year
Teen Education and Engagement Jackie Loren 1 year Adult Engagement and Jewish Living Doug Dolgov 1 year Early Learning Center Natasha Tofias 1 year Spirituality and Worship Dan Schneider 2 years Social Justice and Community
Connections Michael Wadness 2 years
INCLUSION TRUSTEES
Interfaith Families & Inclusion Rachel Sieber 1 year
New Membership Michael Henrich 1 year
AT LARGE TRUSTEES
Community Resilience and Response Amy O’Donnell 1 year
Human Resources Mary Beth
Rettger 1 year
Welcoming and Retention Laura Hyman 1 year
Old Business- No old business. New Business- No new business.
Temple Shir Tikva
2021 NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT Nominees for 2021-2022 Board of Trustees:
Nominee Term (Starting 6/20/21)
Fiduciary Officers
President Harry Merkin 1 year
President Elect Jackie Loren 1 year
Treasurer Jeff Maimon 1 year
Assistant Treasurer Rebecca Chasen 1 year
Recording Secretary Jane Horne 2 years
Governance & Operations Trustees
Administration and Operations Richard Kaye 1 year
Marketing and Communications Justin Adelson 1 year
Development Ginny MacDowell 2 years
Jewish Living Trustees
Childhood Education and Engagement Jen Weiner 1 year
Teen Education and Engagement Abrielle Salloway 2 years
Adult Engagement and Jewish Living Jill Abend 2 years
Spirituality and Worship Dan Schneider 1 year
Social Justice and Community Connections Michael Wadness 1 year
Inclusion Trustees
Interfaith Families & Inclusion Tara Sagor 2 years
New Membership Liz Vinsant 2 years
At Large Trustees
Community Resilience and Response Amy O’Donnell 1 year
Welcoming and Retention Susan Garfield 1 year
Respectfully Submitted,
2021 Nominating Committee:
Peter Abend and Rachel Heckler, co-chairs
PROPOSED
DUES, FEES & TUITION TABLE - July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
A. MEMBERSHIP DUES DUES SCHEDULE
• Family Membership $4,212
• Single Parent/Single Person (To qualify as single, member must be unmarried, widowed, or divorced)
$2,186
• Young Family Membership (optional) (One or two adults, both 40 or younger,
with or without children, or until oldest child enters 3rd grade)
$ 1,056 1st year dues $ 2,112 2nd year dues $ 3,172 3rd year dues
• Senior Membership (2 adults, both 65 or older)
• Single Senior Membership (1 adult, 65 or older)
$ 2,186 (Exempt from Facility Fee) $1,443 (Exempt from Facility Fee)
B. MANDATORY FACILITY FEE (Applied toward mortgage & maintenance on
existing building)
B1. MANDATORY SECURITY FEE $100/Family $50/ Individual
$ 400 (Payable for 6 years for a total of $2,400 for a total of $2,400 or in full)
Facility Fund contributions made to other temples, up to $600, will be credited to Shir Tikva’s Facility Fees assessment. Please contact your previous synagogue and have them send us verification of payment. C. EDUCATION PROGRAM FEES SCHOOL FEE PER STUDENT *
Kindergarten, 1st Grade & 2nd Grade $ 780 3rd,4th and 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade to 12th Grade $ 1,133 $ 1,390 $ 510
* Includes textbook and materials costs and charges for required special projects and events.
Payment is requested in full by July 1st or you may choose to pay in three equal installments on July
1st, September 1st with balance due by January 1st. If you wish to discuss other
payment plans, please send request to the Treasurer. All commitment forms must be accompanied by initial payment.
Members are strongly encouraged to pay via ACH.
