• An Ethical Dilemma
• Summer Study = Better Board
• Monitoring Construction: Helpinng to Realize God's Dwelling Place
• A New Practical Guide from Synagogue Management
  

AN ETHICAL DILEMMA

From time to time, we will present issues for your Board to consider. This commentary was written by Rabbi Daniel Polish, the director of the Joint Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. Please share your views on this topic by e-mailing synagoguemgmt@uahc.org.

There is an ethical dilemma in your future. If the definition of ethical dilemma is a clash between two goods, such a conflict is inescapably being thrust upon us. Better start planning now. The first good is our historical position of defending the wall of separation between church and state. It is this wall that has allowed Jews and members of other minority traditions to live in this country as full and equal citizens and not as tolerated guests. The second good is the financial stability of your own congregation, which is a self-evident good that needs no further elaboration.

A broad-based consensus of the Jewish community––including the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Anti-Defamation League, as well as the UAHC––shares the belief that this wall of separation is being gravely imperiled by the establishment of the “faith-based” initiatives introduced by President Bush during his first week in office. At the very least, this program puts the camel’s nose of state funding to religious organizations under the tent of church/state separation. And if it is not properly constructed (which many legal authorities feel is not possible), it has the potential to do far worse.

The introduction of this initiative will cause our principled opposition to the intermixing of church and state to be directly challenged by offering our synagogues the opportunity to secure some much-needed financial assistance in a way that would now be perfectly legal. You can already hear the “good angel” on one of your shoulders saying, “Your synagogue has been providing social services for a long time now. Aren’t you entitled to some of the government money that is being handed out?” And another “angel” is saying, “The money is there and your congregation needs it. If you turn it down, that much more will be left for the church down the block or another synagogue that doesn’t have the same qualms.”

And yet, to take the money really does entail the sacrifice of one of our most dearly held tenets. As a Movement, Reform Judaism has clearly and consistently spoken out against any breach in the wall of separation between church and state. Our record is long and deep. And in embracing this position, we stand with the vast majority of the American Jewish community. Can you, in the name of fiscal responsibility, accept a program that leaves us Jews as well as others that much more susceptible to being marginalized and ultimately vulnerable? If you refuse to accept federal money on principle, how do you explain your position to those in the congregation who are responsible for its finances? It is a painful predicament—a classical definition of an ethical dilemma.

SUMMER STUDY = BETTER BOARD
IMPROVE YOUR MIND, IMPROVE YOUR TEMPLE

Each year at this time, we bring to your attention an assortment of summer Jewish study opportunities. As a Board member of your temple, it is incumbent upon you to improve yourself Jewishly by study, as it is written:

These are obligations without measure, whose reward, too, is without measure . And the study of Torah leads to them all.

Talmud, Shabbat 127a

We hope that your summer study will be fun and restorative and will fuel you with insights to share with your Board in the fall. Consider the following possibilities:

Attend a UAHC-Sponsored Kallah (Assembly):
Experience five days of exploration, study, worship, and song. This year’s theme is Am Israel Chai/The Jewish People Lives: Exploring the Jewish Sense of Self and Community. Choose from three locations: Franklin Pierce College, Rindge, New Hampshire, June 27–July 1, 2001; UC, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, July 18–22, 2001; and UC, Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, Colorado, August 1–5, 2001. As part of the UAHC’s efforts to address the critical shortage of well-trained educators, note that the August 1–5 Kallah is offering an Educators Track.

Take Part in the Para-Rabbinic Programs at the HUC-JIR Campus in Cincinnati, Ohio:
(Level One, July 6–13; Level Two, July 20–17)
Learn to lead Torah study and worship services, assist in life-cycle events, create synagogue programming, and much more.

Study in Song:
Register for the special Synagogue Musicians Track at the New Hampshire Kallah (noted above), where you can hone your musical skills studying Shabbat liturgy and exploring the relationship between prayer and music. Study High Holiday liturgy and repertoire at the annual Mifgash Musicale program held on HUC-JIR’s Cincinnati, Ohio, campus, July 15–19, 2001. Join the continent’s best Jewish musicians and hundreds of music lovers at the Nevele Grand Hotel in Ellenville, New York, on August 5–9, 2001, for the North American Jewish Choral Festival.

Curl up with a Significant Jewish Book from the Reform Movement’s recommended list, and think about organizing fall discussion groups in your synagogue. Consider the following suggestions from the Summer 2001 list:

The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon by Richard Zimler, a novel of mystery and intrigue, set in Lisbon during the infamous massacre of 1506.

The Talmud and the Internet: A Journey Between Worlds by Jonathan Rosen, in which the author uses the metaphor of the Internet as a conceptual tool for understanding the Talmud and asks the intriguing question “Where else but in the middle of [the] Diaspora do you need a home page?”

For detailed information about the Kallot, the Para-Rabbinic Pograms, and the Significant Jewish Books, please contact the UAHC Department of Adult Jewish Growth. Contact Cantor Josée Wolff, director of the Department of Synagogue Music for information about the music programs.

And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.

-Exodus 25:8

MONITORING CONSTRUCTION:
HELPING TO REALIZE GOD'S DWELLING PLACE

Renovating, expanding, or even building a new space can constitute an exciting, fulfilling, and unifying time in the life of your temple. It can also be fraught with frustrations in the form of cost overruns, unexpected delays, and unwanted surprises. Minimize problems by establishing a team that will share the necessary responsibilities, keep careful watch, get the job done, and always be mindful of the unique and spiritual purpose of your project. In the life of most synagogues, construction will be the biggest monetary project ever undertaken. Appropriately organized, it can also involve many Board members and other temple leaders in dealing with the myriad details required to handle every aspect of the project effectively.

Gates of Prayer in Metairie, Louisiana, is presently renovating its worship space, social hall, classrooms, and offices. A Construction Committee––consisting of the architect, contractor (who in this case, in addition to his role as an expert, is an active and caring member of the synagogue), president, executive director, House Committee chair, vice president for buildings and grounds, and another vice president who is in charge of decorating––was established long before the first Dumpster arrived. This committee meets faithfully every Monday morning, thereby insuring that “nothing goes wrong for too long,” marvels Executive Director Ellen Rae Shalett.

A temple’s ability to function effectively during construction is a critical component to the success of such a project. The president of Gates of Prayer, Dan Silverman, drafted two people, a Trustee and another member who was intimately familiar with the physical plant, to oversee the temporary relocation of the staff and services. These two people efficiently and successfully dealt with the mundane––moving the rabbi’s and staff’s offices and phones, etc., into a trailer for nine months––as well as the spiritual––relocating High Holy Day services (because the worship space was unexpectedly not completed on time) to the local Catholic church––thus creating a great neighborly experience. Incidentally, although the leadership was concerned about the response of the congregation to High Holy Day worship in a Catholic church, the members reacted very positively, particularly to the physical plant, which provided many more congregants with close proximity to the bimah.

Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta, Georgia, also had a unique opportunity. Their cantor, Steven Weiss, voluntarily assumed the role of construction manager/owner’s representative during two recent construction projects. His position afforded him a unique perspective and opportunity: As a supervisor, he found it extremely effective to be on-site daily; as a spiritual leader, he was able to infuse the builders with a sense of sacred purpose. As a result, he believes that the builders took extra care (and learned a lot about the Jewish religion in the process!).

In summary, a successful construction project can be achieved by means of serious planning and expert assistance. Select your Construction Committee wisely, making sure that each area (e.g., design expertise, structural requirements, furnishings, landscaping, day-to-day operations) has a knowledgeable professional at its helm. You may consider using congregants who possess the necessary expertise (but make sure to develop conflict of interest policies), or you may find it more appropriate to hire a construction manager and any other professionals who can manage your project well. Always be mindful that your work is unique—that you are creating holy space—and try to insure that your construction team is infused with the spiritual as well as the physical vision of your congregation.

A NEW PRACTICAL GUIDE
FROM SYNAGOGUE MANAGEMENT

To Do Justice: Selected Financial and Legal Issues Facing Congregations offers general guidelines and defines issues frequently encountered by congregations regarding some of the more common financial and legal matters of concern. Issues explored are tax-exempt status, including political activities and lobbying; contributions and fund-raising; clergy compensation, focusing on Social Security, Medicare, income tax withholding, parsonage, and discretionary funds; insurance and liability issues; conflict of interest policies and procedures; and auditing and other appropriate types of financial review.

The material presented in this publication is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal or tax advice. The purpose is to alert congregational leaders about areas for which it is prudent to seek professional advice in order to best sustain their synagogue.

A project of the Ida and Howard Wilkoff Department of Synagogue Management of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, To Do Justice: Selected Financial and Legal Issues Facing Congregations is available free of charge via the web, or to member congregations by calling 212.650.4040 or e-mailing synagoguemgmt@uahc.org.

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