Annual Congregational Meeting

11:00 AM, SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2020

Dear Temple Sinai Members,

I hope to see you at Sinai’s Annual Congregational Meeting!

Every year, our Temple President invites all the member families of Temple Sinai to gather for our Annual Congregational Meeting in the synagogue during the month of May or June. This year, our meeting will be Sunday, May 17 at 11:00 am. Please note that we cannot hold the meeting this year in person. Instead, we will be meeting virtually. Here is the process we will use for the meeting this year:

• ALL Temple Sinai members and leadership will join the Annual Congregational Meeting via the Zoom online platform. ALL members MUST register to join the meeting and to vote.
• Our non-member guests can view the meeting, if they wish, through the LIVE page of our website or through our Facebook page.
• During the meeting, we will use Zoom to take a roll call to meet our quorum. The roll call will be checked against our membership list to verify voting eligibility.
• When it comes time to vote on the Slate and proposed Bylaws changes, we will use the survey feature of Zoom as the ballot to record our member votes which will be tallied after the meeting is over.

During the Congregational Meeting, the Board will give you the latest update on the financial condition of our synagogue, including a review of the year about to end, our current endeavors and challenges, and our ongoing goals. You will hear about the budget your Board has approved for the next fiscal year which starts July 1. I will also honor our “18+” Sinai volunteers, most of whom have dedicated much more than the Chai חי hours that we are recognizing.

I will present the slate of nominees for the five open member-at-large positions for the upcoming July 2020 – June 2021 fiscal year. Your Board has endorsed a full slate of nominees for all elected positions on the Board. This new slate continues to support the diversity and range of experience of the Board. Each member family in good financial standing is given one vote. We want you to attend and exercise your vote. Everyone is invited to attend and participate in the meeting.

Changes to our synagogue Bylaws can only be made by a vote of the congregation at this meeting. The Board recommends two changes to the Bylaws, to allow the Membership Committee the ability to approve new members vs. waiting for a monthly vote by the full Board of Trustees. This allows a much smoother, and speedier, process for bringing new members into our Temple Sinai family.

Below you will find the Agenda, as well as the Slate, and the proposed Bylaw changes. Temple Sinai members may submit additional items for the Agenda to the Secretary, Ignacio Montoya, no later than May 5th, 2020 in accordance with the provisions in our by-laws. Also, additional nominations to the Board of Trustees may be made by petition of five percent (5%) of the Membership Units in good financial standing, which is eight Members, with the petition being filed with the Secretary, Ignacio Montoya, also no later than May 5, 2020. No nominations will be accepted at the meeting. If no other items or nominations have been received by the deadline, the Agenda that follows is final, and the Board-approved Slate stands alone.

If you have any questions/concerns about the proposed by-law changes, board nominations, or any other thoughts prior to the meeting, please email them to President@sinaireno.org and CFO@sinaireno.org. We look forward to seeing and speaking with all of you online soon! Remember, 11:00 am on Sunday, May 17.

L’shalom,

Michael E. Gorden, President
Temple Sinai Board of Trustees

• Call to Order
• D’var Torah – Rabbi Zober
• President’s Address – Michael Gorden
• Volunteer Appreciation – Michael Gorden
• Congregational Election of Members of the Board of Trustees
• Congregational discussion and vote on Proposed Bylaws Change
• Summary of 2019-2020 financial information – Jay Goldberg
• Presentation of Budget for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 – Jay Goldberg
• Congregation Member Comments
• Adjourn

For Five Member-at-Large Positions, for one-year terms ending June 30, 2021
(VOTING ON THESE NAMES THIS YEAR):

• Sarah Friedman (incumbent)
• Jeremy Gelman (incumbent)
• Dave Levine
• Tova McGilvray (incumbent)
• Evangelyna Thurman-Silva (incumbent)

A. PROPOSED TEMPLE SINAI BYLAW CHANGE ONE:

CURRENT WORDING

Article IV – Membership

Section 1 – Eligibility of Applicant

Any person who is (1) at least eighteen (18) years of age, (2) who is Jewish or in the process of converting to Judaism and (3) does not practice another religion, may be elected to Membership upon approval of her or his application by the Board of Trustees. Special circumstances may be evaluated by the Board of Trustees on a case-by-case basis.

PROPOSED WORDING

Section 1 – Eligibility of Applicant

Any person who is (1) at least eighteen (18) years of age, (2) who is Jewish or in the process of converting to Judaism and (3) does not practice another religion, may submit a membership application to the Membership Committee.

B. PROPOSED TEMPLE SINAI BYLAW CHANGE TWO:

CURRENT WORDING

Article IV – Membership

Section 2 – Rights and Obligations of Membership

The term “in good financial standing” is defined as meeting all current and past-due obligations, pledges, and commitments made by the member. Past-due obligations are considered being met if the member is making a good faith effort to bring the past due amount current or an agreement regarding payment of the financial obligation has been approved by the Finance Committee. The term “financial obligations” is defined as any amount of dollars and/or, in lieu of payment, services committed to by the member, or another arrangement approved by a member of the Finance Committee.

PROPOSED WORDING

Section 2 – Rights and Obligations of Membership

The term “in good financial standing” is defined as meeting all current and past-due obligations, pledges and commitments made by the member. Past-due obligations are considered being met if the member has an agreement regarding payment of the financial obligation which has been approved by the Finance Committee or a member thereof. The term “financial obligations” is defined as any amount of dollars, or another arrangement agreed to by a member of the Finance Committee.

Sarah Friedman – Member-at-Large

I have been very pleased to join the most recent generation of new Temple Sinai members. Joining Temple Sinai upon moving to Reno in 2017 was one of the best decisions I have made as a new Reno resident. Friends I have made through the temple have already helped my family make our transition from Los Angeles, CA (where I had finished graduate school) to Reno. The meal train organized after the birth of our son was welcoming beyond belief, and I’ve taken great joy in helping to set up meal trains for other families over the past year as the Caring Committee Meal Train organizer. I’ve enjoyed bringing my family to Friday night services with long-time and new members alike and getting to know the congregation at our onegs.

My Jewish identify was forged at B’nai Israel, a reform synagogue in Sacramento, Ca. One of my first jobs was working as a madricha and as a song leader bringing camp and Israeli folks songs to the Sunday school classes. As a child and teenager, I spent several wonderful summers at Camp Swig, a Jewish summer camp in the Santa Cruz mountains, learning about Jewish traditions and developing a strong sense of social justice. Between leaving Sacramento for college on the East Coast and eventually moving to Reno (14 years for anyone counting), my sense of social justice steered me towards a career in public health, with a strong interest in reducing health disparities throughout the healthcare system. I now teach health policy and research methods in the UNR School of Community Health Sciences and have recently embarked on a new role as the UNR Hillel faculty co-Advisor to students. I have been a member of the Sinai community for two years, and it would be an honor to further contribute to the Jewish community as a Member-At-Large on the Temple Sinai Board.

Jeremy Gelman – Member-at-Large

I was born and raised in Denver, CO and grew up in a very active Jewish home. I attended Jewish Day School, went to a Jewish summer camp, and was very involved with the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO) in high school. After graduating from college, I pursued a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Michigan. I completed my degree in 2016 and was hired to work in the UNR Political Science Department. Instead of moving to Reno right away, I spent a year working in the United States Senate. My wife, Michelle, and I finally arrived in the summer of 2017 and quickly became a part of the Sinai community. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, hiking, and watching my hometown Denver sports teams.

Dave Levine – Member-at-Large

Joined Temple Sinai in the early ’70s. I have been active throughout the years I have been a member, serving on the Board for a number of years, as well as both the Men’s Club and Temple President. I also served as Chair of our Seder for a couple of years. Since retirement, I find that I have lots of time on my hand and would like to be a small part of the Temple leadership.

Tova McGilvray – Member-at-Large

Tova McGilvray was “Battle Born” and raised in Reno, Nevada, and is a graduate of UNR’s writing program. She has worked in Title and Escrow for six years and looks forward to a long career helping people make Reno their home. She trained most of her life as a dancer and thespian, and cut her teeth at leadership managing and choreographing productions. Her experience co-founding the Nada Dada Art Show exposed her to the plight of the residents in Reno’s weekly motels and introduced her to community activism. While always identified as a Nevada Jew, it was not until attending Temple Sinai only three years ago that she found a home where she could practice community service from a proudly Jewish perspective. Tova now chairs the Temple Sinai Social Action Committee, sits on the Temple Board and is the upcoming president of the Rotary Club of Reno Midtown.

Evangelyna Thurman-Silva – Member-at-Large

I grew up in Jamestown, California, a small town about an hour west of Yosemite, but I’ve lived in several other states before coming to Reno. This will be my second year in Reno, I moved for a job as a 911 dispatcher after being a paramedic for a number of years. I currently work from home as a transcriptionist to give me more time with my family and to be able to homeschool my son. I love to travel, especially road trips with my family. I also like to read and play musical instruments. I enjoy needlework – sewing, knitting, needlepoint, cross-stitch. I’m starting to get into weaving as well. We have only been Sinai members for a short time, I think since the beginning of the school year. Our son attends the Hebrew school on Sundays and primarily my involvement has been with that. I’ll make suggestions to the Rabbis if I have an idea that I think would be fun and engaging for families in regard to holidays. If I come across a curriculum I think would be good to implement or games for the kids to try during Hebrew school, I’ll bring it up. I think it’s important to help keep the children engaged and learning and excited about being Jewish; they’re the future. I would love to be involved in any way that I can to help keep Sinai going strong in the years to come.