Meeting of the Board of Directors, January 7, 2007

The board meeting was held as a Conference Call on Sunday, January 7th at 8 p.m. EST. Aaron Rotenberg arranged the conference call using a very inexpensive web-based conferencing system.

The meeting was called to order by Howard Margol, President at 8 P.M. EST. Present were Carol Baker, Judy Baston, Ada Green, David Hoffman, Mike Poznick, Aaron Rotenberg, and Olga Zabludoff.

Aaron gave an update on the development of LitvakSIG capability to pay dues, or make a donation, online using a credit card. At the time of this meeting, a form had to be downloaded, filled out, and either mailed or faxed. This new electronic procedure will be secure, user friendly, and should increase the payment of dues and donations.

Aaron as Treasurer will still send out donor letters for purpose of IRS requirements.

A formal election was held to fill the open office of Secretary of the Corporation, to complete the term to which Merle Kastner had originally been elected. David was elected unanimously.

Carol presented an update on the LitvakSIG program for the 2007 SLC Conference.

LitvakSIG luncheon, meetings and presentations of interest are scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. Possible programs, including speakers for the luncheon, were discussed. It was decided to have a more interactive luncheon program, with seating by District groups or around "ask the experts" tables.

Olga presented a proposal for the LitvakSIG to acquire twenty-nine 1816 revision lists for Raseiniai and Kaunas Districts for the ALD.

There was general agreement that acquiring these lists was desirable. Board members discussed various options to help fund the acquisition of these lists, and the pros and cons of each option.

Howard suggested that the donations for these 1816 lists be considered as regular donations to the Raseiniai or Kaunas District Research Groups, and that donations for these records should qualify donors for all other records of the research group.

In conclusion, a message will be posted to the digest asking for contributions to the two involved districts, with funds earmarked for the particular 1816 revision lists.

Motion made and passed unanimously.

Olga reported on the status of the Central Archives of the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP) records in Israel and on the type of records received thus far.

Olga reported that the translator has completed two lists thus far: 1846 Melamed lists for cheders in the Kaunas and Siauliai districts. She indicated that some lists described as lists of students may actually be lists of teachers. She will investigate to ensure that we have completely accurate descriptions of lists at the CAHJP before any decisions are made about any subsequent lists.

Mike questioned the move in the Telsiai District for a retroactive change upwardly adjusting the qualifying donor amount to have full access to future district records.

Motion made and passed: Telsiai District's retroactive change in the dollar amount for contributors to have immediate access to Telsiai District records to be reversed to allow previous $100 donors access to all Telsiai District Records, There was also consensus that previous donors at the $100 level could be asked for an additional donation, but that it would be voluntary.

There was extensive discussion of the topic and consensus that financial policy decisions remain a prerogative of the Board. District and volunteer project coordinators are encouraged to express their opinions and needs, but approval is a responsibility of the Board.

Mike raised the question regarding the status of funds transferred from the General Research Fund to a District: should it be treated as a gift or as a loan to be repaid?

The consensus was that it be treated as a loan, unless otherwise determined by the Board. However the repayment schedule would be adjusted so that the District research group would not be handicapped to the extent that it could not continue to acquire new records flowing back to the group.

Judy brought up the need to address the rewriting of the Bylaws.

Howard proposed that Mike chair Bylaws Committee. There was general approval for this. While we may not be able to complete the rewriting, review by membership and vote by members this year, at the least we will change the parts of the Bylaws that deal with the election of officers. Mike proposed that 1/3 of the Board be elected each year, providing for continuity and the opportunity for new people to serve on the Board. To achieve this he proposed that we all stand for election this year, and eliminate the idea that the President or Treasurer specifically have longer terms. 1/3 will run for one year terms, 1/3 for two year terms and 1/3 for three year terms. Who specifically would have to be selected for 1 year term could be determined before or after the election by drawing straws.

This issue remains at the top of New Business for our next Board meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 PM EST.

Minutes Respectfully Submitted by David Hoffman, Secretary