Leadership Council Meeting Minutes
March 23, 2010

 

1.     DC Minyan Kashrut Task Force

-       The kashrut task force decided that it would be best to focus on specific questions in order to define its scope.

-       The questions are, roughly:

a.     Can food at DC Minyan events be prepared in homes that do not conform to DC Minyan’s kashrut policy?

b.    Can hospitality meals be prepared in homes that do not conform to DC Minyan’s kashrut policy?

-       Each task force member is researching a discrete factor, e.g., utensils.

-       The task force is starting from the assumption that all food at a DC Minyan event will be kosher to the highest standards – the question is what leniencies are permissible in preparation while still maintaining full kashrut.

-       Any changes to DC Minyan’s policy will require serious consideration of how to communicate them.

-       We are all appreciative of the work the task force is doing!

 

2.     Shavuot Retreat – Tikkun and Early Morning Davening

-       Bryce Jacobs and Dena Roth are coordinating the 5^th annual Shavuot retreat.

-       Last year many people requested a later shacharit service (the main service happens at 5 AM).  Few people stay up all night so some people wake up for the 5 AM service and many people sleep through it.

-       There are four options:

a.     Status Quo: Tikkun from 10pm-5am, shacharit at 5am

b.    Work to get people more engaged in the tikkun and stay up all night

c.     Status Quo plus an additional shacharit service at 9:30am

d.    Tikkun until 2 or 3am and then shacharit at 9:30am

-       Two full shacharits would be very difficult for the gabbai committee and may lose critical mass at the early shacharit

-       There is a strong custom in Jewish tradition to stay up all night learning, so it is a valuable tradition for DC Minyan to encourage.  However, if very few people are pleased with this arrangement, it is not worth continuing.

-       We cannot poll people who sign up because the gabbai committee needs to know before those sign ups come in.

-       We all agreed that learning should go until at least 2am so that people can learn “into the night,” and that there should be ways to continue learning past 2am for those who are interested

-       Though only a small number of people stay up all night, it is or may be an important experience for that group.

-       We could split davening and do a big davening up to the torah service (especially including the shema) as a capstone to the tikkun at 5 am, and then do the torah service at 9:30.  It is unfortunately a reverse incentive.

-       The Shavuot Retreat coordinators and Steering Committee will weigh these considerations and make a decision.  The default is the status quo.

 

3.     Community Meeting

-       DC Minyan will have a community meeting in May.  LC discussed places to host it to encourage a warm atmosphere. 

-       We also agreed that it would be nice to have dinner (e.g., pizza) together beforehand.

 

4.     Open LC Positions

-       The social action and special events spots are open.  We discussed how to recruit people.

-       One option is by emphasizing that special events includes suggesting and formulating ideas for new events, in addition to planning events as they come up.

 

5.     High Holiday Chazzan

-       We discussed what DC Minyan needs from a high holiday chazzan.

 

6.     Next Meeting

-       Wednesday, April 28 at 7:45pm at Judy’s house