Teenage Supervision, Submitted by Yaakov Bieler, Jackbieler@Aol
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Proposed Resolutions for Adoption at the 48th Annual Convention of The Rabbinical Council of America April 29th - May 1st 2007 Museum of Jewish Heritage Battery Place, New York, NY Concluding with Parallel Yemei Iyyun at The Wilf Campus, Yeshiva University The Orthodox Union The Center for Jewish History Rabbi Daniel Cohen, Convention Chairman Rabbi Barry Freundel, Resolutions Committee Chairman On Friday, April 20, 2007, members of the RCA’s Executive Committee were invited to a conference call to be held on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 in order to define the scope of convention resolutions, as per its authority under Article 7, Section 2 of the RCA constitution, “The Resolutions Committee shall prepare and present resolutions to the annual meeting in accordance with the procedures adopted by the Executive Committee.” At that meeting, the Executive Committee unanimously approved the following procedure: “Convention resolutions shall not address the day to day governance of the RCA, which has historically been the responsibility of the officers and the Executive Committee.” Of the many resolutions submitted for possible adoption by the membership at the convention, only resolutions in accordance with the Executive Committee’s procedure are included in this packet, as follows (in no particular order): 1) Supervision of Teenagers, submitted by Yaakov Bieler, p. 2 2) Commendation of Rabbi Naftali Hollander, submitted by Menachem Raab, p. 2 3) Environmental Movement, submitted by Barry Kornblau, p. 2 4) Global Warming, submitted by Barry Kornblau, p. 3 5) Jordanian Construction of Temple Mount Minaret, submitted by Zushe Winner, p. 3 6) Plight of Jews of Gush Katif, submitted by Yehoshua S. Hecht, p. 4 7) Human Trafficking, submitted by Maury Kelman and Asher Lopatin, p. 4 8) Darfur, submitted by Maury Kelman and Asher Lopatin, p. 4 9) United Nations Human Rights Council, submitted by Maury Kelman and Asher Lopatin, p. 5 10) Immigration, submitted by Maury Kelman and Asher Lopatin, p. 5 11) Protecting Children from Abuse, submitted by Mark Dratch, p. 6 12) Abolishing Tobacco Use, submitted by Jacob J. Schacter, p. 7 13) Geirut Standards, submitted by Barry Freundel, p. 8 14) Importance of Buying Life Insurance, submitted by Kenneth Hain, p. 8 1) Supervision of Teenagers, submitted by Yaakov Bieler Recent media attention has been drawn to the conduct of Yeshiva high school students who travel to various vacation sites for lengthy periods of time during the winter break without any parental supervision. We are all too well aware of what has regrettably taken place at social gatherings of such students when adults are not in attendance; the potential for improprieties when adolescent children are left on their own away from home for longer periods of time is obvious. While it would be optimal if our high school students could be trusted to avoid the excesses that mark the manner in which their peers in the general population, particularly college students, traditionally conduct themselves in these venues, it is clear that the illicit temptations of such venues are often too great for individuals to resist. We call upon every Orthodox family to insist that vacations be spent either together or in contexts where adult supervision can assure that appropriate conduct takes place throughout. 2) Commendation of Rabbi Naftali Hollander, submitted by Menachem Raab Whereas Rabbi Naftali Hollander has served with devotion and distinction as Executive Director of the Rabbinical Council of America Israel Region for the past twenty-five years; and, Whereas Rabbi Hollander has helped the Israel Region and its members, both organizationally and personally, to integrate into Israeli society and have an impact upon it; and, Whereas Rabbi Hollander is now retiring from his official position; and, Whereas the Israel Region has expressed its gratitude to Rabbi Hollander at its recent weekend colloquium by means of a Certificate and gift Now, therefore, we, the members of the Rabbinical Council of America in convention assembled, do hereby express our appreciation to Rabbi Naftali Hollander with a vote of thanks for his many years of devoted service to the Rabbinical Council of America and its Israel Region, and wish him many more years of good health together with his wife Tzipporah and their family. 3) Environmental Movement, submitted by Barry Kornblau Whereas the Rabbinical Council of America recognizes that the Holy Torah commands us "to work and to guard" the earth (Bereishit 2:15), and places humanity, as the pinnacle of creation, in the role of responsible stewardship toward it; and, Whereas the RCA heeds the call of the Midrash, "Pay attention not to ruin and destroy My world, for if you do, there won't be anyone to fix it after you" (Kohelet Rabbah 7:28); and, Whereas the RCA is committed to preserving the precious resources granted by Hashem for our children and future generations, and to serving as a model for other communities that also seek to make a difference; and, Whereas the RCA recognizes that over the past decades, humans have changed our environments rapidly and extensively, resulting in a substantial loss of animal and plant species on Earth, and causing problems that, unless addressed, will substantially diminish the resources, such as clean air, water, and food, available for future generations; and, Whereas the RCA recognizes that a new movement, led by the organization Canfei Nesharim, is creating the opportunity for Orthodox Jews to engage in environmental action from a Torah perspective, and is creating Torah-based shiurim, programmatic materials for synagogues, and educational curriculum for schools Now, therefore, it is resolved that the RCA 2 Supports the new Torah-based environmental movement and encourages its members to partner with Canfei Nesharim to develop programs for their communities; and, Calls upon its members to develop regular programs and shiurim for their congregations on Torah and the environment, and to teach the environmental connections to Jewish holidays; and, Calls upon schools to develop curriculum on Torah and the environment and to organize at least two activities per year on our Torah responsibility to protect the environment; and, Calls upon its members to take personal and communal action within synagogues, schools, and homes to protect the environment; and, Calls upon its members to educate themselves and their constituents both scientifically and halakhically about the environmental challenges we face, and consider their implications for Jewish law. 4) Global Warming, submitted by Barry Kornblau Whereas the Rabbinical Council of America heeds the call of the Midrash, "Pay attention not to ruin and destroy My world, for if you do, there won't be anyone to fix it after you" (Kohelet Rabbah 7:28); and, Whereas the RCA recognizes the serious threat posed by global warming, as elaborated in the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including more than 1,200 authors and 2,500 scientific expert reviewers from more than 130 countries, that numerous long-term changes in global climate have already been observed, including Arctic temperatures and ice, precipitation, ocean salinity, wind patterns, and extreme weather; and, Whereas the RCA heeds the scientific conclusion of the IPCC, that the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is caused by human carbon emissions; and, Whereas the RCA recognizes that global warming will worsen shortages of food and water and increase homelessness among the poorest people in our nation and the world Now, therefore, it is resolved that the RCA calls upon all rabbis to Organize programs and shiurim in synagogues and schools to learn about the challenges posed by global warming and actions that will make a difference; and, Take personal actions, and advocate for communal action, to save energy and reduce carbon emissions, such as by purchasing energy-efficient lights, appliances, and vehicles, and reducing driving through public transport and carpooling; and, Advocate for targets that will reduce U.S. carbon emissions by at least 60% by 2030; and, Actively support and partner with organizations that are committed to a meaningful response to the environmental crisis from a Torah perspective; and, Encourage their congregants and congregations to do the same. 5) Jordanian Construction of Temple Mount Minaret, submitted by Zushe Winner The Rabbinical Council of America opposes the construction, by the King of Jordan, of a new minaret on the Temple Mount. Har Habayit has been the historic center of Jewish life in the Holy Land since ancient times, and according to Jewish Law the area still retains its original sanctity. The political message of this move is taking another step in surrendering Jewish sovereignty over historically central areas of the Land of Israel. No changes should be made in the Temple Mount area that may offend Jewish religious sensitivities or diminish our historic rights to the soil upon which stood the First and Second Temples. 3 6) Plight of Jews of Gush Katif, submitted by Yehoshua S. Hecht The Rabbinical Council of America calls upon the government of Israel, the Jewish Agency, and the leadership of the UJC/ Federation of North America to make every effort to compensate the refugees and expellees of Gush Katif, by providing each and every one of them all assistance necessary for them to restart their disrupted lives. The RCA requests that the compensation packages promised be delivered as well as social services be provided to them. The RCA is appalled by the neglect and shoddy treatment they have been victim to since their forced removal from their thriving communities of Gush Katif. Our appeal is based solely on Torah values and humanitarian grounds. As religious leaders we cannot in good conscience remains silent any longer seeing the distress of our brethren become more compounded in the more than 18 months since the disengagement was carried out.