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, , NY

Concluding with Parallel Yemei Iyyun at The Wilf Campus, The The Center for Jewish History

Rabbi Daniel Cohen, Convention Chairman 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 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 , 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 ; 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 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.

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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.

We appeal to all entities responsible for alleviating the plight of Jews in distress to hearken to our call to help the former residents of Gush Katif in the healing of their wounds and to assist in their re-entry into gainful employment and Israeli life.

7) Human Trafficking, submitted by Maury Kelman and Asher Lopatin

Whereas the Knesset has reported that some 3000-5000 women in Israel are currently enslaved as prostitutes as a result of human trafficking; and,

Whereas affirms the right of each individual to a life of personal freedom and dignity; and,

Whereas our Torah stresses no less than 36 times the overarching importance of treating the stranger with compassion and kindness; and,

Whereas Israel's Declaration of Establishment emphasizes that the state "will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel"

Now, therefore, it is

Resolved that the Rabbinical Council of America stand together with the many Knesset members, organizations and concerned individuals in Israel who have worked to end this disgraceful practice, and call upon all concerned, including the religious leadership of Israel, to take further action to put an end to this shameful practice by whatever legal means necessary, thereby sending a message to the world that Israel will protect the oppressed and act as a beacon of light to all nations.

8) Darfur, submitted by Maury Kelman and Asher Lopatin

Whereas the government of Sudan and its proxy militia, the Janjaweed, have been waging a genocidal campaign against African communities in Darfur since 2003; and,

Whereas more than two million people have been displaced and at least 450,000 have been killed; and,

Whereas the Sudanese backed Arab militias continue their racist, genocidal campaign against the Muslim black Africans of Darfur; and,

Whereas numerous ceasefires have been broken and countless U.N. resolutions have gone unheeded; and,

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Whereas numerous countries around the world continue to support the Sudanese government through investments and other agreements; and,

Whereas Judaism affirms the right of all people to live in freedom, regardless of skin color or religion; and,

Whereas the Jewish people have a special obligation after the Holocaust and our long history of oppression to help the oppressed; and,

Now, therefore, it is

Resolved that we call upon all rabbis and members of the Jewish community to raise our concerns with both elected officials and corporations doing business with the Sudanese government in order that they take all necessary actions to bring this genocide to an immediate end.

9) United Nations Human Rights Council, submitted by Maury Kelman and Asher Lopatin

Whereas our Torah teaches us that all humans were created in the image of , and thus have a divine right to live free of abuse and oppression; and,

Whereas our tradition teaches us that we must strive to imitate God by being merciful and, generally, performing acts of kindness and righteousness; and,

Whereas hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer from such human rights abuses as repression in Burma and North Korea, denial of political rights in China, restrictions on women's rights and religious discrimination in Saudi Arabia, violence against opposition leaders in Zimbabwe, and a myriad of abusive actions by the Iranian government against its own citizens; and,

Whereas the UN Human Rights Council (the "Council") recently concluded its fourth session without addressing the vast majority of human rights abuses occurring around the world; and,

Whereas in its nine months of existence, the Council, ostensibly acting as the defender of hundreds of millions of abused and oppressed people around the world, has condemned only one country in the entire world for human rights violations, namely Israel; and,

Whereas at its most recent session in March, 2007, the Council passed yet another resolution-its ninth-against the Jewish state; and,

Whereas Israel, surrounded by enemies intent on destroying her, remains a vibrant democracy, where, ironically, its Arab citizens enjoy more rights than in any Arab country; and,

Whereas when a representative of UN Watch highlighted the sheer hypocrisy and Orwellian methods of this discredited body, he was rebuked by the Council President and told that such speech was "inadmissible", an action not previously taken, even in the face of Council statements defending Holocaust denial, glorifying terrorism and downplaying clear evidence of violence against women, among others

Now, therefore it is

Resolved that we call upon all democracies around the world to either take all possible action to reconstitute the Council in order that it reflects its actual mission, or, in the alternative, to create a new body that will protect the weak and oppressed around the world, and ostracize governments that perpetrate such abuse against their citizens.

10) Immigration, submitted by Maury Kelman and Asher Lopatin

5 Whereas we recognize that Jews in America have greatly benefited from America's respect and openness towards immigrants; and,

Whereas our tradition asks us to show gratitude to the people and governments that have allowed us to prosper and find comfort in any country where we live; and,

Whereas Jews in America were frustrated in the past at not being able to bring in more of our brothers and sisters to save them from destruction in Europe during the years of the Holocaust; and,

Whereas the Jewish community today has a stronger voice in influencing policy than it did when we tragically failed to change immigration policy; and,

Whereas the is facing monumental decisions regarding immigration and regarding undocumented immigrants - including many Jews from Israel and other countries - currently living in the United States; and,

Now, therefore, it is

Resolved that we urge the President and the Congress of the United States to work towards a moral and dignified solution to immigration issues which will allow all people in America to live in dignity and will find a way, taking into consideration pertinent economic, social and cultural constraints, to continue the welcoming tradition that America has displayed to the world throughout its history.

11) Protecting Children from Abuse, submitted by Mark Dratch

Whereas, we, the Rabbinical Council of America, are deeply committed to the health, safety and security of all Jewish children attending yeshivas and Hebrew day schools, which includes their right to be free of any physical, emotional or sexual abuse or violence; and,

Whereas, we embrace the mitzvah of Lo ta'amod al dam ra'echa, (Do not stand upon the blood of your brother, Lev. 19:16), and we acknowledge the principle, BeHezaika DeRabim, Chaishinan Tfei (when there is an issue that affects the masses, we are vigilant), and how much more so does this principle apply when the health, safety and welfare of school children are affected; and,

Whereas, we acknowledge the devastating affect that even a single act of physical, emotional or sexual abuse can have upon a child, when inflicted by an adult authority figure, and such abuse can have long term serious physical and mental health consequences; and,

Whereas, we note that Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, of blessed memory, writes in "Halachic Man", that his grandfather, Rav Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk, of blessed memory, was once asked what the function of a rabbi is, and he replied: “to address the grievances of those who are abandoned and alone, to protect the dignity of the poor, and to save the oppressed from the hands of his oppressor”; and,

Whereas, we acknowledge the legal principle of in loco parentis, which provides that during the school day, the yeshiva and day school stand in the shoes of the parents, and owe the children the high degree of care in health, safety and welfare that parents owe their children; and,

Whereas, we acknowledge the legal principle of parens patrae, whereby the Government always has a legitimate interest in the health, safety, and welfare of its children-citizens, regardless of whether they attend public or nonpublic schools, and this interest is reflected in numerous statutes and judicial opinions; and,

Whereas, we take note of the U.S. Congress-mandated report prepared by the U.S. Department of Education, "Educator Sexual Misconduct" (June 2004), which documents the extent of the problem, and at section 12 strongly recommends for all schools employee background checks, registries of abusive school employees, standardized abuse prevention policies, and other prophylactic measures

Now, therefore, it is resolved that

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We generally support the enactment of decent and humane laws that seek to secure and enhance the health, safety and welfare of nonpublic school children; and

We support the application to the nonpublic schools of the health and safety laws currently applicable to public schools, including mandatory employee fingerprinting and background checks; mandatory reporting of abuse and maltreatment; mandatory written school plans and polices intended to safeguard the life, health, and safety of children, and to prevent physical, emotional and sexual abuse; mandatory employee registration and disciplinary hearings; mandatory emergency health care, including nursing, modern first aid, and modern medical devices, including, defibrillators.

12) Abolishing Tobacco Use, submitted by Jacob J. Schacter

The Vaad Halacha of the Rabbinical Council of America is to be commended for issuing its authoritative and comprehensive halachic ruling banning the use of tobacco products. It remains a blot on the Orthodox community that even given what is known today about the pernicious effects of tobacco so many within our midst continue to ingest it in its various forms, still believing it to be a halachically permissible act.

We are fully cognizant of the fact that smoking is in many cases the result of physical addiction, and it can thus be extremely difficult to desist from the habit. But our tradition teaches us that, difficult as it might be, a person always retains a divinely implanted freedom to choose. No one can escape responsibility for his or her choices, no matter how powerful the seductions of habit or yetzer ha-ra. As a rabbinic organization, it is our task and responsibility to assist and facilitate the right choices, however we can.

Thus it is important that this matter of life and death not be left as a theoretical statement of principle by the Vaad Halacha in the name of the RCA. It should be translated into concrete steps undertaken as a matter of community policy and concerted action in whichever ways are practical and likely to lead to positive results.

To this end it is proposed that a committee of the RCA be formed with a mandate to engage in proactive steps towards abolishing the use of tobacco throughout our communities. The committee should focus on the options that rabbis, synagogues, and schools should consider for grass roots implementation. These should include, but not be limited to, the following initiatives:

Synagogue Policies: 1. Synagogues and Schools in their entirety should be smoke-free environments. 2. 2. This should include rental of the facilities to third parties, so that smoking is never permitted on the premises. 3. The ruling of the Vaad Halacha should be posted prominently, and a link should be put on the /school website. 4. A committee should be formed in each synagogue to work proactively on this matter.

Rabbinic Actions: 5. Once a year there should be either a sermon, a shiur, or a dedicated to study of the halakhic and musar literature related to smoking, addictions, and self-control. Guest lecturers with expertise should be invited to address the congregation in various appropriate venues. Such presentations should highlight the impact of side-stream smoke on innocent third parties. 6. Rabbis (or properly designated others) should offer their assistance to individual men or women who are seen to be poor role models in this regard. This could include providing the names of smoking and addiction specialists, to be provided by the RCA as a resource 7. In ongoing preventive mode, youth groups and individual teenagers should be proactively sensitized to the dangers of smoking, using appropriately powerful motivators and educational modalities (personal histories, videos, case histories, medical specialists, etc.)

7 8. Appropriate initiatives should be undertaken as needed in local yeshivot and day schools, as well as institutions in Israel to which young men and women from the synagogue might go for a year of post-High School education.

13) Geirut Standards, submitted by Barry Freundel

Whereas, as a matter of Halakhah, the conversion process needs to be done in a way that matches Jewish law and brings honor and dignity both to the Rabbinic Courts involved and to the converts themselves;

Whereas we must do everything necessary to avoid shaming a genuine Convert or bringing their conversion into question;

Whereas it is important to standardize the way in which conversions are done in North America;

Whereas we very much want conversions done under the auspices of the Rabbinical Council of America to continue to be universally accepted;

It is therefore resolved that the Rabbinical Council of America, in convention assembled, accepts the Geirus Policy and Standards as formalized on March 15, 2007, to be the policy of the Rabbinical Council of America.

14) Importance of Buying Life Insurance, submitted by Kenneth Hain

Whereas there are so many young couples who neither the husband nor the wife have life insurance; and,

Whereas there are unfortunately so many occurrences of parents dying young and leaving behind a spouse with children to care for; and,

Whereas funds are frequently set up in an effort to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars per family to support the spouses and children left behind; and,

Whereas such funding efforts causes an immense strain on the Jewish community; and,

Whereas Rav Moshe Feinstein wrote in Igros Moshe that buying life insurance "…is a form of protection that is permitted and obligated by Hashem"; and,

Whereas the need for life insurance has never been so clear and the accessibility has never been so easy

It is therefore resolved that the Rabbinical Council of America calls upon all rabbis to

Increase awareness about the importance of buying life insurance; and to

Urge both parents to own life insurance, the breadwinner $1,000,000 and the spouse $500,000; and to

Institute the Zichron Dov life insurance fund in every shul to ensure that every member of every shul has life insurance; and to

Educate young brides and grooms on the importance of buying life insurance before marriage; and to

Lobby their local schools to provide life insurance for every teacher working more than 20 hours a week, increasing tuition by no more than $20 a year; and to

Speak from the pulpit one time during the Yomim Noraim on the importance of this issue; and to

Compile lists of insurance brokers in their respective communities to make the process easier for every congregant and student.

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