DRAFT

BY- LAWS OF WOMEN OF REFORM JUDAISM, Atlantic District ATLANTIC DISTRICT Amended October 2012

ARTICLE I Name Section A The name of this organization shall be Women of Reform Judaism, The Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, Atlantic District. Hereinafter, the federation shall be referred to as Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), and the Atlantic District shall be referred to as the district. The Atlantic District shall include the Sisterhoods sisterhoods in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and Steubenville, Ohio with the exception of the Sisterhood sisterhood in Erie, PA,. The district shall also include the sisterhood in Steubenville, Ohio, and the sisterhood in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Section B

ARTICLE II Objectives Section A Section B To promote the aims, programs and projects of WRJ. To bring the sisterhoods and womens groups (hereinafter referred to as sisterhoods) in the district in closer cooperation and association with one another to further their respective activities. To serve as a liaison between sisterhoods and WRJ. To help sisterhoods participate effectively in WRJ activities. To assist in the organization of new sisterhoods in the district.

Section C Section D Section E

ARTICLE III Membership Section A Any organization of women (herein referred to as sisterhood) affiliated with Women of Reform Judaism WRJ and located within the geographical boundaries of the district shall be eligible for membership. Any woman who is living in a community without a sisterhood and who is too distant from a neighboring sisterhood to make a membership feasible and who is a member of Women of Reform Judaism WRJ shall be a member-at-large and shall enjoy all the privileges of membership except voting. as a non-voting member.
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Section B

ARTICLE IV Dues Section A Each affiliated sisterhood shall pay annual dues to the district treasury based upon per capita membership. The per capita amount, not to exceed that authorized by Women of Reform Judaism WRJ, shall be determined by the Atlantic District Board of Directors and approved by the delegate body at the biennial district convention (henceforth referred to as the biennial). A member-at-large shall pay dues in accordance with the constitution of WRJ.

Section B

Section BC The fiscal year shall extend from July 1st to June 30th in confirmation to conform with the fiscal year of Women of Reform Judaism WRJ. Section CD A sisterhood whose dues are in arrears for two (2) consecutive fiscal years may be suspended from membership in the district by Women of Reform Judaism WRJ. Section DE A Sisterhood sisterhood that has been suspended may be reinstated with the approval of Women of Reform Judaism WRJ.

ARTICLE V Board of Directors Section A The Board of Directors board of directors shall include Officers, Area Directors, Past District Presidents, Committee chairs, members-at-large officers, area directors, past district presidents, committee chairs, and the president of each affiliated sisterhood in good standing, or her duly appointed representative. Every member of the Board of Directors of Women of Reform Judaism WRJ Board of Directors residing in the area district, by virtue of her membership on said Board board, shall serve as an ex-officio member of the district board of directors Atlantic District Board of Directors with power of voice and vote as a voting member. The board of directors shall act for the district in the interim between conventions biennials. It shall not modify any action taken by the delegate body unless such action is found to be contrary to the policies of Women of Reform Judaism WRJ. A regular meeting of the board of directors shall be held annually. In the year of the district convention biennial, the meeting of the board of directors shall be held immediately prior to and in the same place as the convention biennial. Special meetings of the board of directors may be called by the president in consultation with the executive committee Executive Committee. Such meetings may be held by conference call. Votes may be taken electronically. Twenty per cent of the board of directors shall constitute a quorum.

Section B

Section C

Section D

Section E

Section F

ARTICLE VI Officers Section A The officers of the District district shall be: a President, a First Vice President, Four (4) Departmental Vice Presidents, a Recording Secretary, a Corresponding Secretary and a Treasurer. president, first vice president, four (4) vice presidents, recording secretary, corresponding secretary, and treasurer. To be eligible for office a member must be Jewish, be a member of a WRJ affiliated sisterhood in good standing, and be a member of a Union For Reform Judaism (URJ) affiliated congregation. In the case of a newly formed congregation, the congregation must have applied for and be actively pursuing affiliation with URJ. If a board members sisterhood becomes disaffiliated with WRJ or her congregation becomes disaffiliated with URJ during her term, she shall be allowed to complete her term; but she shall not be eligible for election to the Executive Committee for future terms as long as disaffiliation continues.

Section B

Section C

Section CD In the event of the death of, or inability of, the President president to serve her full term, the First Vice President first vice president shall succeed to that office. Section DE If the office of the First Vice President first vice president becomes vacant, a successor to that office shall be chosen from the four Departmental Vice Presidents vice presidents. Selection shall be made by the Executive Committee at a meeting called by the Corresponding Secretary corresponding secretary. Section EF If the office of a Departmental Vice President vice president or any other office becomes vacant, it shall be filled immediately from the members of the Board of Directors board of directors. Officers thus chosen shall hold office for the balance of the unexpired term. Selection shall be made by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VII Duties of Officers Section A It shall be the duty of the President president to preside at all meetings; to appoint committee chairs, members-at-large and special task forces; she shall to serve as an ex-officio member of all committees, except the nominating committee Nominating Committee; to be responsible for overseeing the planning of both the interim and biennial meetings; she shall have to provide general supervision of over the interests of the district; and to perform such duties that are indigenous to the office. The First Vice President first vice president shall serve as an administrative aid to the president. She shall provide direct supervision to the program chair for the interim meeting and the district biennial, and to the area directors and shall work with the President in the planning of both the interim and biennial meetings of the
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Section B

district. work with the president in planning both these meetings. She shall supervise the area directors. Section C The four (4) Departmental Vice Presidents vice presidents shall, when called upon by the President president, assist the President president in the performance of her duties. They are responsible for assuming a portfolio corresponding with a WRJ Department and the functioning of its committees. that shall be assigned to them by the president, in accord with WRJ. The Recording Secretary recording secretary shall keep an accurate record of all meetings. She shall have custody of the By-Laws and Standing Rules. The Corresponding Secretary corresponding secretary shall attend to all correspondence of the district and send notification of all meetings. She shall compile and keep current a directory of officers, directors, and committee chairs, and sisterhood presidents. The Treasurer treasurer is responsible for monitoring the financial operations of the district. She shall keep a record of the payments received and deposit same in banks approved by the executive committee Executive Committee. She shall pay all approved bills. She shall serve as Chair chair of the Budget Committee. The Treasurer treasurer shall present a detailed report at the Interim interim and biennial meetings.

Section D Section E

Section G

ARTICLE VIII Area Directors Section A Section B There shall be elected Area Directors area directors, the exact number to be determined by the Nominating Committee. To be eligible to serve as an Area Director, the candidate must be Jewish and be a member of a sisterhood in good standing and a member of an affiliated URJ congregation. The requirements to be eligible to serve as an area director are the same as those of officers. See article VI sections B and C.

ARTICLE IX Duties of Area Directors Section A Directors Area directors shall communicate directly on a regular basis with the Sisterhoods sisterhoods in their designated areas and provide written reports of those communications to the First Vice President first vice president. Each Area area director shall hold plan and conduct at least one meeting a year per biennial period, separate from the district biennial conference and WRJ assembly, for the sisterhoods in her area.

Section B

ARTICLE X Executive Committee Section A The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers, Area Directors, and the Immediate Past President of the District. officers, area directors, and the immediate past president of the district. The Executive Committee shall manage the affairs of the district between board meetings, but may not reverse or alter any decisions of the delegate body of or the Board of Directors board of directors. The Executive Committee shall meet as necessary at the call of the President president.

Section B

Section C

ARTICLE XI Committees and Departments Section A Section BA Each of the four departments shall be headed by a vice president. The president shall establish standing and special committees as deemed necessary. and those These committees shall correspond to those of Women of Reform Judaism WRJ, or to meet the specific needs of the district. Committees shall be aligned into departments to correspond with those of Women of Reform Judaism.

Section C

ARTICLE XII Nominations and Elections Section A The president shall appoint, with due geographic consideration, a Nominating Committee of seven members, to include a chair, three members of the districts board of directors, and three representatives from member sisterhoods. The Nominating Committee Chair chair shall request sisterhoods to submit names, approved by its board of directors, for consideration as candidates for district offices. The Nominating Committee shall submit its proposed slate to the districts officers and the board of directors no less than sixty (60) days prior to the District Biennial Convention biennial. 1. Further nominations for any position may be made by sending a notice to the Chair chair of the Nominating Committee at least two (2) weeks prior to the District Convention district biennial. A nominee must may be proposed by her own Sisterhood a sisterhood member in good standing and must have consented to serve. 2. The expenses of the Nominating Committee shall be met by the district treasury. These meetings can be in person, via telephone, e-mail or snail mail. The work of the committee may be conducted by telephone, e-mail, conventional mail, or in person.
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Section B

Section C

Section D Section E Section F Section G

The officers and area directors for the district shall be elected at the district biennial. The officers and area directors shall be elected for a term of two (2) years. No officer or area director may serve more than two (2) consecutive terms in any one position on the Executive Board Committee. Eligibility for election to the Executive Committee shall be: The nominee (must be Jewish), must be Jewish, shall be a member of a congregation affiliated with URJ, and hold membership in a sisterhood affiliated with WRJ and the District district. In the case of a newly formed congregation, the congregation must have applied for and be actively pursuing affiliation with URJ. 1. The nominee for President president must have served on the district board in an elected capacity for at least one (1) two-year term.

ARTICLE XIII Budget and Finance Section A The President president in consultation with the executive committee shall appoint the Budget Committee consisting of not more than five women. The Treasurer treasurer shall serve as the chair of this committee. The Budget Committee shall prepare a two-year budget and submit it, after approval by the Women of Reform Judaism, to member sisterhoods and the district board of directors at least thirty days before the convention. to the District Board of Directors for a vote. The board-approved budget shall be submitted to WRJ for its approval. At least thirty days prior to the biennial, the budget shall be sent to member sisterhoods for their review. The district budget will then be voted on at the district biennial.

Section B

ARTICLE XIV Convention District Biennial Section A Section B The district shall meet in convention biennially in the alternate fiscal year to that of the Assembly of the Women of Reform Judaism WRJ Assembly. The voting body of the Convention biennial shall consist of the board of directors and the delegates or alternates appointed by each Sisterhood sisterhood in good standing. Any sisterhood delinquent in dues to the district or to WRJ for the previous fiscal year shall not have the privilege of vote. Each sisterhood may appoint five delegates and five alternates to the convention biennial. An alternate may vote only in the absence of a delegate.

Section C Section D

Section E

The quorum for voting at a convention biennial on matters other than amendments to the by-laws shall be a majority of those in attendance eligible to vote.

ARTICLE XV Amendments Section A The President president shall appoint a By-Laws Revision Committee of at least five (5) members to consider proposed amendments to the by-laws. The committee shall consist of a chair, three members of the districts board of directors, and two members from representative sisterhoods. Amendments to the By-Laws by-laws must be proposed by any of the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. Section C A local An affiliated sisterhood The board of directors Atlantic District Board of Directors The executive committee Executive Committee The committee on constitutional revisions By-Laws Revision Committee

Section B

All proposed revisions must be approved by the Atlantic District Board of Directors, and then by WRJ, prior to being sent to each sisterhood.

Section CD Amendments shall be sent in writing or electronically to all board members and each sisterhood at least thirty days prior to the biennial at which they will be acted upon. at a Biennial Convention of the district after all district board members and each sisterhood shall have received thirty (30) days written notice of the proposed changes. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of those in attendance and eligible to vote shall be required to adopt any amendments. Section D All proposed revisions must be approved by Women of Reform Judaism prior to being presented to the District Biennial Convention.

ARTICLE XVI Parliamentary Authority Section A The governing authority shall be Roberts Rules of Order, Revised in all cases not provided for in these By-Laws by-laws and are not inconsistent with The By-Laws of Women of Reform Judaism, The Federation of Temple Sisterhoods. the WRJ Constitution.