Save Hillel

This was submitted by an anonymous individual:

Hillel has just announced their head of Judaic Studies for the High School. Why has Rabbi Robert Kaplan, who has proven himself as a capable administrator as interim high school principal, been passed over in favor of Rabbi Shlomo Ackerman?

This message was written by Isaac Sapoznik:

This is kind of hard for me to write correctly because I am out of the country on a blackberry.

First, I would like to thank everyone who came out to vote. Whether you voted for us or the other people is irrelevant. It is great to hear that soo many people came out to vote for our school.

That fact that I lost does not bother me. I will not take this personal and I hope that no one on our slate does either. This was not about us. This was about the school. The school came out and voted tonight. They heard what we all had to say and they voted and we must respect that.

On that note, just because we are not officially on the board does not mean we cannot help the school. I am 22 years old and this election was my first opportunity to help the school. No matter what, I will spend the rest of my life helping and shaping an institution that helped shaped my life.

We should all be proud of ourselves of the hard work that we put in. It has not gone unnoticed. I know that every year for every possible year, I will be trying to get on the board of governors. Even if it takes me 10 years, I will be helping the school in the meantime any which way I can. Why? Because that is how much dedication and care I have for this school. There is always work that needs to be done whether it be fundraising, a strong alumni association or programs for the school. It doesn’t matter what we personally think about anyone in the school. IT IS ABOUT THE KIDS AND THE FUTURE KIDS OF THE SCHOOL. I hope that this is just the beginning for other people also. I hope that just because we lost, the new slate and all the supporters never stop supporting the school. Moreover, we cannot tarnish the school by ruining its reputation. We cannot revenge the school and do things like call the IRS, the media, SACS or whatever other ways people were plotting. If people do that then we are left with nothing and then and ONLY THEN our hard work went for nothing and was simply a waste of our time.

I hope people will put there egos aside on our slate and the current board to be able to find a way to work together. This is the Hillel COMMUNITY day school. By definition, community includes all members of the community. No exceptions. That means that ina perfect world all members In a community should be involved and send their kids to this school. We have not achieved that but hopefully one day we will achieve that. We will never achieve that if we don’t keep on trying. Imagine if Michael Jordan gave up after he was cut by his High School team? On that note, I hope everyone keeps their enthusiasm up. We must respect the mandate of the school. If they were correct then the school will be better in the future. However, if they see they are wrong in the next few years, I hope they can admit to their mistakes and finally change their attitudes and work together with anyone who cares about this school.

Thank you for your support everyone. I hope that you continue to support us because the school needs people like us. Without us, they would be free to do whatever they want.

This post comes directly from me, the site administrator:

While I, Tamar (Palgon) Weinberg ’99, site administrator, am not going to be in Florida for the election tonight, this is an official site endorsement of the Hillel4Change slate. I firmly stand behind these wonderful individuals who have only the best interests for the school and for the future of our students and teachers, and I urge you all to vote accordingly tonight.

This just in:

Due to the fact that there is 80% chance of rain tonight, we’re changing the plan a bit. We are now the UMBRELLA BRIGADE!!

Everyone try to bring big umbrellas. We are escorting voters through the parking lots and into the voting room.

If you have signs, you can hold those up.

WE ARE MEETING IN FRONT OF THE SIDE GATE (next to the elementary school) to work out the details. Then everyone will go to his/her specific place.

Please relay this message to all your friends who are attending.

Just received this:

Tomorrow from 6:30-7:30 PM, students and alumni will be demonstrating 4 change! We want to show that a vast majority of Hillel students, past and present, support the Hillel4Change slate. We don’t need a board member to know which way the wind blows! Follow OUR footsteps to the future…

For more info, please contact FollowOurFootsteps@yahoo.com

This in from the Hillel Community Day School:

Dear Parents,

Please note Hillel will offer complimentary babysitting services for children enrolled in Hillel’s ECE program and Elementary School as well as a homework center for Elementary School students during the 2007 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 6.

Please register in advance by calling Evelyn Rodriguez at 305.931.2831 x165. She will provide check-in details.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening.

Hillel has sent the following to parents, faculty, and staff:

June 1, 2007
15 Sivan 5767

Dear Hillel Parents, Faculty and Staff,

The bylaws of The Samuel Scheck Community Day School state that the “Nominating Committee shall prepare ballots and adopt election procedures” (ArticleVII, E, 3).

Election Procedures

Campaign

1. No Materials may be distributed on campus by anyone. This is disruptive and uncomfortable for faculty and students. School is in session and must move forward in the best way that is possible for the students.
2. Everyone that is a member is entitled to “inspect” the names and addresses of members during business hours within a ten day period (Article III, E).
3. Campaigning should be done in an honest and respectful manner. Remember that the school is a place of business and the staff must continue to do their work.
4. Any infractions of this will be noted and brought before the Committee on Governance.
5. No campaigning should be conducted on Shabbat or on a Yom Tov.

Check-in for the meeting

The meeting is called for 7:30 PM. Check-in will begin at 7:00 PM

Leonard Traub and 3 other Hillel staff will conduct check-in. All members in good standing are eligible to vote (Article II, A). There will be lists of all eligible members. Each eligible member must present to the check-in staff a valid identification in the form of a Florida driver’s license or a Hillel identification card. Upon check-in, the eligible family’s name will be highlighted on the list and they will receive a 3-page ballot along with all candidate bios. They will be compiled in the same order as the ballots. The ballots will be numbered to ensure that none has been added. The number of the ballot will NOT be written by the person’s name to ensure anonymity.

Teachers are welcome to attend but can vote only if they are a member.

Press is welcome inside the gate but may not enter the meeting.

If there is a question as to someone’s standing they will receive a ballot marked with a number and an “S”. They may vote but that vote will not count until their status as of the close of business on June 6, 2007, is determined. This determination will be made as soon as possible.

Anyone who is current with payments by the close of business on June 6 is in good standing for the purpose of this election. Due to concerns of confidentiality and the ability to become current with payment by the close of business on June 6, the parent list will not distinguish between who is and who is not current with their financial obligations. All people on the ballot have already been approved to run.

Members must be present to vote. No votes by proxy are allowed (Article III, D, 2).

There will be one ballot per family unit. As provided by the By-Laws (Article II, A, 4), “Parents of children enrolled in the SCHOOL and spouses of Contributors shall be considered a family unit for membership voting purposes and each family unit shall be entitled to only one vote, irrespective of whether a spouse qualifies independently for membership pursuant to any other provision hereunder. In the event parents of an enrolled child are separated or divorced, the primary custodial parent shall be entitled to vote.”

Agenda for the meeting

The chair (Rafa Russ) will call the meeting to order and appoint Mayra Lichter to be the Parliamentarian. She will enforce Robert’s Rules during the meeting to maintain order (Article V, A, 1). She will warn people publicly if they violate election proceedings. Any person who commits three offences will be asked to leave. Only the votes for which a member is present will count.

Rafa Russ will call the meeting to order.

The meeting will begin with a D’var Torah from Rabbi Druin.

The Chair and the Vice Chair (Gil Bonwitt) will each have 2 minutes to speak in support of their nominations, as per bylaws (Article VII, E, 1). We will have a voice vote for each of them, as they are unopposed as per bylaws (Article VII, E, 2).

Ballots

Each ballot will contain 3 pages. Page 1 will refer to officers, page 2 to parent nominations and page 3 to non-parent nominations. Each ballot will have brief instructions at the top of the page. This will include a list of the number of positions open for election. Each ballot will have a “Committee on Governance Slate” (COG) section and a “Petition Candidate” section. Anyone who is a candidate and cannot be present to speak at the election may submit a 2- minute statement in support of his/her nomination that will be read by Hedy Whitebook at the meeting.

The first page of the ballot will be for officers. The office up for election will be listed. The candidates will be listed side by side since they are in direct competition. COG will be on the left side of the page when looking at it and Petition will be on the right. The COG lines will be to the left of the name and the Petition lines to the right of the name. A space will exist between sides so that the names do not run into each other.

Treasurer will be first and then Secretary.

For example:

Please mark one X on the line for your choice of Treasurer and one X on the line for your choice of Secretary.

Treasurer

Committee on Governance Slate Petition Candidate

____Name Name____

Secretary

Committee on Governance Slate Petition Candidate

____Name Name____

Each candidate will have 2 minutes to speak in support of his/her nomination (Article 7, E, 1). They will speak in alphabetical order. There will be 5 minutes to vote. After voting, each voting member will foldhis/her ballot to protect his/her privacy. Ballots will be collected.

Then we will proceed to the second page of the ballot for the “Parents” candidates. Each candidate will be allowed 2 minutes to speak in support of his/her nomination (Article 7, E, 1). The candidates will speak in alphabetical order. There will be 5 minutes to vote and the time period may be extended if people need more time.

Finally, we will proceed to the third ballot for the “Non-Parent” candidates. These candidates will also speak in alphabetical order for up to 2 minutes in support of his/her nomination (Article 7, E, 1). Once again there will be 5 minutes to vote and the time period may be extended if people need more time. These ballots will be collected.

Parent and Non-Parent ballots will have a “staggered” layout so that candidates do not appear to be in direct competition with one another. The top of the COG slate will begin on a slightly higher position on the “Parent” ballot and the top of the Petition candidates list will begin on a slightly higher position on the Non-Parent ballot. The Parent ballot will have the following instructions: Please mark an X on the line next to the name of 5 candidates of your choice. You may vote for any 5 candidates from the Committee on Governance Slate, or the Petition Candidates, or any combination from these lists but not more than a total of 5 or your ballot will not be counted.

The Non-Parent ballot will have the following instructions: Please mark an X on the line next to the name of 6 candidates of your choice. You may vote for any 6 candidates from the Committee on Governance Slate, or the Petition Candidates, or any combination from these lists but not more than a total of 6 or your ballot will not be counted.

For example:

Non-Parent Ballot

Please mark an X on the line next to the name of 6 Candidates of your choice. You may vote for any 6 candidates from the Committee on Governance Slate, or the Petition Candidates, or any combination from these lists but not more than a total of 6 or your ballot will not be counted.

Committee on Governance Slate Petition Candidates

____Name ____Name
____Name ____Name
____Name ____Name
____Name ____Name
____Name

After voting, each voting member will fold his/her ballot to protect his/her privacy. When all ballots are collected Rafa Russ will continue the Annual Meeting. The ballots will be counted.

Counting of the ballots

Hedy Whitebook and Dr. Chaim Y. Botwinick, CAJE-Miami President/CEO, will collect ballots in plain sight. Ballots will be counted in plain sight.

Ms. Roberta London will place the ballots into random groups of ten and then distribute these groups of ballots among three (3) teams which will count the ballots. Each team will consist of a representative of the COG, a person representing the Petition and a person from CAJE. Each Team will initial and staple their groups of ten in case of a need for a recount. Each team will have a master tally list. They will enter the numbers from each group of ten and initial them on the master tally list. This means that 3 people will count each ballot. Then, each team’s tally will be counted by the CAJE representative and initialed by the team. Ms. London will add the 3 master tallies to determine the results.

A majority vote will determine the outcome of any contested office in which there are two candidates in direct opposition to each other. A plurality vote will determine the results of Board member positions since a majority vote may be impossible to obtain for each available Board position. A plurality vote means that those candidates who receive the five (5) greatest amounts of votes in the Parent Board Member portion of the ballot and the six (6) greatest amounts of votes in the Non-Parent portion of the ballot will be elected to the Board of Governors.

If there is a tie it is broken by Rafa Russ (who may not otherwise vote in the election) as per the bylaws (Article IV, F, 2). If a ballot has too few votes then those votes are counted. If a ballot has too many votes the team must initial and disqualify the ballot. Any other counting disputes will be settled by Ms. London.

Making the results known

If the number of votes from people with questionable voting status will not affect the outcome of the election within a ballot category (i.e. Officers, Parents, Non-Parents) then those votes will be discounted from the corresponding ballot category. Dr. Botwinick will then announce the results, by ballot category, during the meeting. On the other hand, if the number of votes from people with questionable voting status may affect the outcome of the election within a ballot category, then the tentative results will be announced at the end of the meeting by Dr. Botwinick. The questionable ballots will be verified as soon as possible. Ms. London will hold those ballots overnight, and they will not be released until their status is determined.

I look forward to a fair election and working together for Hillel.

Thank you,

Hedy Whitebook
Chair, Committee on Governance

This was emailed in:

Our Mission

We are dedicated to applying our passion, heartfelt commitment, and experience toward helping Hillel achieve the great role it should have in educating the future leaders of our Jewish community. Our goal is to facilitate communication with and build bonds between the Board of Governors, Administration, teachers, parents, students, and alumni as we take our school forward into the years ahead. We will remain dedicated to Hillel’s purpose as a Jewish school and work as a team to ensure that all constituent voices are heard and understood as we all work together to achieve positive results.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW SLATE AND ITS MEMBERS PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK:

www.hillel4change.org

Please spread the word to all interested parties. The vote takes place on June 6th. Thank you for your support!

“Courageous Members of the Hillel Community” write in:

“COURAGE IS FIRE; BULLYING IS SMOKE!!”

WHY ALL THE SMOKE SCREENS????

This just in:

Some Board Members are now calling up teachers and threatening them personally!

They are telling them that they are forbidden to attend the June 6th Open Board Meeting unless they have children in the school and are permitted to vote!

Did anyone notice the word “OPEN” for Open Board Meeting — a meeting that should be open to all stakeholders, especially those who shape and mold our children’s lives on a daily basis, our teachers?

Dr. Levy and Dr. Zakon welcomed teachers’ presences at board meetings!! What exactly is the problem?

Is this board committed to opening channels of communication or to closing them?

What are they hiding?????

We already know–despite the fact that they told parents otherwise at the Dinner–that the school is in the red.

We already know that our teachers are miserable, harassed, and bullied all the time.

Why are they so afraid that parents should learn the truth?

Because now it is their necks on the line?

SHAME ON THOSE BOARD MEMBERS ENGAGING IN SUCH LOW BEHAVIOR.

YOU ARE NOT TRUE LEADERS.

HOW DARE YOU FURTHER INTIMIDATE OUR TEACHERS?????!!!!

OUR TEACHERS ARE PRECIOUS AND SHOULD BE CHERISHED NOT INTIMIDATED!

WE ARE CALLING UPON YOU TO CEASE IMMEDIATELY. DON’T TEST OUR PATIENCE. IT IS BEGINNING TO WEAR THIN.

An anonymous HBHA Alum writes in:

Dear Hillel Miami students, staff, alumni and whomever this concerns. I was a student at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy for 13 years. I had grown up in the school, and it has truly shaped me as a person. However, when Adam Holden came around, my utopia that I had grown up in, rich with jewish values and learning, was turned into a secularized school. He began by firing most of the teachers that actually inspired students and voiced their opinons about what went on in the school. He got rid of anyone who didnt fit into his ”New School” plan. Teachers feared for their jobs, and began to watch everything they said because they didn’t want to get fired. Big Brother was always watching, everyone. The whole process was nonetheless, heartbreaking. He stripped the school of everything we loved. On holidays like purim the students for as long as I can remember would go around, singing purim songs, going into every classroom collecting students on the way and ending with everyone celebrating and dancing together as as school. This quickly ended with the arrival of Holden. We had to ask permission to do events like that and we would only have a certain amount of time to do it in because he didn’t like the fact it cut into class time. Also, he cut down the time for prayers in the morning, so that the orthodox minyan barely had time to read torah and get through the daily prayers. Additionally, we as students enjoyed classes in Tanach, Mishna, and Talmud, however, Holden condensed all of those classes into a singular class, thus making secular studies his focus, while throwing out what made our school unique. As an alumnus, i rarely visit. I know only a handful of faces as opposed to the many faces i used to know before Holden fired every one. I barely recognize my school anymore. Thank G-d, now my school is trying to reorganize everything and get things back to the way they were, judaically. I would hate to have to see this happen to your school. Stop him before its too late.