Article I

 

The name of this organization shall be the Association of Humanistic Rabbis.

 

Article II

 

Purpose: This Association promotes cooperation, dialogue, and mutual support among rabbis who identify with Humanistic Judaism or who identify with its ideology.

 

Article III

Membership

 

Section 1. All members of the AHR must be members of one of the affiliated groups of the Movement of Secular Humanistic Judaism. There are three (3) membership categories.

 

Section 2. Full membership shall be open to rabbis whose professional behavior is consistent with Humanistic Judaism and conforms to the AHR Code of Ethics, and who meet one of the following qualifications:

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1. Rabbinic ordination from an institution deemed by the Executive Committee to qualify.

2. Rabbinic education at another institution and field work both equivalent to IISHJ rabbinic program with equivalency to be determined by the Executive Committee.

3. Independent rabbinic education and a body of rabbinic work demonstrating qualifications equivalent to IISHJ rabbinic program with equivalency to be determined by the Executive Committee.

4. Full members are entitled to all the rights and privileges accorded to full membership, namely, voting rights and full endorsement as a member of the clergy.

 

Section 3. Affiliate membership shall be open to supportive rabbis whose professional behavior conforms to the AHR Code of Ethics, subject to approval by the Executive Committee.

 

Section 4. Student membership shall be open to rabbinical students at the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism ("Institute") and other recognized rabbinical schools deemed by the Executive Committee to qualify, and whose professional behavior is consistent with Humanistic Judaism and the AHR Code of Ethics in its entirety.

 

Section 5. Membership may be revoked for nonpayment of dues, or failure to conform with ethical or other standards of the organization. Resignation of membership for failure to conform with ethical or other standards shall be determined by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the membership voting.

 

Article IV

Dues

 

Annual dues shall be set by the membership.

 

Article V

Executive Committee and Officers

 

Section 1. The officers of the organization shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, Treasurer, immediate Past President, and up to three additional members whom they will appoint.

 

Section 2. The membership shall elect the officers at the annual membership meeting for a two-year term from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.

 

Section 3. The Executive Committee shall assist the President in the administration of duties between membership meetings.

 

Section 4. The President shall preside over membership meetings. He/she shall make decisions and administer the affairs of the organization between membership meetings on the basis of organizational policy. He/she shall be a member, ex officio, of all committees.

 

Section 5. The Vice-President shall assist the President, shall substitute for the President when the President is unavailable and shall perform such additional duties as assigned by the President or Executive Committee.

 

Section 6. The Secretary shall be responsible for the preparation of minutes of meetings of the Executive Committee and the membership and for their dissemination to the membership. The Secretary shall keep the records of the organization.

 

Section 7. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the accurate keeping of financial records, the payment of bills, the preparation of budgets, and the preparation of financial reports to the membership.

 

Article VI

Membership Meetings

 

Section 1. Membership meetings shall be held at least once per year. The membership shall ordinarily have its annual meeting between May and August of each year. Additional meetings may be called by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee. Meetings may be in person or by electronic communication.

 

Section 2. Notice of the agenda of each membership meeting shall be sent by the Secretary to all members in advance of the meeting.

 

Section 3. A membership meeting shall require a quorum consisting of 50% of the full members. Resolutions may be adopted, or other action taken at a meeting based on a vote of a majority of the full members participating in the meeting. Only full members shall have voting rights.

 

Section 4. The President, with the assistance of the Executive Committee, shall make the necessary administrative decisions on a day-to-day basis. Decisions on policy matters shall be made by the membership. Authority is granted to the Executive Committee to make decisions on emergency policy matters.

 

Article VII

Committees

 

Section 1. The President in consultation with the Executive Committee shall appoint members to all committees.

 

Section 2. The standing committees may be: Membership, Placement, Rabbinical Support, Resolutions/Public Statements, and Publications or as determined by the Executive Committee. Other Committees shall be created by the President and Executive Committee. The committees shall have such responsibilities and authority as are assigned to them by the President with the assistance of the Executive Committee.

 

Section 3. The standing committees shall report to the membership at the annual meeting upon all matters referred to them.

 

Article VIII

Nominations

 

Section 1. The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee no later than February 1 of an election year.

 

Section 2: The Nominating Committee shall consist of at least two (2) members, one of whom shall be a member of the Executive Committee.

 

Section 3: The Nominating Committee shall report the slate to the President no later than April 1 of an election year.

 

Section 4: The President shall inform the membership of the slate no less than two (2) weeks prior to the Annual Meeting of an election year.

 

Article IX

Amendments

 

These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members voting.

 

-- Revised and Approved 2015