Melech AZA #2461 Constitution
As revised, December 2004
Jordan Fabian, Aleph Godol, Eric Fleishcman, Jonathan Katzur, Zach Tracer, Constitutional Committee
Bryan Ackerman, Brian Romick, Advisors
Constitution
of
Melech AZA #2461
of the
B'nai B'rith Youth Organization
ARTICLE I
Name
The name of this chapter of the fraternal order of the Aleph Zadik Aleph shall be Melech, and has been deemed number 2461 by the B'nai B'rith Youth Commission.
ARTICLE II
Purpose
The primary aim of this chapter shall be the creation of a bond between Jewish youths through their efforts to promote the Seven Cardinal Principles of the Aleph Zadik Aleph: patriotism, Judaism, filial love, charity, conduct, purity, and fraternity. The business of this chapter shall be conducted according to the provisions set forth in this Constitution and the Uniform AZA Chapter Constitution and By-Laws.
ARTICLE III
Membership
Section 1. Active Membership - Active Membership - Melech is open to all male, Jewish teens between 2nd semester 8th grade through the end of 12th grade (or 13 – 18 years of age)..
Section 2. Lifetime Membership
Clause 1. Lifetime membership shall be an honorary status given to those Alephs who, during their tenure in Melech, have excelled toward the benefit of the chapter.
Clause 2. No dues shall be levied on those given lifetime membership, and they shall be welcome at all chapter programs and meetings.
Clause 3. It shall be the duty of the combination of all registered senior members and the current Executive Board to vote upon who shall receive lifetime membership each spring, prior to Chapter Convention; a simply majority shall be required to award a member with Lifetime Membership. It shall be the duty of the Advisors to preside over the proceedings and inform the senior members of the results.
ARTICLE IV
The Legislative Body
Section 1. Membership - Any Aleph who has fulfilled his monetary obligation to the chapter and all higher levels of the Aleph Zadik Aleph shall be considered a member.
Section 2. Duties - The Legislative Body shall establish all policy concerning the maintenance and improvement of the chapter, as well as provide a forum for the organization and coordination of activities as may be created and promoted for the benefit of participating Alephs.
Section 3. Meetings
Clause 1. Official chapter meetings shall be called by the Godol, and shall occur no less than twice a month, calendar permitting, during the academic school year.
Clause 2. Except as provided by this Constitution, all meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
Clause 3. All chapter members shall be informed of meetings no less than three days before their scheduled occurrence.
Clause 4. All meetings of the chapter shall be chaired by the Godol. In the case of the Godol not being present, the meeting shall be chaired by the next highest ranking member of the Executive Board.
Section 4. Voting
Clause 1. Each member of the Legislative Body shall be allowed one and only one vote regarding all matters, with the exception of the chair, who shall vote only at such times as his vote will affect the outcome of the vote.
Clause 2. An Aleph must be present in order to vote.
ARTICLE V
The Executive Board
Section 1. Membership - The members of the Executive Board shall consist of the following positions, in order of rank: Godol, S'gan, Moreh, Mazkir, Gizbor, Haver-Sheli, Shaliach, Sopher, Kohen Godol, Shotare Godol.
Section 2. Elections
Clause 1. Elections shall be held on a pre-determined date set by the current Executive Board; all members shall be given notice no less than two weeks before the schedule date.
Clause 2. The current Godol shall preside over the Election proceedings.
Clause 3.If the chapter desires that either two Morim, Mazkirim, or Sophrim need be elected, a motion must be made stating this desire and approved by a majority of the Legislative Body at least one week prior to the opening of the caucus, or four weeks prior to the election.
Clause 4. All candidates shall be given equal treatment during the proceedings, and shall be elected by a majority vote of a quorum of chapter members.
Clause 5. Newly elected officers shall assume their positions at the subsequent State of the Chapter Address ceremony, unless otherwise stipulated.
Section 3. Duties and Powers
Clause 1. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Board to carry out all policies and regulation established by the chapter.
Clause 2. All officers shall make an oral report on the business of their respective office, if any exists, at each chapter meeting.
Clause 3. It shall be the duty of the Executive Board to assume responsibility for any subsidiary committees that have been established.
Section 4. Officers
Clause 1. The Godol shall:
* Be ultimately responsible for all actions of the chapter.
* Preside over all chapter meetings.
* Act as a liaison and representative to all other levels of the Aleph Zadik Aleph.
* Act as an ex-officio members of all committees.
* Present the chapter with the State of the Chapter Address at the completion of his term, as well as a summary of the events of the term to be added to the chapter's history file.
Clause 2. The S'gan shall:
* Perform the duties of the Godol should be not be able to fulfill his obligations. * Promote five-fold and full programming.
* Be ultimately responsible for all chapter programs and events.
* Preside over all committee chairmen.
Clause 3. The Moreh shall:
* Be ultimately responsible for the retention of Alephs.
* Be ultimately responsible for the organization of recruitment efforts for new Alephs.
* Educate all Alephs new to the chapter.
* Conduct induction and initiation ceremonies for all new Alephs.
If the membership requires, two Morim shall be elected.
Clause 4. The Mazkir shall:
* Be responsible for the creation of a communications system, by which the weekly events of the chapter can be given to all Alephs.
* Take minutes at all chapter meetings and Executive Board meetings.
If the chapter so desires, multiple Mazkirim may be elected.
Sub-clause 1: In the event that the chapter deems it necessary for two Mazkirim to be elected, the duties of the Mazkirim will be split as such a. Recording Mazkir i. Take Minutes at chapter meetings and Executive board meetings ii. Perform any other duties ascribed to the position of Recording Mazkir in the Chapter Bylaws b. Corresponding Mazkir i. Be responsible for the creation of a communications system by which the events of the chapter can be delivered to all Alephs on a weekly basis. ii. Perform any other duties ascribed to the position of Corresponding Mazkir in the Chapter Bylaws c. In the event that the chapter deems it necessary to divide the duties of Mazkir into these two positions, an Aleph may caucus for only one of the positions stated above. In the event that an Aleph caucuses for one of the positions mentioned in Sub-clause 1 and is not elected to that position, he may not drop down to the other position mentioned in Sub-clause 1.
Clause 5. The Shaliach shall:
* Be responsible for all Judaic, community service, and social action programming.
* Coordinate the semi-annual Parent-Teen Shabbat Dinner.
Clause 6. The Gizbor shall:
* Be responsible for all chapter financial dealings.
* Collect all chapter membership dues.
* Keep a record of money to be received and disbursed, and inform a chapter Advisor when checks need to be written. * Provide the Godol with a monthly financial statement.
Clause 7. The Haver-Sheli shall:
* Be responsible for upholding the brotherhood amongst chapter members.
* Be responsible for coordinating the ordering of chapter jerseys and t-shirts as needed.
Clause 8. The Sopher shall:
* Be responsible for the publishing of a chapter newspaper, to come out at least once per term.
Two Sopherim may be elected if the chapter so desires.
Clause 9. The Kohen Godol shall:
* Be an honorary position given to the previous term's Godol.
* Act as a parliamentarian at meetings.
Clause 10. The Shotare Godol shall:
* Act as a sergeant-at-arms during chapter meetings.
* Be the first officer elected during chapter elections.
ARTICLE VI
Powers and Accountability
Section 1. Powers - If a power is not specifically denied the Legislative Body or defined by this Constitution, and the same power is specifically granted the Godol or Executive Board, the Legislative Body shall be empowered by a simple majority to prevent either the Godol or the Executive Board from considering a question resulting from that power.
Section 2. Impeachment and Removal - Procedure for the impeachment and removal of all members and officers of the chapter shall be the same.
Clause 1. The impeachment of a member of the chapter shall occur when a petition stating the charges against the member is approved by either the Godol, the S'gan, two-thirds of the Executive Board, or an advisor; the Aleph in question should be informed of the charges as soon as possible.
Clause 2. The charges may be a single event, or a pattern of events, in which an officer is completing his duties in a manner that is harmful to the chapter, or a member is behaving in a way that is detrimental to the chapter.
Clause 3. A special meeting, consisting of the Godol, S'gan, and at least twelve impartial chapter members, shall be called to discuss the charges, with an advisor presiding. In addition, one impartial member from a different chapter shall be present as a witness.
Clause 4. At the conclusion of the meeting, the twelve impartial members will vote on whether or not the Aleph shall be removed, which requires a two-thirds vote. For a regular chapter member, the vote should be on whether or not to remove him for the chapter; for an officer, the vote should be on whether to remove him from office, or remove him from both his office and the chapter.
Section 3. Succession and Replacement
Clause 1. If the office of Godol is vacated, its duties and responsibilities shall be filled by the S'gan. The S'gan shall appoint a person to place him by a majority vote of approval by the Legislative Body; if enough time is left in the term, a special election may be held to replace the Acting S'gan.
Clause 2. Any elected position that is vacated before the term is over shall be filled by a special election no more than three weeks following the vacating of said office, unless there is less than six weeks left in the term.
ARTICLE VII
Bylaws
There shall exist a set of governing rules and policies of Melech, separate from this Constitution, to be known as the Bylaws.
Section 1. Contents - The Bylaws shall contain:
* All policies regarding annual dues.
* All policies regarding standing committees.
* The duties and responsibilities of any officer positions not provided for in the Constitution.
* The rules and procedures guiding the election of officers.
* Any further rules guiding the operation of the Executive Board and the General Assembly as are deemed necessary.
Section 2. Semi-Annual Review - Each incoming Godol shall review the Bylaws and submit his proposal to the Executive Board prior to the convening of the first regular chapter meeting.
Section 3. Amendments
Clause 1. The Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board.
Clause 2. The Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the Legislative Body.
ARTICLE VIII
Amendments
Section 1. This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the present Legislative Body if all members have been informed of the proposed amendment at least one week prior to the vote; otherwise, it may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the paid membership.
Section 2. This Constitution, and all other governing documents of the chapter shall be subject to review by each Godol. It is recommended that a Constitutional Committee be established during the fall term of ever odd-numbered year to review the Constitution.
ARTICLE IX
Ratification
This Constitution shall go into effect by a two-thirds vote of the Legislative Body. It shall replace all governing documents on the last day of the month on which it is approved.