Simon Wiesenthal AZA

Please note that this may not be the most recent version of the constitution.

Simon Wiesenthal AZA #2524 Constitution

The Constitution of Simon Wiesenthal AZA #2524

Preamble

Simon Wiesenthal AZA #2524 shall have for its purpose the furtherance of the ideals of the Aleph Zadik Aleph and the intensification of the Aleph Zadik Aleph activities among the Alephs of the chapter according to the five folds and seven cardinal principles. Furthermore, it will strive to create a safe, positive Jewish environment in which growth and development will prosper.

In accordance with the International Order of the Aleph Zadik Aleph, Simon Wiesenthal AZA #2524 will have as its purpose:

• The spiritual, mental, and physical development of Jewish youth;
• The inculcation of a love and understanding of their Jewish cultural heritage;
• The stimulation of responsibility as good citizens in the community in which they live, as well as the larger Jewish community;
• The encouragement of good will among the youth of all peoples and interest in humanitarian, philanthropic, and educational endeavors.

Article I: BBYO Incorporated

The provisions of the constitution and By-laws of the BBYO Incorporated are hereby made a part hereof and whenever there is any conflict between this Constitution and those of BBYO Incorporated, the more restrictive shall prevail.

Article II: Name

The name of this chapter shall be Simon Wiesenthal AZA #2524.

Simon Wiesenthal, a survivor of the Nazi death camps, dedicated his life to documenting the crimes of the Holocaust and to hunting down the perpetrators still at large. "When history looks back," Wiesenthal explained, "I want people to know the Nazis weren't able to kill millions of people and get away with it." His work stands as a reminder and a warning for future generations. In his eulogy, Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center said, "As you go to your eternal repose, I am sure there is a great stirring in heaven as the soul of the millions murdered during the Nazi Holocaust get ready to welcome Simon Wiesenthal, the man who stood up for their honor and never let the world forget them."

Article III: Membership

Section 1: Boundaries and Eligibility

• The territory consists of Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Atherton, Redwood City, and surrounding areas not claimed by other AZA or BBYO chapters.
• If a prospective member is assigned to attend one of the following Public High Schools, he is eligible to be a member of Simon Wiesenthal AZA:
  • Gunn High School
  • Palo Alto High School
  • Mountain View High School
  • Los Altos High School
  • Woodside High School
  • Menlo-Atherton High School
• Similarly, eligible eighth graders attending Middle Schools that feed into one of the above high schools are eligible to join Simon Wiesenthal AZA.
• Membership into Simon Wiesenthal AZA #2524 shall be open to all eligible ninth through twelfth grade Jewish young men in the above chapter's territory.
• Eighth graders are eligible to join Simon Wiesenthal AZA on or after January 1st of their 8th grade year.
• All other eighth graders may attend events as prospective members.

Section 2: Requirements in Becoming an Aleph

• The prospective Aleph, in order to become an Aleph, must comply with regional and international policy.
• The prospective Aleph, in order to become an Aleph, must fill out all required forms and required dues, as provided by the region.  The inductions ceremony will have no effect on an Alephs membership.

Section 3: Exceptions

• Any exception to Section II that occurs will be permitted as long as the Moreh and Godol agree, and the Advisor verifies the decision.

Section 4: Discipline

• When an Aleph (or multiple Alephs) does something detrimental to the chapter, the Aleph Godol has the authority to implement disciplinary actions on that Aleph. This action must be agreed upon by the Advisor and can be overturned by the chapter with a simple majority vote.

Section 5: Fraternity

• All possible measures shall be taken by each member to ensure fraternity in the chapter.
• No member in good standing with the chapter who wishes to participate in a chapter program, or event, may be excluded

Section 6: Hazing

• Simon Wiesenthal AZA #2524 shall not subject individuals to punishment or humiliation as a basis for membership. There shall be no hazing (as defined by the International Order of the Aleph Zadik Aleph) of members.

Section 7: Life Membership

• When an Aleph reaches the end of his membership eligibility, he may hold a life ceremony and be considered a life member of Simon Wiesenthal AZA #2524, in accordance with the rules of the International Order of the Aleph Zadik Aleph.

Article IV: The Treasury

Section 1: Chapter Projects

• A chapter project is any project that has been taken on by an Aleph for the benefit of the chapter.

Section 2: The Debt of an Aleph

• An Aleph may be suspended from chapter activities if he owes the chapter money for a given chapter project two weeks after he has agreed to pay the chapter for that project. Such suspension shall require a majority vote at a business meeting, and shall expire automatically when the Aleph pays off his debt on that specific chapter project.

Section 3: The Debt of the Chapter

• When the chapter is in debt to an aleph and has sufficient funds to repay the debt, it is the responsibility of the aleph to properly fill out the proper reimbursement form and for the Aleph Gizbor to repay the aleph within two weeks of the day on which the form was turned in to him, or as soon as possible. If the debt to the given aleph exceeds the amount of money the Aleph Gizbor may allocate to a chapter project, as specified in Article 4, Section 4, the debt must be repaid within two weeks of the day a motion is passed at a business meeting that permits the Aleph Gizbor to allocate this amount.

Section 4: The Aleph Gizbor's Spending Limit

• The Aleph Gizbor may not allocate more than $20 to a given chapter project without receiving approval by a majority vote at a chapter business meeting.
• The Aleph Gizbor must notify the Aleph Godol of unapproved spending
• The Aleph Gizbor must state the size of the chapter funds when possible at business meetings.

Section 5: Fundraising

• Funds raised by Simon Wiesenthal AZA for the personal use of the chapter shall be raised by means of an activity where adequate value is received in return for charge.

Section 6: Event Payment

• The price of attending any Saturday event, unless otherwise designated, shall be $5
• Money collected at Saturday events shall be held separately from the primary chapter account, in a “programming budget”
• Money in the programming budget shall be allocated to programming-related chapter projects, including Sunday events, as seen fit by the Aleph S’gan and Aleph Gizbor and as specified in Article IV, Section 4.
• Money in the programming budget shall be allocated to paying for meals for first-time prospective members
• Approval by the Aleph Godol and the Aleph S’gan or the Aleph Gizbor will be required for the price of attending a Saturday event to exceed $5
• The reimbursements directly relevant to the event costs given to the event coordinator shall not exceed the amount previously allocated and made known to the coordinator by the Aleph S’gan.

Article V: Business Meetings

Section 1: Regular Meetings

• A business meeting is whenever the floor is open for business.
• Regular meetings shall be held at least two times per month. The Aleph Godol will schedule these meetings.

Section 2: The Stamping of Miscreants and Delinquent Alephs [AKA, The Stamp Act of 2007]

• Whereas in the past stamping of Alephs has been ambiguous, and ambiguous forms of punishment can be harmful, stressful, and lead to massive unfraternity, be it moved that upon the misbehavior of an Aleph, the Aleph Godol has the power to stamp the delinquent Aleph using the stamping system detailed below:
  • 1 stamp = warning
  • 3 stamps accrued = Aleph sent outside for 3 minutes
  • 5 stamps accrued = Aleph sent outside for 5 minutes
  • 7 stamps accrued = Aleph sent outside for 10 minutes
  • 9 stamps = Aleph is removed from meeting
• With the following rules:
  • The Aleph Godol may issue stamps in “1 stamp” or “2 stamp” denominations.
  • A stamp may be overturned by an Aleph with a simple majority vote.
  • Alephs may request stamps for other Alephs' misdoings.
  • A current Aleph Historian Shotare may practice all above duties.
  • Only one Aleph Historian Shotare is allowed to give stamps as decided by which one shows up first or a mutual agreement by the Aleph Historian Shotrim.
    

Section 3: Special Meetings

• Special meetings may be called by the Aleph Godol at any time, or shall be called at the written request of six members in good standing.
• Written notice of any special meeting must be sent at least three days before the meeting. This mandatory written notice will include the time and place of the meeting, and the business to be handled at that meeting. No other business will be handled at the meeting. Notices may consist of an email, letter, or phone call, and must be sent to every Aleph in the chapter.
• At any time during a convention, the current acting Aleph Godol may call an emergency special meeting, so long as quorum is present.

Section 4: Quorum

• For any business meeting excluding elections, the presence of 1/3 (rounded up) of the active Alephs in the chapter shall be required to obtain quorum.
• For elections, the presence of one more than a majority of the registered members of Simon Wiesenthal AZA shall be required to obtain quorum. The chapter advisor in consultation with the Aleph Godol will determine the number required for quorum. At elections, the number of Alephs required to maintain quorum after it has been established shall be equal to the number of Alephs required to obtain quorum at a regular business meeting.

Article VI: Officers

Section 1: The Duties of all Board Members

• All board positions will be held by one or two Alephs in the chapter, excepting the positions of Aleph Godol and Aleph S'gan. For three people to run together, a motion to allow a tri-co must pass. This motion can be passed only with a ¾ vote in favor of the tri-co.
• All board members shall correspond with their counterparts on Regional or Council Board.
• All officers are expected to regularly attend Business Meetings, Events, and all Board Meetings.
• Any officer may create a committee (with the approval of the Aleph Godol) to assist him in the completion of a specific job, and he will be responsible for the actions of any committee he creates.
• Officers will have any powers necessary to complete their duties, unless overridden by BBYO policy, the chapter constitution, the chapter by-laws, a chapter motion, an ex post facto chapter motion, or any Council, Regional, or International by-law, constitution, or policy.

Section 2: The Board Officers and their Duties

Section 3: Chairmanships

• Chairmanships shall be offered as an educational opportunity.
• The Aleph S'gan shall determine the responsibilities of the chairmen. Generally there should be one chairman responsible for programming in each fold, as well as a fraternity chairman. However, the Aleph S'gan may create any chairman positions he so chooses.
• The Aleph S'gan shall create an application and allow members to apply for chairmanships. The Aleph S'gan will then select the chairmen for his term.
• The Aleph S'gan shall ensure that his appointees are educated in the skills they need to fulfill their responsibilities.
• The Aleph S'gan is the only board member who can appoint chairmen. Chairmen can also be appointed through motions at chapter business meetings that must pass by a majority vote.
• The term of a chairman shall expire no later than the end of the board term during which he was appointed.

Section 4: Elections

• All officers are elected to serve a term of six months. An officer's term begins at their installation ceremony or at an appropriate board changeover date and continues until the next installation ceremony or board changeover date.
• There shall be no discussion of the races occurring at elections before or after they occur, except with the current chapter Aleph Godol, the current chapter Aleph Kohen Godol, and the chapter Advisor(s).
• In cases where two Alephs wish to run together for the same position, they should negotiate their caucus through one of the aforementioned people. After creating their caucus, they may organize their speech without the use of the aforementioned people as a middleman.
• It should be understood that regulations 2 and 3 of this section are enacted to ensure maximum fraternity during elections.
• The elections themselves shall be performed in such a way as to ensure maximum fraternity.

Article VII: Chapter Traditions and History

• Simon Wiesenthal AZA #2524 was founded on November 1^st, 2005 by Aaron Szteinbaum, a castaway Aleph from Cotton States Region that arrived via raft from Hurricane Katrina, and some Alephs from Simon Wiesenthal's territory. The chapter was founded in order to provide a home for the many Jewish teens in the area, and to provide a unique alternative to the USY and NIFTY chapters in the area.
• Official mascot: The Wies-Ass
• Official colors: Forest Green and White
• Official newspaper: The Wies-Ass
• Official chapter cheer: As Brothers We Will Gain Rapport
• Official pet: Blowfish

Article VIII: Amendments 

• This constitution may be amended at any business meeting by a 2/3 vote.
• Amendments are to be constructed so that they may modify the original text of the constitution. If they are not so constructed, the Aleph Recording Mazkir shall merge the amendments into the text of the constitution as he sees appropriate.
• The constitution shall always be published with a listing of all outstanding motions passed by the chapter. This listing shall be referred to as the chapter's by-laws.

Chapter By-Laws

• Computer games are banned from business meetings.
• Stamps are to be given for the following:
  • Flatulence
  • Physical Misconduct
  • Lack of Attention
  • Unfraternity
  • Disruptive Agitation
  • Excessive Loquacity
• No unibrows will be allowed into chapter. No one can enter the meeting until their eyebrows are fixed. If they don’t have them fixed, the chapter will do it for them.
• The members of Simon Wiesenthal AZA shall do the following for new Alephs:
  • Pay for their first meal with a $10 cap
  • Automatically give them shotgun
• The members of Simon-Wiesenthal AZA shall do the following for Alephs right after they join:
  • Allow these alephs front of the line privileges for food lines
  • Give these alephs cookies baked by Mark
  • Do a cheer for them
  • Pretend it is their birthday and give them a cake
  • Put these members in the middle of a cheer
• All members of Simon Wiesenthal AZA get a hug.
• The word “nigger” is banned from the chapter.  No one should say it.
• Mailbox money shall be allocated to a permanent website host that is less than ten dollars per month.
• Unless permitted by the Aleph Godol, usage of laptops is banned from business meetings with the exception of the Aleph Mazkir.
• Bribery, defined as the giving or promise of the giving of any physical or metaphysical property in exchange for votes during a motion, is banned at business meetings.