Meeting, 12 November 2014

Minutes of the Annual Board Meeting, 12 November 2014

The Samaritan Medal Foundation

Location

Home of Ralph Benko, 15020 Carry Back Drive, North Potomac, MD 20878

Board Members Present:

Chairman Benyamim Tsedaka, Treasurer Ralph Benko, Bill Collier, Juanita Berguson
Absent: Jim Jabara, Rabbi Shaul Praver, Sharon Sullivan

Others Present:

SMF members Paul Collier, John Berguson, Suzanne Brindamour

Agenda

• Hold special ceremony for Mr. Larry Rynearson of Vero Beach, Florida, recipient of the Samaritan Medal for his efforts to spread knowledge of the Israelite Samaritans and Samaritan Studies through his website thesamaritanupdate.com

• Elect a new Secretary-General for the SMF

• Suggest potential recipients of the Medal in the fields of peace, humanity and academic study

• Discuss future resources for the activity of the SMF

Motions

• Chairman Benyamim Tsedaka moves to elect Suzanne Brindamour as the new Secretary-General and member of the board,  replacing the former Secretary-General Mrs. Sharon Sullivan-Eretz. Ralph Benko seconds. Motion Carries.
Benyamim Tsedaka and Ralph Benko, the founders of SMF have expressed gratitude for the great work that Mrs. Sharon Sullivan-Eretz did for the SMF and for her blessed initiatives. They wish her success in life, and hope that she will return to full activity in the foundation in the future
• Chairman Benyamim Tsedaka nominates John Berguson to the Board; Ralph Benko seconds. Motion Carries.
• Ralph Benko moves to elect Member of the Board Bill Collier as Treasurer. Benyamim Tsedaka seconds. Motion Carries.
• Chairman Benyamim Tsedaka motions to assign the title “Head Advisor” to Ralph Benko. Motion Carries. Chairman agrees to make business cards with this new title.

Actions

Award Presentation
Ceremony commences to award Mr. Larry Rynearson the Samaritan Medal in the category of academic study, for his efforts to spread knowledge of the Israelite Samaritans and to promote Samaritan Studies for more than two decades through his informative website: The Samaritan Update.
Standing with Chairman Benyamim Tsedaka, Juanita Berguson reads the official awards presentation letter to Mr. Rynearson.
The ceremony is photographed and videotaped for Mr. Rynearson.
The Samaritan Medal for Peace, Humanitarian and Academic Achievements is hereby awarded to:
Mr. Larry Rynearson
Editor in the field of Samaritan Studies
Vero Beach, Florida

Whereas,
Mr. Larry Rynearson is running a wide-ranging website, The Samaritan Update, aiding in the research of literature by- and about the Israelite Samaritans.

Whereas,
Mr. Larry Rynearson made a most important contribution to world research through his website: The Samaritan Update, containing information written over the years about Israelite Samaritans.

Whereas,
In many years of devotion to Samaritan life and the community, Mr. Larry Rynearson has displayed the vibrant life of the Israelite Samaritans through many aspects of their unique culture.

Whereas,
Mr. Larry Rynearson always encouraged the thousands of visitors to his website to spread knowledge of the Israelite Samaritans to all corners of the world.

Therefore,
The Samaritan Medal and Award Committee are pleased to honour Mr. Larry Rynearson as a 2014 recipient of the Samaritan Medal for Peace, Humanitarian and Academic Achievements.

Benyamim Tsedaka

New Business

• Board member Bill Collier has agreed to lead a project to raise enough money using online sources to re-mint the Samaritan medal, which is in short supply.

Methods of fundraising are discussed

• New board members agree to send their photo and a brief pen-picture (2 sentences).
• Chairman BenyamimTsedaka requests that board member Jim Jabara mail the 9 Samaritan medals that he holds to the Chairman’s home in Israel.

Nominations

The names of several potential nominees were raised. Their proponents will follow the standard procedure of composing a one-page description of their qualifications, with any relevant materials such as news article appended (preferably in virtual tearsheet form accompanied by originating hyperlink) to the Chairman for distribution to the nominations committee for recommendation and report to the full Committee.

Members

Chairman of the Board and Founder: Benyamim Tsedaka
Head Advisor, Founder and Member of the Board : Ralph Benko
Secretary-General and Member of the Board: Suzanne Brindamour
Treasurer, Editor of the thesamaritanupdate.com website and Member of the Board: Bill Collier
Rabbi Shaul Praver, Mediator with Jewish and Christian Communities and Member of the Board
Jim Jabbara, Member of the Board
Juanita Berguson, Member of the Board
John Berguson, Member of the Board

Members of the Foundation:

Mrs. Sharon Sullivan-Eretz
‘Abd El-Illah El-Attireh
Priest Pinhas b. Tzadik
‘Aabed Cohen
Paul Collier
Asher Cohen
Yitzhaq Altif
Yefet b. Ratson Tsedaka

Academic Advisors and Members of the Board:

Prof. Steve Fine
Dr. David Gilder
Prof. Jim Ridolfo
Prof. Susan Graham

Closing Remarks by Ralph Benko

Thank you all for coming from your various abodes for this, the 7th annual meeting of the Samaritan Medal Foundation. I am very pleased by the presentation of the medal to Mr. Larry Rynearson and by the quality of the nominees mentioned, and look forward to receiving information on each nominee.

End of the minutes of The Samaritan Medal Foundation Annual Board Meeting, 12 November 2014