Minutes of April 16, 2026

MINUTES OF THE GENERAL MEETING HEBREW ORDER OFDAVID April 16, 2026

Presiding Officer: Worthy Brother President Boris Gremont

Officers Present:

Worthy Brother President: Boris Gremont
Vice President: B Stuart Rosenﬁeld
Master of Ceremonies: B Wayne Feldman
Treasurer: B Jeff Hacker
Secretary: B Marty Stern
Chaplain: (role performed by Stuart Rosenﬁeld during prayers)

Number of Brethren Present: 17 (per closing count by the Secretary)

1. Opening of the Lodge

The meeting was called to order 7:00 PM and opened in proper ritual
Brother Wayne Feldman requested brethren to silence or turn off cell
Worthy Brother President Boris Gremont instructed the Inside Guardian to ensure the lodge was properly tiled.
The Secretary (B Marty Stern) conﬁrmed that, to the best of his knowledge, only brethren of theHebrew Order of David were
Chaplain (B Stuart Rosenﬁeld) recited the opening
President (WB Boris Gremont) then declared the lodge properly constituted for the transaction of business.

2. Minutes of the Previous Meeting

Minutes from the last meeting were not distributed in
The President advised:
- The minutes are available from the Secretary (Brother Marty).
- They will be circulated to any brother on request.
- Formal adoption of the previous minutes will occur at the next meeting,
  provided no objections arise after circulation.

The WB President apologized for the delay in getting them into ET and ready for this meeting.

3. Candle Lighting Ceremony

The usual agenda order was adjusted; the lodge went directly into the candle lighting ceremony.
Brother Master of Ceremonies Wayne Feldman:
- Called up Brother Jon Cohen to light his 4th

At the conclusion, Worthy Brother President formally closed the ceremony
and announced:
Any brother who has lit his seventh candle has fulﬁlled the requirements of the
Initiate Degree and is eligible to hold office in any Lodge.

4.1 Second Degree Raises

- Calling and Preparation of Candidates
  - The President called upon all brethren present who do not yet hold the Second Degree but are
    eligible to rise and then retire from the lodge with formality, following the Vice President.
  - The WB President conﬁrmed that these candidates had been duly vouched for and are eligible to be raised.

The Master of Ceremonies retired to prepare the brethren for admission
The Inside Guardian and officers followed the ritual script as candidates were re-admitted under proper form.

4.2 Presentation of Candidates

Brother Master of Ceremonies presented the following brethren to the President for elevation to the Second Degree:

Brother Richard Bauman
Brother Don Schwarz
Brother Robert Liener
Brother Jon Jacobs
Brother Marty Stern
Brother Nelson Weil

Authority was declared as coming from the Grand Lodge, authorizing the conferral of the Second Degree.

4.3 Address and Obligation

The President delivered a congratulatory address, highlighting:
- Their loyal service to the Order
- The greater responsibilities placed upon them as Second Degree brethren
- Their eligibility to advance to the highest lodge offices

The importance of:
- Assisting in the maintenance and development of the fraternity
- Developing a strong sense of duty
- Remembering and honoring their promises and undertakings
The candidates were asked if they were ready and willing to take the Obligation andresponded “Yes.”
Standing to order, the candidates repeated the formal words of the Second

Degree obligation as led by the President, committing:

To faithfully and conscientiously assist in the maintenance and development of the Order
To abide loyally by the will and decisions of the Lodge
To carry out duties and obligations in an exemplary and digniﬁed manner beﬁtting a SecondDegree

4.4 Conclusion of the Second Degree Ceremony

The President:
- Formally concluded the Second Degree raising ceremony.
- Expressed the fervent hope that, through loyalty and service, these brethren will, in time, become
  worthy of still higher degrees.
- Congratulated the newly raised
The Master of Ceremonies escorted the new Second Degree brethren to be seated with formality.

5. Presentation of Certiﬁcates and Badges

Worthy Brother Ivan was requested to present the certiﬁcates and badges to the newly raised Second Degree brethren present.

Brother’s Names were called
The President congratulated all on reaching this milestone, noting:
- While there is little change in “pay”, they are now on the next rung with a future goal of Third
  Degree, achievable after seven years in the lodge
- Third Degree status grants a seat and vote in the Hebrew Order of David International
  Senate, the policy-making body of the Order
The President mentioned the upcoming Biennial Conference:
- Held every two years.
- Next one will be in London next year.
- Members were encouraged to start planning and saving.

6. Return to Normal Agenda

6.1 Reason for Ritual Meeting

- The President explained that this meeting was conducted with full rituals because:
- Second Degree raises are a signiﬁcant milestone.

- The executive decided to pair the raises with appropriate ritual rather than
  treat them as an informal award only.

7. Correspondence and Previous Minutes

Brother Marty Stern reported no new correspondence.
Regarding previous minutes:
- They will not be typed out in the ET going. Instead, full minutes will be posted via a link in the ET.
- Brethren can click the link to access the detailed minutes
- Adoption of previous minutes will be handled at the next meeting after brethren have had time to review online

8. Project and Committee Updates

Mishloach Manot / “If My Not” Project
- The President extended a “big Yasher Koach” to Brother Robert Liener for his work on the project.
- A formal letter or certiﬁcate is still requested from the relevant organization:
  - Needed for lodge records and ﬁling.
  - While a version with a video link has already appeared in the ET, the President speciﬁcally requested the formal letter for ﬁling.

8.2 GMS Membership System

Brother Stuart reported:
- The GMS system is now largely ready to go and will become the “Bible” for membership data, replacing Excel
- Data now in GMs includes:
  - Cell phone numbers
  - Email addresses
  - Active vs inactive status
  - First and Second Degree information
  - Initiation dates (where known)

All brethren who received their Second Degree tonight have already been updated in the system.

Brother Jon’s fourth candle status will also be updated

The WB President thanked Brother Stuart and noted that the lodge now has to make the system work
for them, and Brother Don will still be leaned on for some assistance

8.3 Cemetery Graveside Project

Brother Richard Berry (responsible) was absent.
The discussion was deferred to the next meeting, but the President emphasized that the lodge is stillworking to launch the project.

8.4 Women’s Committee

Brother Stuart updated:
- A Women’s Committee of spouses and partners has been created to support lodge activities.
- The committee has had moderate success so
- Their role is to extend the lodge’s capacity in:
  - Community service projects (coordinate with Brother Robert)
  - Fundraising projects (coordinate with Brother Mark)
  - Social programs (coordinate with Brother Hank)
  - Speaker and program ideas
- Women will also be asked to volunteer at the International Food Festival.
The WB President asked brethren to encourage their wives to get involved, as
their perspective and assistance broaden the lodge’s reach.

9. Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer Brother Jeff Hacker presented the ﬁnancial position as of March 31:

Total in bank: $22,774.43 (as heard; exact ﬁgure should be checked against records).
This includes an internal allocation to the Benevolent (Bin) Fund, gross
amount $10,000 (with some amounts outstanding as loans).

Expenditure highlights:
- Preparations for the International Food Festival:
  - Supplies, ﬂags, rentals, shipping (FedEx),
- Payment to Chabad as a down payment related to the event
- $54 Passover Seder support:
  - For a member who had no place to go for Seder, the lodge covered his attendance at asynagogue Passover Seder

A grant of $918 was given (from collected donations) to the Friends of the IDF

Income highlights:
- Donations into the Monarch/Mishloach Manot-related
- Additional monies arriving in April, especially from International Food Festival activities(to appear in next month’s report).
The Treasurer conﬁrmed the lodge is solvent.
There are a number of members previously in bad standing due to unpaid dues:
- Of ~10–11 such members, 3 have now paid; 3 have retired from the Order.
- The situation remains ongoing, to be discussed with the President
The Treasurer has copies of detailed numbers available on

9.1 Financial Statements & Reconciliation

The President asked when operating ﬁnancial statements (not just bank reconciliations) will be ready.
The Treasurer:
- Reported he is resolving one last question with the accountant
- Hoped to have the issue cleared by tomorrow, and to distribute within the next week.

9.2 RSVP and Catering

The Treasurer reminded brethren:
- Meeting notices are going out via Punchbowl.
- The lodge must provide guaranteed numbers to the
- Brethren are asked to RSVP consistently to avoid catering
- Eventually, RSVPs will move from Punchbowl into the GMS system.

10. International Kosher Food, Wine & Spirits Festival

Event Overview and Targets
- Brother Stuart gave a detailed status report, using several target vs actual ﬁgures:

• Tickets:

Target: 300 tickets
Current actual: 16 tickets sold

• Sponsorships:

Budgeted target: $18,360
Current actual: $8,260 (about $10,000 short)

• Total Event Revenue:

Budget target: $60,250
Current actual: $10,124 (about $50,000 behind)

• Volunteers:

Required total: 52 volunteers
Current actual: 12 volunteers (need ~40 more)

Ticket pricing:
- $72 for HOD members
- $120 for non-members

• Volunteer Needs

- Two categories of volunteers:

1. Non-food volunteers

Registration
Auction assistance
Trash collection and general clean-up
Information booth
Light post-event clean-up

2. Food volunteers (servers at stations)

Approximately 15 stations:
12 country stations
3 additional stations (e.g., bread, soup, )

Food will be:
- Prepared in advance in many cases
- Some items cooked on site (e.g., fries, grilling) and brought in to stations

• A server’s role:

Take prepared food from the back
Place it on plates
Place plates on the display table for guests
Repeat for 1 hour 15 minutes per shift

Coverage needed from about 5:30 pm to 8:15 pm, requiring about 27 food volunteers;
currently only 1 clearly committed for that speciﬁc

Expectation for officers and brethren:
- If a brother is in town, it is expected he will attend and voluntee
- Spouses are also encouraged to volunteer for at least one shift.

10.3 Marketing & Sponsorship

Brother Robert (sponsorship lead):
- Has already gathered about half of the sponsorship goal and has more sponsors in the pipeline.
- Has repeatedly requested in the ET that each brother secure at least one sponsor, at any level:

- $720
- $1,800
- $3,600

If every brother in the room secures just one sponsorship, the lodge would meet or exceed its goal.
Texas Jewish Post (TJP):
- Will run three 1/3-page ads.
- An article about the event is planned before the

Another post-event article with photos will be submitted after the
Some community members have already commented that they saw the ad in TJP.

Other outreach:
- Brother Mark:
  - Approached his podiatrist, who is considering sponsorship with his wife.
  - Spoke to auto dealers from whom he has purchased
  - Promoted the event in a group of ~20 Jewish men, several of whom had already noticedthe TJP

• Committee of 12: Meets every Monday for at least an hour

- Works across sponsorships, logistics, marketing, and tracking,
  under Brother Stuart’s organization and reporting. under Brother Stuart’s organization and reporting.

Beneﬁciary organizations:
- Each beneﬁciary has received:
  - The sponsorship document
  - The event ﬂyer

They are to email their own mailing lists three times prior to the event.

• Israel 365:

- Has a mailing list of 3,000; they will send to their members three times.
- They will receive a table at the event to promote their organization.
Digital/Social
- - Flyers and brochures have been posted on Facebook; impact is UNCERTAIN.
  - Members are strongly encouraged to share the ﬂyer and QR code with their own contact lists
    by email and social media, as the lodge does not yet have a robust central CRM.

10.4 Kashrut and Event Clariﬁcations

It was formally announced that the International Kosher Food, Wine & Spirits
Festival is fully kosher.

The WB President noted:
- Guests will receive a branded wine glass (with the festival and HOD branding) at registration.
- A second glass will be available for spirits (e.g., margaritas, scotch).
- There will be a station to rinse wine glasses when changing

10.5 Parking and Logistics

Parking is a concern at the venue:
- The usual rear parking requires a long hallway walk to the event
Proposed solution:
Brother Mark is seeking a sponsor for valet parking.
However, valet alone may cause bottlenecks for arrivals and DEPRTURES

Alternative / preferred member parking:
- Free parking has been arranged at the neighboring church, similar to
  arrangements used for the chili cook-off.
- HOD members will be encouraged to park in the church lot, with signage provided,
  to keep valet parking available for guests and avoid congestion.
- Suggestion was made to explore a golf cart or similar shuttle
  from church parking to theentrance; this may be arranged via a valet

11. Community Service

The President revisited an earlier idea:
- Brother Hank Cohen visiting residents at Legacy, sharing stories and providing companionship,
  especially for those without family

• Brother Robert:

Conﬁrmed community-service projects will be re-focused after the festival.
Stated that, between Passover and the Food Festival, his time has been concentrated on the event.
Plans to advance the Legacy visit project starting after May 14.

12. Protocol, Terminology, and Formality

The President addressed concerns about a “downgrade” in formality:
- Even as some meetings are more relaxed, ritual meetings and correspondence
  should maintain proper lodge protocol.

Key points:
- The organization is a “Lodge”, not a “chapter”:

- Documents (including sponsorship materials and ET articles) should refer to it as a Lodge.

In lodge correspondence:
- Address brethren as “Brother,” “Brethren,” “Worthy Brothers,” “Brothers andWorthy Brothers”.
- Avoid generic terms like “guys” or “gentlemen”.
- Sign off with “Fraternally” rather than “Regards,” “Thanks,” , when writing to brethren.
In formal meetings:
- When addressed by the President or giving a formal response,
  brethren should stand and use proper ritual phrases.

- The President noted and commended Brother Wayne for correctly using
  “WorthyBrother President, your command will be attended to.”

13. Forthcoming Initiation Ceremony

The next open lodge meeting will include a formal initiation ceremony
for new initiates:

Expected 4–10 new brethren (to be conﬁrmed from ET).

A coffee meeting will be held Tuesday, April 21stat Worthy Brother Jeff Rommel’s house to meet the new initiates:

Sponsors are expected to attend with their candidates to welcome them and provide familiarity.

Dress code for the initiation meeting:

• Formal lodge attire:

Jacket required
No blue jeans
No open shoes
No shorts

14. Other Business

The Worthy Brother President invited any additional, critical items from the ﬂoor;
none of substance were raised beyond the above topics

15. Closing of the Lodge

The Secretary reported 17 brethren present, all signed in.
The Worthy Brother President proceeded with the closing ritual:
- Declared that the labours of the lodge had concluded.
- Formally closed the lodge in due form.

Action Items (Extracted from Discussion)

1. Minutes & ET Posting

- Upload this meeting’s full minutes to ET with a clickable link for members
- Provide copies on request to any brother before the next meeting
- Assignee: Worthy Brother President Boris Gremont (working with the Secretary).

2. Biennial Conference Planning

- Begin promoting and budgeting for the London Biennial Conference next year,
  encouraging brethren to start saving and planning.

- Assignee: President, with Executive

3. Cemetery Graveside Project

- Prepare to formally launch or signiﬁcantly advance the cemetery graveside project at the nextmeeting,
  despite the current deferral
- Assignee: Brother Richard Berry (lead), coordinated by President and Executive

4. GMS System Adoption

- Continue maintenance and reﬁnement of the GMS database (phones, emails, degrees, initiation dates).

- Plan migration of RSVP and ticketing from Punchbowl into GMS for future events.

- Assignees: Brother Stuart Rosenﬁeld (implementation), Brother Don Schwarz (support).

5. Benevolent (Bin) Fund Reconciliation

- Finalize details of loans/disbursements from the Bin Fund with legal guidance
- Ensure the reported Bin Fund balance accurately reﬂects outstanding loans.
- Assignee: Treasurer Jeff Hacker, with legal

6. Financial Statements Distribution

- Resolve remaining questions with the accountant
- Prepare and distribute operating ﬁnancial statements within one week of resolution
- Assignee: Treasurer Jeff Hacker

7. RSVP Discipline for Meetings

- Continue sending Punchbowl notices and encourage brethren to RSVP reliably to match catering numbers.
- Assignee: Treasurer Jeff Hacker (or officer managing invitations).

8. International Food Festival – Sponsorships

- Continue corporate and individual sponsorship outreach.
- Encourage every brother to secure at least one sponsor at any level
- Assignee: Brother Robert Weiner (lead), all brethren

9. International Food Festival – Volunteers

- Recruit the remaining ~40 volunteers (brethren and spouses) to reach 52 total.
- Fill station server positions and non-food roles (registration, auction, trash, info, clean-up).
- Assignee: Brother Stuart Rosenﬁeld, Women’s Committee, and event

10. Event Marketing & Publicity

- Continue TJP ads and articles leading up to and following the event
- Work with beneﬁciary organizations and Israel 365

Approved as a true record of the meeting 5/4/2026