The FJMC Quality Club Award is given to Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods who meet certain established criteria. The Quality Club Award says to both your club members, synagogue members and greater community that your Men’s Club or Brotherhood and its activities demonstrate excellence.
The award, an engraved, 15 year, perpetual plaque, was developed to encourage Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods to offer specific types of activities at the local, regional, and international level. The 2022-2023 FJMC Quality Club Award criteria are based on the programs and activities of YOUR Men’s Club or Brotherhood from May 1, 2022 through May 1, 2023.
To qualify for a 2022-2023 FJMC Quality Club Award your Men’s Club or Brotherhood must complete certain activities. There is a good chance that your Men’s Club or Brotherhood may already be doing almost everything needed to qualify for an FJMC Quality Club Award.
The first thing to do is to register your Men’s Club or Brotherhood to participate in the 2023 FJMC World Wide Wrap, to be held on SuperBowl Sunday morning, February 12, 2023 when Jewish Men and Women in Conservative/Masorti communities around the world will gather together to pray, learn, celebrate and share the mitzvah of wrapping Tefillin. Do it live, or do it on Zoom, or both – there are no wrong answers. Register your Men’s Club or Brotherhood today to take part in the 2023 FJMC World Wide Wrap; its fun and its free. Sign up today and view relevant program materials at: https://www.fjmc.org/wrap
Next, look at your annual Men’s Club or Brotherhood programming calendar and focus on November 2022 (Kristallnacht) and April 2023 (Yom Hashoah). One of the requirements to earn a Quality Club Award is for your Men’s Club or Brotherhood to engage in holocaust commemoration and education through distribution and lighting of FJMC Shoah Yellow Candles. Learn more about the Yellow Candle Program and view associated programming materials at: https://www.fjmc.org/content/yellow-candles-home.
The next requirement is for your Men’s Club or Brotherhood to conduct a Wellness program intended to provide physical health for your members and/or the greater community https://www.fjmc.org/content/you-your-club-and-fjmc-wellness-program, a Hearing Men’s Voices program https://www.fjmc.org/hearing-mens-voices or an Inclusion activity such as Keruv program https://www.fjmc.org/keruv-understanding-intermarriage or a special needs Shabbat.
Examples of a Wellness program could include a Sports league; walking group, a biking or running club, hiking group activities or weight loss program. The FJMC Hearing Men’s Voices program series has dozens of program ideas such as discussion of father-son relationships, men’s spirituality, men and their work and many more. Inclusion activities are intended to welcome all or any of the identified groups into the Jewish community by establishing or continuing at least 5 items from the Inclusion Committee Inclusion Implementation Guide. This can be live, or on Zoom, or both – there are no wrong answers.
Next, FJMC wants to meet and get to know your members. Invite an FJMC International or Regional representative to come to your Men’s Club or Brotherhood for a meet and greet, or as a speaker at your next Club meeting. Participate in an FJMC regional retreat, or an FJMC consultant-led regional or individual club training program. This can be live, or on Zoom, or both – there are no wrong answers. The FJMC and FloridaRegionFJMC.org have regional consultants available to facilitate a training program for your Jewish Men’s Club or Brotherhood. Learn more at: https://www.fjmc.org/content/consultants-help-your-club-region.
The final required task to qualify for an FJMC Quality Club Award is for your Jewish Men’s Club or Brotherhood to be, or become, a member in good standing of the FJMC. If your Men’s Club or Brotherhood is not already a member of the FJMC, then we sincerely hope after reading this article you will chose to join us and begin your journey to earning an 2022-2023 FJMC Quality Club award. Learn more about what FJMC affiliation can offer your Men’s Club or Brotherhood at: https://www.fjmc.org/content/affiliating-fjmc.
In addition to the above required activities, your Men’s Club or Brotherhood must also complete at least ten of the following twenty requirements under the categories of Programming Activities, Club Administration and Regional & International Participation. These activities can be live, or on Zoom, or both – there are no wrong answers.
Some examples of Programming activities can include (1) Minyan of Comfort – Develop and implement a Minyan of Comfort program for your congregation, working with your congregation’s clergy, or collaborate with synagogue clergy to develop an alternative Shabbat Experience as outlined in “Building Shabbat Community”; (2) a Joint Program with Sisterhood/Women’s League – Hold a joint program with a Women’s League Affiliate group of the same synagogue, if applicable; (3) Jewish Observance – Conduct a Jewish Observance Program that includes active participation, i.e., not just a Sunday morning speaker on the topic. Examples: Hebrew Literacy; Art of Jewish Living. www.fjmc.org course; Torah study with the Rabbi; selling Sukkah kits; Build-A-Pair, Program, Yad Shel Chai Program, etc..
(4) Community Service – Lead or participate in a Community Service Project to benefit your local community outside your congregation. Examples: Deliver food to the needy; hold religious services at an assisted living home; collect books and toys and deliver to a group home; etc.; (5) Synagogue Service – Lead or participate in a synagogue service project that enhances or benefits your synagogue or congregation. Examples: Provide ushers for services; publish a synagogue directory; do a clean-up or organizing project; sort tallisim and/or siddurim to find those that are worn and need to be retired; etc.
Additional examples of Programming Activities can include (6) Men’s Club Shabbat – Organize and host a Men’s Club Shabbat (Friday night, Saturday morning, or both); (7) Keruv – Lead or participate in a Keruv program. Examples: Programs to welcome interfaith families in your synagogue/congregation; discussion groups for congregants about interfaith experiences or issues; (8) Attracting Younger Members to Your Club – Encourage younger men to lead or organize a program of their choosing. Examples: Daddy-Daughter Dance, rock climbing, rafting, Olympics, etc.; or (9) Father-Child or Youth Support – Conduct or participate in a father-child program or youth support activity. Examples: Father-child group sports event or group attendance at a professional sports game; youth art contest; Camp Ramah scholarships; safe driving program.
(10) Joint Men’s Club Program – Collaborate on a program with another Men’s Club or Brotherhood (other than a regional activity). This can be with a Men’s Club/Brotherhood outside of the Conservative/Masorti movement. Include name(s) of other Men’s Club/Brotherhood (s) in submission to satisfy this criterion; and finally, (11) Steak and Scotch in the Sukkah, or Beer and Bible – Conduct an event in which ritual, bible, etc. is discussed in a fun environment. Your Men’s Club or Brotherhood is likely engaging in many of these activities, make them count towards a Quality Club Award.
Club Administration activities that count toward the FJMC Quality Club Award qualifications include (12) President Elect – Submit the name of your successor club president by May 1, 2023. This individual does not need to have the title of First Vice President but must have agreed to serve as your next president; (13) Email List – Submit valid email addresses for 90% of the members on your club membership list to “Chaverot”, the FJMC Membership system database, located on fjmc.org; (14) Communications – Conduct regular communications to inform club members of activities and/or meetings. Examples: Club Facebook page; newsletter (electronic or print); regular group e-mails; website; postcards; club’s programs advertised and promoted in synagogue newsletter; (15) Budget – Produce and adopt a budget for the 2022-23 program year; (16) Calendar – Publish (online or print) a calendar of planned club activities for the 2022-23 program year, and (17) Membership Drive – Conduct a membership recruitment effort such as direct calls/visits to potential members, hand out bagels at Sunday School drop-off.
In the category of Regional and International Participation, at least one member of your Men’s Club or Brotherhood (18) Leadership must be either an elected International FJMC officer (i.e., Executive Committee member), an elected Regional FJMC officer www.fjmc.org or an active member of an International FJMC committee (past International FJMC presidents must serve on a committee to qualify for this criterion). There are many ways for your Men’s Club or Brotherhood to get involved on an FJMC Committee – any of these gentlemen on the FJMC Executive Committee can assist you: https://www.fjmc.org/2021-2023-executive-committee.
An addition (19) Regional requirement is for at least one member of your Men’s Club or Brotherhood to attend a Regional honoree program, such as a Man-of-the-Year event, or another Regional event that is not training or a board meeting. Florida Region FJMC is planning several live Regional gatherings and events over the next year, beginning with Jewish Heritage Day at the Miami Marlins on August 14. https://floridaregionfjmc.org/2022/05/mens-club-baseball-brotherhood-miami-marlins-jewish-heritage-celebration/
Finally, on the (20) International level, your Men’s Club or Brotherhood can participate directly in an activity internationally to promote or enhance Masorti Judaism. Examples: Contribute mezuzot, FJMC books, siddurim, tallisim, tefillin, etc., to foreign congregations; correspond with foreign clubs or congregations to encourage their participation in the World Wide Wrap; contribute funds to Masorti synagogues or other institutions affiliated with the international Masorti/Conservative Movement.
FloridaRegionFJMC.org wants to give every Jewish Men’s Club and Brotherhood in the State of Florida the opportunity of earning the FJMC 2022-2023 Quality Club Award for your outstanding activities and programs. We also want your Men’s Club and Brotherhood members to come to the International Awards Ceremony and Gala to take place at the next biennial FJMC International Convention in Philadelphia, PA from June 29 to July 2, 2023. Begin your journey to earning an FJMC Quality Club Award for your Jewish Men’s Club or Brotherhood today and learn the many benefits of affiliation with the FJMC.
This message is brought to you by the Florida Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs. We serve the needs of Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods throughout the State of Florida. If you are not yet affiliated with the Federation, then today is the day to join us.
Get to know more about the FJMC Florida Region and our growing statewide network of Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods at www.FloridaRegionFJMC.org and please visit and LIKE our Florida Region FJMC Facebook Group at www.facebook.com/FloridaRegionFJMC.
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