It has come to the attention of members of Congregation Ahavath Torah that the Executive Officers of the Congregation are considering recommending to the synagogue's Board of Trustees that it should not approve the renewal of Rabbi Chaim Poupko's contract and that the Board of Trustees should alone vote on this material and monumental decision without submitting it to a vote by the Membership of the Congregation.

Rabbi Poupko is the Spiritual Leader of the Congregation and one who has been a beloved employee and friend to the Congregation and its Membership of over fifteen (15) years. Prior to approval of Rabbi Poupko's current contract the synagogue polled the Membership regarding their choice for a new rabbinic leader, and the Board of Trustees and the search committee informed the Membership that in excess of eighty percent (80 %) of the members were in favor of hiring Rabbi Poupko as the Congregation's new Rabbi and Spiritual Leader. Rabbi Poupko's current contract was then approved by an over-whelming and enthusiastic margin of the Membership. In our view, by his leadership and teaching and his pastoral excellence over the past two years, Rabbi Poupko has more than lived up to these high expectations.

The signers of the Petition wish to let the Executive Officers and The Board of Trustees know that we strongly feel that the Executive Officers and Board of Trustees are considering taking away the voice and the vote of the Membership and would be usurping the role of the Membership in choosing who should be its Rabbi. Accordingly, we demand that the decision regarding whether or not Rabbi Poupko should continue as our Rabbi must be left to Membership.

By our signatures below, the members reject the Executive Officers' and Board of Trustees' actions and their violation of the synagogue's constitution and longstanding synagogue practices: