Bylaws

Bylaws of the Utah Jewish Historical Society

Adopted December 2025

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this organization is the “Utah Jewish Historical Society”, hereinafter referred to as the “Society” or “UJHS”.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

The purpose of this Society is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and publicize material of every kind having reference to the settlement, history, and life of Jews in the state of Utah, and to promote and encourage research in Utah Jewish history as well as the personal family history of Utah’s Jews, including those currently living in Utah with no Utah background and those who are descended from Utah’s Jews but are no longer part of the faith.

The Society’s activities shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

  1. To research Utah’s Jewish history and Utah’s Jewish family history.
  2. To locate, protect, and preserve public and private Jewish historical and genealogical records in Utah and to make such records available to Society members and the public.
  3. To publish historical and genealogical information and to encourage the publication of worthy materials in the field of Jewish historical research in Utah.
  4. To promote an interest in Utah’s Jewish history and to encourage interested persons to pursue and preserve their own genealogical information.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Eligibility – Membership shall be open to anyone interested in promoting the purposes of the Society without regard to race, religion, or ethnic identification.

Fiscal Year – The fiscal year of the Society shall be the calendar year, January to December.

Dues – Dues shall be paid by each member of the Society to defray costs incurred in running the Society. Membership follows the fiscal year of the Society. Membership fees shall be due and payable annually. Any member who has paid their dues in full for the year is in good standing. Dues and membership types will be set by the Board of Directors.

Voting Privileges – According to their membership type, each member in good standing shall have one vote on motions presented at meetings. Membership is not transferable. Proxy votes are not permitted.

Quorum – For the purpose of conducting business, five members in good standing shall constitute a quorum. Three Board members shall constitute a quorum for the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS

  1. Board Meetings – The Board of Directors shall meet as frequently as the business of the Society may require, but at least once a year. A meeting of the Board may be called by the President or requested by any two members of the Board. The Board must be notified at least two weeks in advance of any meeting, unless all Board members unanimously agree to an earlier time.
  2. Annual Meeting – One Annual Meeting shall be held each year for the purpose of conducting such business as may come before the Society. The date and place of the Annual Meeting shall be determined by the Board of Directors. Announcement of the meeting shall be published at least sixty days prior to such meeting. It shall consist of reports of the state of the Society and elections in appropriate years.
  3. Special Meetings – The Society may have periodic meetings in support of speakers relevant to the purposes of the society, or for other planned events.
  4. Meetings may be conducted in person, virtually, or both.
  5. Robert’s Rules of Order, current version, will govern the Society in all cases in which they are applicable and not inconsistent with these Bylaws.

ARTICLE V – OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  1. The term of office of elected Officers and Directors shall be two years. The terms shall begin and end at the close of the Annual Meeting of the calendar year in election years.
  2. There shall be no limitation of term of office.
  3. No person shall serve as an elected Officer or Board Member who is not a member in good standing.
  4. The elected officers shall consist of the President, the Vice President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary.
  5. The Board of Directors shall consist of the Officers, the immediate past President, the Chairpersons of Committees, and any Members at Large.
  6. In the event of the resignation or incomplete term of a member of the Board of Directors, the President may appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of the term.
  7. Any Board member may be removed from office, subject to a two-thirds vote of the Board. The Board must show cause for the removal.

ARTICLE VI – DUTIES OF OFFICERS

All Officers are expected to attend a majority of board meetings and the Annual Meeting.

The President shall be the principal executive officer with the responsibility for general supervision of the affairs of the Society, with specific duties to:

  1. Preside at all meetings of the Society.
  2. Appoint committees and chairpersons as necessary.
  3. Sign all contracts and documents authorized by the Society. Administer all necessary executive decisions on behalf of the Society.
  4. Be an ex-officio member, or the chair, of committees, as needed.

The Vice President shall be the deputy to the executive officer, with specific duties to:

  1. Share the duties of the President as needed.
  2. Assume the duties of the President in the absence of, or at the request of, the President.

The Treasurer shall:

  1. Maintain the financial records of the organization using acceptable accounting practices, keeping an accurate accounting of income and expenditures.
  2. Collect membership dues and promptly deposit all receipts.
  3. Provide a written financial report for the Annual Meeting and for Board Meetings when requested.
  4. Prepare an annual budget for the Society.
  5. With the Secretary, maintain an accurate list of members in good standing, being sure that all paid members have access to members-only content on the web site.

The Secretary shall:

  1. Record and publish the minutes for all business meetings, notably the Board Meetings and the Annual Meeting.
  2. Take attendance at meetings.
  3. Maintain accurate contact information for all membership and work with the Treasurer to insure all members have access to the members-only content.

ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES

From time to time, as the organization grows and it becomes necessary, the Board of Directors shall have the power to create and appoint committees to help carry on the business of the organization. The committees can be temporary or permanent as designated by the Board.

The Membership Committee shall identify and encourage others to join the Society. They are responsible for promoting membership, acquiring new members, maintaining the current membership list, maximizing membership engagements, participating in planning/staging of the Annual Meeting. The Committee shall consist of the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Vice President, who will serve as Chair, along with additional volunteers.

The Finance Committee shall have the responsibility to advise the Board on appropriate budgeting and accounting practices as a nonprofit corporation. Other functions of this Committee shall be to propose an annual budget and to monitor income and expenditures and conduct an audit as directed by the Board. The Treasurer shall serve on this Committee, serving as Chair in the absence of another volunteer.

The Web Site Committee shall have the responsibility of determining the content of the web site. The Webmaster shall be the Chair of the committee in the absence of another volunteer.

The Nominating Committee shall have the responsibility to choose and present a slate of officers to fill board positions during elections, one per position. They may or may not inform the membership if others have requested to be on the ballot, at their discretion.

ARTICLE VIII – NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Elections shall be held at the Annual Meeting in each alternate calendar year, when the term of office of current Officers and Board members ends. Elections shall take place in odd numbered years. The slate for voting shall be given in writing to the membership at least two weeks prior to such meeting if a Nominating Committee exists.

  1. A Nominating Committee may be appointed preceding the expiration of the two year term of office.
  2. Members wanting to serve should inform the Committee before they have selected a slate.
  3. The Nominating Committee chairperson shall present the slate for motion to nominate.
  4. Nominations may be made by the general membership from the floor at the meeting.
  5. Each nominee must give their consent to serve if elected.
  6. Each member in good standing, if their membership type includes voting privileges, may vote in Society elections.
  7. All Officers must have been a member in good standing for at least one full year prior to being elected and must maintain that membership throughout their term.
  8. Voting shall be by voice or hand if only one candidate is running for office. If more than one candidate is running for any one office, the voting will be by written ballot or electronic. The candidate receiving the majority of the votes cast is elected provided a quorum is present.
  9. Newly elected Officers and Board members shall be installed as the last item of business and they shall assume office at the close of the meeting.
  10. In the case of there being more than one candidate for any position, and by the consensus of the Board, electronic voting may remain open to members for one week from the meeting date. Newly elected Officers and Board members’ terms will then begin with the finalization of the election.
  11. In the event of a lack of a quorum at an election meeting, the Board is authorized to cast the necessary vote(s) in the interest of the membership.

ARTICLE IX – PROFESSIONAL STAFF

The Board of Directors shall have the authority to engage the services and/or contract individuals or businesses to carry out the organization, administration, and coordination of the Society’s activities. These services may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Executive Director – The Executive Director shall be the chief administrator of the Society and shall serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.

Webmaster – The Webmaster shall be responsible for the operation of the Society’s web site, including designing and maintaining the site. They will determine the organization of how to present the information produced by the Society and determine editorial policies for the site. The Webmaster shall serve as the Chair of the Web Site Committee. The Committee will share in the determinations of the content and policies of the web site.

Journal Editor – The Journal Editor shall be responsible for publishing and distributing the Society’s publications.

Archivist – The Archivist shall maintain the Society’s archives including past minutes, documents, publications, papers, books, genealogies, and historical research.

Accountant – The Accountant may assist or cover for some of the duties of the Treasurer.

By virtue of the position, the Executive Director serves as a non-voting member of the Board of Directors. The other positions may be appointed to the Board as voting or non-voting members, as the Board sees fit.

ARTICLE X – DISSOLUTION OF SOCIETY

In the event of dissolution, funds and tangible property of the Society shall be distributed to nonprofit organizations or organizations exempt under 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Jewish Genealogy Indexing and Research Collective, unless otherwise voted by a majority of the Society membership, shall be the recipient of said assets.

ARTICLE XI – TAX EXEMPT STATUS

Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles, the Society shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an association exempted from Federal Income Tax under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue law), or by (b) an association, contributions to which are deductible under 170 (c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

ARTICLE XII – AMENDMENTS

  1. Once adopted, these Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the votes cast by members in good standing in person or electronically.
  2. Proposals shall be provided to the membership at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which the amendments will be decided.
  3. Voting may begin when the proposals are sent to the membership and will close by the end of said meeting, for electronic voting.