2005 General Body Meeting

Jai Jinendra

The general body meeting will be held on October 23rd, 2005 at 10:30 am. All members are requested to attend and show your support.

Lunch will be served at 12:30 pm.

Here is the Agenda for the meeting.

Thank you,
Damyanti Dedhia

Ayambil Oli
October 07, 2005

Jai Jinendra,

Ayambil Oli is starting from Oct 9th and will end on Oct 18th.

Sponsor: Ayambil Tapasvi.

Please Contact Varshaben @ 215-743-7268 if you would like to do Ayambil at derasar.

Snatra Puja will be done everyday at 9:30 am during Ayambil Oli.

On Oct 9th there will be Navpad Puja at 10:00 am.

Please attend all events.

On Oct 4th construction started for the Expansion project. We would urge all members to park their cars at Merchantville Lodge to enter & exit through the front door on Cooper Ave. For White House - Dining Facility also enter through the front door.

During Construction time we appreciate your cooperation.

Thank you,
Damyanti Dedhia

Sponsorship for Jain Sangh Calendar
September 30, 2005

Jai Jinendra,

I hope you all enjoyed the Chaityaparipatty.

Here are events in the derasar for the month of October 2005.

Please plan to attend.

Diwali is on Nov 2nd and New Year on Nov 3rd. It is time to get ready for our Jain Sangh Calender.

13 Members can take labh of sponsoring one page each.

Here are the details.

First Page: Nakro $150
All other 12 pages: Nakro $125

To sponsor a page in calender please contact
Dhana Dalal at 856-751-2062


Thank you,
Damyanti Dedhia

Message from the President
September 28, 2005

Dear Sadharmik Brothers and Sisters:

On Wednesday, September 14th, I received an anonymous letter that asked the EC/BOT to:

1. Stop construction because of changing demographics of the neighborhood and falling property prices, and specifically mentioned that he/she had confidential information that the SAFETY BUS property was being considered for low-income housing.
2. Sell the Temple property while its value was high and relocate.
3. Post the letter on the notice board, publish it in the newsletter, and notify donors.
4. The author also alleged that the EC/BOT had not personally contributed to the project, and so was not motivated to act with financial responsibility.

On Thursday, September 15th, at an EC/BOT meeting, it was resolved that inquiries should be made, the findings shared with the Sangh, and the anonymous letter should not be posted. To date, the EC/BOT has not posted anonymous letters, for multiple reasons:

1. The author chose to remain anonymous and not provide evidence or a source for the claims, so it was considered prudent to first determine the facts.
2. The author proposed stopping construction and relocating the Temple. It was decided such significant proposals required thorough research before presentation.
3. The author made racial comments and stereotypical references we deemed detrimental to the Sangh's relationship with neighbors and township committee members. This Sangh is not racist, and it is not prejudiced.
4. Untrue allegations and rumors have surfaced before, and it was possible these claims had a similar foundation.

On Sunday, September 18th, copies of the letter were posted (without EC/BOT knowledge) throughout the property. That day, nearly 40 members of another Sangh were visiting (on a Chaityaparipaty). The letter’s claims had not yet been verified, so our Sangh could not provide good, factual answers to questions. We discussed our open communications policy, and stated that some in our Sangh had apparently chosen to use anonymous postings to voice their opinions and thoughts, and that we were investigating the claims.

On Thursday, September 22nd, after a week of discussions with the township to understand its position and intentions regarding the Safety Bus property, it was confirmed by township economic development officials that, “Safety Bus is not going anywhere.” We ask that the person(s) who mailed and posted the letter to please come forward and/or provide any evidence of their claims. Until then, based on township comments, this issue is considered closed.

The EC/BOT supports open communications and will continue to do so via newsletters and Sangh letters, the website, verbal updates at the temple and in casual conversation, and at the general body meetings. We are open to support, comments, suggestions, and criticism. However, this incident demonstrates that anonymous postings can have a negative impact by harming our relationships with neighbors and the township, leaving a bad impression with visiting Sanghs, and by spreading unverified rumors within the Sangh. In the future, we sincerely request that such issues be forwarded directly to EC/BOT so they can be researched with political sensitivity and diplomacy, and resolved in the best interest of the Sangh, and all involved.

Sincerely,

Damyanti Dedhia & Your EC/BOT

Incidentally, the personal donations of the EC/BOT represent approximately 20% of the total funds raised, and the unanimously approved financial restrictions for this project remain in effect.

Last Updated: 10/22/05

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