British and Irish Association for Jewish Studies Constitution 

  1. Name
    The Association shall be called ‘The British and Irish Association for Jewish Studies’ (BIAJS).
  2. Aims
    The aims of the Association shall be to promote and defend in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, on a non-profit-making basis, the scholarly study of Jewish culture in all its aspects within Higher Education; to organise conferences; to initiate and support research and publication.
  3. Membership
    (i) Ordinary Members
    Ordinary membership shall be open to scholars concerned with the academic pursuit of Jewish Studies. Ordinary members shall be entitled to vote at meetings of the Association and shall be eligible for membership of the Committee and for Office.

(ii) Student Members
Student membership shall be open to graduate students working for a higher degree in the field of Jewish Studies.

(iii) Associate Members
Associate membership shall be open to (a) those outside the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland who have a serious academic interest in Jewish Studies, and (b) those within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland with a serious academic interest in Jewish Studies but who are not professionally involved in the subject. Associate members will not have voting rights but are welcome to attend the Association’s conferences.

  1. Election to Membership
    Application for membership shall be made to both the Secretary and Treasurer. Applications shall be considered by at least two Committee members, and, if approved, membership shall commence upon payment of the subscription.
  2. Subscriptions
    A subscription is payable by every ordinary member, student member and associate member as a condition of membership. The amount will be determined from time to time by the Annual General Meeting. The membership of any ordinary or associate member whose subscription is more than two years in arrears may be deemed to have lapsed.
  3. Accounts
    The balance sheet and income and expenditure accounts of the Association shall be submitted for approval to the Annual General Meeting.
  4. The Committee of the Association
    The business of the Association shall be conducted by a Committee consisting of the Officers and ordinary Committee members of the Association.

Officers
The Officers shall be the President, Treasurer, Secretary, Web Officer, Editor of the Bulletin, Social Media Officer, and Events Officer. They shall be elected to hold office for one year. The President is not eligible for immediate re-election. The President shall be pre-elected at the Annual General Meeting held two years before the year in which he or she is due to hold office. The Treasurer, Secretary, Web Officer, Editor of the Bulletin, Social Media Officer and Events Officer may be re-elected annually. In the event of either the Treasurer or Secretary demitting office in mid-term, the President shall be empowered to appoint a new Treasurer or Secretary to hold office until the next Annual General Meeting.

Committee Members
Eight members shall be elected to the Committee for the following year at the Annual General Meeting, to serve for five years. Members who have completed a full term of office shall be eligible for re-­election for one further term, but thereafter cannot be re-­elected for a period of 3 years. Presidents-­elect shall be ex officio members of the Committee. The ex-­President shall be an ex-officio member of the Committee for one year. The Committee shall have the power to co-­opt up to two additional members.

Election
Nominations for election to the Committee and to office shall be signed by two ordinary members who have secured the nominees consent. They shall either be sent to the Secretary 15 days before the Annual General Meeting or presented to him or her at this meeting.

Quorum
Six shall be a quorum at any meeting of the Committee.

  1. Annual General Meeting
    There shall be an Annual General Meeting at a time and place determined by the Committee for the election of Officers and Committee members, for the receipt of the accounts, and for the receipt of a report on the activities of the Association. This meeting may be held as an in-person, online, or hybrid event. A minimum notice of 30 days will be given to ordinary members. Notice of any motion to be proposed by a member shall be seconded by another member and shall reach the Secretary at least 15 days before the Annual General Meeting.
  2. Other Meetings
    Conferences, seminars and study meetings may be arranged by the Committee.
  3. Income
    The income and property of the Association shall be used exclusively towards the furthering of the aims of the Association. All Officers and Committee members of the Association shall be honorary.
  4. Constitution
    (i) The Constitution of the Association may be amended at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting, upon a 2/3 majority of those present either in-person or online.
    (ii) Every member shall receive a copy of the Constitution of the Association.