IMS By-Law – NPO no. 580048130

1. Name of the Organization: The Israeli Musicological Society.
2. Objectives and Methods of Operation:
   1. The purpose of the Society is to advance musicological research and musical documentation and librarianship, and to foster the development of musical culture in Israel.
   2. The Society’s methods of operation shall include the publication of journals and other materials, the organization of lectures, discussions, conferences, etc., and collaboration with institutions whose objectives align with those of the Society, both domestically and internationally.
3. Registered Address: The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, care of Dr. Barak Schossberger, Mount Scopus Campus, Jerusalem 9190501.
4. Membership: The Society shall consist of regular members, supporting members, and friends. Membership becomes effective following a written application to the Society’s management and the payment of membership fees or contributions as specified in sections 4A to 4C. Members who fail to pay their membership fees for more than one year will have their membership terminated after receiving a notification from the Society’s management, in accordance with section 16(2) of the Non-Profit Organizations Law of 1980, after being afforded a reasonable opportunity to present their case. 
   1. Members: Membership is open to all individuals over the age of 18 who are permanent residents of Israel and who endorse the Society’s objectives. Membership fees will be established in the internal by-laws.
   2. Supporting Members: Supporting membership may be granted to any individual or legal entity that donates a minimum amount as specified in the internal bylaws. Supporting members are not required to pay annual membership fees and shall enjoy the same rights as regular members if they are permanent residents of Israel, and the rights of friends of the Society if they are not.
   3. Friends of the Society: Friends of the Society may include any individuals over the age of 18 who do not reside permanently in Israel and any legal entity whose principal place of business is outside Israel, who express a desire to support the Society. Their application must be approved by the Society’s management. Friends of the Society shall not have voting rights.
5. Funding of the Society’s Activities: The Society’s activities are financed through membership fees and by donations, bequests, and grants from institutions and individuals. Furthermore, the Society may occasionally organize paid events that further its objectives.
6. Governing Bodies of the Society: The governing bodies of the Society shall be the Management, the Council, and the Audit Committee.
   1.  The Management shall consist of seven Society members: a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson (who may also serve as Secretary or Treasurer), and another member who may serve as Treasurer or Secretary. Additionally, two editors of the Society’s journal (“Min-Ad”) and an administrative manager and content editor of the Society’s website, who are not salaried employees of the organization, will also serve on the Management. 
      1. The Management will be elected by the Society’s members at a general assembly every two years, according to a candidate list prepared by the Council. Members of the Management or individual members thereof may not be consecutively re-elected but only for an additional term of two years, except for the editors of the bulletin and the website managers, who may be re-elected every two years. Management members may be re-elected after a hiatus of at least two years.
      2. The list of candidates for the management will be prepared by the Council in the form of a team proposal consisting of five to seven management members, or in the form of individual candidate proposals, with the candidates for the chairperson’s role specified. Should the chairperson or vice-chairperson not complete their term, the assembly is authorized to elect representatives to the management (chairperson or vice) for a shorter period to synchronize the start of the next tenure of the chairperson and vice-chairperson.
   2. Council of the Society: The Council shall consist of thirteen members: the seven members of the Management and six additional members who will serve on the Council for a term of three years and may not be re-elected until at least one year has elapsed. 
      1. The Council is empowered to determine the candidate list for elections to the Society’s governing bodies, to delineate the Society’s operational methods, to approve the budget proposed by the Management, and to appoint new members to the Management in the place of those who have left, between general assemblies.
      2. Annually, at the General Assembly, two members (who are not part of the Management) will be elected to the Council to replace two retiring members, according to a list compiled by the Council.
      3. The Chairperson of the Management shall serve as the Chairperson of the Council.
      4. The Council shall convene at least once a year, prior to the General Assembly.
   3.  Audit Committee:  The Audit Committee, tasked with inspecting the financial operations of the Society and reporting at the annual general assembly, will be elected at the general assembly annually.
7. General Assembly: 
   1. The general assembly shall convene at least annually, with the agenda including approval of the Management report, the Audit Committee report, elections to the Management, the Council, the Audit Committee, etc. The assembly may elect a Chairperson who is not necessarily the Chairperson of the Society.
   2. The general assembly is deemed lawful and its decisions binding if convened with at least two weeks’ notice and if at least 51% of the members are present. Should this quorum not be met, a second assembly may be convened, which will be lawful irrespective of the number of participants.
   3. The committee is authorized to convene a general assembly at any time, upon written request by the Society’s Audit Committee or by one-tenth of all the Society’s members. 
   4.  The annual assembly elects Management members biennially as specified in section 6A.
   5. The general assembly elects two Council members annually as specified in section 6B.
   6. The general assembly elects the Audit Committee annually as specified in section 6C.
   7. The Management must notify the holding of the general assembly and its agenda at least two weeks before the assembly is convened. The failure of members to receive such notice does not invalidate the legality of the assembly.
8. Amendments to the Bylaws: The Society is authorized to amend these bylaws by a decision of the general assembly, passed by a majority of those eligible to vote. Such amendments must be registered with the Registrar of Non-Profit Organizations and will become effective from the date of registration.
9. Internal Bylaws: The Council is authorized to establish internal bylaws that will include procedural regulations for the Society’s operations. Amendments to these bylaws require the Council’s approval.
10. Signing Checks and Conducting Banking Transactions: All checks and other banking transactions of the Society must be signed by two members of the Management.
11. Dissolution of the Society: The decision to dissolve the Society can only be made by a special general assembly convened specifically for this purpose by the Management upon the request of a majority of the Council members. A dissolution decision is only lawful if supported by at least a two-thirds majority of those present at the general assembly.
    • Upon dissolution, after all debts are fully settled, any remaining assets shall be transferred to another public institution as defined in section 29(b) of the Income Tax Ordinance and shall not be distributed among the members.
12. Miscellaneous: The assets and revenues of the Society shall be utilized solely for its purposes. The distribution of profits or any benefits in any form among its members is prohibited.