Form 1023 Application for Recognition of Exemption (Rev. Sept. 1998) Under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code Dept. of the Treasury OMB No. 1545-0056 Internal Revenue Service * Applicant’s Notation: Where changes or additions have been made to the original submission, these are shown in bold. Part I Identification of Applicant 1a Full name of organization (as shown in organizing document) 2 Employee Identification Number SHECHINAH THIRD TEMPLE, INC. 11 3567327 1b c/o Name (if applicable) 3 Name and telephone number of person to be contacted if additional 1c Address (number and street) information is needed 10 Westminster Ct Dr. Jerry Pollock 631-632-8924 (day) 1d City, town, or post office, state and zip + 4 631-265-2958 (night) Nesconset, New York 11767 4 Month the annual accounting period ends 1e Web site address December www.shechinahthirdtemple.org or www.thirdtempleinfo.com 5 Date incorporated or formed 08/16/00 6 Not applicable 7 Did the organization previously apply for recognition of exemption under this Code x x section or under any other section of the Code? If yes, attach an explanation. Yes No 8 Is the organization required to file Form 990 (or Form 990-EZ)? x x If “No,” attach an explanation (see page 3 of the Specific Instructions) Yes No 9 Has the organization filed Federal income tax returns or exempt information x x returns. If “Yes,” state the form numbers, years filed and Internal Revenue Yes No office where filed. 10 Check the box for the type of organization. Attach a conformed copy of the organizing documents to the application before mailing. a x x Corporation – Attach a copy of the Articles of Incorporation showing approval by the state official; also include a copy of the by-laws b Trust - Attach a copy of the Trust Indenture or Agreement c Association - Attach a copy of the Articles of the Association. I declare under the penalties of perjury that the above application is true and correct Sign Here ____________ Print Name and Title Dr. Jerry Pollock, Founding Director Date 10/24/00 Part II Activities and Operational Information 1 Provide a detailed narrative description of all the activities of the organization – past, present, and planned. The long term goal of the Shechinah Third Temple Corporation is the building of the Third Temple in the State of Israel. However, because the Hebrew Bible sets out certain requirements to be fulfilled prior to the building of the Temple, the primary objective of the Shechinah Third Temple, Inc. shall be to raise funds for the future building of the Third Temple. It should be emphasized that the site of the Third Temple will not be in Jerusalem as Jerusalem will be a rebuilt city to the south as detailed in the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible (the Temple may be considered to be part of a greater Jerusalem in the Messianic Age). Indeed, it is felt that the spiritual, scholastic and historical purposes of the Third Temple shall promote understanding and peace among the nations of the world. The “Building Fund” shall encompass the following entities: a. Land and Building of the Third Temple (i) It is hoped that the land for the building of the Shechinah Third Temple shall be gifted from the Government of Israel because of historical significance of the Third Temple to the Jewish people and to people of all Nations. However, if this is not the case, the Corporation shall be fully prepared to purchase this land using monies generated from its fundraising activities. Costs for the building of synagogues and churches are a necessary expense for any such ‘not for profit’ tax exempt place of worship. (ii) It is not anticipated that the purchase of the land shall be finalized until the bulk of the costs for building the future Third Temple have been obtained through our fundraising efforts. At present, it is difficult to estimate the costs of building a magnificent structure for the Jewish people and the world at large; however funds shall be allocated for architectural design and for construction of external and internal decorative structures as well as for the costs of maintenance of the Temple. The latter will in addition, necessitate funds for personnel and resource materials to carry out the spiritual and public educational functions of the Temple. (iii) Under the guidance of its Board of Directors, the Corporation shall establish the building fund for the all inclusive development of the Shechinah Third Temple. The Officers of the Corporation shall include 36 Members in honor of King David who surrounded himself with thirty-six righteous members. The Board of Directors shall consist of Rabbis of Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Traditionalist movements of Judaism in the USA and abroad; scholars, philanthropists and prominent lay persons in the Jewish community and leaders of charitable and educational organizations such as The Hillel Foundation of Jewish Life, Young Judaea Clubs, The World Jewish Congress, The United Jewish Appeal Federation, The Simon Wiesenthal Center, The Red Magen David, The Bnai Brith, Hadassah International, The National Council of Jewish Women, Chabad, etc. Because the Third Temple is for all peoples, righteous non-Jewish individuals will also have an opportunity to serve as Board Members. b. Travel to Visit the Third Temple (i) In order to validate the charitable nature of the Shechinah Third Temple as a place for all people, the Corporation shall appropriate funds to provide opportunities to persons of all faiths to visit the Temple and come closer to God (G-d out of reverence). (ii) Travel grants will be initiated at the time of construction of the Third Temple. Although Jews and non-Jews of all ages have the opportunity to apply for travel grants, a great effort will be made to interest Jewish youths to visit the Temple and learn about its spiritual, educational and historical origins. (iv) Under the auspices of the Shechinah Third Temple Corporation, travel funds shall be coordinated through Chabad, The Hillel Foundation for Jewish Life, Young Judaea Clubs and Synagogue cultural programs. Each of these organizations shall be permitted to apply for Block Travel Grants for distribution to the Jewish community as well as to non-Jews who express their desire to visit the Third Temple. It is hoped that, ultimately, all Jews and non-Jews shall have the opportunity to visit and pray in the Third Temple. Internal Revenue Additional Information Request On Our Travel Program Submitted on January 29, 2001 I, Jerry Pollock, am a Professor in the Oral Biology and Pathology Department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Although I have not been directly involved in the School of Dental Medicine scholarship program, I do know that our School, as well as University-wide scholarships are awarded on academic merit and financial need. Such a program, which is part of most institutions of higher learning, seems to work well and therefore I feel it would be reasonable for us to incorporate both merit and need equally into our own travel grant program. Your second statement asked for a description of our scholarship selection committee. I believe that one approach might be to ask the Chairperson of our Corporation’s Board of Directors to appoint a subcommittee from its Members to serve as Reviewers of application requests for travel grants. Ten Members, represented from the different groups on our Board of Directors, would give this selection committee credibility and would be a practical number to handle a streamlined applications process. The application itself would consist of pertinent financial statements but also would entail that the applicant write a personal essay of no more than one type-written page spelling out his or her desire to visit the Third Temple. As you pointed out in your letter, the Shechinah Third Temple is to be constructed in Israel in the future. Therefore travel grants can only be awarded when the Temple is actually built. We would envision that the Travel Grants would cover round trip airfare plus three nights lodging and meals at an estimated cost in today’s dollars of $2,000. per award. Initially, we would fund ten awards with gradual progression to one-hundred, once we have had the opportunity to judge the success of the pilot project. In addition, the number of grants we could support will depend upon the profits we realize from the investments of our fundraising monies. In our view, we would not want to either limit the religious denominations of individuals who chooses to apply to the program; however, as outlined in our form 1023 submission, we shall award these grants, for the most part, to interested Jewish youths who can come to the Third Temple to learn about its spiritual, educational and historic origins and in so doing gain an understanding of their own heritage. Of course, the Temple shall be totally open to peoples of all faiths with or without the assistance of a travel stipend. At this point in time, it is difficult to estimate the number of applicants who will apply to the program since we have not yet run the experiment. However, should we receive an overwhelming response of applicants, we may have to adopt different measures to handle the process expeditiously. Five-hundred applications for an eventual one-hundred travel awards would not seem unreasonable as each of our ten subcommittee members, within their busy daily schedules, could review fifty essays and each select ten finalist on merit and financial need. Subsequently, finalists can be presented to our Board of Directors at their annual meeting. Once award nominees have been accepted by the Board of Directors, it will be the responsibility of one of our Vice Presidents to make the arrangements for travel and accommodations. The Shechinah Third Temple will directly make payment for the awardees to avoid misuse of funds. Daily attendance at the Third Temple will be mandatory for the three day period so that awardees can receive cultural, educational and historical lectures of Judaism’s spiritual roots. By following these procedures, we can avoid misuse of travel funds, but there is always the possibility and likely probability that a very small percentage of individuals will attempt to abuse the system by using these grants simply as a means of taking a vacation. The Corporation has no problem with individuals enjoying themselves in Israel before or after their time at the Third Temple provided that they do so at their own expense and pay any additional incurred fees, such as for example, last minute airline reservation changes. All successful applicants will sign a written contract guaranteeing that they will meet their obligations to the Third Temple. Should they fail in their responsibility, we would stipulate in the signed contract that they are obliged to return the full funds or face possible legal charges. Acting on behalf of the Officers of the Shechinah Third Temple Corporation and the future Board of Directors, I agree with the last statement of your letter. Awards will not be granted to families of Officers of the Corporation or to relatives of the Board of Directors which includes the Members of the Travel Grant Selection Committee. Such a statement can become part of a Chairperson’s charge to the subcommittee, or alternatively could be added as an amendment to the By-Laws. 2. What are or will be the organization’s sources of financial support? List in order of size. In furtherance of its charitable status, the Shechinah Third Temple Corporation shall be enabled under the not for profit law to solicit funds primarily from individuals and also foundations in unlimited amounts beginning at one dollar. 3. Describe the organization’s fundraising program, both actual and planned, and explain to what extent it has been put into effect. Include details of fundraising activities such as selective mailings, formation of fundraising committees, use of volunteers or professional fundraisers, etc. Attach representative copies of solicitations for financial support. At present, fundraising has not begun and will convene after the first meeting of the Board of Directors (see By-Laws). Funds will be gathered by personal mailings, telephone conversations, commercial advertisements and on the internet. Funding will also be sought from appropriate Foundations through grant submissions. In the Event of Dissolution of the Corporation A dissolution clause was unknowingly omitted from the Certificate of Incorporation and is added here in the inclusion materials of Form 1023. In case of dissolution of the Shechinah Third Temple, Inc., note that there is a change to the previous assignment so that all property and assets will no longer be assigned to either the Hillel Foundation or the Simon Weisenthal Center. Instead, all assets will be assigned to Chabad Lubavitch serving SUNY at Stony Brook under the auspices of the non-profit tax exempt Chabad Lubavitch of Long Island. Their goals and purposes appear to be closest to that of the Shechinah Third Temple as they too desire a Third Temple and work towards both peace and the Messianic age more than any other Jewish group. Part II Activities and Operational Information (Continued) 4. Give the following information about the organization’s governing body. a. Names, addresses and titles of officers, directors, trustees, etc. Executive Director Rabbi Michael Ivry President Jerry Pollock, Ph.D. Vice-President Sean Pollock Vice-President Magnus Andersson Treasurer Thomas Spradley, Ph.D. Secretary Erin Andersson Chairman of Board Rabbi Adam Stein of Directors Board Member Wesley Pollock Rabbi Michael Ivry Dr. Jerry Pollock 943 Hawkins Avenue 10 Westminster Ct. Lake Grove, NY 11755 Nesconset, NY 11767 Sean Pollock Magnus Andersson 37 Seville Lane 3020 NE 32nd Avenue Apt. 913 Stony Brook, NY 11790 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308 Dr. Thomas Spradley Erin Andersson 320 NW 73rd Terrace 3020 NE 32nd Avenue Apt. 913 West Hollywood, FL 33024 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308 Rabbi Adam Stein Wesley Pollock 31 Mount Rd. 52 Skywood Drive Stony Brook, NY 11790 Richmond Hill, Ontario L4E1L1 Canada b. Annual compensation Zero Payment for accounting and tax purposes To be determined c. Do any of the above persons serve as members of the governing body by reason of being public officials or being supported by public officials. If yes, explain the basis of their selection. x x Yes No d. Are any members of the organizations governing body “disqualified” persons with respect to the organization(other than by being a member if the governing body) or do any of the members have either a business or family relations |
