Burlingame Rotary Club
Founded in 1925

High Gear Bulletin

 

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

High Gear Editor: Jerry Winges, Ace Reporter

 

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Pledge of AllegianceLage Anderson stared at the 15 flag images and led the pledge to all 15 countries represented. 
 
Thought for the DayMarilyn Orr had words of WISDOM for us all:
  • Wisdom is the ability to reach conclusions with soundness, prudence, and intelligence, tempered and refined by experience, training and maturity.  
  • To acquire knowledge, one must study; to acquire wisdom one must observe.
  • We are made wise not by remembering our past but by the responsibility for our future.
  • He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.
  • A clever person solves a problem.A wise person avoids it.
  • A kind person is wise, because they have realized what it is all a out: that what we do to our fellows we also do to ourselves.
 Guests of the Club:    Bobba Venkatadri brought his friend, Dr. Arvind Chaturvedi.  Arvind is an Oncologist and Cancer Researcher in New Delhi and has been here for several weeks visiting Bobba and family members.  
 
Announcements
 
Michael Brownrigg thanked the many Burlingame City Workers for their heroic actions during the recent storms.  We received 22” of rain, and the Wastewater Treatment Plant that normally processes 3 million gallons per day processed 23 million gallons on Dec. 30 without incident.  Kudos to the City and to all staff for the great work!
 
Mike Horwitz announced that the past presidents committee has decided on a President Elect/Elect to succeed Cary Koh our next President.  Drum roll please:  the world traveler, golfer, successful businessman, and sports fanatic is:  Phil Siegle!   Even people born in New Jersey can make good!
 
February 22 we have invited the Lions Club of Burlingame to join us in a Joint Club meeting.  Please be sure to seat yourself at a table with Lions so that we can keep an eye on these cats.  Let’s hope all of our Rotary animals get along with them—and you know who you are.  The club needs to bring 3 gifts for a raffle – perhaps a gazelle?
 
Thanks to Jonnie Dukes of Sapore Restaurante, our new caterer, for a wonderful lunch.   But some of us had to use our laps and fingers to eat due to a lack of silverware and plates.  So the Lions should be right at home on Feb. 22.
 
Program:
Our speaker was Karin Stiller, Senior Director of Jewish Affairs at the Jewish Community Relations Council. This was a fascinating presentation on current Jewish identity and the problems of prejudice and antisemitism.  A large study/poll was conducted late last year that resulted in 828 completed interviews of people who identify as Jewish around the Bay Area.  The object of the study was to find out how Jews perceive themselves and what is important to them.  Many facts and figures were shown, too numerous to repeat here, but some of the findings and takeaways are as follows:
  • Bay Area Jewish identity is far from monolithic, and Jews are not simply a faith group.
  • Jews are not all religious—only7% attend Jewish services once a week or more, and 23% are completely secular.
  • However, 86% of respondents felt that being Jewish was important to them.
  • Most significant to Jewish identity are family heritage and the Holocaust.Spirituality and religious practices are the least important to the respondents – meaning that being Jewish is not about religion.
  • 32% of adults and 24% of school age children have experienced some form of antisemitism in the past 3 years. In the Bay Area, antisemitism occurs at the same rate as the rest of the United States and occurs across the political spectrum.
  • Zionism, meaning Israel’s right to exist on their land, is supported by 89% of the Jews answering the survey.
  • Only 33% of Jews are supportive of Israel’s policies towards Palestinians; 62% support a 2-state solution.
  • Jews perceive social media as not a safe place.Jews are most comfortable in social settings when other Jews are present.
 
The discussion that followed the presentation centered on how to reduce or eliminate prejudice.Many people do not understand Jews or have not had contacts with Jews.According to our speaker, the attitudes of the non-Jewish community toward Jews is getting worse.The main goal of the Jewish Community Relations Council is to improve these attitudes and increase understanding of the Jewish people.Getting to know Jews is most important in reducing “pre-judging” and creating social justice.The same can be said between other religions, races and countries -- we would all do well to open our minds and hearts to get to know others “different” than ourselves to understand that we are not really that different.
 
 
 
 
Member Birthdays
Marianne Kristofferson
January 13
 
Linna Golodriga
January 14
 
Ted Kruttschnitt
January 14
 
Bob Doerr
January 16
 
Michael Harvey
January 18
 
Jay Miller
January 23
 
Lisa Goldman
January 25