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June 15, 2007
The shul that's not a shul
Richmond Country Club's Jewish history spans 50-plus years.
KYLE BERGER
It's not a synagogue – there are no Torahs to be found –
and it doesn't even have the word "Jewish" anywhere in
its title. But the Richmond Country Club has as rich a Jewish history
as most other community organizations.
With the vast majority of its members affiliated with the Jewish
community, the club has played host to thousands of bar and bat
mitzvah celebrations, community functions, meetings and, of course,
golf tournaments.
Any avid Jewish golfer, tennis or racquetball player knows that
if they want a place to play with other members of the Jewish community,
the Richmond Country Club is the place to go. However, it wasn't
always that way.
Before the 1950s, unless they had some unique connections, Jews
were not allowed to become members at golf and country clubs in
Greater Vancouver. They could only play at public courses when tee
times happened to be available.
That was until a group of golfers, led by Alfie Evans, the late
David Sears, Bud Lando, Arthur Sereth and Sam Wasserman, took matters
into their own hands. In 1951, the group purchased a nine-hole golf
course in West Vancouver and welcomed all Jews to be members.
Dr. Sam Moscovich was at the meeting when the purchase of the course
was being considered and he became their very first paid member.
"They asked people who were there for their money," Moscovich
recalled. "I was so impressed and wanted a Jewish golf course
so badly that I put up my hands and said that if they would take
five post-dated cheques, I was in. And I was the first one to put
my money down."
Moscovich, who also made the history books as the first club champion,
said that when he returned from fighting in the Second World War,
he was "burned up" to see how Jews were treated.
"A lot of my fellow dentists would invite me to their country
clubs and I had no way of reciprocating," he said. "And
when we played at the Langara [public course], the only way we could
get a good tee time was to slip the guy a mickey of vodka and I
didn't like to have to shmeer those guys all the time."
Their nine-hole club soon grew to 250 members, forcing them to look
for greener pastures. That came in a large farmer's field in South
Richmond. In 1958, the club moved to the present location of the
Richmond Golf and Country Club.
In order to be approved for rezoning, then-British Columbia premier
Dave Barrett told the group that they must allow non-Jews to gain
membership at the club as well - a condition that was gladly accepted.
However, it was important to the leaders of the club that they recruit
effectively to ensure a vibrant and dominant Jewish membership.
That atmosphere and efforts have stayed the same for the past 49
years.
Dr. Lyal Levy has been a member of the club since 1963 and served
as the board's president from 1983-1986. More notable, however,
is that fact that he spent 25 of those years as the club's membership
chair.
"My main reason for keeping [the chair] was to retain the heritage
and the identity of the club," Levy said. "I think, like
anywhere else, you feel comfortable in your own environment. It's
just like joining any other Jewish organization, except I get to
play golf."
Today, the Richmond Country Club has more than 950 members, who
use the facility for much more than just golf. Over the years, it
has opened indoor and outdoor tennis courts, an outdoor pool, squash
and racquetball courts, a large fitness centre and a restaurant
with rentable ballrooms.
"The future of country clubs is not just golf," Levy said.
"It is about trying to expand their facilities to include families
and we have done that. We're not trying to be a community centre,
but we are trying to move with the times."
More information can be found online at www.richmond-cc.org.
Kyle Berger is a freelance writer and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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