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June 28, 2002
Club looks for more Jews
Richmond Country Club boasts a Jewish lifestyle.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
The members of the Richmond County Club aren't in any jeopardy
of losing their club any time soon. However, they may be in jeopardy
of losing their Jewish identity if the current membership drive
doesn't bring in more Jews.
The club has recently seen a slight drop in membership, forcing
chief executive officer Brian Davis and the club's executive board
to campaign for new members.
They are hoping the campaign will attract people from the Jewish
community in order to help prevent the proportion of Jewish members
from dropping below the current 70 per cent mark.
If the non-Jewish percentage does increases, Davis told the Bulletin,
the momentum will likely continue and the club may one day be forced
to give up its predominantly Jewish identity in order to keep its
doors open.
The Jewish traditions of the Richmond club go as deep as its mission
statement, which sets a goal of becoming one of the top Jewish family
clubs in North America.
Other than boasting a high number of Jewish members, the Richmond
Country Club regularly hosts bar and bat mitzvah parties, recognizes
all of the Jewish holidays (their kitchen is not kosher but they
only serve matzah and not bread during Passover), they are closed
during Yom Kippur and they hold Friday night Shabbat services and
dinner twice a month.
Davis said they would never turn down a potential member because
they are not Jewish. However, the religious traditions and culture
of the club would be explained to them before an application for
membership is even sent out.
"For some people [the Jewish traditions of the club] may be
a problem," he said. "And if it is then they're going
to want to join another country club and not Richmond."
Davis clarified that there is no immediate threat of the club losing
its Jewish identity. But, he said, as the demographics of the city
of Richmond's general community are changing, it is important to
address an issue like this before the Jewish community loses a valuable
asset.
"I like to think that [the club] is important to the Jewish
community because it's a place for people to meet and socialize
with friends and celebrate the holidays and bar and bat mitzvahs,"
he said. "It's their country club and a place where they feel
comfortable."
As part of its membership drive, the club is currently offering
a special trial for new members. For $500 per family, you can sign
up for a three-year membership that allows you access to the entire
facility. If someone wishes to continue their membership after three
years the $500 will then be put toward the standard entrance fee.
Fighting the stereotype of the club being a place for wealthy community
members only, Davis explained that the club's normal entrance fee
is much lower than many other comparable clubs.
"Other clubs have entrance fees of $40,000 to $75,000,"
he said, comparing Richmond's $18,000 lifetime membership per family.
"The cost to join the Richmond Country Club has always been
much lower."
The entrance fee can also be financed with no interest over a 10-year
period. Members also pay monthly dues ranging from $43 to $308.50.
The Richmond Country Club was established in 1959 by a group of
Jewish avid golfers who found that there were very few clubs that
admitted Jewish members at the time.
The golf clubhouse was destroyed in a fire in 1979 and the building
was eventually rebuilt into the facility it is today, boasting an
18-hole championship golf course, tennis, squash and racquetball
courts, an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre and several social,
meeting and dinning rooms.
For more information, call 604-277-3141.
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