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President Kim called the Seattle #4 Rotary Club to order at 12:30 p.m. on December 4, 2019 at the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle. The song of the day was Climb Ev’ry Mountain led by Marli Iverson and Arnie Ness. Ken Colling led the Inspiration for the Day. President Kim then acknowledged guests and visiting Rotarians.
Heather Fitzpatrick, CEO of Wellspring Family Services urged Rotarians to give what they could for families experiencing emergencies particularly at this time of year. There was a Giving Tree at each table.
Lynn Lindsay, co-chair of the Seattle Rotary Services Foundation Campaign provided an update on fund-raising efforts. Lynn said there have been larger donations than in the past but the participation level of 29% needs a boost. She urged all Rotarians to participate.
Caitlin Grant and David McDonald provided Rotarians with a recap of their Young Professional Exchange that took them both to Osaka, Japan.
Jan Levy introduced the main speaker of the luncheon, Rabbi Daniel Weiner, who has been a member of the Seattle Rotary Club for 18 years.
Rabbi Weiner recounted a time in his youth when he ridiculed one aspect of Christmas. Along with his cousin, they put together a mock tin foil Christmas tree. He said that he didn’t feel good about what he had done almost immediately. Rabbi Weiner said that when you were young and Jewish, Christmas was a time of isolation. He said that more than any other time of year, Christmas was the biggest reminder of all that you were different.
Rabbi Weiner said there are tensions within our culture between assimilation (melting pot) and pride in our own cultural heritage. People must decide, particularly this time of year, how much they want to conform to their own beliefs or open their minds up to what other cultures stand for. Our challenge is to find a balance or the “sweet spot.”
Rabbi Weiner provided a brief history of Chanukah. One part of Chanukah is the festival of lights, that coincides with the darkest time of year. It also marks the commemoration of the Maccabean Revolt, when was a rebellion against the Syrian Greek overlords. Over time, Jewish rabbis shifted the celebration of Chanukah from a military victory to more of a celebration of God. Rabbi Weiner also said that Chanukah is actually a minor celebration when compared to other Jewish festivities throughout the year.
Rabbi Weiner pointed out that the war on Christmas only adds to divisions among the religions. He played a recent video of Catholic Stephen Colbert doing a satirical sketch on how Starbucks wasn’t celebrating Christmas enough in the individual stores.
Rabbi Weiner pointed to another celebration this time of year. Many African Americans commemorate Kwanzaa which takes place between December 26 and January 1. Kwanzaa had its origins in the 1960s. The themes of Kwanza are unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
The bottom line is that even though there is pride that all religions celebrate, there is also common ground. All revel in the power of light. All appeal to our better angels.
Questions from the Audience:
Rabbi Weiner was asked to talk about a recent editorial he wrote in The Seattle Times. Rabbi Weiner said he has observed a rise in anti-Semitic behavior within our community, country, and the world. He said that the mayor and police chief have been very supportive of the Jewish community in Seattle.
With the prompting of another question, Rabbi Weiner strongly urged all of us to create meaningful relationships with people of other cultures. Have them over to dinner, go out to dinner, and do something that will help you have a deeper understanding of one another’s values.
There was a question as to why Jews have been targeted throughout history. Rabbi Weiner responded that Jews have been around for over 3,000 years. The number of Jews in the world is not all that big but we refuse to die and go away.
Rabbi Weiner received a standing ovation.
Ken Colling announced the results of the Rotary election and bylaws changes. For a breakdown of the results and pictures from the meeting, see the Totem newsletter.
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