President Jim called on Michelle Nettles to introduce our speaker. Michelle has been a Rotarian in our club for six years; she enjoys working with people and loves to vacation in the Keys!

 

Michelle introduced Jos Hekking, who was a member of our club from 2017 to 2019. Jos is a member of the Dutch Air Force and was stationed here with NATO. Jos went to Officer School in 1982; he will retire in April after serving thirty-nine years. An impressive accomplishment indeed! (It should also be noted that Jos’ wife also presented a program to our club based on her professional experiences in psychotherapy.)

 

Jos gave us a thorough review of his recent experience serving on the staff of the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and The Palestinian Authority. Although he was posted there in January 2020, because of the pandemic he was absent from March 18 to mid-August. 

 

This organization was established by the Oslo Accords of 1993; the head is a Lieutenant General who reports directly to the Secretary of State. This mission is to assist the Palestinian Security Forces with education, training, and pay. Jos asserted that the men he worked with were well educated from a wide variety of institutions but they did not have experience in managing. He informed us about their senior leadership course for officers of colonel and general levels. He stressed that procurement training, e.g., large military contracts, was required.

 

Jos put up a slide “Worth To Mention” (in Dutch) in which he shared his personal opinions (emphatically not the opinion of the Dutch Air Force or any other military). He said it is essential to know the Bible and the Koran as everyone you meet knows them. He disliked the litter problems. The existence of very expensive cars seemed to point out that corruption is a problem.

 

Jos emphasized that the Palestinians suffer under the occupation regime; the need for permits and the frequent checkpoints make travel onerous. Jos likes to hike and had some slides of beautiful terrain. The Palestinians he dealt with were consistently kind and generous; the food was outstanding.

 

Jos went to several Rotary clubs and found Rotarians to be committed to helping the poor. As a Christian, Jos said he felt privileged to visit the areas where Christ lived and preached.

 

Among the questions posed to Jos was one from Berhanu Mengistu. How could peace be achieved so that all believers could pray at their holy sites? Jos replied that if he knew, he should get the Nobel Peace Prize. Not really. But it’s certainly a challenge. (Both sides must want peace for it to work.) Jos told the story of how he got permission to take the President of the Ramallah Rotary to Jerusalem but she couldn’t pray there. No permission. Sad.

 

President Jim thanked Jos for an enlightening presentation and reminded him that a book would be donated to Sewell’s Point Elementary School library in his honor.

 

President Jim started a video of Eleanor and Roger Schoonover singing one of our favorite tunes, “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” Regrettably, the audio failed to launch. However, Rotarians commented on the verve and expressions as well as the excellent harmony! Following the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four-Way Test, Jim Sell invoked spring as the harbinger of better things to come.

 

Our loyal bookkeeper, Ann Morgan, is in the hospital. Our best wishes to Ann for a speedy recovery. Sigur Whitaker introduced her guest, Deb Davis, who was a reading specialist with Norfolk Public Schools and is interested in joining a Rotary club.

 

The first meeting of the month means it's time to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.

 

 

 

President Jim had two blue badges to announce: one for Mike Richardson and one for Greg Bockheim. Then he called on Bill Moore for an update on the technology improvements at the Hunton YMCA. 

 

Bill noted that they are close to getting Internet to two classrooms so the children can attend Zoom lessons; with $1,300 in donations to help with this initiative, Bill indicated that six Chrome books are on order and should arrive shortly.

 

Bill Eisenbeiss updated Rotarians on two volunteer opportunities in the coming weeks. We can assist with food distribution for those in need at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Norfolk and clean up Barraud Park. Please register through our website if you can assist.

 

Sigur, our Foundation chairperson, announced that there is a District 7600 giving day on April 6th. Those who donate will receive matching points toward a Paul Harris designation. (But not if you have already donated $9,000. But you probably don’t need points if you’re at that level.)

 

School of the Week: Sewell’s Point Elementary School.