International friendship club celebrates 20 years

The International Friendship Club of North Jersey began meeting at Hillcrest School in January 2003 after Michiko Rupnow envisioned a safe place for people of diverse backgrounds to speak openly.

The years just after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were traumatic, with the nation’s borders tightened and widespread fears of more terrorism. Foreign-born residents of the United States were being scrutinized. Often, they were mistrusted because of where they were born.

Michiko and her husband, Don, were among the residents gathered at West Milford High School to hear a presentation explaining a new alert system for residents in case of future terrorist attacks. A man in the audience spoke up, saying he was a good Iraqi American citizen and not a terrorist. It was at that moment that Rupnow saw the need to create a forum where people with diverse backgrounds could share their experiences.

She and her friend Shizuka Campagna started the club, and it immediately drew interest and members from quite a few North Jersey towns, including Greenwood Lake and Warwick, N.Y.

In a few years, after Shizuka and her husband moved to Florida, Don Rupnow retired and helped his wife with the club. They were invited to join a nonprofit non-governmental organization under the United Nations Charter, but they preferred to remain a local group.

Now that they have reached their goal of 20 years, the couple are contemplating whether they should continue the group for a few more years.

Rupnow said their lives have been greatly enriched by meeting people of diverse backgrounds and they learned a great deal about a wide range of topics.

The meetings, which are open to the public, are held in a second-floor meeting room of the West Milford library from 10 a.m. to noon on the second Wednesday of the month.

The Jan. 11 meeting features a presentation called “Evolution of Female Deities” by Allan Capalbo.

Meetings start with a friendly chat.

Future presentations: “My Arm Life” by Don Rupnow on Feb. 12; “Our 1970 Trip to Europe and into the Iron Curtain Countries” by the Rupnows on March 8; “Health Problems and How to Stay Healthy” on April 12; and “Memorable Moments or Experiences which Changed Our Lives, such as the Covid-19 Pandemic” by Marlene and Narsingh Agnish on May 10.

On June 14, there will be a presentation by Bernard Wiseman, who has worked with Doctors Without Borders since 2015. He worked in the field as a logistics manager, coordinator and, most recently, head of mission. He has served communities in the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Papua New Guinia, Bangladesh and, most recently, Ukraine. After the meeting, there will be a year-end luncheon at Flaming Grill and Supreme Buffet, 92 Route 23 North, Riverdale.

At a meeting last year, Migena Kukli, who had just come to the U.S. from her native Albania, presented “Albania in Transition” with historic photos. There were discussions about what each person can do to save the Earth and a session about travel by various means.