Member Profile: Aziz Yousef
Meet a San Francisco café owner giving back through Freemasonry.
nights at the
round table
By Lily Young
It started as dinner among friends. A decade later, Round Table No. 876 is a fully chartered, 40-member lodge that’s known for its deep camaraderie. That focus on friendship is intentional: A meeting of the Round Table Lodge is specifically crafted with relationship building in mind. Guests are vetted closely, but once in, they’re all the way in. Families are invited. Conversation is lively. The atmosphere is elevated but unpretentious. Drinks are poured, plates passed. It’s kind of like, well, a dinner with friends. And therein, members say, lies the secret of creating Masonic harmony.
“If you want to feel at home, you go out and make your home,” says charter member John Yemenidjian. The result, for Round Table No. 876, is a lodge where egalitarianism is the fiercely guarded rule, disputes are snubbed out collectively, and deep engagement with one another is the norm. Says Alex Ashjian, the lodge secretary and one of the men most responsible for its founding, “We love one another. I talk to them more than I talk to my own biological family. That’s the bond that we set.” We caught up with some of the original members of the group to learn what keeps the lodge so close. —Lily Young
Hover over the icons above to reveal members’ quotes.
Above:
From left to right: Rafi Kureghian, Freddie Davis, Hamlet Khatcherian, Alex Ashjian, Armen Janian (past grand master of the Grand Lodge Of Armenia), Emil Joseph (past grand secretary of the Grand Lodge Of Iran In Exile). Out of frame: John Yemenidjian
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT:
Russ Hennings/moonbeam Studios
Special thanks to Tam O’Shanter, Glendale
More from this issue:
Donor Profile: Roland Ghazal
Why a California Mason and financial planner is planning for his own death.
For Seniors in Need, a Home at Last
With the brand-new Pavilion, the Masonic Homes opens specialized care to all.