Actually he’s wrong. The only thing even remotely resembling a “Jewish- only “gates community”” anywhere near Mountain View would be the Moldaw residence at the Jewish community center in Palo Alto. It, like many retirement places, is operated by a church or synagogue or religious charity. There are hundreds of similar places run by the Catholic, episcopal, Methodist, and other churches. I’ve help people with Catholic, episcopal, and secular senior housing buildings. Christian Church Homes has 57 such residences and they’re just one operator of thousands. Moldaw, while built by the Palo Alto area Jewish community and on the campus of the jewish community center ( think: YMCA) - does not limit residency to one relugion - but certainly most people who’ve chosen it are elderly from the Palo Alto region’s jewish community. It offers Alzheimer’s care, skilled nursing care , assisted living services, on- site dining, and so forth. It’s just like maybe 100,000 other such residences - both religious- sponsored and not - all across America — very nice but definitely the kind of place I hope never to need. Especially the Alzheimer’s and nursing care parts, ha! ( the Alzheimer’s or memory care, as they call it, is why it has to have a gate, incidentally).
People can be funny. One Sunday afternoon a few years ago the husband of one of my wife’s friends and I were running a quick errand and he asked me. “How was church this morning?” I said, “OK, nothing unusual.” Since he started it I asked him what he considered himself to be, agnostic or atheist? I was shocked when he answered “Christian.” I said, “Really?” Not wanting to be rude I was careful in my tone when I asked, “Have you ever even been in a church?” I was not surprised at this answer, “No.”. So I ventured further, “So, on what basis do you consider yourself to be Christian?” He said, “Because I was born in a Christian country.” Seriously. He was not joking. He thought (and still thinks) that means he is Christian.
Yeah, forgot about that place and that is totally legit.
The Jewish community funds that through donations and direct contributions.
Same with Haddasah or even Masonic Homes.
It is a benefit to the membership and comes with qualifiers.