Israel Independence Day

Thursday is Israel Independence Day or Yom Ha'Atzmaut.  It is now 64 years since the State of Israel was founded in 1948.  I am an unabashed supporter of the State of Israel and years ago, when I was in high school and college I strongly considered making Aliyah or moving to Israel and making my life there.

As a Jew, there is something about Israel that appeals to me on a deep emotional level.  As someone in a technology industry, Israel appeals to me on a logical level as well.  So, you may ask, why don't I move to Israel?  That is a very difficult question for me to answer, but I will try.

I went to Israel the first time during the summer of 1979 on a program called USY Israel Pilgrimage.  It was an amazing summer, reinforcing everything that I had learned about Israel in school up to that point.  I fell in love with the land and felt at home like never before.  I swore that I would be back.

In 1982 I had one of the biggest fights I ever had with my parents because they would not give me my passport.  I was either 19 or 20 at the time, and Israel was in the midst of the first Lebanese War and I was going to move to Israel and join the army.  My parents (wise as they were) knew that if I did that, I wasn't coming home and they knew that I needed to finish my college education.  So I did that, I got my bachelors degree in December, 1983.

By the time I graduated, I was in a serious relationship with Elyse, who would become my wife about 2 1/2 years later.  As the John Lennon song says, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans".  Elyse and I settled in New Jersey, started our careers and started our Family.  By the time Haley, our older daughter, went to Israel the 2nd time to spend a gap year there, it had been 30 years since I had been to Isreal.

We went to visit her in 2009. The land had changed and I had changed.  I was no longer a wide eyed 17 year old, but rather an overweight 47 year old.  Israel was no longer a borderline 3rd world country, it was now a country with High Rises, High Tech and High Taxes.  Would I still love the land?  Would it still love me?  The answer to both is yes.

I am proud to say that my love of Israel has been passed down to my children, both of whom have been to Israel multiple times, and to my wife who's love of the land rivals my own.  Am I going to move to Israel?  That's still a very difficult question to answer.  I'd like to say yes, but the reality is that our family is all in this area and living in Israel is more difficult then living in New Jersey.  The one think I can promise you is that it won't be another 30 years before I go back again.

So, Happy Birthday Israel!!!  At 64 you are a mere child amongst the family of nations and I have hopes and dreams that you will be around for many, many, many more years to come.

Why did you call your blog that?

By now, many of you have read my blog, and hopefully you have found it to be either enjoyable or fun.  If I'm really lucky, you don't have a voodoo doll of me with pins sticking into it (Although, my back has been bothering me a little of late, and sometimes I do feel like I'm walking on pins and needles, but... nah... it couldn't be...)

Anyway, the name of my blog is "Have fun storming the Castle".  It is a line from one of my family's favorite movies, "The Princess Bride".  For us, it's just one of those movies will make us stop what we are doing and sit down and watch whenever it's on TV.  I'm not going to get too much into the storyline, but there is a character, Miracle Max, played by Billy Crystal, who is asked to bring the hero Wesley (Cary Elwes), back to life after he's been tortured to death.  At the end of the scene, Wesley is carried out (still dead) by Fezzik (Andre the Giant) and Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patankin) along with a pill that's supposed to revive him.  Miracle Max and his wife Valerie (Carol Kane) wave them off.

So, now you know why the name of my blog is "Have fun storming the castle".  Aren't you glad you know that?

Thoughts on having a 21 year old daughter

I'M NOT OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE A 21 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER!

Well, actually, yes I am.  My daughter Haley just turned 21.  Unfortunately, she went back to school the day before her birthday and it's still Pesach, so there's no celebratory 'Pub Crawl'.  I tried to help her with both by sending her back with a nice bottle of red wine and a bottle of proseco to share with her friends.

I don't condone alcohol abuse, but I am all in favor of its being used responsibly.  Haley spent her freshman year in Israel, where the drinking age is 18.  There, she developed a taste for wine, beer and (gasp) tequila.  I tried telling her numerous times that Schulman's and tequila don't mix, but she didn't listen and as a result, I keep a bottle here for her to drink when she's home on break.

I'm very, very proud of Haley.  (I'm very, very proud of my wife Elyse and our daughter Whitney as well, but I'm writing about Haley, so pay attention).  Haley is an honors student at SUNY Binghamton, she takes her religion seriously and she wants a career where she can help others, probably in the social work area.  That doesn't mean she's always serious though.  Haley's an Ultimate Frisbee addict, she's becoming hooked on spinning and she loves going to Broadway shows with us.  All in all, she's a great kid and I love her very much.

Happy Birthday Haley, may you go from strength to strength and continue to bring joy to your family and friends.

Passover, pass under, what does it all mean?

Passover (Pesach) begins this Friday night.  The first 2 nights, we hold Seders, where we re-tell the story of our redemption from Egypt, accompanied by much food and wine, and generally enjoy being with family and friends.  The reason we call it a Seder, is that there is an order (seder in Hebrew) to the service, one that we all learned when we were children in Hebrew School.

The main part of the Seder is called "Magid" or "telling the story".  There is singing, story telling and rituals that are followed, family by family.  In my home, we sing some of the story in Hebrew, tell some of the story in English, and generally have a good time.  This year, we're going to try something new, I've asked everyone to think about what Pesach or the Seder means to them.  Hopefully it will go over well, and will be the beginning of a new tradition in the Schulman family.

Bottom line?  Pesach, like all Religious and Secular Holidays, is about tradition.  When we sit down for our Seder, I'll think about my father leading Kiddush, my asking the 4 questions (unless we were with my NJ cousins, I was ALWAYS the youngest at the table) and my mother's chicken soup, chopped liver, brisket or turkey.  But I'll also think about the decorations that my girls have made that we put out every year, my wife's brisket, my mother-in-law's soup (almost as good as my mom's but there's disagreement about that), and other things that I hope my girls will remember and build on at their Pesach Seders when they are older.

The Pesach Seder is a serious ritual, but it's also very fun for us.  Isn't that the way the best traditions are?

I know I promised you "Pesach is a lousy time to start a diet", but I decided to go with this, so sue me...