ISAACS Family Newsletter December 2015

The above headline is true. No one can argue the veracity of the date (except for the Russian Orthodox church). But, does the date tell the full story? The BBC, CNN and the Guardian, while technically not telling untruths, do create deceitful headlines. Just recently the BBC reported “Man gunned down by Israelis”. What the Bebe conveniently omitted to  mention was that the “man” in question had stabbed, injured and killed innocent bystanders while screeching “Allah Akbar”. So yes, the date is accurate, but the significance is all missing, because today (at the time of writing the first draft)  is my 52^nd birthday.

 52^nd birthdays aren’t worth pausing over, a non-event. 52 is a boring number. It’s not round, or square (think about it) and too far from retirement to start countdown (fortunately?). Our children, on the other hand, are interesting and anything but boring or square, and extremely worth taking the time to read about.

 Ari@Shapedo.com

I can reveal now what I hinted at in the previous newsletter: Ari’s startup received funding from the Chief Scientist and from a Venture Capital fund! Since then he has also made his first sales. So what does his startup actually do? In a sentence his software can automatically and instantaneously identify and highlight differences between similar versions of engineering and architectural plans. It is used by architects, engineers and construction workers to save them manual work, and prevents mistakes, when evaluating the impact of design changes on the cost and scope of work. (There’s a lot more to it than that, but I promised just one sentence and already wrote two). If you know anyone in construction, refer them to www.shapedo.com. And tell Ari the reference came from me. I want my cut.

 Elon is in Active Hibernation

Elon’s magic business sort of hibernates between Succot and Pesach, emerging briefly to feast around Chanukah and Purim when parents and grandparents again forage for presents and children look to spend their gelt. Elon himself is the opposite of a hibernator. His winters are spent mainly sweating on the basketball court.

 Naphtali  is a sound man

Last newsletter I reported that Naphtali had injured an eye in the army. He has since had a cataract operation and now, thank G-d, his vision is almost normal. Enchanted by Instagram images of the Philippines, in January, Naphtali is flying there with friends for a couple of months. Until then he is working with a neighbor whose has a “sound business”. I don’t mean his revenue outlook is solid, but that his product is Sound – loudspeakers, amplifiers, bands etc.). Naphtali works pretty crazy hours. One day he clocked over 22 hours!!! Sounds like slavery (think about that too).

 Orly – Dancing through maths

Another one working like never before is Orly who has started a degree in computers at Ariel university (incidentally, very close to Ari’s offices). You have to feel sorry for her. She returns home most days between 8pm and 10pm, and immediately opens her books, studying into the wee hours of the night. Shabbat is not so much a day of Rest as a day of Recovery.

 Orly’s defuses the pressure of infinitesimal calculus and other such horrors by… dancing. Five minutes bursts of lyrical, modern, jazz or ballet – then back to the books.

 Abigail’s Bnei Akiva graduation

People who don’t know about Bnei Akiva … skip this paragraph; there are just too many language and cultural issues to explain. Sorry.

 This is Abigail’s year to get a name for her “shevet”. That comes bundled with “daglanut” on Shabbat Ha’Irgun and “hashba’a” on motsash - two once-in-a-lifetime events within 6 hours. Preparations last weeks. On the Shabbat before the big day, while bouncing on a neighbour’s trampoline, Abigail soared high in the sky and landed lightly on her friend, inflicting no damage to her friend but spraining her own ankle. This did not deter her from dancing and participating in her gymnastics class the next day. By Sunday evening, her ankle swelled up like a tennis ball. X-rays showed no breaks but the doctor ordered ten day’s rest – which would have meant missing the “daglanut” and “hashba’a”.

 This was a dictate Abigail would not accept. The negotiations that followed made the Middle East crisis seem petty. Eventually we reached a compromise. Abigail wouldn’t walk for a week. We drove her everywhere – to school, to Bnei Akiva, to friends. And Abigail, instead of participating in rehearsals, would just watch from the side. It worked. On the big day, she performed perfectly and was sufficiently healed to enjoy the torments of the “hashba’a”.  See? Even the most intractable problems can be resolved with just two hours of shouting, swearing and tears (I did the swearing).

 The Isaacs Girls Dance troupe starring…

I have to correct the impression that in our family Orly is the dancer. Orly is the teacher, the mentor, the guru. But Abigail and Elisheva are just as enthusiastic… and loud. They both received high quality Bluetooth speakers for their birthdays which can amplify the songs on their phones to brain-blasting proportions (albeit high quality brain-blasting). Every day they practice their dances, make up new ones and just improvise. Truly I enjoy watching. While dancing, Elisheva smiles radiantly and totally. It’s a pleasure to see the joy dancing gives her.

 I do have a problem with the blaring noise. In my defense I claim that the noise only drives me barmy in the evening, after a long hard day, when I want to relax. The girls point out that the only time I am ever at home is in the evening, after a long hard day, when I want to relax.

 Wishing you all a Happy Chanukah

Michael, Judy, Ari, Elon, Naphtali, Orly, Abigail and Elisheva Isaacs,

Elkana