Sunday was Karl Heiser’s 35th birthday. Karl passed away a couple years ago, at the age of 32. Karl was one of my best friends growing up, and throughout high school. Everyone who knew Karl loved him.
He was kind, thoughtful, and always had a big heart.
Over time, I learned of mysterious and shocking events that occurred throughout his life.
I was excited to join a fraternity in 2002, my sophomore year at Indiana University. Greek life had a big cultural influence at Indiana University, with about a quarter of the entire undergraduate class being in a fraternity or sorority.
It was also my first experience with the Confederate flag.
For anyone that knows me, rarely am I ever in the position to unequivocally say that something is really, unequivocally horrible.
ENTER: my experience with Norwegian Air Shuttle.
Given its name, I mistakenly thought Norwegian Air Shuttle was a government-owned national airline (it is not). To me, government-owned, flagship airlines showcase the very best of their country, and usually have world-class service like Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines. Obviously, there are also government airlines of less-affluent, third party countries like Uzbekistan Airways and Sudan Airways, but Norway is one of the world’s most developed countries and ranks #1 as per the United Nations’ Human Development Index. I therefore assumed my first time taking this airline would be a special treat.
Chabad has been a part of my life before birth. You see, when my parents immigrated to America from Israel in the late 1970’s, they were familiar with Chabad’s international efforts. Knowing that when they build a new life for themselves in America, they could find a local Chabad House to connect to the Jewish community and meet other Jewish people in America.
Like many immigrants, my parents arrived in America with a dream for a better life, where they can give back and reach their fullest potentials. My parents wanted their children to have a better life, and at times, that meant sacrificing themselves, to give me and my sister a better life.
Today is my 35th birthday, and I would like to share a special story with you. It’s a story that I have never shared publicly, and no one really actually knows about. It’s a story that I often think about, but have never publicly shared. The story is a little long, but it also reflects what I believe is my single biggest act of courage in all my 35 years. Read the story of why I left Lehman Brothers exactly 80 days before the firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
I graduated from Wootton High School in Rockville, MD (a suburb of Washington, D.C.), which is one of the best high schools in the U.S. I was very lucky that my parents made sure my sister and I grew up and lived in a great community and public school system like the one in Montgomery County, MD, so that we could have an excellent education (Montgomery County, MD actually has the highest population of residents with post-graduate degrees in the U.S.).
New York City is the world’s fashion capital and is where brands come to life in the most exciting retail environments. Brands invest billions of dollars and thousands of hours designing and producing one-of-a-kind, artistic, and compelling visual displays every year. Season after season, these important displays of fashion and art attract millions of tourists, celebrities, fashion-elite, and influencers from around the world.
I have lived in New York City now for 11+ years, and I can tell you with 100% conviction that New York City’s pigeons are the absolute worst. I love all animals, except for pigeons. They are completely disgusting, and they dominate the streets of New York City. They wage their assault both on the ground and in the air. I give the benefit of the doubt to all animals and human beings in New York City, as New York City can be a rough place to live, but unlike all other living things in New York City, I’ve personally seen how pigeons lack even the basic sense of hygiene, bathing and drinking from dirty water puddles on the street.