Recently I was tagged with a viral post making the rounds on Facebook. If tagged, you had to respond with 25 things about yourself that few if anyone knew about you. I ignored it for weeks but finally gave in. So here goes…25 things about Tzaadi aka David Lash:

Some of the terms and places used may be unfamiliar, please look them up.

1. Tzaadi has traveled on four continents but has never been below the equator.

2. For years, Tzaadi dreamed of becoming a writer but until recently never pursued it seriously.

3. Since he was seven, he has been encouraged to become a minister (and later, a rabbi), but still thinks that’s a choice for someone else.

4. Once had a world ranking of 289 in amateur tennis (1972) and captained every school tennis team he played for.

5. Scored 27 points in a college basketball game for his club team (The Rainbow Club: 2 Blacks, ‘Rodriguez the Puerto Rican’, ‘The’ Hawaiian, and 6′ 9″ John ‘the strong White boy from D.C.’). We won the club championship then absolutely destroyed our varsity team which was defending conference champion. The varsity coach was a bigot who benched many of us our freshmen year. We had something to prove.

6. Has been dreaming about a quiet life, married with kids, living in another country.

7. G-d willing, will never retire, opting instead to work happily until death.

8. Was part of the first group of students (8 among 1200) to desegregate the public school system in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

9. Is still miffed about his childhood stamp collection (many from colonial Africa and pre-war Europe) and rare stones collection (including Devonian fossils found in Binghamton, NY and geodes) discarded by his parents.

10. Had the beginnings of a global consciousness at age 9 when his parents gave him the best gift ever, a lighted globe of the world. I found it on eBay last year and will buy it when I can afford it. I remember spinning the globe with my eyes closed and making a wish to someday to travel to the first country I landed on. I landed on India. Twelve years later, I was there.

11. Believes that the existence of so many different cultures is proof that religious exclusivity is a false god.

12. Laments the destruction of indigenous peoples worldwide. They are older and perhaps wiser than us, just not as powerful.

13. Knows that he is ‘gilgul’, a reincarnated Jewish soul.

14. Wore only a loin cloth and hunted with bow and arrow with the Kondha tribal people of India for a month.

15. Believes that people who wish for the end of the world and ‘righteous judgment’ are misguided, selfish and criminally lazy.

16. Was very happy as a teacher and wants to be happier as a mentor.

17. Once read passages from the mystical traditions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam for a group of ministers, rabbis and imams and challenged them to tell him which traditions each passage came from. Out of six read, only the imam knew that a particular passage was Sufi. The others claimed their own traditions.

18. Absolutely loves poetry particularly that of medieval, Middle Eastern poets, Rumi and Shalom Shabezi.

19. Wants his epitaph to be inscribed in Hebrew, Arabic, French, Igbo, Telugu and English.

20. Occasionally wears silk ties and silk boxers, though usually not at the same time…though once the combination was the start to a really great evening.

21. Cuts his own hair and needs to do that soon.

22. Was saved from drowning in India by Charlie Lindley who now is a psychiatrist in Massachusetts.

23. Remembers the afternoon he spent in Jericho drinking tea with Palestinians. Later that day, he braved a snowy nor’easter to sing Lecha Dodi at Ha’Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue in Tsfat (Safed) where it was written.

24. Understands linguistic exogamy and admires the cultures that practice it.

25. Watched a total lunar eclipse rise at sunset from the Bay of Bengal.

Author: tzaadi

One Comment

hey david, i love the site. A lot more to you than meets the eye. Keep up the great work

mike bowlds

3/12/2009

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