I just found out.

I knew him and used to work for him - he was an absolute charmer (if a little too personal at times) and very upbeat and forward-looking.

Also, while it was obvious to anyone that he was very smart, if he wanted to talk about any one of his interests or specialties, he would ALWAYS ask you first "what do you know about X?"

Common courtesy equals common sense.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/shalom-newman-obituary?id=38455043#:~:text=Shalom%20Igra%20Newman%20passed%20away,during%20the%20Second%20World%20War.

"Shalom Igra Newman passed away in Belmont Massachusetts on December 19, 2022, at the age of 93. Born in Lvov Poland, he survived the horrors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during the Second World War. Following liberation, he immigrated to Palestine and obtained his undergraduate education at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. Shalom moved to the United States to pursue graduate education in psychology and received a PhD from Brandeis University in Waltham Massachusetts. He remained in the Boston area, where he had a private practice in psychotherapy. Shalom was a brilliant man who spoke many languages and had a profound knowledge of history, literature and philosophy. He was a true intellectual with boundless curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Shalom is survived by his longtime companion, Marise Gottlieb; his daughter, Anna Newman, and her husband, Herman Vargas; and his grandson, Danny Vargas."

https://vimeo.com/784555531/b664385cfb
(funeral service on Dec. 26th - 31:46 minutes)

As I hinted above, I didn't find out in time to be there, but chances are I couldn't have made it anyway - that date was clearly not very convenient for many people.

He owned thousands of books, including many chess books.

And, to my frustration, I can't find any photos of him. (He was somewhat short, stocky, with a mustache, and always smiling.)

You'd think there would at least be a slideshow of him somewhere, by now.

But here's a picture of his daughter, a geneticist at the University of Houston.

https://www.uh.edu/honors/about/faculty-staff/anna-newman.php

I met her once. You can also see her early in the video and again near the end - but mostly from the back, at that point.

More on her, if you like:

https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor?tid=876371

> Also, while it was obvious to anyone that he was very smart, if he wanted to talk about any one of his interests or specialties, he would ALWAYS ask you first "what do you know about X?"
>
> Common courtesy equals common sense.

Just in case it wasn't clear, I meant that even though he was easily smarter than 90% of the population, he never assumed that anyone knew less than he did on a particular subject. That assumption, after all, can make a speaker sound arrogant and condescending to an individual listener - so it's only common sense to ask first.

On Monday, January 30, 2023 at 9:41:10 AM UTC-5, Lenona wrote:
> I just found out.
>
> I knew him and used to work for him - he was an absolute charmer

Can't believe I forgot this...

His personality reminded me of Victor Borge, even though he didn't tell the same jokes.

One joke he DID tell me was one that, chances are, many of you know.

(Based on the book of John, chapter 8), the Pharisees bring to Jesus the woman taken in adultery.

"Teacher...Moses commanded us to stone such. What then do you say about her?"

"Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone."

A stone comes out of the crowd and hits Jesus on the forehead.

Jesus says: "Mother, would you stop it!"