Alexander Rechter – 50th Reunion Essay

Alexander Rechter

5 Hasadot Road

Kfar Shmaryahu, Israel 4691000

ar@rechter.co.il

+972 54 423 3312

Spouse(s): Iwona Janicka-Rechter, (2007)

Child(ren): Yael Rechter (1977), Dafna Jenny Rechter, (1984), Daniel Meir Rechter, (1986), Olivia Gerula-Rechter, (2008), Eva Maya Rechter (2012)

Grandchild(ren): Ella Ponyo Rechter-Cohen, b. (2014)

Education: Yale College, BA, 1969, Tel Aviv University, LLB, 1980.

National Service: Lieutenant-Colonel, Israel Defence Forces, 1969–1972 (national service), 1972–2002 (reserves).

Career: Law practice (1980–1987). Business in real estate and renewable energy (1987–present).

Avocations: Writing my autobiography.

College: Berkeley

So far, this has not quite been the life I planned but, as the Stones say, it is probably the life that I needed.

I was born in Warsaw, Poland, right after the Second World War to Jewish parents who survived the Holocaust while losing their entire families, including their son, my older brother, whom I never knew.

In 1951 we immigrated to Israel, and I went to school at a kibbutz, after which my parents sent me to a public school in London.

Yale was my own choice—I had to defer my Israeli military service but it was certainly worth it. After Directed Studies, I majored in (the now defunct) Culture and Behavior.

Yale for me was the world’s greatest toyshop. I wanted to stay forever. Leaving in 1969 was almost physically painful. Following graduation, I did a stint at the Esalen Institute in California, turned on and tuned in at Woodstock, then returned to Israel for military service.

In 1972 I was discharged from the army and returned to the US, but not for long. I returned home to reserve duty in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. As an officer in the IDF Spokesman’s unit, I escorted foreign reporters and TV crews to the battlefronts in Syria and Egypt.

After the war I married, graduated from Tel Aviv University’s Law School, and went into private practice, where I remained until 1987. During that time, I also published two books on international diamond law.

In 1972, I founded the Israel Alumni Schools Committee and served as its director until 2010.

In 1982, I was called up for reserve duty in the Lebanon War, and served again during the 1991 Gulf War. I left reserve duty with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

I have three children from my first marriage: two daughters—Yael (Yale College ’02) and Dafna—and one son, Daniel. I also have a four-year-old granddaughter, Ella, courtesy of Yael.

In 1985 both my parents were tragically killed in a car accident. Shortly thereafter, I closed my law practice and briefly went into a business partnership with my younger brother. During that same period, I was married (and subsequently divorced) for a second time.

In 2003 a chance meeting brought me back to Poland, my birthplace.

I have been commuting between Warsaw and Tel Aviv ever since, engaged in renewable energy and real-estate development. It is a fine life, although I confess that I find the people and the politics of both Poland and Israel to be increasingly conservative, religious, nationalistic, and intolerant.

In 2004, I founded the Polish Alumni Schools Committee and served as its Director until 2010.

Then, in 2007, I met Ivona, a public relations executive. We live together in Warsaw and have two daughters—Olivia (9) and Eva (6), a beagle, and a cat. Is there anyone else in our class with such young kids?

Over the years I have tried my hand at creative writing, acting, and film production. Currently, I am working on an autobiography. With a path such as mine, I wonder how the book will end.