Newton Neighbors –
The Ish Shalom Family: Sculpting a New Peace

The Ish Shalom family have roots that began in Israel, with quite a rich and unique history there. The family name means “man of peace” in Hebrew and is also the motto they try to live up to daily. As I learned more about the couple, it was clear that they were inherently artists at their core. Despite having very successful careers in other industries, it seems they could never escape the calling to be imaginative and inspirational creators.

Memy Ish Shalom and his wife Dalia moved to Newton in 2014, from Westborough, MA. The move happened just after the sale of the company that Memy worked for, and the couple found themselves at a crossroads. Both Memy and Dalia wanted to be closer to Boston and saw Newton as a great community to settle in and still have easy access to the city, and so they set up roots here, not far from the marathon route.

Memy tells me that he was an avid runner for some time, participating in numerous marathons. He contends that his knees are no longer able to support his passion for running, and so he is now a road cyclist. He enjoys riding solo or with his riding group (CRD) when the weather permits. This is how he stays active, since it has been a long time since he was doing the demanding exercises in the military.

As military service is compulsory in Israel, most everyone, including Dalia (and the couple’s children), has served in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Memy served in an Israeli Special Forces unit, renowned for their reconnaissance and covert mission abilities. Much of his service is still classified, but Memy has one particular experience he can share with us.

“In 1991 while I was in the reserve forces, I participated in the humanitarian effort codenamed “Operation Solomon.” It was a covert Israeli military operation in which, within 36 hours, over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews, who were at great peril there, were brought to safety in Israel. During this operation one of the airplanes, an El Al Boeing 747, carried 1,088 people, including two babies who were born on the flight. This was an experience I carry deep in my heart.” This immense rescue effort was a major humanitarian undertaking.

Both Memy and Dalia were originally born in Israel and had only moved to the United States in 2002. They met through a mutual friend, only to discover that they had attended the same high school in Jerusalem, just one year apart in grade.

The couple was married in 1987 in Memy’s grandfather’s backyard. Memy reminisces about the event, “Israeli weddings at the time were not very formal, and I was dressed casually, with no jacket or tie.” It was a very large wedding, with over 500 guests. This was primarily due to the fact that Memy’s grandfather was a former Mayor of Jerusalem in the 1960s. As you can imagine, he had a lot of friends to invite to his grandson’s wedding, most of which were strangers to Memy and Dalia, but ultimately led to some humorous introductions. “Which side are you from, bride or groom?” Memy recalls being asked at his own wedding.

While still living in Israel, Dalia and Memy both attended Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Memy graduated with a double major, a BSc in Computer Science and Biology. Dalia received her LL.B. and MA in Comparative Literature.

Dalia worked for many years at the Israel Ministry of Justice as a Director of Criminal Law Legislation. Her career had her working with some of the most influential people in the country, including the Minister of Justice, the Attorney General, and The Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset.

After years of working as a lawyer, Dalia decided to quit, and peruse her passion for literature. She started a second career as a writer, making good use of the Master’s degree she earned at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her owned works are penned in Hebrew and she has published several books in different genres, under her maiden last name, Ardon. Her latest book is a collection of poetry, published a few months ago in Israel, called “Sanverim” (Dazzled).

Memy was able to leverage his Computer Science degree into a career in technology. He started as a software engineer, but eventually climbed his way up to Vice President of Engineering.

By the time the family had relocated to the US in 2002, he had been appointed the COO of ViryaNet, a publicly traded enterprise software company. He later became the CEO of ViryaNet for 9 years. He was also the co-founder of two cyber-security start-ups, serving as the COO for one and the President for the other. Despite this illustrious career in software, Memy would eventually give it up to pursue his creative passions.

While Dalia’s transition from lawyer to writer was quite natural, Memy’s own transition was a bit more haphazard. It was sparked back in 2013, when Dalia asked him to make some home improvements which required the use of a hole saw set. Memy recounts how strange it was, “For reasons I cannot understand or explain, this set of hole saws made me envision and desire to create a set of spheres of different sizes connected to each other in space.”

When he shared these thoughts with his wife, she said:
“I think what you are envisioning is actually a sculpture.” Intrigued by this prospect, he ended up making several versions of a 7 spheres sculpture, which became his first of many, and unlocked a passion within him. From that point on, he spent more and more time making sculptures in the evenings after work and on weekends. There’s no word on whether Dalia ever asked him to complete another home improvement project after.

Since 2015, Memy has devoted much of his time to sculpting. He prefers to work in the mediums of wood and bronze. He says that he strives to capture motion and express sensual and spiritual experiences as well as draw focus to human rights violations, a cause that is near to his heart. His own process for creation is quite intriguing.

“I aim to transform these experiences into abstract and figurative static objects. My process starts when I envision in my mind a concept, ignoring the feasibility of that concept to free my imagination from any constrains. I then start with a maquette to transform my thoughts into reality – this is the part I enjoy the most – the process of transforming thought, ideas, into art.”

He also admits that 90% of the effort requires hard work, commitment, discipline and a constant strive to excellence. This drive has led him to be successful through life, and especially now in his art. He even started exhibiting his own art in 2019 and participated in over 10 exhibitions since. He has been represented by the Stewart Clifford gallery and more recently started to sell his sculptures.

While both parents, Dalia and Memy, are incredibly creative, I was excited to learn that the apples did not fall very far the tree. These parents passed on their creative genes and it is clear that it does run in the family.

Memy and Dalia now have two grown children: a son, Tal, and a daughter, Leahy. These beaming parents are so proud of their children and all that they have accomplished. Like their parents, both Tal and Leahy found passion in a creative career and both have incredibly impressive résumés.

Tal is currently writing his PhD in Classical Studies at Columbia University in New York. This semester he is teaching his own seminar there. Tal is also multi-lingual, with experience in (an impressive) 7 languages! He lives in Manhattan with his boyfriend, still close enough to see Mom and Dad with a quick trip north. Leahy is a multi-disciplinary artist, a musician and singer song writer, a playwright and an actor. Her one-woman play “Conflict Zone” was just recently performed at the Whitefire Theater in Los Angeles for Solofest 2021. Leahy graduated from Berklee college of Music and will finish her graduate degree at Harvard this year.

The Ish Shalom family still enjoys family trips, even though both kids are grown. Dalia and Memy are particularly fond of Europe and have so many great memories from their trips over the years. They recall doing an annual trip for two weeks, with another couple and their children, who were of similar age to Tal and Leahy. Their impressive list of locations includes Switzerland, The UK, Nederland, Spain, Norway, Denmark, France and Italy.

When back at home, Memy is still actively participating in the local community. He joined the Newton Art Association in 2018, and soon after, volunteered to serve on their board. Since 2020, he also volunteers on the board of the New England Sculptor Association.

Memy says, “We love Newton, our neighborhood and our community. Our street is very quiet, and the neighbors are very nice people.” Shortly after they moved here, they became good friends with their neighbors across the street and feel very blessed to have them and several other wonderful friends, in Newton and the Boston area.