James Shulman

SHULMAN, James Of Brookline, on April 13, 2011. The family and friends of James Shulman, devoted husband to the late Beatrice Policoff Shulman, and loving partner to Virginia Soble, mourn the loss of a beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend. Jim was a life long activist in the Jewish Community, and a great friend to Israel. He was an early member of the West End House, the Boston Settlement House that taught new immigrants how to become American Citizens. (“Where else were we to learn?”, he often said. “Our fathers may have been well educated, but how much time could a shaychet from Lithuania, who was trying to build a more relevant business in America, actually spare to spend with his kids? And mama? Too busy raising 5 children.”) After graduating Tufts and the Harvard ‘B’ school, Jim became a dedicated fundraiser for Israel’s Bond Drives, an active member and Chairman of the Board of Temple Emanuel in Newton, and a supporter of the Jewish Family and Children’s Services. A progressive thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit, Jim co-founded the New England-Israel Chamber of Commerce and pursued a wide variety of personal, business and non-profit interests. A C.P.A. with a varied business career which included forays into general finance, financial brokerage and consulting, Jim chucked it all in June, 1964, to pursue the leisure of the theory class by enrolling as a candidate in the Doctoral Program at Harvard Business School. Upon graduation, he assumed an appointment as Associate Professor at Northeastern University, followed by a professorship at MIT’s Sloan School; the Imede School of International Business in Lausanne, Switzerland; the University of Miami; and Florida Atlantic University. We will remember everything about Jim, but especially his love of his family; his commitment to life-long education; our family birthday trips to Israel and Jamaica; his love of golf and skiing that continued until his 90th birthday, and his fondness for telling a good Jewish joke. Jim was the family musician, and spent many hours improvising at the piano, playing the pump organ, and enjoying a variety of string instruments including the banjo, the mandolin, and the violin. He is survived by his partner Penny Soble, his Sister Adora Guggenheim, his son Stan Shulman and his partner Janet Kahan, his daughter Enid Shulman, his grandchildren Joshua Shulman and his wife Louise Tolzmann, Gilly Strauss, Ariel Strauss and Sarah Strauss and her husband Michael Delaney. Dear uncle of Steve Kaye and Barbara Wexler, Steve and Phyllis Guggenheim and his 4 fabulous great grandchildren: Elijah, Ezra, Liam and Lucy. Jim’s family extends their affection and appreciation to Mary Hodge, for the love, patience & tenderness she has shared with our dad these last years. Following a private graveside funeral on Friday, April 15, shiva will be held at the home of his son Stan Shulman and Janet Kahan, Brookline, today from 1:30-4:30 pm & on Sunday from 3 to 9 pm. Remembrances may be made to Temple Beth Zion, 1566 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446; or to the Lenny Zakim Fund, C/O DLA Piper, 33 Arch St. 26th flr Boston MA 0211