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A Wale(s) of a guy
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A weekly look at the exceptional people, events and ideas that make Cleveland a very special place.
By Douglas J. Guth
Senior Staff Reporter
During his junior year of college, Scott Matasar was able to tell friends and family, “Dw i’n byw yng Nghymru.” That’s Welsh for “I live in Wales.”
Matasar, a native of Detroit, was studying medieval and British history when he traveled to Wales and moved into a Welsh-language-only dormitory. By the end of the year, he was dreaming in Welsh but had also determined there were no jobs for professors with his interests.
Law school was Matasar’s second choice. He is now a partner at the Cleveland law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP.
An expert in securities and business litigation, Matasar came to Cleveland in 1999 from New York City so Sheryl, his wife now of 13 years, could start her orthopedic surgery residency at the Cleveland Clinic. Raising a family in chaotic Manhattan was not an option, he admits.
While the couple knew little about Cleveland, they knew what they wanted for themselves and their family: Quality of life and a large, vibrant Jewish community. The Matasars found both in Northeast Ohio, enthuses Scott.
“We couldn’t believe how incredibly cohesive and supportive the (Cleveland) Jewish community is” compared with New York, where the community is much more disparate, remarks Matasar, a member of B’nai Jeshurun Congregation.
The young attorney now helps with membership recruitment as B’nai Jeshurun’s assistant secretary and serves as board president of American Jewish Committee’s Cleveland chapter.
Cleveland may be an ocean away from Wales and without the hustle-bustle of New York, but Matasar loves his adopted home. “It’s a great city,” he says. “People need to be cheerleaders for Cleveland.”
And how do you say that in Welsh?
Name: Scott Matasar
Status: Married to Sheryl Handler, father of Lauren, 7, Aidan, 3, and Carly, 1
Current residence: Chagrin Falls
Alma Maters: High school in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Columbia University, Boston University
Everyone knows: I’m a “Borat” fan.
No one knows: I speak Welsh.
Favorite activity: Spending Shabbat at home with my family
Favorite film: “Dances with Wolves”
The show I always TiVo: “Top Chef”
The music always on my iPod: Rock, especially The Foo Fighters.
Matasar, a native of Detroit, was studying medieval and British history when he traveled to Wales and moved into a Welsh-language-only dormitory. By the end of the year, he was dreaming in Welsh but had also determined there were no jobs for professors with his interests.
Law school was Matasar’s second choice. He is now a partner at the Cleveland law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP.
An expert in securities and business litigation, Matasar came to Cleveland in 1999 from New York City so Sheryl, his wife now of 13 years, could start her orthopedic surgery residency at the Cleveland Clinic. Raising a family in chaotic Manhattan was not an option, he admits.
While the couple knew little about Cleveland, they knew what they wanted for themselves and their family: Quality of life and a large, vibrant Jewish community. The Matasars found both in Northeast Ohio, enthuses Scott.
“We couldn’t believe how incredibly cohesive and supportive the (Cleveland) Jewish community is” compared with New York, where the community is much more disparate, remarks Matasar, a member of B’nai Jeshurun Congregation.
The young attorney now helps with membership recruitment as B’nai Jeshurun’s assistant secretary and serves as board president of American Jewish Committee’s Cleveland chapter.
Cleveland may be an ocean away from Wales and without the hustle-bustle of New York, but Matasar loves his adopted home. “It’s a great city,” he says. “People need to be cheerleaders for Cleveland.”
And how do you say that in Welsh?
Name: Scott Matasar
The Matasars wanted quality of life and a vibrant Jewish community. They found it in Cleveland.
Age: 38Status: Married to Sheryl Handler, father of Lauren, 7, Aidan, 3, and Carly, 1
Current residence: Chagrin Falls
Alma Maters: High school in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Columbia University, Boston University
Everyone knows: I’m a “Borat” fan.
No one knows: I speak Welsh.
Favorite activity: Spending Shabbat at home with my family
Favorite film: “Dances with Wolves”
The show I always TiVo: “Top Chef”
The music always on my iPod: Rock, especially The Foo Fighters.
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