Edward Goldstein

When I finished graduate school in 1976, I joined the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs in New York.  I spoke only English and had not traveled abroad, so it was an enigma to me why I was assigned to the International department. However, I saw this as an opportunity to be part of a very small department with hopefully a bright future.  It was definitely a risk but one I thought was worth taking.
Two years after joining the firm, I started traveling to the Middle East which included Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. Being a Jewish man from a small southern city and traveling to Muslim countries was somewhat stressful but on each subsequent visit, I began to feel more comfortable. Throughout the next seven years I never experienced any anti-Semitism from my Arab counterparts. However there was a British man who once asked “why would someone Jewish be traveling in that part of the world?” During that period, I developed meaningful and enjoyable relationships with my Arab clientele and learned so much from the experiences.
Our world would be a much more harmonious place if people would show respect, be open minded, and have patience with people who are different from themselves.
A second life changing event was when I began traveling from New York to Japan in 1979 to establish a small presence for Goldman Sachs there. Six years later, my wife, 21 month old daughter, and I moved to Japan for four years. I was very uncertain what the impact from this decision would be, but it turned out to be the best professional and personal experiences in my life.
As I reflect on the the impact of these two decisions, I learned that moving in a new direction can be understandably stressful.  However, there is an opportunity to learn from the differences you will encounter and that can be life enhancing and empowering.