Stephen Darori and Nelson Mandela , "Long Walk to Freedom"

In the early 1940s, at a time when it was virtually impossible for a South African of color to secure a professional apprenticeship, the Jewish law firm Witkin, Sidelsky and Eidelman gave a young black man a job as a clerk.

It was among the first encounters in what would become a lifelong relationship between Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s  bustling liberal  Jewish community, impacting the statesman’s life at several defining moments — from his arrival in Johannesburg from the rural Transkei region as a young man to his years of struggle, imprisonment and ascension to the presidency.

Mandela,  wrote of the early job in his autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom,” and acknowledged the disproportionate role that Jews played in the struggle against apartheid. Lazer Sidelsky, one of the firm’s partners, treated him with “enormous kindness” and was among the first whites to treat him with respect.
“I have found Jews to be more broad-minded than most whites on issues of race and politics, perhaps because they themselves have historically been victims of prejudice,” Mandela wrote.  When Nelson Mandela visited Israel in 1997 he specifically asked to meet , Lazer Sidelsky’s son, Rabbi Sodelsky. and  Stephen Drus ( Stephen Darori after he hebrewaized his surname ) the nephew of Professor Ethel Drus. Both of whom had immigrated to Israel in the 80′s . Rabbi Sidelsky for ideological Zionist reasons and Stephen Drus , ” I was the last of my family in South Africa and after been detained without trial repeatedly and hassled by the South African Security Police , I simply folded , gave up and  joined the Struggle to Release Mandela, in the South African Diaspora”.

Professor Ethel Drus, was a renown UCT Educated Historian, who won three Alexander Prizes for History awarded by the Royal Society of Historians ( the equivalent of the Fields Prize in Mathematics)   . Professor Drus Chaired the Committee of Twelve who drafted the Freedom Charter , the he statement of core principles of the South African Congress Alliance, which consisted of theAfrican National Congress and its allies - the South African Indian Congress, theSouth African Congress of Democrats and the Coloured People's Congress. It is characterized by its opening demand; "The People Shall Govern  The committee of Twelve consisted of Three Blacks ( Mandela, Tambo and Mathews ) and Nine Jewish Academics and Civil  Rights Lawyers that included Ethel Drus, Ruth First, Abie Sachs, Joe Slovo ( Ruth’s First’s Husband) , the Bernsteins, the Lipmans ,Helen Joseph,  …). They agreed to disagree on the question of Nationalization and the Redistribution of Land that Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela felt appropriate for inclusion then but agreed to reevaluate their position in the future and after he became the first Black President, Nelson Mandela chose not to make either central to the philosophy he followed. Mandela here top Sir Ernest  Oppenheimer  advice an rather than antagonize all the Whites and Indians  pursued an affirmative action program while he  and other Jewish Business Leaders accelerated the transition of Blacks into Big Business in south Africa by  adding them to the Board of directors of JSE companies and even giving them management control of major JSE Groups like JCI – Johannesburg Consolidated Investment.

Stephen Drus was active in the Progress Federal Party that became the Progressive Federal Party in Parliament and the Official Opposition. It is the Democratic Alliance today . Stephen Drus served as both Chairman of the Progressive and then Progressive Federal Party Youth Organization in both the Western Cape and then Nationally. He was a founder and treasurer of first the short lived Mass Democratic Movement ( banned) and then the United Democratic Front and was the financial connection between the UDF  and major South African businessmen that included Harry Oppenheimer, Mendel Kaplan, Donald Gordon, Sol Kerzner , Susman of Woolworths, Ackerman of Ackermans , Yach and many other leading Jewish businessman in Cape Town in particular.   Professor Ethel Drus then Emeritus Professor of History at Southampton University in the United Kingdom who was an authority of South African banned organizations and the legislation that did so ,advised  her nephew Stephen Drus to insist that no leadership was elected to the United  Democratic  Front. And so it was .Without leadership, the Union of over 400 Anti Apartheid Organizations ( both large and small) that all called for the Release of Mandela , technically did not exists and could therefore not be banned. And so it was. the UDF  led the campaign thereafter for the Release of Mandela  and then evolved into the Grassroots Organization of the African National Congress after Nelson Mandela was released from the Victor Vester Prison  on February 11th, 1990 at 2.30 pm.

The Democratic Alliance, the liberal opposition in the new South African Democracy Parliament was led by Tony Leon  for thirteen years and currently by Helen Zille who has Jewish Grandfathers.

South Africa’s Jews remembered Mandela, the country’s first democratically elected president, as a close friend, one with deep ties to prominent community figures and a partner in the decades-long effort to end apartheid.

“I was extremely privileged to lead the community during his presidency,” said Mervyn Smith, who was chairman and later president of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, the community’s representative body. “We met with him on many occasions and the talk was direct and open.”

For Mandela, who rose to prominence as a leading opponent of the discriminatory racial regime known as apartheid, Jews were vital allies. Jewish lawyers represented him in multiple trials, and Jewish activists and political figures played leading roles in the fight.

But Mandela’s ties to prominent South African Jews were personal as well as political. The former president’s second marriage, to Winnie Madikizela in 1958, took place at the home of Ray Harmel, a Jewish anti-apartheid activist. Harmel made Winnie’s wedding dress at Mandela’s request, according to David Saks’ history “Jewish Memories of Mandela.”

When Mandela married again, in 1998, he invited Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris to offer a private blessing on the nuptials that were scheduled to take place on Shabbat.
“After a warm exchange of greetings, Rabbi Cyril spoke quietly to them and blessed them,” Cyril’s wife, Ann, wrote later. “They stood through the blessing holding hands and with eyes closed. One could almost imagine the huppah.”

Some of my conservative pals have cheered the timely--and mostly welcome--departure/retirement of the"groundbreaking", "heroic", earthshaking, heebie-jeebie-generating, iconic liberal journalist Helen Thomas. In light of some recent ugly comments about the Jews needing to "get the hell out of Palestine" (her term, along with more than a few in the media and government, for what you and I would call the State of Israel) and "go back to Poland and Germany", it seems appropriate that such anti-Semitic bile should be punished, no?

Nay, says I. Or, at least, not like this. Let her speak.

Please allow me to explain before the hisses ad boos rise to a crescendo among some of my regular readers, and you've ruined a computer monitor with a well-aimed brick.  OK? Bear with me here, gang.

 Let Aunt Thom's Cabin continue running her big yap about the Jews needing to leave "Palestine" and go back to Poland and Germany 60+ years after they were told to get the hell out of Poland and Germany and "Go back to Palestine!"  (I'll let that little historical switheroo in the verbiage sink in for a moment.)

Funny how derision never changes much. But in any case, yeppers, Let her return to her chair post in the front aisle of the White House Press Corps, and continue to believe--and talk earnestly-- about the media/Arab fiction of "Palestine", which for over 6 decades our nation has officially recognized the nation that now sits on that land as the state of Israel. Let her advocate another Hamas Love Boat of "activists"  breaking the rather understandable Israel blockade of Gaza, designed to stanch the flow of terror on her borders.

Why? Well for one, I'm not one of those types who goes around saying "you have the right to say anything you like--however." There are very few "however" or "unless"moments in my take on free speech. This is not one of them. The ultimate test for free speech is not"everything you can imagine unless it (steps on X-group's toes, or contains something really nasty or unpleasant) or crosses (some taboo or line)." Go ahead and light the torches and grab yer pitchforks. No, the test of free speech is whether we can handle most anything. Americans usually can. We need to. Remember, conservatives and supporters of Israel say things deemed "offensive" to more than a few people as well. The very structure of this republic depends on it. Scouts Honor, boys and girls.

Next, truth be told, she's not saying anything that the Left doesn't already believe deep down in their heart of hearts. Her comment is bold for its frankness, yes, butnot fundamentally different from what this administration and most of its amen chorus in the MSM believe. I appreciate candor--as you know, a rare commodity these days. No, Thomas does not "work" for the administration any more than other Leftist journalists. But her opines are vital, as they serve as a useful window into what has become the MSM mainline thinking these days, and was always this administration's judgment on the matter at hand: Israel is illegitimate, is on "occupied land", stolen from the Pallies, and really has no fallback position other than to accept one threat after another to her very existence and safety to her populace, then just grin and bear things every time a Gaza-bound Love Boat of yet more"humanitarian" supplies to Hamas shows up. And, by George, say or do anything about it, as in the latest Israeli move to interdict the flow of terror supplies, and you'll be roundly condemned by the whole world.

Nice spot to be in, eh?

Whether the administration truly disdains the Jewish state as much as Thomas does, or truly finds honor in tacitly supporting the "Palestinian" cause for Israel's utter destruction, matters not. Ditto for the reasons the administration coddles Iran and other Islamist states' goals. Is this merely a multicultural moment where the administration truly finds that all cultures are equal in the application of law and justice? Or (perhaps more likely) is this administration trying to play Mr. Nice Guy and hope that all works out for everyone? Likewise, one might also ask the town fathers of New York City if multi-culti considerations are really what's going on regarding the finishing coffin nails, er, finishing touches on Ground Zero (a mosque has been given approval to be built near there. A mosque whose Imam has tiesto the Gaza Love Boat--a symbolism to the Islamist world that many of our alleged betters might poo-poo away as Cosmic Multi-Culti harmonic convergence, but which signals something altogether different to men like Bin Laden) or is this apparent disdain for the Jewish State really something more along the lines of what is termed "Political Realism" these days by everyone from Ron Paul supporters to Paleoconservatives, to most of the Left?

(SIDE NOTE: Get real, "Realists." The world is falling apart, you know it, and it's time to draw some lines in the sand. That sand is at our own beaches. In such a world approaching a new Dark Ages, it is far from likely that "staying out" of--name one--conflict hither and yonder will win friends, influence people, or alter history, or secure our own borders and security. A candle already flickering in the high winds that have accompanied the end of the Cold War and the resultant fallout storms will not likely continue to shine as a beacon in such a place.)

Again, back to the administration's word and deed regarding Israel, as possibly contrasted with its true inner feelings about her security: The difference matters not. Indeed, the administration's coddling of Islamic nut houses yields a situation that might be termed what is called a "distinction without a difference." The point is that if you argue against this coddling of the Sons of Allah and worry about continued terror resupply to Gaza and other areas actively engaged in trying to destroy Israel, or wonder aloud why $400,000,000 in US taxpayer dough is now flowing to "Gaza relief" efforts, you'll be quickly told by more than one administration supporter the ultimate fallback position to all the above: Israel should not even be there in the first place. So why try and posit what the administration is thinking here?

 By the way, do you doubt this view is common? It's interesting that the voices saying this are getting bolder and more a-historical by the hour of late (with this administration) even if the general anti-Semitic feelings were always present in some others. Doubtful this anti-Israeli attitude came about all of a sudden. It's just some voices are a little louder nowadays.

Israel is now in grave danger, whether by some kind of strange default, or by outright design, and only ill tidings can come from backing her into tight corners.

Salon.com's Anna Clark (second link, beginning of post) begs us not to make this Thomas's main legacy. Well, oopsie. Too late. Words have consequences, sweetie. This remains true regardless of the luster of one's career, or the grandeur of one's other life journeys, however fleeting those words come that can easily terminate one's station in life. Some of us are more than happy to have this happen sometimes.

(**UPDATE: Similarly, when it comes to certain "stations", or positions in life, we can quickly find ourselves in hot water, as did ex-Afghan theater commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal recently, over Obama-disparaging comments made to a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine--even before the full real McCoy even came out in print. The consequences of our words are serious even when heartfelt and sincere, as when the good general told Rolling Stone in certain words that he and his "Team America" group (the elite cadre of alleged miscreants, killers, and eggheads charged with winning hearts and minds in Afghanistan) about the apparent lack of brain and brawn in the administration's approach to the war, including quips about certain administration officials including President Obama. Well, Free Speech can still carry a stiff price. We can complain about some embedded irony in all this; that during the Bush years a mouthy 4-star general who slammed the administration would've been hailed as a bold maverick--a hero--by the Left and the MSM. We can also point out that Obama's replacement for overseeing the Afghan campaign, General David H. "The Surge" Petraeus--another "inheritance" from the Bush era--is all the more shiggles due to Obama's previous lecturing (2007--when still an Illinois Senator) of Petraeus on the futility of the "Surge" strategy for the war in Iraq--along with several other Democrat Senators at the time. A current vice-president's name comes to mind as well. Apparently, long gone are the days ofCode Pink's "General Betray Us" ads at half-off rates for full page ads in the New York Times. General Surge is now in business in Afghanistan. But no matter. The point being that certain chains-of-command under certain people, you have to be careful where your mouth might lead you to avoid the mere appearance of incohesion and insubordination.)

In Thomas's case, we will--regardless of her employment status--continue to shoot her anti-Semitic version of history and other crappola right out of the air with a .50 caliber sniper rifle. If deep-seated hatred of the Jews or a Jewish state are what's in the noggin, and you think the world needs to hear about this at long last, you WILL take the risks involved. Ditto for any journalist or politician who--no matter their social standing--decides he or she really needs to mention a belief that blacks need to head back to Africa, whites in general back to Europe (though groups like La Raza might get a pass on this one) or for that matter, more particularly, Poles back to Poland (since that nation's name came up).

Clark, to her credit, however, does note something worth pointing out here that I'll add as reason number three for why Thomas should not have been canned: "(H)er views aren't exactly news; the gist of them are evident from her past columns."  For the last decade, Clark notes, Thomas has been a columnist and not a reporter, and has said about as much on the "Palestinian" situation in her columns. So her latest quip about the Jews needing to get the hell out of their own land--which Thomas, along with numerous untold others thinks is not really Jewish land, but occupied territory belonging to Palestinians--is not exactly an unanticipated, mesmerizing bolt from a cloudless blue sky. Of course, Clark makes sure we all know that ageism and sexism had something to do with this (why, of course they do) and bemoans the fact that right wing big mouths like Hannity, Beck, and Limbaugh are still kicking after their own putatively nasty remarks. Though she declines to give specifics.

There are numerous accusations against these guys, but it seems real world examples are hard to find. Unlike Thomas, more likely what you have in the case of most of your conservative talking heads is faux moral indignation about ideology that just doesn't fit a politically correct mode of thinking more than real racism. "Outrage", in other words, over disagreements about the gospel truth of government's magnanimous, loving powers to heal  the nation and its people more than individual initiative does, and "outrage" that there are prominent figures voicing the general distrust brewing in America about the direction of government size and power.

Yes, 67 total years in any career (much less journalism--geesh) is a longy-longy. True enough. No denials here of the tenacity it takes in any line of work to accomplish that feat. These days just discovering that someone has stuck it out in any job is an astonishing find. So let's help her make it 68 years. Heck, let's go for an even 70.

Let Helen Thomas speak. We'll make it fun to boot.
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In other news, it seems Gilligan is now channeling Kid Rock.

Oh, pity the President. Standing around in rain talking to Gulf Coast fisherman and then telling reporters the purpose of this mission in the moisture was to try and figure out "whose ass to kick."

Well now. That's a fine sentiment in this context, I guess. Good call. He's not exactly doing it on the international front to those tinhorns who might need some booty-boppin' right about now. We DO have some allies, like Israel, who feel batted around right about now.

But no doubt somewhere in the echelons of power at British Petroleum, someone certainly deserves it. Good call, I guess, even if mostly pandering to the Vulgar Lite "tough guy" fantasies of your fan base. It's true he's kicked proverbial tail on a few things. Or, that is, the tails of a few people and some groups. With his mouth, however. Not his foot. Thus for example long before his presidential campaign trail, but merely in "community organizer" mode, he'd already taken the time to jab,race-bait, and poke at many of the Left's usual objects of derision (e.g., white people with money who live in places like the suburbs).

In a general sense he has kicked the can of the American people as a whole, and continues to do so.

With the looming pressures on small and large companies alike about to buckle under the unfunded strains ObamaCare and Cap-n'-Tax  and the probable introduction of the Euro-sylin' VAT at some point, along with the virtual takeover of a large portion of the economy under ObamaCare and entire industries to boot (such as cars and banking and even down to student loan outlets) combined with the astonishing expansion of federal government/public union power and pay and the accompanying shift to greater bureaucracy, he's up for the domestic ass-kick mode. No doubt. He's even threatened the state of Arizona for merely trying to uphold what seems to be existing Federal law. Politics, of course, deems that his administration step in to make sure we're not turning away too many of these wonderful illegal ali...ooops...future Democratic voters too early and too often. But still, when Ass-Kick Mode needs to set in, he's good for at least some kinds of shakedown. At least, on the domestic front.

Did I mention enlarging the national debt to somewhere beyond the orbit of Pluto? Well, you get the picture.

Of course, this is all as much to the delight of some as it is the object of scorn for others, like myself. The latter group wondering aloud just how much government involvement in...well...everything...will turn out to be deemed quite enough.

With BP, let's hope that after, oh, 55 days since the blowout that occurred around Earth Day (no greater irony, eh, Greenies?) you're good for the threat and it's not just idle talk. It might be.

While on the topic of this "Kick Ass" ethos the president speaks of, however, just what about this childish demeanor would really strike fear into this nation's enemies? Or are those just irritations (like the BP oil spill) to far distant from his primary focus--domestic hand-outs and glop?

Feel free, Mr. President--any time now would be great--to really "sock it" to British Petroleum and stanch the bleeding that promises to be the greatest environmental disaster near US shores in history. Yes, tell the Corps of Engineers to make sand berms to protect the sensitive beaches and wetland areas, the intercoastal waterways and estuaries that sustain and nurture about a third of American seafood production. Absolutely. Go for it. But not for being Captain Kick-Ass. Rather, do so in order to do the right thing right, and thus avoid the growing suspicion that your legacy is quickly heading to a Katrina II. Moreover, please DO help us avoid the suspicion that you'd just as soon let this thing "bleed out" until the Fall in order to make the case to halt offshore drilling completely, or not allow more exploration of more areas.

Now then. Having said all that, if you're REALLY in the mood to go kick someone to the curb, you might instead start with some handy suggestions I have on file. For example, repeal the Eurosocialist glop you started and get rid of the notion that people are owed the "right" to sit on their fannies and smear some canvass and be artists on the public health care dime (Nancy Pelosi's notion of "entrepreneurs") and get rid of all the lobster and cream sauce salaries of Federal workers who now make 76% more compared to private sector employees in comparable work. Big government's very power, prestige, and intrusive abilities are a threat to freedom as well as common decency--not to mention budgetary sanity at a time it is least affordable. You can scale back the astonishing size and influence of government at the Federal level. Or, you could seal the so-called "Southern Border", as this spaghetti colander is sometimes called, and thereby uphold Federal law on illegal immigration and stanch the flow of millions of peasants now competing with Americans for low-paying jobs at a time when we can least afford the social services handouts, the ER visits, the incarceration costs, the bankruptcies of entire states, and American workers' historically large unemployment figures.

Good starting points, no?

You see, Mr. President, despite what you think you know, the answer to every third question on any given test one might take is not "more government oversight." That unlikely prospect is in no more danger of happening that me winning the Powerball Lotto, but it would be mighty darned impressive all the same. Dig?
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PS--Dear Mr. President: We're all standing around in the rain these days. Know what I mean?

PPS--Mr. President: I don't know how Chicago handles its taxes, nor even most municipalities and metropolitan areas. But I promise you that when it comes to the Atlanta Greater Metro area, for example, the city certainly darn well finds a way to tax the outlying "metro" counties that merely touch the city. They get the dough of the white folks. Scouts Honor. I'm guessing this routine is similar across the nation. (Thanks for asking.)

Ehud Olmert Straight to Jail. Do not collect 200 when you pass Go

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Former prime minister and Jerusalem mayor Ehud Olmert speaks with his attorney Eli Zohar in the courtroom of the District Court in Tel Aviv.

Olmert’s Lawyers Claims $500,000 Bribe Not Such a Big Deal

And Ephron told Abraham the land is worth 400 silver shekels, and between us, that’s peanuts. (Genesis: 23:15)

The judge who will sentence former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for bribery admonished his lawyer for claiming that the conviction over $400,000 of money is only small change.

The prosecution on Monday asked the court to sentence Olmert to six years in jail and fine him more than $300,000.

Olmert’s attorneys, as expected, asked for a much lighter punishment, but his lawyer’s comment on the sum of the bribes says a lot about the workings of the minds of the political-legal-business establishment that has its hands in the taxpayers’ pockets.

Olmert took the stand to deny his guilt, and he no doubt believes he did nothing wrong because bribes are simply a means to justify the end of building businesses and personal empires in Israel. It is something like so-called religious leaders taking bribes to promote yeshivas and charities, all in the “name of God.”

Somewhere between the lines, there seems to be a violation of the Third Commandment, “You shalt not take the name of God in vain,” but let’s leave that for Him to decide.

Eli Zohar, one of Olmert’s attorneys, told the court that his poor and mistreated client “already has seen punished” by the heartless media that have caused him “insufferable damage” and “blackened his image,” which already was blacker than nothingness except for the die-hard leftist media and politicians who held out hope that the world can survive upside down.

The conviction, of course, was justice at its worst according to Olmert, partly because of the testimony of his former close aide Shuli Zakan, who finally decided it would be best to tell the truth – or as Olmert claims, to frame him – and spend a few less years in jail.

Olmert accused the media of creating a circus out of her testimony and making it impossible for him to receive a fair trial. He is right if the definition of a fair trial is “not guilty.”

Zohar had the audacity to tell the court that Olmert was charged with four counts of bribery but was convicted “only” on two charges,

What a righteous person! Such a great Tzadik, he is.

Not only that, but Zohar also stated that the $500,000 Olmert pocketed illegally is not such a significant sum of money. That just goes to show what is “big” money for the political-legal-business complex.

What’s half a million dollars? That was the attitude of Ephron, the landowner in Biblical Hebron when he negotiated with Avraham over the sale of the Cave Of the Patriarchs to bury Sarah.

The Arab understanding of “negotiations” hasn’t changed from then through today. After congenial talks in which Ephron told Avraham to take the land and after Avraham said, “Look, I know this game. How much do you want?” Ephron kept a straight face and said, “Oh, just some symbolic price, like 400 shekels of silver.” By some estimates, that is around $40,000 in today’s currency.

The judge was taken aback by Zohar’s comment and told him, “What are you talking about. That is a huge sum of money. This is not 20,000 shekels and not 50,000 shekels. I find it difficult accept your argument.”

In other words, Olmert is headed for the slammer – except for one big detail. After his sentencing May 13, He will appeal to the Supreme Court, and unless the justices break a record and give the case the priority it should have, Olmert may be out of jail for months or more.

Sheryl Sandberg

The most powerful working mother in Silicon Valley, Sheryl Sandberg may wish her life weren’t viewed as a social statement. But since it is, the C.O.O. of Facebook is tackling the issue head-on. Michael Lewis checks out Sandberg’s manifesto.

SUPERMOM Facebook C.O.O. Sheryl Sandberg and her children at their home in Atherton, California.

Sheryl Sandberg is one of those people who attract more attention than they want. If she were a man, no one would think twice about her career: McKinsey consultant, chief of staff to U.S. Treasury secretary Larry Summers, head of one of Google’s biggest businesses, and now chief operating officer of Facebook. Those are the sorts of jobs that people who finish at the top of their Harvard Business School class wind up in. Alas, Sheryl Sandberg is not a man, and so her career is not just a bunch of jobs she happens to have held but a social statement.

Sandberg claims she never really wanted to write a book, that her subject was thrust upon her by the way her own career has been viewed. I believe her. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead is a heavily researched manifesto aimed at a single question: Why are so few positions of economic and political power held by women? “The blunt truth is that men still run the world,” Sandberg writes. Just 19 out of all the C.E.O.’s in the Fortune 500 are women. The United States has a female majority, yet its Congress remains 82 percent male. In the most intense arenas of American ambition the situation for women is even worse. There are plenty of women on Wall Street, for instance, but the big firms and the financial risktaking are still dominated by men. (And look how that’s worked out!) In Silicon Valley the woman who gets to power is regarded as a cyborg. If she gets pregnant, it’s gen­uine­ly newsworthy.

Obviously, there are all sorts of reasons for the inequity at the top of American life, and Sandberg addresses most of them. But she takes a particular interest in the ways women undermine their own cause. Women tend more than men to view their success as fraudulent, for instance. They give in too quickly to the idea that you can’t have both a career and a family; they fail to take risks they need to take; they are afraid to demand that their husbands do their fair share of the housework; they misunderstand how to cultivate useful relationships with their superiors. After a female subordinate describes to Sandberg what she imagines a corporate mentor to be, Sandberg tells her, “That’s not a mentor. That’s a therapist.”

Some women will be annoyed by Sandberg’s challenge, but I’ll bet most will be thrilled by it. And I suspect at least a few men will read this book and think, Oh no, they’re starting to catch on.

The astonishing rise and rise of Sheryl Sandberg

From the sunny climes of Miami beach to Facebook's billion-dollar boss, Sheryl Sandberg has come a long way from her 1980s high school days of big hair and frosted blue eye shadow.

The 43-year-old Facebook COO - who was tasked with making the social network actually make money after coming on board in 2008 - has been linked with a move to President Obama's second administration.

And with a new book that the mother-of-two hopes will help launch a 'social movement' for women about to be released, a career in politics now beckons - despite the fact her tome has already been accusing to failing to understand real-life working mums.

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Before she was famous: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg as a Miami teenager on the brink of leaving high school

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Boss lady: Sheryl Sandberg joined Facebook in 2008 as COO with a brief to make the company more profitable

Born in Washington and moving to Miami when she was just two with her parents Adele and Joel Sandburg, Sheryl Sandburg graduated from North Miami Senior Beach High School in 1987 after being named ninth in her class with a 4.646 grade point average.

The 1987 yearbook also lists Sheryl as being in the National Honor Society and on the senior class executive board.

While at high school, Sheryl was an aerobics instructor, which, she says in her new book: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, naturally included 'a silver leotard, leg warmers, and a shiny headband'.

She told how she was forced to fake confidence and remembers forcing herself to smile through the routines, which left her feeling better - a trick she undoubtedly used while teaching aerobics at Harvard University.

More...

• Sheryl Sandberg's feminist project fails to get off the ground... because the average working woman can't relate to the $500m Facebook COO

And although she doesn't mention it in Lean In, a 1990 Harvard Crimson article about long lines for undergraduate aerobics classes quotes "Sheryl K. Sandberg '91," who "has been teaching aerobics for four years."

In the book, which comes out on March 11, Sheryl tells how as a child, she bossed around her two younger siblings David and Michelle, and taught them to 'follow me around, listen to my monologues, and scream the word 'Right!' when I concluded.'

'People laugh at these accounts, but to this day I always feel slightly ashamed of my behavior,' writes Sheryl: 'which is remarkable given that I have now written an entire book about why girls should not be made to feel this way, or maybe this partially explains my motivation.'

The multi-millionaire, with a personal fortune of $500m, has hoped to set up the Lean in Circles project in conjunction with her book - urging women not to 'lean back' when it comes to their lives and in business.

However, only one group has been set up so far - despite a lavish PR campaign - and organisers are unsure if there will be any more - fearing the average woman cannot relate to her and her privileged life, including the fact she always leaves work at 5.30pm to go home to be with her children.

But despite becoming a billionaire last year after selling shares in Facebook - and counting the country's elite among her acquaintances - Sheryl's closest friends remain the high school girlfriends she posed with in her yearbook.

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High school memories: Sheryl Sandberg (on the right) with her best friends - who remain her closest friends today

Eighties-style: Sheryl Sandberg (second left) and her high school best friends, from left: Eve Greenbarg-Albright, Pam Solomon Srebrenik, Elise Scheck Bonwitt,Debbie Howitt Easton, Mindy Lockshin and Jami Passe

The petite brunette remains close to Eve Greenbarg-Albright, Elise Scheck Bonwitt, Mindy Lockshin Levy, Pam Solomon Srebrenik and Jami Passer, as well as Beth Redlich, who transferred to North Miami Beach High in 12th grade and has remained one of the seven who still gather frequently.

The page doesn’t include Beth Redlich, who transferred to North Miami Beach High in 12th grade and has remained one of the seven who still gather frequently. - See more at: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/business/sheryl-sandberg-from-south-florida-to-facebook-1/nL4J6/#sthash.5l1DTa6J.dpufDebbie Howitt Easton 

Jami Rozen

So close were Sheryl and her friends they took out a full page advertisement in the yearbook, featuring two photos of the group and modified lyrics of Through the Years, a song made famous by Kenny Rogers in 1981. 'When I didn’t care for anyone but you/ I swear we’ve been through everything there is/ Can’t imagine anything we’ve missed/ Can’t imagine anything the seven of us can’t do.'

Debbie Howitt Easton - who is in the picture - later lost close touch with the gang, although she remains friends with Sheryl and others on Facebook.

Speaking to the Palm Beach Post last year, Eve Greenbarg-Albright recalled how the friends had gathered at a 40th birthday weekend at a Mexican beach resort, saying: 'No husbands, no children, girls only.'

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Writer: Sheryl Sandberg's new book, Lean In, will be published on March 11

They talked about kids, family, work and ordered take-out food or made pizza. 'We’d be just as happy with Slurpees, M&Ms and chips,' claimed Eve.

Elise Scheck Bonwitt, a Miami-Dade lawyer and mother of five, said Sheryl is 'just her carrying out what we had in our relationships in high school,' adding: 'Every single person she meets becomes the most important person in the world... She always makes you feel the focus is on you.

'She’s always very supportive. She’s always made time for everybody.'

While Eve revealed: 'She makes friends very easily. Very inviting and welcoming, a good conversationalist. She’s interested in other people. She doesn’t speak about herself, never. It’s ‘How can I help you? What is your interest?’ She focuses on others.'

Calling Sheryl 'driven and motivated,” Eve added: 'When she walks into a room, she is very confident.'

Both women said they feel very protective of Sheryl 'because there’s such a spotlight on her'.

And although once the women kept in touch by forwarding round-robin letters via the U.S. Postal Service, now they have a private space on Facebook. All are married and all have children

They still get together once or twice a year, “but it’s harder than it used to be, said Elise, as the group juggles work and families.

And while the friends may Facebook occasionally, it's not always on the agenda, with Elise insisting: 'This is Sheryl being Sheryl.'

Brains run in Sheryl's family. Her father, Joel, is an optometrist, and her mother, Adele, has a PhD and worked as a French teacher before concentrating on raising her children. The family js Jewish and Sheryl's parents were active in helping Jews leave the Soviet Union. Often, at weekends, the whole family would go to rallies.

And the pair certainly raised a brainy bunch: Sheryl, the eldest, was followed by David, who also went to Harvard and became a pediatric neurosurgeon who now practices at Miami Children’s Hospital.

Michelle, the youngest, followed them to Harvard and now is a pediatrician in Santa Clara, Calif., near Sheryl’s $8 million home in Atherton, which she shares with her husband David Goldberg, the CEO of SurveyMonkey, and their two young children.

Aged 24, Sheryl married Washington businessman Brian Kraff - and was divorced at 25. 'He's a great guy. It didn’t work out,' said her friend Elise. And in 2004, Sheryl went on to marry long-time friend Goldberg.

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Cute: Sheryl Sandberg's proud parents posted a picture of her as a baby in her high school yearbook to celebrate her graduation in 1987

After Harvard - graduating in 1991 as the top student in economics - the same year as President Obama graduated from Harvard Law School - Sheryl enrolled at Harvard Business School and in 1995 she earned her M.B.A. with highest distinction.

When her professor and mentor Larry Summers became Treasury secretary for the Clinton administration in 1999, Sheryl - still just 29 - continued as his chief of staff.

In 2001, after the Democrats lost the presidential election, Sheryl decided the Internet was the future. She went to work for Google, taking over the fledgling company’s advertising program, which had four people working for it.

But Google’s highest executive positions were all taken, and after a string of secret meetings with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, she jumped ship in 2008.

Her friend Elise says Sheryl has only good things to say about Zuckerberg. “She likes him. They’re really different, but she has a great relationship.”

In the New Yorker article last year, Zuckerberg, 28, said he was more of a strategy person than a manager. He said he named Sandberg chief operating officer because she “ ‘handles things I don’t want to,’ such as advertising strategy, hiring and firing, management, and dealing with political issues.”

In December, CNN reported that Sheryl has now cashed out around $50 million shares since Facebook went public in May. In December, she sold nearly 310,000 shares for $8.4 million and earlier this month sold another $5 million in shares.

But she still has plenty more left in her coffers. On the day of Facebook's IPO, she reported holding 46.6 million shares and stock options (including a chunk of not-yet-vested restricted units) - a stake worth almost $1.8 billion at the time, based on Facebook's $38 per share IPO price. 

However, more interestingly, Sheryl was linked with a move to the White House to become President Obama's new Treasury Secretary after he won a second term in office. 

Publishing a status update on the President's win, Sheryl called it a 'great step forward for women.'

Although the job went to Jack Lew, who was sworn in this week, sources say not to rule out a move to Government for the ambitious Sheryl.

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Class of 1987: Sheryl Sandberg and her classmates at North Miami Beach Senior High School

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Facebook friends: Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg join ESPN President George Bodenheimer and Walt Disney President and CEO Robert Iger in Sun Valley, Idaho ,for the annual Allen & Co's media and technology conference in 2010.

Last week, Kevin Roose of New York Magazine predicted that Sheryl will leave Facebook within a year.

He noted that she has already done what she was hired to do at Facebook - and help make the company profitable and mature - as well as swelling her fortune.

With the launch of her book, he said, she obviously feels another calling and wants to help women succeed. and develop equality in the workplace.

With a clear interest in the public sector, Sheryl has now climbed as high as she can at Facebook - unless Zuckerberg were to leave his position - and staying there now could actually hurt her career if the company were to continue to falter.

All in all, as far away as you could get from the suntan lotion of Miami beach...