Check out writing before hiring or marrying, graphologist says

Part of what made Baruch Lazewnik uneasy was the "s" and the "h."

First, the two letters found in the word "shortly" were slanted quite differently. The writer's "s" was markedly vertical; the "h" veered to the right. Also, the two letters were spaced unusually far apart.

Then there's the matter of the letters' location. Were an imaginary line to be drawn directly under the writing, the "s" would fall much lower than the "h." There were also odd margins, a way of dotting the "i" and strange breaks among letters in a single word.

To most, it would simply look like a page of handwriting, not particularly distinct except for its obvious display of lightness and speed, as though the writer were in a hurry.

To Lazewnik, however, it revealed a man who had a problem telling the truth, a man "without a clear sense of identity," an impatient person skilled at creating a seemingly charming character even as troubles brew underneath.

The writing sample belongs to Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, who was convicted of murdering his wife and two young daughters in a widely publicized case. MacDonald insists he is innocent and that his family's killers were four mysterious strangers who broke into his home.

The author of "Handwriting Analysis: A Guide To Understanding Personalities," Lazewnik, 45, has been interested in handwriting analysis since his teen years in Brooklyn.

In 1978, he moved to Jerusalem to become a self-employed personnel consultant and a student of Haim Lifshitz, one of the worlds leading graphologists, or handwriting experts, whose knowledge included not only handwriting analysis but also how to interpret drawings and stories. Lazewnik, who also holds a Ph.D. in education and psychology, studied with Lifshitz for almost five years before he went out on his own.

Finding work in Israel was relatively easy. Though a number of leading U.S. businesses take handwriting analysis seriously -- and even hire consultants to check out the character traits of potential employees -- Americans have yet to become especially passionate about the subject. This is not the case in Israel, where newspaper ads often invite those interested in a job to "send in a handwritten resumé."

Lazewnik managed to link up with one of Israel's leading firms, Koor Industries; the head of personnel offered him work after handing Lazewnik three writing samples for analysis. Almost everything Lazewnik said, the manager noted, was right on target.

Specifically, Koor was looking for high-level managers who would work overseas in such fields as agriculture and food production. They wanted men and women with top-notch organizational and interpersonal skills.

Could Lazewnik see these personality traits in the way the employees crossed their "t's, how much space they left between lines of writing and how much pressure they used when making lowercase letters?

Lazewnik says he could.

Graphology should not be confused with documentation analysis, which makes no assessment of character but rather seeks to confirm validity of certain texts.

The most famous recent case involved the ransom note found in the home of Jon-Benet Ramsey; experts testified in court, at length, as to whether this note was written by Jon-Benet's parents -- but never considered whether the writer was extroverted, deceitful or sincere.

Graphology, on the other hand, is often in the eye of the beholder. While most handwriting analysts concur on major points, there is plenty of room for disagreement. Consequently it is not without its critics, who say it is much more a product of interpretation than scientific study.

In Israel, Lazewnik found daunting the idea of analyzing writing in Hebrew rather than English. But he soon learned that every kind of handwriting, regardless of language, offers similar revelations.

He wrote a popular column in the Jerusalem Post called "Reading Between the Lines," in which readers sent in samples of their handwriting for analysis.

Lazewnik, who returned from Israel and now teaches Jewish studies at a Jewish day school in suburban Detroit, describes graphology as an art and a science -- and a tool to better know oneself or a significant other.

He often advises couples considering marriage. In those sessions he does not tell one partner, "Don't marry her," but rather focuses on, "Do we agree on the type of person you're considering marrying?"

He recalls one woman -- a quiet, unassuming, not especially strong-willed type -- who was set to marry a man whom Lazewnik, after seeing a handwriting sample, described as "an extremely original, unique personality."

Lazewnik told the woman, "He's a great guy, but you'll have a handful."

The engagement was eventually broken.

"I don't know if it was because of our session," Lazewnik says. "But I was glad. She didn't have the strength to put up with him."