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The Week In News

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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Dear Readers, No matter one’s opinion about the Chinese virus and how the world has reacted to it, we can all agree that fear is not the Jewish way. Everything that happens in this world comes from Hashem. Nothing happens to us without Hashem having decreed that it does. Hashem is also the source of goodness. Everything He does is for the ultimate good. Contemplating this and living life accordingly can help the (at times) hidden goodness to be revealed. We should repeat this to ourselves and our families as many times as needed to create a protective shield from the anxiety super-bug plaguing Planet Earth. This mindset also helps us retain our humanity toward others, to treat people with respect instead of suspicion, worried that they will infect us with the latest variant on the market. Sukkos is the perfect opportunity to allow ourselves to connect to Hashem’s loving embrace. We should spend as much time as we can in the Sukkah thinking, speaking, learning & farbrenging about this. For thousands of years Yidden believed in the coming of Moshiach here, in this physical world. Let’s not lose focus at the end. Moshiach isn’t just a way out. It’s a way in. It flips our current reality into a dream and the future becomes the reality. May we experience it very soon. Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos, and most joyous Zman Simchaseinu,

Shalom

T H E P R E M I E R J E W I S H N E W S PA P E R H I G H L I G H T I N G L A’ S O R T H O D OX C O M M U N I T Y The Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly. FOR HOME DELIVERY, OR TO HAVE THE LATEST ISSUE EMAILED TO YOU FREE OF CHARGE, SEND A MESSAGE TO EDITOR@JEWISHHOMELA.COM

TheHappenings Week In News

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Yeshiva Ketana of Los Angeles to Expand Its Campus to Accommodate Its Growing Student Body By Yehudis Litvak Since Yeshiva Ketana of Los Angeles opened its doors ten years ago, it has been expanding to accommodate its unprecedented growth. This year, with over 300 students, Yeshiva Ketana is expanding again, with the planned purchase of the adjacent property to create a dedicated building and yard for the girls’ division. With the close of escrow, G-d willing, this fall, the construction on the new space will begin, with the aim to complete it and move the girls’ division in 2022. Yeshiva Ketana plays a unique role in the Greater Los Angeles Jewish community. Located in Valley Village, it caters mainly to the Valley residents and has made a tremendous impact. “It’s a very warm, loving, family-like environment,” says Mrs. Tamarah Yuz, Executive Administrator of Yeshiva Ketana. “Families are thrilled to have an outstanding Yeshiva education, so close to home.” Among the Yeshiva’s core values is “Middos Tovos Come First.” “Our philosophy is that who you are is more important than what you know,” says Rabbi

Aryeh Davidowitz, Menahel of Yeshiva Ketana. Each grade has a middos curriculum, including preschool. This focus on middos and derech eretz is evident from the students’ conduct, both in school and outside as well. “Parents of new students have come over to me to comment on how students go out of their way to welcome a new classmate, inviting her to birthday parties and Shabbos afternoon get-togethers,” says Mrs. Shaina Davidowitz, Girls’ Menaheles. “Because it is a core value, we attract the kind of families for whom [good middos] are essential, so kids get them both from home and from school,” explains Mrs. Yuz. Another core value is the necessity for a strong secular education, to prepare students to succeed in a rapidly changing global economy. “Our staff is our greatest asset,” says Mrs. Tova Todd, General Studies Principal. “Each teacher works tirelessly to ensure the success of every student.” The school utilizes state-of-theart research-based curricula and prioritizes critical thinking and analysis. Rabbi Aharon Rubenstein, Founder

and Menahel of Yeshiva Ketana, says, “What makes Yeshiva Ketana of Los Angeles unique is that we are always improving and developing. We are never complacent and do not settle for status quo. Our warm faculty gives their all, every day, and the administration is consistently evaluating and implementing best practices to give the children the best possible educational experience.” Last year, the Yeshiva graduated its first boys’ class. In the graduation video, the students themselves talk about how much they’ve gained from the school. Several graduates emphasized personal growth in middos and yiras shamayim. “In my years at Yeshiva Ketana, I think I have grown a lot in my middos and skills to become a ben Torah and a Yarei Shamayim,” said Yisroel Apter, who now attends Yeshiva Gedolah. Yosef Bittan, a talmid in MBY, said, “I now know how to really understand and learn the Gemara in depth.” “Over the last three years I have learned lots of skills, knowledge, and life lessons,” said Yehoshua Striks, a student at Ner Aryeh.

Young Israel of Hancock Park Welcomes Rabbi Elan and Rebbetzin Elisheva Segelman By Devorah Talia Gordon After an extensive search process, Young Israel of Hancock Park is proud to announce the arrival of their new rabbi and rebbetzin, Rabbi Elan and Rebbetzin Elisheva Segelman. The couple and their five children have just moved to Los Angeles from Queens, New York, where Rabbi Segelman was the rabbi of Kehilas Torah Temima. After studying in Israel for two years at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh, Rabbi Segelman attained a B.A. in Psychology from Touro College’s Lander College for Men, as well as an M.A. from Touro College’s Graduate School of Jewish Studies. Shortly after completing his s’micha, he was appointed as a shoel u’maishiv and rebbe in the Lander College Judaic Studies Program. Rabbi Segelman served as the Rabbinic Educator at New York Medical College & Touro College of Dental Medicine in Valhalla, NY; and was the founder of the Queens Kollel Boker, as well as the Rabbinic Director of Special Projects for the Vaad Harabonim of Queens. Currently, Rabbi Segelman is the Rabbinic Advisor for PUAH in America, the worldwide organization for couples with

infertility struggles. He will be continuing in his role with PUAH and is excited to expand the existing PUAH family in Los Angeles. Rabbi Segelman’s rebbe, Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik, son Rav Ahron Soloveichik,zt’l, from Chicago, has guided him for many years, greatly shaping who Rabbi Segelman is today. In addition to being the mother of five, Rebbetzin Elisheva Segelman is a kallah teacher and educator. She attended Torah Academy for Girls and taught second grade for over ten years at TAG and Bais Yaakov Queens. Rebbetzin Segelman is also one of the directors of Camp Orah in Far Rockaway, a girls’ day camp with over 700 campers and staff. Rebbetzin Segelman has joined the staff at Yavne Hebrew Academy as mashgicha ruchanit and will be adding to the school’s religious programming. The Segelman children are attending Yeshiva Toras Emes. For forty-five years, former Moreh D’Asrah Rabbi Yaakov Krause devotedly guided his congregation at YIHP; under his leadership the synagogue became the vibrant community and family synagogue that it is. He and his wife Rebbetzin Frume Krause will serve as Rabbi and Rebbetzin Emeritus for the community at large. Rabbi Krause looks forward to remaining in Los Angeles and enjoying Rabbi Segelman’s new leadership at YIHP. Both Rabbi Krause and Rabbi Segelman look forward to working together. In addition, Rabbi Krause continues as the Dean of Yeshivas Toras Emes. Rabbi Segelman is eager to initiate a dynamic program of Torah learning for

both men and women at Young Israel, as well as the community at large. A gifted

In the upcoming 2021-22 school year, Yeshiva Ketana will be graduating its first girls’ class. The students, parents, and administration are looking forward to another year of exceptional learning and growth. On August 29th and 30th, YKLA ran a tremendously successful fundraising campaign to support the campus expansion. Parents and community members were happy to donate to the school. “I gave to the yeshiva’s [Charidy campaign] because it’s the gift that keeps on giving. The kids are the future of klal Yisroel,” says Elana Berman, YKLA parent and PTA co-president. “We met our goal with time to spare!” says Mrs. Yuz. Rabbi Rubenstein adds, “The incredible success of our Charidy campaign has ensured that we will have the necessary funds to close escrow on our Girls Campus. This property expansion ensures that Yeshiva Ketana will have the space to grow and thrive for many years to come.” More information about the campaign can be found at Charidy.com/ YKLA.

speaker, educator, and young leader in the Jewish community, Young Israel is thrilled to welcome Rabbi Segelman and his family.

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The WeekCorner In News Sarah's

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | The Jewish Home

I Don’t Make Birthday Parties Sarah Pachter

I don’t throw birthday parties. Instead, I make siyums. Any time a child of ours completes any type of Jewish learning, Torah book, or sefer, we make a celebration. They choose how they want to celebrate, and we do our best to implement their plan. When my son, Josh, was nine, he finished Sefer Yehoshua and chose to take several friends bowling. Emmy finished Sefer Tehillim at the age of seven and wanted to take a few friends to an indoor trampoline park. When Nava finished Pirkei Avot at nine she requested a different kind of party. She invited some friends to the house to do a cook-off, much like the television show, Chopped. Participants received a set of random ingredients, and had to concoct a creative dish. At the party, each girl was given a chef’s hat, personalized apron, and a white box with secret ingredients inside. Every box contained the precise measurements to make a specific dish. No one knew what her ingredients were beforehand, and no recipes were handed out. The girls had to examine their ingredients and do their best to use all of them to create something delicious. Everyone opened the boxes, and the cook-off began. One child said, “Oh, I’m so happy with my box!” (There was whipped cream inside.) Others seemed unexcited or unsure of how to proceed. “Fish? Yuck, I don’t want to make fish!”

“Lentils? What am I supposed to do with lentils?” “Hmm, carrots? should I make?”

Mango?

What

“You got chocolate chips? I wish I got that one!” I gave them a few helpful hints and full access to my kitchen and all the tools inside. (Eek!) Although the girls were given the exact measurements they needed, some girls started eating their ingredients. Others used only small amounts of each one. Some girls even asked for additional ingredients to garnish, or make a different dish altogether. My husband graciously acted as the judge for the competition, and we rated their dishes based on creativity, presentation, the number of ingredients used, and, of course, taste. Anyone who helped a competitor or helped clean up received additional points. If a child asked for additional ingredients beyond their allotted portion, points were removed. The girls had a blast, and they all surprised us with their capabilities. They utilized platters and cutting boards I never thought to use for presentation, and it all looked fabulous. Each presentation was more beautiful, creative, and tasty than the next. The more I thought about this culinary experience, the more I realized how similar it is to life. In this game called life, we are each given a box of ingredients—aka talents, attributes, and character traits. Some of us have “better” ingredients than others. We may have been

given the gift of beauty, wisdom, health, or wealth. These ingredients were given to us because we need them to accomplish our specific task on Earth. Just like my kitchen and all utensils within it were available to the girls, the world is at our disposal. We must ask ourselves whether we are utilizing each ingredient to its full capacity, or wasting these gifts. Some of the children wished for their competitors’ ingredients like whipped cream or chocolate chips. So too, many of us are unhappy with our portion in life. When jealousy arises, we must endeavor to remember that Hashem has given us exactly what we need to fulfill our own life’s mission. Lentil soup or fish may be boring, but protein is necessary for a well-balanced meal. We can’t all be dessert! It is useless to complain about another person’s ingredients, because we don’t need whipped cream to make fish. (And it would be pretty gross to try to make that combination work!) Each of us has a job to do on Earth, and while some may seem more important than others, each one of us is needed, and cannot be replaced by anyone else. One of the major themes in Pirkei Avot is humility, and my husband and I really emphasized this pasuk when learning it with our daughter. A favorite line is, “Do not seek greatness for yourself, and do not covet honour. Practice more than you learn.”1 This sentence has everything to do with the cook-off! Humility does not mean that we walk around with our head down and feeling low about ourselves. Rather, it is recognizing that we are great, but also that the greatness only comes from Hashem. He hands us our talents and attributes, and

Pirkei Avot, 6:5

we have the grave responsibility to do something special with them I had a recipe in mind for each girl at the party, and many of them created exactly what was expected. Others missed the mark, not using all of their ingredients and asking for different items to supplement what they wanted to create. A few even surpassed my expectations. Similarly, we must ask ourselves, Are we reaching our own potential? Is the creation that we make of ourselves the same as what Hashem had in mind for us? Are we concocting our best selves, given our hand in life? Do we utilize all of our ingredients, or are we wasting them? There is an image in Heaven of who we are meant to become, and the potential we are supposed to rise to. After 120 years we will face that image, and be judged on how close we came. Hashem will remind us that He gave us everything we needed to reach our potential. Hopefully, we won’t squander this time, or the gifts. I asked my daughter what her favorite quote from Pirkei Avot was. She answered, “Who is rich? One who is happy with his lot.”2 This pasuk doesn’t just refer to finances. It also means being happy with our personal “box of supplies” and our job on Earth. We each have a tafkid, delineated by God. Humility does not mean thinking, I am nothing. No! It’s recognizing that I am great! And appreciating whatever job I have been given. It’s finding happiness within that role and thinking, I will be happy, and serve G-d the way He wants me to. With all of the holidays quickly approaching, we are cooking up a storm. On Rosh Hashanah, we crown Hashem as King. The most powerful way to do this is to find happiness with our box of ingredients, and serve Him the way He wants to be served. May we all be inscribed and sealed in the book of life.

Pirkei Avot 4:1

Guest Contributor The Week In News

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | The Jewish Home

You Can Always Come Home! By Rabbi Chaim Shaul Brook, Chabad Shliach to Bozeman Montana

We are in the midst of the High Holy Days, a time of reflection and new beginnings. Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur bring to life judgment and sincerity, Sukkot and Shemini-Atzeret/Simchat-Torah represent joy and service, but all in all, it’s a time for uplifting ourselves above the fray, as we say in Yiddish “a Tefach Hecher”, climbing out of the grime of politics and news obsession, removing ourselves from 24/7 opining on masking and vaccines, quitting the anxiety over Israel and Iran, and simply stepping up, literally, to a plain of G-dliness that is soulful and good for us. Growing up as a child in Crown Heights, the heart of Brooklyn, I live with my Tishrei memories all the time. Before Rosh Hashana I’d join my father to give the Lubavitcher Rebbe of blessed memory a P”an, a heartfelt note from a Chossid to a Rebbe, asking that he pray on our behalf for a Shana Tova. We heard the Rebbe blow the Shofar, we received honey cake “Lekach” from his holy hand, I danced the nights away on my father’s shoulders at Simchat Beit Hashoeva during Chol Hamoed, we celebrated Hakafot in 770, and we enjoyed so much amazing family time. It was three plus weeks of spiritual bliss that shaped how I see this holiday packed month. I don’t see it as a burden but rather as a fountain of spirituality, soul nourishment, that filled me for the year. Though the Rebbe has passed, I do my very best to share that same energy, or at least close to the same spirit, with my children and community, who never met the Rebbe personally, out in Big Sky Country. The Talmud in the Tractate of Beitzah discusses the laws of Yom Tov whether it’s permitted to take a baby bird out of the nest on the holiday, if it wasn’t set aside before the holiday for this purpose, as this is a classic case of “Muktzah”. At the end of the “Sugya”, this particular discussion, it refers to a case where the bird may have gone from nest to nest unbeknown to the owner, and where the second nest is around the corner and the home-nest isn’t visible from there. The Talmud addresses this case and says, “the Mishna therefore teaches us that anywhere that a fledgling hops and turns and sees its nest, it will continue to hop. But if it can no longer see its original nest, it will not hop any farther.” When learning this a few weeks back during my daily study of Talmud, I couldn’t help and think about this month of

holidays and the Jews who come through our Bozeman doors to experience a dose of G-d. The Rebbe taught this but I see it in real-life every day: souls are always on fire and always connected. They may run, run even far away, but they can’t hide, not only can’t they hide from their Chabad Rabbi and Rebbetzin but they can’t hide from themselves, from their G-dly core. When they reach a point in life where they can’t see their nest anymore, they too know that it’s time to quench their spiritual thirst with something real, something that talks the language of the Jewish soul, something essential. There’s a song I heard as a Yeshiva student that brings this idea to life. Back in the time when the “enlightenment” Haskala movement was rampant in eastern Europe, especially in the 19th century, many young religious Jews were swept into this poisoned ideology and sadly distanced themselves from their Father in Heaven and the Torah He gifted us. During that time there was “authentic” enlightened Jews and, as it turns out, “inauthentic” newcomer enlightened Jews who were trying it out, but hadn’t yet bought into it hook, line and sinker. In the song that I ingested at a late-night Chassidic Farbrengen, the lyrics describe a child singing about his experience at the “new” Cheder, his new enlightened school, how the teachers seemed real at first, but something isn’t right, at the gut level something is severely off, and he doesn’t feel at home. He missed the warmth and tradition at his old Cheder as he is constantly told by the enlightened classmates “go back to your old Cheder”, you don’t fit in here. I yearn for my Cheder. Tishrei is a time to come back to the Cheder. A Jew, whether with Buddhists in Dharamsala or with Yogis in Costa Rica, whether with Sufi dancers in Santa Fe or Scientologists on Venice Beach, will always want to come home. A Jew will never allow themselves to run so far to the point where they can’t see their birthplace nest anymore. The Rebbe inspired me to take the Shofar to Bozeman’s Main Street, take the Lulav and Esrog to the Montana State University Campus, take the joy of Simchas Torah to the unaffiliated and uninitiated souls of the Wild West. Don’t question the power of the Neshama, the holy Jewish soul, offer it illuminated spirit and depth and the soul will gravitate towards the offering and will grab it. It’s the role each of us plays in these final dark

Rabbi Brook receiving a dollar to give to Tzedakah from the Lubavitcher Rebbe

A Yid in Bozeman shaking the Arba Minim

moments of Galut, of exile, to brighten our world, make the home nest visible and welcoming and ensure that the holidays of coronation, atonement, joy and oneness aren’t kept to the few who know but is shared by all those who belong. There is a Chabad oldie that ends with these words “He discusses Yiddishkeit All through the night, But he cries, I don’t belong, I am too far gone. The Shliach (Rabbi) says, not true, Hagam she-

choto Yisroel hu (you’re always a Jew even if you sinned), No matter where you may roam, You can always come back home.” You can always come back home! From Bozeman to Los Angeles, I wish you a Good Yom Tov, Chag Sameach! Rabbi Chaim Bruk is co-CEO, along with his wife Chavie, of Chabad Lubavitch of Montana

The Week In News

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | The Jewish Home

C O M M I T M E N T

P R O G R E S S

G U A R A N T E E D

:‫תנא דבי אליהו‬ ‫כל השונה הלכות‬ ‫ מבטח לו‬,‫בכל יום‬ ‫שהוא בן עולם הבא‬

The 7-year journey is nearing completion! The 7-year cycle of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha will be completing the 2nd complete cycle of the daily limud halacha this coming

‫ אדר תשפ״ב‬/ February 2022. Join in celebration, as tens of thousands worldwide BE”H mark this watershed moment, and prepare to embark on the next journey BottomLineMG.com

through Mishnah Berurah.

The Week In News

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | The Jewish Home

SIYUM LOCATIONS WORLDWIDE BE”H: EUROPE RADIN: Thursday, January 20, 2022 | ‫י״ח שבט‬ VILNA: Shabbos Parshas Yisro, January 21-23, 2022

‫כ״א שבט‬-‫י״ט‬

ERETZ YISRAEL PAIS ARENA, Yerushalayim: Thursday, February 10, 2022 | ‫ט׳ אדר א׳‬ KETER HARIMON, Bnei Brak: Thursday, February 10, 2022 | ‫ט׳ אדר א׳‬ PAIS ARENA, Yerushalayim: Motzei Shabbos, February 12, 2022 | ‫י״א אדר א׳‬ BINYANEI HAUMAH, Yerushalayim: Motzei Shabbos, February 12, 2022 | ‫י״א אדר א׳‬

NORTH AMERICA CURE ARENA, New Jersey: Thursday, March 3, 2022 | ‫ראש חודש אדר ב׳‬ PATRIOTS WAR MEMORIAL, New Jersey: Thursday, March 3, 2022 | ‫ראש חודש אדר ב׳‬ SHABBOS CONVENTION, New Jersey: March 4-6, 2022 | ‫ג׳ אדר ב׳‬-‫ א׳‬,‫פ׳ פקודי‬ GRAND SIYUM ON SEDER MOED, New Jersey: March 6, 2022 | ‫ ג׳ אדר ב׳‬,‫מצוש“ק‬

Partial view of the previous Dirshu World Siyum marking the completion of the first machzor of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha, March 2015

Feature The Week In News

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

BENNETT’S PLAN FOR A GLOBAL CYBER DEFENSE SHIELD BY SHAMMAI SISKIND

November 2019, then-Defense Minister Naftali Bennett took to Twitter to lay out one of his more unconventional ideas. At the time, a massive, nationwide protest movement was bringing bedlam to Iranian cities. For a period of about six weeks, tens of thousands of protestors, enraged by government corruption and ineptitude that had brought skyrocketing costs of living including a two hundred percent increase in fuel costs marched across the country. Many events turned violent. Dozens of military bases, hundreds of state-owned banks, and even several religious schools were attacked and destroyed. The regime’s response was swift and brutal. Police, Revolutionary Guards, and other paramilitary units were deployed in the hundreds to quash the demonstrations. Of course, the use of force was not limited to rioters. Large, peaceful

demonstrations in cities including Tehran, Mashhad, and Shiraz were routinely dispersed using deadly force. In the wave of violence that ensued, about 1,500 Iranians were killed by security forces and thousands more were maimed and injured. Beyond the sheer brutality, perhaps the most egregious tactic by the regime was the shutting down of internet access across the entire country on November 16. This was, of course, done in order to prevent communication and coordination by demonstrators. Even after web access was partially restored about two weeks later, nearly all social media and voice-over apps remained inoperable. According to international cyber watchdog NetBlocks, the blackout was “the most severe disconnection tracked in any country in terms of its technical complexity and breadth.” It was at the very time the crackdown was reaching its peak in Iran that Bennett delivered his live mes-

sage. “Here’s a crazy idea,” said Bennett in a video taken in his Defense Ministry office, “How about every techie in the world – Israelis, Arabs, Iranians, Americans, Europeans and everyone else – unite for one purpose: to help the long-suffering Iranian people gain open access to all social media? A worldwide hackathon for freedom.” Emphasizing his sympathy for the Iranian people, Bennett asked, “How scared must a regime be of its own [citizens] that it doesn’t allow them to access social media?” He concluded the video urging anyone with rudimentary software skills to “call up your friends, grab some Red Bull and code through the night.” It was a bit interesting, to say the least, for a sitting official to openly call for coordinated action against another government. Yet, on the whole, Bennett’s idea was received welcomely. The video was circulated by several international outlets and

was even picked up by a few prominent Iranian dissidents around the world. Despite the enthusiastic pitch, Bennett’s hackathon scheme never gained traction. Shortly after he uploaded the tweet, internet access began returning to Iran and business returned as usual. But while Bennett’s idea two years ago didn’t materialize, it was a purview of some other things to come.

The

strength of Israel’s cyber echo system hardly needs elaboration. The nexus of an advanced military, bustling private industry, a wealth of human capital, and a government more than willing to fund R&D has produced over the past two decades the most innovative IT sector in the world. Every year, the industry breaks foreign investment records. This included 2020, a year in which other areas of the economy were reeling from the COVID pandemic. In the first

Feature The Week In News

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | The Jewish Home

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Tel Aviv’s Cyber Horse, constructed of infected technology, was on display during Cyber Week half of 2021, Israeli tech companies brought in $3 billion in funding – that figure accounted for forty percent of global cybersecurity investment. For many years now, Israeli firms as well as government agencies have been organizing international tech events. These get-togethers haven’t been limited to marketing gimmicks or buyers’ conventions. Many of these gatherings have working objectives and are designed to attract the best and the brightest to collaborate on finding solutions to hard problems. In the last four years, socalled hackathon events in Israel (no, Bennett was not the first to use the term) have tackled challenges ranging from improving outpatient care for the autistic, to unreliable remote banking services, to battling Australian wildfires. Seeking to capitalize on Israel’s solid reputation as an IT collaboration epicenter, Bennett – now Prime Minister Bennett – recently called for a worldwide cyber defense initiative coordinated by the Israeli government. Speaking at the annual Cyber Week conference at Tel Aviv University two months ago, Bennett called for a “global cyber defense shield,” or GDS, to bring together governments, private companies, and even individual developers from

around the world. Speaking to a gathering of guests from a dozen countries, Bennett laid out his case for why the GDS plan was necessary. “Everything is under attack. Our water, our electricity,

explained, is not exempt from these concerns. “This makes me worried. As prime minister of Israel, I view this as one of the top threats of national security.” What Bennett drove home was the important shift taking place in the cyber threat landscape. The digitization of all basic utilities, public resources, and modes of communication have changed the nature of cyber-attacks. What used to be largely a data loss concern – i.e., the threat the hackers would steal proprietary data or gain illicit access – has become a real-world security one. And this has made cyber an attractive option for many seeking to wreak havoc quickly and cheaply. “Today the best ROI is a cyberattack,” he noted. “You just need a brain, knowledge, experience, and an internet line... I believe cyberattacks have become one of the significant threats to world peace.” Of course, Bennett was not speaking theoretically. In recent months, Israel has experienced a string of hacks – all, incidentally, linked back to Iran. The trend culminated in attacks on the Israeli Water Authority in April and again

“IF YOU TRY TO FIGHT ALONE, YOU’RE GONNA LOSE. IF YOU FIGHT TOGETHER, YOU’RE GONNA WIN.”

our food, our airplanes, our cars. Everything is vulnerable. Why is that? Because it’s easy.” The newly installed PM explained the “asymmetric” nature of cyberwarfare, an arena that gives relatively weak and resource-poor countries a leg up. “If you want to attack, the best, easiest and cheapest method is through a cyber-attack. That is why it will increase as time goes on.” Israel, as Bennett

in July, days before Bennett’s speech at the cyber conference. According to intelligence assessments, the goal of the attacks was to release high volumes of chlorine and other chemicals into the country’s drinking water. There was also a chance the attack could have triggered a fail-safe mechanism that would have left thousands without drinking water until a reboot was possible. In fact, the second attack in July did

succeed in temporarily disrupting agricultural irrigation channels run by advanced computerized systems. Although the attacks were both thwarted, it raised serious questions about the ability of civilian agencies such as the Water Authority to protect themselves against such incursions. Israel’s Military Intelligence Wing, Aman, delivered a report shortly afterward delineating the risk to public utilities and other digitized infrastructure. According to the Aman chief General Tamir Hayman, Israel’s defense capabilities at the civilian level were good but could certainly be better. “We are able to deal with most of the threats through advanced defense capabilities,” said Hayman, but “additional steps must be taken to preserve Israel’s [tactical] superiority over our enemies.”

Israel

has not been the only one to experience firsthand this growing threat to critical infrastructure. On the eve of July 4, the U.S. logistics firm Kaseya was the target of a massive ransomware attack at the hands of the Russian hacker group known as REvil. Kaseya provides IT management tools for some 40,000 customers worldwide. The company has said that REvil managed to target only about 40 of its clients but that some of those are Managed Service Providers (MSPs) that may each work with hundreds of businesses. In all, around 1,500 businesses worldwide were affected by the attack that left tangible real-world effects, from disrupting supply chains, to disabling computerized cash registries. The event brought back recent memories of the SolarWinds hacking campaign last December. In that coordinated attack, the U.S. software firm SolarWinds was used as a springboard to compromise a raft of federal government agencies. Commenting on the incident in a 60 Minutes interview, Microsoft president Brad Smith stated unequivocally that SolarWinds experienced the “largest and most sophisticated attack the world has ever seen.” Israel’s GDS plan seems to offer a networked approach to this increasingly dangerous problem. Israel’s

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achievements in the IT field are the result of private innovation, government cooperation, and military/intelligence application all coalescing together. The GDS seeks to export that model and maybe even bolster it a bit at home. Less than a week following the July attack on its water systems, Israel signed an agreement with the Israeli cyber firm SIGA to bolster its current defense systems. The deal with SIGA was not meant merely as an extra layer of defense. SIGA is in many ways the quintessential Israeli cyber firm, with private and government clients in the U.S. the Gulf, and Europe. As cyber by its very nature is not confined by national borders, cooperation with private firms with international business relationships is essential. Bennett explained this point with a crude but rather on-target example. “Imagine you’re on a bus, a very crowded bus. And there’s a pickpocket who is trying to steal your wallet. Well, there’s one option, you can be silent, and that same pickpocket will go on to the next guy and try to pickpocket him, and the next guy. Or, what if you took out red spray and sprayed his face with red, and you said, ‘Here’s a criminal.’ And everyone said, ‘Oh, there’s a criminal,’ everyone can then defend themselves. “The national cyber agency is that spray and that megaphone that tells everyone, ‘Here’s the bad guy.’ This agency also works on an ongoing basis with all our defense agencies, the Mossad, the Shin Bet, [and] Unit 8200,” referring to the army’s signals intelligence group. “And now the big news is we’re going global. The same national network that is working so well at the national level, we’re opening up, announcing the global cybernet shield where we’re using the very same principles of connectivity because the main thing is if you try to fight alone, you’re gonna lose. If you fight together, you’re gonna win.” If successful, the GDS would provide, through Israel’s management, a worldwide network with which to defend against global distributed attacks in real time. “Usually, the bad guys and the bad nations work on multiple attacks. Let’s say they’re attacking a

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Chilean water facility and an Indian water facility three minutes later. If they all share information on the modus operandi – how are they doing it, where is it coming from – immediately you can differentiate between the good signals, which are noise, and the bad guys,” Bennett explained. “That’s the idea of the network. And then, in real time, you can alert, you can investigate together, with joint resources. We’re [basing this on] principles of connectivity because the main thing is if you try to fight alone, you’re gonna lose. If you fight together, you’re gonna win.” According to reports, the GDS scheme is already well underway. The plan is currently being initiated by Israel’s National Cyber Directorate headed by Yigal Unna, a longtime veteran of the cyber defense establishment and one who has been sounding the alarm on the risk to critical infrastructure for years. The Directorate could not have picked a better time to launch the program. In wake of the July 4th ransomware attack, companies around

think about that. “Today, we invite all like-minded, good countries across the world, good nations to join forces in the global cyber defense shield.”

discussion on a program like GDS wouldn’t be complete without highlighting what it means

“THE NATIONAL CYBER AGENCY IS THAT SPRAY AND THAT MEGAPHONE THAT TELLS EVERYONE, ‘HERE’S THE BAD GUY.’” the world are looking for ways to reliably protect their operations from the real-world effects of cyber assault. A slew of countries has already become partners in the GDS plan. “We’re already in touch and we’ve already signed MOUs with dozens of countries,” said Bennett in closing his speech. “But we’re bringing it to the next level of online, real-time defense. A global network shield –

for Israel’s broader strategy in engaging the world. For a long time now, Israel has made a concerted effort to portray itself as an asset on a global scale, offering vital assistance and critical solutions on the world’s most pressing problems. But this is no longer just about Israeli companies pumping out innovative products. It is about Israel becoming an indispensable partner that the world can look to during serious challenges.

The world was reminded of this theme back in June following the Surfside condo tragedy in Miami. Within twenty-four hours of the residential building’s collapse, Israel’s Defense Ministry approved the deployment of a Home Guard Corps search and rescue team. This was not a mere gesture on the part of Israel. The team, led by Colonel Golan Vach, played a key role in the planning and execution of the mission. Reportedly, the teams studied the structure of Champlain Tower while still in Israel and built 3D models of the 40-year-old high-rise. The team then carefully replicated the manner in which the tower appeared to have collapsed, sharing these findings and instructing other units on the ground on how to excavate the site with the highest probability of finding survivors. When asked candidly by a reporter why the United States, typically not lacking expertise when it comes to these matters, required Israel’s assistance, Vach answered: “It’s not that we have better resources necessarily, we just have much more experience.” Indeed, for better or for worse, Israel has garnered some pretty unique experience during its short history. With often dire necessity driving its innovation, many sectors of Israel’s society today have invaluable assets to share with the world. It is initiatives like GDS that are pushing forward an important trend. Let us hope it will continue to be received as well as it has.

Dirshu The Week In News

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Over 500,000 Inspired by the Message of the Chofetz Chaim at Dirshu’s 7th Annual Yom Limud and Tefilla Videocast Featuring Leading Gedolim Garners Provides Unprecedented Pre-Rosh Hashana Inspiration By Chaim Gold

“The Chofetz Chaim changed the briyah - He transformed the entire world! The entire agenda of Klal Yisrael changed because of him and today, on his yahrtzeit, it is the time for us to make a decision – the decision to follow in his ways.” Those were the passionate words of HaGaon HaRav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Ateres Yisroel, in a stirring drasha seen by hundreds of thousands throughout the globe on Dirshu’s groundbreaking pre-Rosh Hashana videocast in conjunction with Dirshu’s Seventh Annual Yom Limud and Tefilla marking the yahrtzeit of the Chofetz Chaim. Dirshu’s 7th Year of Giving Chizuk In Advance of the Yamim Noraim Rav Ezrachi’s powefrul drasha was part of a new, revolutionary program that Dirshu designed this year in honor of the 7th Annual Yom Limud and Tefilla to bring the message of the Chofetz Chaim to Klal Yisrael on his yahrzeit, in advance of the Yamim Noraim. For the past six years, Dirshu has been holding its annual Yom Limud and Tefilla to mark the yahrtzeit of the Chofetz Chaim. The Yom Limud and Tefilla was established by Dirshu to give chizuk and to bring Klal Yisrael together specifically on the auspicious occasion of the Chofetz Chaim’s yahrzeit just before Rosh Hashanah in unified tefilla on behalf of all Jews and to encourage the continued learning of the Chofetz Chaim’s sefarim that have such power to invoke rachmei shomayim. On this year’s Yom Limud and Tefilla, hundreds of thousands of Yidden throughout the world said perakim of Tehillim on behalf of Klal Yisrael and learned halachos from the Mishnah Berurah and the sefer Zachor L’Miriam both authored by the Chofetz Chaim. The Presentation With a Worldwide Impact This year, Dirshu introduced a new program that exponentially increased the inspiration, enriching and encouraging Klal Yisrael to emulate the path forged by the Chofetz Chaim in a most practical, lasting way. They designed an incredible presentation that was shown on the motzoei Shabbos and Sunday preceding Rosh Hashanah and was seen and heard by hundreds of thousands throughout the world. The videocast, in both Hebrew and English versions, was addressed by leading Gedolei Yisrael including the venerated, senior Rosh Yeshiva, HaGaon HaRav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Ateres Yisroel of Yerushalayim; HaGaon HaRav Shimon Galei, shlita, well-known

Participants in Johannesburg

Mashpia and Rosh Kollel; HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Hillel, shlita, Rosh Yeshivat Hamekubalim, Ahavat Shalom; Hagaon HaRav Nissan Kaplan, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva Daas Aharon; and Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, Nasi, Dirshu. The English videocast was chaired by Rav Zev Smith, well-known Maggid Shiur in Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program and Irgun Shiurei Torah while the Hebrew one was chaired by Rav Shlomo Miller. The videocast also featured musical interludes of chizuk with hartzig music by the renowned menagnim, Motti Steinmetz, Zanvil Weinberger, Shlomo Cohen, Aharle Samet and a special, deeply moving composition about Radin and visiting the Chofetz Chaim’s kever that was composed especially for the event by popular writer, Rabbi Nachman Seltzer. Rav Nissan Kaplan: “What Better Segulah?!” HaGaon Rav Nissan Kaplan, who spoke on the English videocast said, “People in our generation are always seeking segulos. The Gemara tells us the best segulah. ‘He who learns halacha daily is MUVTACH – ENSURED a portion in Olam Haba’ah. Can one get a better segulah than that?!! Now, on the Chofetz Chaim’s yahrtzeit, is the time to accept upon ourselves to learn the Mishnah Berurah daily! To learn the sefer Chofetz Chaim daily!” Tens of Thousands of Children Throughout the World Absorb the Chofetz Chaim’s Message Another component of the Yom Limud and Tefilla was the special programming featured in many hundreds of schools that impacted countless children across the globe. The remarkable, school-age program designed by Dirshu made a tremendous impact on tens of thousands of children both in major Jewish centers and in places far from Yiddishkeit hubs. The program

was created with the singular goal of connecting children to the teachings and life of the Chofetz Chaim. Towards that goal, they wrote some hilchos Rosh Hashana from the Chofetz Chaim’s sefer Zechor L’Miriam, together with hashkafa and mussar as taught by the Chofetz Chaim and compiled them into age-appropriate, user-friendly, easy-to-understand booklets replete with magnificent illustrations, rare stories of the Chofetz Chaim and a brief history of the Chofetz Chaim’s yeshiva. Throughout the diverse communities across the United States and Canada, a wide range of more than 150 boys’ and girls’ schools, chadorim and Bais Yaakovs that truly represent the entire panoply of Orthodox Jewry, participated in the Yom Limud and Tefilla school programs. They included schools from communities such as Monsey, NY; Lakewood, NJ; Brooklyn, NY; Manhattan, NY; Toronto, Canada; Houston, TX; Baltimore, MD; Cleveland, OH; Waterbury, CN; Phoenix, AZ; Passaic, NJ; Denver, CO; Boston, MA; Los Angeles, CA; and Providence, RI. In addition, countless Chassidishe schools in Brooklyn, Lakewood and Monsey also participated. Rav Dovid Hofstedter: The Struggle is the Greatest Success Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Nasi of Dirshu, delivered a passionate, moving address in the videocast wherein he discussed one of the primary, unasked questions that many thinking Jews face at this time of year. “The Yamim Noraim is a tremendous opportunity, but with it comes a tremendous nisayon as well. The opportunity is obvious. It is a time when our tefillos are heard, a time of teshuva, etc. Simultaneously, many of us think, ‘We have been here before. We have tried and ultimately, reverted back to our old lives? Rav Hofstedter said, “When Yaakov struggled with the malach of Eisav, the

passuk says he was called ‘Yisrael, ki sarisa - because you struggled, vatuchal - and you prevailed.’ “The Chiddushei Harim asks, ‘Yaakov should therefore be called, “vatuchal - you prevailed!” Why does the passuk call him, Yisrael after the word sarisa, struggle? He answers that the greatest success is the struggle itself! Striving to overcome obstacles, is the greatest success. That is our tafkid.” Rav Hofstedter then shared a deeply personal moment with the multitudes who were tuned in throughout the world, “Both my parents and my wife’s parents were Holocaust survivors. They lived through the kivshan ha’eish, the fiery furnace of the churban. Some people gave up hope after Hitler. Others didn’t. They didn’t give in to yiush, to despair but they struggled and prevailed. From that struggle and that hope of that group of heroic survivors, the entire olam haTorah that we have today was built. Those survivors built it. “The Time is NOW!” Rav Zev Smith Concluded with a passionate call to all Yidden, wherever they may be, to follow in the path of the Chofetz Chaim by bringing the learning of daily halacha into their lives. “The time to start is NOW!” he exclaimed. “Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program is now learning the halachos of sukkah. It is the opportune time to jump in and begin to learn halacha l’maasah that you can incorporate into your life immediately!” Dirshu is poised to complete the second machzor of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha with a grand World Siyum. There is no better time to start learning Daf HaYomi B’Halacha by getting in, now, before the third machzor even begins!”

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