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A guide for the perplexed

David Brog’s latest book was written for students looking to know more about Israel. (photo from David Brog)

During the Oslo Process of the 1990s, David Brog was quite optimistic about peace in Israel. Now, in light of a generation’s worth of Palestinian terrorist incitement and attacks, his opinion has changed.

However, what the scholar and author is optimistic about is that a better educated public on Israel issues will garner increased support for the Jewish state.

For the past 12 years, Brog has been involved in pro-Israel advocacy, including heading the group Maccabee Task Force, which combats boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) activities on college campuses. He is also executive director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), an American pro-Israel organization. In March, he released Reclaiming Israel’s History: Roots, Rights, and the Struggle for Peace, a book he says was in response to scores of students desperately seeking a single volume of facts about what’s been happening in Israel.

“When they get to college, they’re told terrible lies about Israel. They’re told Israel is an occupier, an obstacle to peace, a human rights abuser. And, not knowing better, they believe it,” he told the Independent. “The book really summarizes what I think are the most important things to know about Israel’s history if you were someone who wants to defend Israel.”

Contrary to various public relations efforts, he believes that the primary language to do the convincing is evidence-based dialogue, rather than touting Israel’s material successes.

“I think the way to confront the big lie is not just to talk about how wonderful Tel Aviv nightlife is, and not just to talk about how amazing Israeli start-ups are. I do think we have to dirty our hands and talk about the conflict, and the history of conflict,” he explained.

That means understanding why the peace process seems to perennially stall, or often move backwards.

“If you freeze the frame today, the way almost everyone does, people think that the Israelis are ‘occupying’ the West Bank, and it’s best to pressure them to leave, to make way for two states, and then there’ll be peace,” he said. “But whatever you see, you have to know that what’s happening is not the product of Israeli intransigence or Israeli unwillingness to compromise. It’s the product of this Palestinian rejectionism that has driven the conflict from day one.”

Since Israel’s birth, in fact, there have been five offers of a Palestinian state, each time flatly refused, he said. But it wasn’t simply that the proposals were rebuffed – it was that Israel didn’t have a peace partner to begin with.

“We saw danger signs along the way – almost from day one. We saw [Yasser] Arafat saying one thing in English and a very different, troubling thing in Arabic. We saw Arafat turning a blind eye to terror against Israelis – not try to stop it. And, later, we saw him competing with Hamas to see who could blow up more Israelis,” Brog explained. “There was the Second Intifada. I think that changed me, and it changed [then-prime minister Ehud] Barak, and it changed a lot of Israelis.”

As for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Brog noted: “He doesn’t educate his people toward peace and coexistence. He doesn’t educate his people toward the validity of Jewish claims. Instead, he incites to terror and he generously funds terror.… It’s got to call into question [whether] they would actually ever recognize Israel, end the conflict and not use any land they are giving as a base from which to attack Israel.”

Given the situation, Brog – once a “great supporter of a two-state solution” – said, “I don’t see how these compromises would actually produce peace.”

Still, there’s endless opportunity for lay leaders to learn more about Israel. He is hopeful that his book will enlighten those who are either ignorant or misinformed, resulting in fewer fallacies being spread.

“Most people are not anti-Israel because of the reality,” he said. “They’re anti-Israel because of a myth, because of a distortion, because of a lie. And, therefore, if we tell Israel’s truth, and we tell it repeatedly, and we tell it proudly, and we dispel the myths, I think we can make enormous progress.”

Dave Gordon is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in more than 100 publications around the world.

A potential malaria vaccine

A malaria vaccine based on stabilized proteins could circumvent today’s problems. (photo from wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il)

Despite decades of malaria research, the disease still afflicts hundreds of millions and kills around half a million people each year – most of them children in tropical regions.

Part of the problem is that the malaria parasite is a shape-shifter, making it hard to target. But another part of the problem is that even the parasite’s proteins that could be used as vaccines are unstable at tropical temperatures and require complicated, expensive cellular systems to produce them in large quantities. Unfortunately, the vaccines are most needed in areas where refrigeration is lacking and funds to buy vaccines are scarce. A new approach developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science, recently reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, could, in the future, lead to an inexpensive malaria vaccine that can be stored at room temperature.

The RH5 protein is one of the malaria parasite’s proteins that has been tested for use as a vaccine. This protein is used by the parasite to anchor itself to the red blood cells it infects. Using the protein as a vaccine alerts the immune system to the threat without causing disease, thus enabling it to mount a rapid response when the disease strikes, and to disrupt the parasite’s cycle of infection.

Research student Adi Goldenzweig and Dr. Sarel Fleishman of the institute’s biomolecular sciences department decided to use the computer-based protein design tools they have been developing in Fleishman’s lab to improve the usefulness of this protein.

Based on software they have been creating for stabilizing protein structures, Goldenzweig developed a new way of “programming” proteins used in vaccines against infectious diseases. Such proteins, because they are under constant attack by the immune system, tend to mutate from generation to generation. So, the program she developed uses all the known information on different configurations of the protein sequence in different versions of the parasite. “The parasite deceives the immune system by mutating its surface proteins,” she explained. “Paradoxically, the better the parasite is at evading the immune system, the more clues it leaves for us to use in designing a successful artificial protein.”

The researchers sent the programmed artificial protein to a group in Oxford that specializes in developing malaria vaccines. This group, led by Prof. Matthew Higgins and Simon Draper, soon had good news: the results showed that, in contrast with the natural ones, the programmed protein can be produced in simple, inexpensive cell cultures, and in large quantities. This could significantly lower production costs. In addition, it is stable at temperatures of up to 50°C, so it won’t need refrigeration. Best of all, in animal trials, the proteins provoked a protective immune response.

“The method Adi developed is really general,” said Fleishman. “It has succeeded where others have failed and, because it is so easy to use, it might be applied to emerging infectious diseases like Zika or Ebola, when quick action can stop an epidemic from developing.”

Fleishman and his group are currently using their method to test a different strategy for treating malaria, based on targeting the RH5 protein itself and blocking its ability to mediate the contact between the parasite and human red blood cells.

For more on the research being conducted at the Weizmann Institute, visit wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il.

Being a woman in the IDF

From left to right, Staff Sgt. Maya, Sgt. Noam and Brigadier General (Res.) Gila Klifi-Amir at a Friends of the Israel Defence Forces program April 3 in New York City. (photo by Shiryn Ghermezian)

Israel’s female soldiers seem to break barriers on a consistent basis. In January, new figures revealed that the number of women serving in combat roles in the Israel Defence Forces’ Homefront Command is up 38% this year. Last month, the IDF launched a pilot program in which women will be trained as tank operators for the first time.

Indeed, the Jewish state takes pride in being an oasis for gender equality in a Mideast region largely bereft of women’s rights, and this attitude extends to Israel’s military. At the same time, for a nation facing ever-present security threats both internally and on its borders, gender equality has its limits.

“The mission of the army is to protect and win. We need to understand that the mission of the army is not equal opportunity,” Brigadier General (Res.) Gila Klifi-Amir, who has had a 30-year career with the IDF and served as an adviser on women’s issues to the military’s chief of staff, said April 3 in New York City.

Klifi-Amir moderated a discussion with three female Israeli soldiers – Sgt. Noam, Staff Sgt. Maya and Staff Sgt. Y, whose full names were withheld for security reasons – in a program hosted by the Young Leadership Division of Friends of the Israel Defence Forces, a nonprofit whose mission is “to provide for education and well-being” of IDF soldiers.

The soldiers on the panel all told JNS.org they have never felt discrimination for being a woman in the military, and that their male counterparts treat them with respect. Y described the interactions as “very, very professional,” and Maya – who commands an infirmary at her battalion’s headquarters – explained, “We train with the guys, we do everything like them. Inside the unit, everything is the same.”

Israel is the world’s only country where military service is obligatory for women. From ages 18-26, women must serve two years in the military – with some exceptions, such as if they are pregnant. Today, 95% of the IDF’s positions are available to women, according to Klifi-Amir.

Yet “equal opportunity” does not exist in the purest sense, the soldiers said. Klifi-Amir told the crowd she does not believe all military positions should be open for women, depending on the mission. The physical training required for some military roles may be too grueling for a woman’s body, and the IDF is responsible for the life of each soldier, she said.

Failure is a possibility

Israeli culture does not encourage failure; rather, it is somehow more tolerant and accepting of it. (photo from Shutterstock.com via Israel21c)

When was the last time you admitted you failed? Have you ever felt comfortable talking about your failures? How often do you use the word “failure” in daily life? How does even thinking about failing make you feel?

Legendary American football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.”

This reminds me of a cult TV show that I used to watch growing up in Israel, Zehu-Ze (That’s It). It had a character by the name of Yatzek, who discovered interesting places all over Israel and the kids watching the show had to guess where he was.

At the end of each episode, Yatzek would fall in a different way: from a tree, into the river, from the back of a horse, and even into cow manure. Naturally, the kids who were watching would be concerned. To reassure them, he always said, “Kids, no need to worry: Yatzek always falls and gets back up.” An entire generation of Israeli kids grew up with this strong message on a weekly basis.

I believe our culture has a very strong influence on our failures and, mostly, on our attitude toward these failures.

In late 2006, I joined the founding team of Modu. Modu was founded by serial entrepreneur Dov Moran, who previously led M-Systems to one of the biggest mergers and acquisitions in the history of Israeli high-tech. In a very short time, Modu raised more than $120 million, recruited more than 200 employees in Israel and abroad, opened a few subsidiaries around the world, and developed and manufactured two consumer products. All elements for success were present and yet, only three years after its inception, the company closed its doors.

But many Modu employees decided to start their own start-ups, including me. Out of this one big failure, dozens of new business ventures were initiated. How could it be that people who were part of such a huge investment in time, energy, resources and sacrifices were not discouraged after being part of a failed start-up? Rather, they decided to invest more energy, take more risks and start ventures of their own. This is a bold move, since statistically 90% of start-ups fail and the 10% of start-ups that make it are likely to fall apart along the way.

What is it that drives people to try despite the risk of failure? Is it possible that people’s level of comfort with failure is somehow related to their culture, as demonstrated by Yatzek, the crazy character that kept falling and getting up?

The Oxford Dictionary defines failure as “lack of success.” You have either succeeded or failed. It’s a binary game. On the other hand, if you look at the definition of failure in Hebrew, it is much more fluid: “someone that tripped, made an error, did not succeed.” Our language is a mirror of our culture. Informal messaging plays a major role in the values we learn from a very young age.

In Hebrew, adolescence or teenage years are referred to as “the foolish age.” At this age, people tend to act without thinking, resulting in many failures. Therefore, the terminology only reflects their inherent nature. When society regards them as such, as evident in Israel, it gives young people the chance to follow their natural way and experience what might be regarded as foolish – before they become young adults.

Even the Israeli military seems more tolerant of failures relative to other military organizations worldwide. The Air Force Academy teaches how to cope with failures as an essential part of regular conduct drills. After every single flight, the crew gathers in the “investigation room” and the pilot debriefs on what was successful and what was not, in front of a squadron of 40 fighters. The focus is on learning from mistakes and not to make the same mistake twice.

Israeli culture does not encourage failure; rather, it is somehow more tolerant of it and accepts it in such a way that we keep getting back up, trying, moving forward and advancing.

On a personal and professional level, I admit, I fail at least once a day. From this, I’ve learned that one of the things that really makes me happy is that my children are growing up in Israel, where we have the unique ability, as a culture, to look at any event head-on, success or failure, and discuss and learn from it.

I wish all of us could give our kids the understanding that the process is sometimes more important than the outcome, that failures are part of life and that what really matters is how you pick yourself up.

Don’t be afraid to fall. Let your kids fail, too. Just make sure to teach them to get up and never stop trying.

Inbal Arieli was a lieutenant in the elite Israel Defence Forces intelligence 8200 unit and later took leading roles in the Israeli high-tech sector. She is a senior advisor to Start-Up Nation Central and is currently co-chief executive officer of Synthesis. Featured as one of the “100 Most Influential People in Israeli High-Tech,” Arieli is working on an exploration of how Israeli culture breeds entrepreneurs from a young age. Israel21c is a nonprofit educational foundation with a mission to focus media and public attention on the 21st-century Israel that exists beyond the conflict. For more, or to donate, visit israel21c.org.

Travel along Incense Route

A sculpture of camels traversing the Incense Route in Avdat National Park. (photo by Kate Giryes/Shutterstock.com)

Close your eyes and travel back in time 2,000 years. You’re riding on the back of a camel laden with frankincense and myrrh from faraway Yemen, navigating 100 kilometres across the harsh, hilly Negev Desert to get your precious cargo to the Mediterranean ports.

For 700 years, from the third-century BCE until the second-century CE, this was the hazardous but hugely profitable task of the nomadic Nabatean people. Today, the small Israeli portion of the 2,000-kilometre Incense Route – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – is a fascinating trail filled with beautiful desert vistas and archeological discoveries.

The route includes the remains of the Nabatean towns of Halutza, Mamshit, Avdat, Shivta and Nitzana (another, Rehovot-Ruhaibe, is hidden by sand dunes), four fortresses (Katzra, Nekarot, Mahmal and Grafon) and two khans (Moa and Saharonim). You can see evidence of surprisingly sophisticated watering holes, agriculture and viniculture that the Nabateans innovated.

“The Roman and Greek empires controlled a lot of cities around the Mediterranean shores and, in all these cities, there were pagan shrines where they sacrificed animals. The smell was terrible, so the Nabateans brought incense for those shrines to cover the smell of the slaughter,” explained tour guide Atar Zehavi, whose Israeli Wild tours specialize in off-the-beaten-track jeeping, cycling, hiking and camel-back trips like the Incense Route.

photo - At Moa, you can see an original pressing stone for olive oil — At Moa, you can see an original pressing stone for olive oil. *(photo by Atar Zehavi)*

“The route is surprisingly difficult because there were easier ways to go across the Negev. But the Nabateans wanted to stay hidden from other Arab tribes that might ambush the caravans, and they wanted to avoid being discovered by the Romans so they could keep their independence,” Zehavi said. “They knew how to harness the harsh desert conditions to their advantage, building water holes and strongholds others would not find. The Romans conquered Judea pretty easily but it took them another 150 years to conquer the Nabateans.”

Zehavi recommends a two-day “jeeping and sleeping” excursion along the Incense Route, also called the Spice Route. Start in the east, at Moa in the Arava Valley, site of an ancient khan (desert inn). From there, ascend the Katzra mountaintop, a stronghold overlooking the whole region. This will give you an appreciation for how hard it was to lead a caravan of camels up a steep slope.

“They’d travel 30 kilometres a day between khans. One camel carried 350 kilos of incense and only needed to drink once every 10 days or so,” said Zehavi, who has a master’s degree in environmental studies.

Even back then, camels wouldn’t have had much to drink at the third stop, the Nekarot River, a dry riverbed that once flowed through the Arif mountain range and northern Arava. The Nekarot is part of the Israel National Trail and boasts spectacular landscapes.

This leads you past Saharonim to the fourth stop, the town of Mitzpeh Ramon with its world-famous Ramon Crater (Makhtesh Ramon), which still has visible Nabatean milestones among its abundant flora and fauna, including the Nubian ibex. Ramon is the world’s largest erosion crater, stretching 40 kilometres and descending to a depth of 400 metres. It has unique geological structures, such as the Hamansera (Prism) of crystallized sandstones and the Ammonite rock wall embedded with fossils.

photo - An ibex at the Ramon Crater — An ibex at the Ramon Crater. *(photo from PikiWiki Israel)*

Camp out overnight in the crater, if weather and traveler preferences permit. A variety of hotels, from desert lodge to hostel to luxury, are also in the crater area. While in Mitzpeh Ramon, you may want to include the visitors centre and a nighttime stargazing tour.

The next morning, you’ll have a choice of trails for walking, jeeping or biking in the crater. A guided jeep tour is always a good option.

Getting back on the Incense Route, you go up Mahmal Ascent on the northern rim of the crater, a 250-to-300-metre climb to the Mahmal Fortress. Proceed northwest from there to Avdat National Park, site of a once-flourishing Nabatean city, where you can see shrines that were later turned into Byzantine churches.

Zehavi explained that, after the Roman Empire transitioned into Byzantine Christianity around 324 CE, incense was no longer needed, so the Nabateans started producing wine and desert agriculture, as well as raising Arabian horses.

“It’s amazing to see the way the harsh desert was colonized for agriculture through the use of highly sophisticated irrigation systems,” said Zehavi.

End your tour of the Incense Route at Avdat or go northwest to Shivta National Park and Halutza, or northeast to Mashit National Park near Dimona.

Israel21c is a nonprofit educational foundation with a mission to focus media and public attention on the 21st-century Israel that exists beyond the conflict. For more, or to donate, visit israel21c.org.

Planning longest pipeline

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu meeting with Noble Energy executives in the Prime Minister’s Office on April 3. (photo from IGPO via Ashernet)

About 20 years ago, natural gas was found off the Mediterranean coast of Israel. Conservative estimates put the reserve at more than 40 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. It was found by U.S. company Noble Energy, which has invested more than $6 billion to develop these natural resources. Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Italy are now considering how a pipeline could be built by 2025, and they have signed a memorandum of understanding that will see the world’s longest under-sea natural gas pipeline. At an estimated cost of about $7 billion, the privately financed pipeline will run for some 2,200 kilometres. Turkey has also indicated an interest in being connected to the pipeline in the future.

מחירי הנדל”ן

עכשיו תורה של טורונטו להזיע: מחירי הנדל”ן בעיר הגדולה של קנדה לא מפסיקים לעלות (צילום: Benson Kua)

עד לאחרונה דיברו בקנדה על שוק הנדל”ן החים ביותר שנמצא באזור ונקובר. בחודשים האחרונים נראה שמחירי הנדל”ן בוונקובר קצת נרגעו לאור הטלת המס על זרים בהיקף חמישה עשר אחוז. ועתה כל העיניים מופנות אל אזור טורונטו, שבה מחירי הנדל”ן לא מפסיקים לעלות, וראשי ופרנסי העיר אובדים עצות ומזיעים.

מחירי הנדל”ן בישראל עלו ב-6.3 אחוזים בשנת 2016 ויש הרואים בכך עלייה משמעותית. אך לעומת זאת בטורנטו העיר הגדולה בקנדה והשלישית בגדולה כיום בצפון אמריקה (עם כשישה מליון תושבים), מחירי הנדל”ן עלו בשנה האחרונה בצורה משמעותית ומדאיגה של שלושים ושלושה אחוז. מדובר בעליית המחירים החדה מזה קרוב לשלושים שנה, כאשר מחיר של בית בממוצע באזור טורונטו עלה מכשבע מאות אלף דולר עד לכתשע מאות ועשרים אלף דולר כיום.

יש לזכור כשמשווים את מחירי הנדל”ן בין ישראל לקנדה את שערו של הדולר האמריקני. בעוד שבשנים האחרונות השקל הישראלי התחזק מאוד מול המטבע האמריקני, הדולר הקנדי באותה עת נחלש משמעותית. לכן עם משווים בין מחירי הנדל”ן בין שתי המדינות לפי שער הדולר האמריקני, הפער הוא הרבה יותר קטן לטובת קנדה.

לאור טרוף המחירים של הנדל”ן בטורונטו ראשי המערכת הפוליטית בעירייה ובמחוז אונטריו, מחפשים פתרון הולם שיצנן במקצת את השוק, ויאפשר לרבים יותר להיכנס אליו. הפתרון אם קיים הוא מסובך ביותר טוענים האנליסטים. ראש עיריית טורונטו, ג’ון טורי, אומר: “אני מאוד מודאג מהתיסכול של הדור הצעיר שמנסה כעת לרכוש דירות”. לדעת האנליסטים: “ללא התערבות משמעותית מצד הזרועות השונות של הממשל, מחירי הנדל”ן ימשיכו לטפס עוד ועוד באזור טורונטו, ואנו רואים את המשך המגמה הזו גם החודש (אפריל)”. אחת האפשרויות לנסות להרגיע את שוק הנדל”ן המקומי היא להטיל מס רוכשים זרים, בדיוק כפי שנעשה בוונקובר בחודש אוגוסט אשתקד. אך יש טוענים שמס כזה לא יעזור, לאור מחסור בהיצע של נדל”ן למרות שפרוייקטים רבים הולכים ונבנים ברחבי העיר, וכן יש לא מעט התחלות בנייה חדשות. יש משקיעים רבים שרוכשים נדל”ן בכמויות גדולות ומוכרים אותו כשהמחירים עולים. ונקובר סובלת מתופעה קשה זו שקשה מאוד להפסיקה וגם טורונטו נמצאת באותה סירה בעייתית.

יש שטוענים שמס בגובה חמישה עשור אחוז על זרים שמעוניינים לרכוש נדל”ן נחשב למס גבוה מאוד. אך לעומתם נציגי המפלגה הדמוקרטית החדשה שנערכת לבחירות במחוז בריטיש קולומביה, מציינים כי אם מפלגתם תקים את הממשלה הבאה, המס על הזרים אף יוכפל.

על טיפשות יושבים בכלא: גנב כספומט והסיע אותו על הטרקטור לעיני כל

כריסטופר הופלה בן העשרים ותשע מאדמונטון הוכיח שהוא גם גנב וגם טיפש. הופלה תכנן לגנוב כספומט ולברוח עימו אך מתברר שהוא התרשל.

הופלה נהג בטרקטור ועימו פרץ בשעות הבוקר המוקדמות לעסק שמעניק הלוואות, וממוקם בחנות בצפון העיר. לאחר שריסק את חזית החנות במסגרת המבצע, הוא העמיס את הכספומט שהיה בה על הכף הקדמית של הטרקטור, והחל לנוע מהמקום בנסיעה איטית. המשטרה שהוזעקה בינתיים לחנות שניזוקה קשה, מצאה במקום סימנים של רכב כבד. השוטרים הסתכלו החוצה וראו בקלות שטרקטור נעלם בסימטה הסמוכה. תוך דקות הם עצרו הופלה שנהג בטרקטור וכאמור בחזיתו על הכף היה מונח הכספומט הגלוי לכל. הוא יועמד לדין על עבירות של פריצה וגניבת רכוש. ועל טיפשותו הוא צפוי לשבת בכלא תקופה ארוכה. אולי שם ילמד לקח.

חקירה מואצת

שדה התעופה אוטווה וב הבינלאומי. (צילום: P199 via Wikimedia)

המשטרה הפדרלית הקנדית (האר.סי.אם.פי) ושירות המודיעין הביטחוני הקנדי (סי.אס.איי.אס) פתחו בחקירה מואצת לגלות את זהות הגורם שריגל ועקב אחרי מכשירי טלפון ניידים, בבירה אוטווה ובשדה התעופה הבינלאומי ‘טרודו’ של מונטריאול. כך הודיע בשבוע שעבר השר לבטחון הציבור, רלף גודל. זאת, לאור תחקיר ראשון מסוגו בקנדה שנעשה על ידי רשת השידור הציבורית הקנדית – הסי.בי.סי, לפיו התנהלו מעקבים באמצעות מכשירי איי.אם.אס.איי קאטצ’ס אחרי טלפונים ניידים בדאון טאון של אוטווה, באזור בו ממוקמים משרדו של ראש הממשלה, ג’סטין טרודו, בית הפרלמנט הקנדי, המפקדה לביטחון לאומי, שגרירות ארצות הברית, שגרירות ישראל ואולפני הסי.בי.סי. בנוסף לפי הסי.בי.סי התנהלו מעקבים גם בשדה התעופה של מונטריאול.

צוות של ה.סי.בי.סי החזיק בידו מכשירים מיוחדים שבדקו במשך החודשים דצמבר וינואר שאכן נעשה שימוש במכשיר האיי.אם.אס.איי במשך למעלה מחודש, כדי לעקוב אחרי מכשירי סלולר ניידים, בהתאם למידע מוקדם שהרשת הציבורית קיבלה. כן התברר לצוות כאמור שהתנהל מעקב אחרי טלפונים ניידים באוטווה ובמונטריאול. גודל אמר בצורה חד-משמעית כי שום סוכנות ביטחון קנדית בהן האר.סי.אם.פי והסי.אס.איי.אס, לא ריגלה ועקבה אחרי מכשירים ניידים באוטווה. לדבריו בימים אלה מתנהלת חקירה לגלות מי אכן כן עשה זאת.

לדעת מומחים בתחום שלושה גורמים מסוגלים להחזיק בידיהם מכשירי איי.אם.אסי.איי ולעקוב אחרי מכשירים ניידים: גורמי ביטחון וריגול קנדיים, גורמי ביון זרים כמו של הרוסים, הסינים או הישראלים, או ארגוני פשע גדולים. לפי הנתונים שאסף הסי.בי.סי ושנמסרו למומחים כנראה שגורמי ביון זרים הם אלה שעקבו אחר פעילות של הטלפונים הניידים באוטווה. לדבריהם ידוע כי הרוסים כבר עשו שימוש בעבר במכשירי האיי.אם.אס.איי לרגל ולעקוב אחרי מכשירים ניידים בקנדה. יצויין כי השגרירויות באוטווה של סין, רוסיה, ארה”ב וישראל סירבו לחלוטין להגיב בפרשה.

מנושא לנושא ובאותו נושא: משטרת האר.סי.אם.פי הודתה בשבוע שעבר לראשונה כי במקרים מסויימים היא משתמשת בטכנולוגיה של מכשירי האיי.אם.אסי.איי, לעקוב אחר מכשירי טלפון ניידים וזאת בחקירות בנושאים פליליים ובטחוניים. השימוש במכשירים נעשה לזהות חשודים. לאר.סי.אם.פי יש כיום עשרה מכשירים מיוחדים לעקוב אחרי טלפונים ניידים, והם עשו שימוש בהם בארבעים ושלוש חקירות בשנתיים האחרונות (2014-2015). במשטרה הפדרלית הוסיפו עוד כי מכשירי האיי.אם.אס.איי שלהם מאפשרים לקלוט רק את מספרי טלפונים של המכשירים ניידים ולא את תוכנם. המומחים מציינים כי מכשירי מעקב איי.אם.אס.איי משוכללים יותר יכולים לכלול גם מידע על שיחות הטלפון, הודעות טקסט וכל תוכן אחר שמועבר באמצעות המכשירים הניידים. יש להוסיף עוד כי סוכנויות משטרה נוספות בקנדה מחזיקות גם הן במכשירי איי.אם.אס.איי לצורך מעקבים אחרי טלפונים ניידים בחקירות שונות.

ועוד בנושא ביטחון: הממשלה הפדרלית הקנדית מחפשת דרכים לשכנע את המגזר הפרטי להשקיע משאבים בשיפור הביטחון ברשת והגנה בפני מתקפות סייבר, שכל כך נפוצות לאחרונה. לאור זאת הממשלה הקנדית משתפת פעולה עם ממשלת ישראל בנושא. בחודשים האחרונים נערכו פגישות בין גורמים בכירים ביותר מקנדה ומישראל בסוגיה, תוך כוונה לקבל עזרה ישראלית בשיפור מערכי הבטחון ברשת. בממשלה הקנדית מודעים לעובדה שעל קנדה לעשות עוד כברת דרך ארוכה כדי לשפר את אמצעי הבטחון להגנה בפני מתפקות הסייבר, ויודעים היטב שישראל נחשבת למובילה עולמית בתחום. החודש פורסם דו”ח קנדי בנושא עם המלצות למגזר הפרטי כיצד לשפר את מערכי הבטחון ברשת. עם זאת בתקציב השנתי החדש של ממשלת הליברלים של טרודו לא הוזכר כלל תקצוב נושא הביטחון ברשת.

Pesach sameach!

During Passover, thousands of Israeli families will be taking advantage of the holiday period to visit some of the many attractions all over the country. One of the busiest will be Ramat Gan Safari Park, which does its own Pesach cleaning, to ensure there is no chametz (unleavened bread) anywhere. The park has ordered five kilograms of matzot for each of the animals that eats breads the rest of the year.

Help celebrate Israel’s 69th

Jane Bordeaux – Amir Zeevi, left, Doron Talmon and Mati Gilad – perform at the Chan Centre on May 1. (photo from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver)

What better way to bring folks together in song and celebration of Israel’s 69th birthday than with folk music. And what better band to unite Diaspora Jews than one that writes and performs American-style country-folk songs in Hebrew!

Tel Aviv-based Jane Bordeaux – Doron Talmon, Amir Zeevi and Mati Gilad – will headline this year’s community Yom Ha’atzmaut concert at the Chan Centre on May 1, 7:30 p.m. The trio regularly plays to sell-out crowds.

Their debut album was well-received, with songs such as “Eich Efshar” (“How is it Possible”) and “Whisky” radio favourites, and the video of their song “Ma’agalim” (“Circles”) went viral. A second album is nearing completion and is expected to be released in June.

Talmon and Gilad met in 2012 at Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat Hasharon, Israel. It was in a contest of original songs. “The idea was to perform some of my songs, and get some practical experience of a band format – you know, finding musicians, getting a name for the band and that sort of thing,” Talmon told the Jerusalem Post in a 2016 interview.

“We kept on playing after that one,” Talmon recently told the Independent, “and, when we needed a new guitar player, Amir, who’d been serving with Mati in the military band, had just returned from the U.S., and joined the band.”

Though the band has only been together five years ago, they have all been performing for much longer than that.

“I’ve been singing since I was a little child, always had the attraction to writing songs and singing them,” said Talmon. “After I returned from a long trip in South America, I decided to go and study music professionally, so I went to Rimon school for three years, learning music, songwriting and how to form a band, eventually.”

“I’ve been playing since I was 5, piano and then bass guitar,” said Gilad. “When I went to Thelma-Yellin arts high school in the jazz department, I started also playing the double bass. After high school, I served in the military in an army band and simultaneously studied at the Tel Aviv music conservatory. After the army, I started learning in Rimon school and was there for a year learning both classical, jazz and pop music.”

As for Zeevi, he has been playing the guitar for as long as he can remember. “My high school in Holon had a music major, that’s when I started taking the guitar more seriously, meeting great players and teachers,” he said. “In the army, I’ve played in the air force band and, after my release, I decided to go and learn music in the New School university in New York City, learning both jazz and country music.”

Usually, it is Talmon who comes up with the idea for a song, both the lyrics and melody, then the group starts playing with it, sometimes changing its harmony or structure, and building the arrangement. “Since we perform a lot,” they said, “we often try these new songs in shows, to get the feeling of what it is like to perform with them onstage and how does the crowd react, and each time improving and adjusting the song till it feels complete.”

In true country music fashion, many of Jane Bordeaux’s songs have to do with love and loss – ol’ American hurtin’ songs with a modern, Israeli twist.

“American folk-country, the way we see it, is storytelling, about the dark and the bright sides of life, wrapped in beautiful harmonies and joyful rhythm,” the band members agreed. “How can you not get excited from it? Also, we are addicted to the banjo’s sound and it’s going to feature a lot in our new album.”

“The songs are inspired from life, of course, mine and my friends,’” explained Talmon. “Sometimes, a song may be very close to a personal experience or feeling I had and, sometimes, it can be an idea I borrowed from a book I read or a movie I’ve seen, even a sentence I’ve heard.”

“Ma’agalim” is a bittersweet song about life: “It’s not me that’s progressing / It’s just the time that’s moving on.” The video features a wooden doll in a penny arcade. As the cylinder turns, she walks along her track, bundled up in a coat and scarf, passing people in various stages of life, from cradle to grave. Produced by Israeli animators Uri Lotan and Yoav Shtibelman, it really is a must-see (vimeo.com/ 162052542).

“The minute Uri and Yoav, the creators of the clip, showed it to us,” said the band, “we were so amazed by the beauty and sensibility of the video they made, so we can’t really say we were surprised that it went viral – we never had seen such animation before. We feel that there’s a unique connection between the music and the visuals that’s very moving, so people get excited by it, even without understanding the lyrics.”

No doubt a similar connection will be formed between the band and their audience in Vancouver, where they will sing in both Hebrew and English.

“It’s not going to be the same as in Haifa or Tel Aviv,” they said about the Yom Ha’atzmaut concert. “We love adjusting our set to best fit the place we are going to perform. Since the show date is Israel’s Independence Day, and we guess some of the crowd is English-speaking, in addition to our originals, we’re going to play some English covers and Hebrew all-time favourites – and even some special surprises for the Canadian crowd that obviously we can’t tell in here!”

The group starts their tour in Vancouver, then they have a few shows in North America, including one in Toronto.

“We are super-excited about the show in Vancouver,” they told the Independent. “It’s going to be the first show of our first tour outside of Israel and we’ve got a lot of great stuff planned specially for it, so we’re hoping to see you there!”

Tickets for the May 1 community celebration ($18) can be purchased at jewishvancouver.com/yh2017. In addition to this year’s co-sponsors – Canadian Friends of Hebrew University, Consulate General of Israel in Toronto, Georgian Court Hotel, the Jewish Independent and Jewish National Fund – the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver event is supported by 46 other community organizations.