Standing together in a war against evil: notes from my talk with 2000 Taboola employees

Hi everyone

I wanted to start today’s all hands by speaking about the situation in Israel.?

I’m sad. I’m heartbroken, I’m so angry … and I’m dying inside by the horrific acts of the Hamas terror organization.

Hamas is the same as ISIS. It’s a group whose only reason to exist is to kill Jews. They don’t stand for the Palestinian people, their entire purpose is to annihilate the state of Israel.

Hamas has committed unspeakable atrocities that I don’t wish to describe because they’re so evil, and I can't get it out of my head, and they are horrible … just too horrible to say in words.?

I have lived in America for 14 years, but my heart will forever be in Israel where I was born, where my family is right now.?

I know many of you follow the news, but let me summarize what happened.

Last Saturday, which was an important Jewish holiday called “Simchat Torah”, at 630am - Hamas, a terror organization governing the Gaza Strip, brutally attacked civilian villages in the south of Israel

Over 5,000 rockets were fired?

More than 1,300 people were massacred …slaughtered

One kid was hiding under the bed, seeing her father being murdered in front of her, texting her mom - “mom, dad is dead”.?

Babies were being killed. Babies… how can anyone kill a baby.?

Some parents took their car, and drove south to take their kid out of a burning house.?

Hundreds were taken hostage, most of them civilians - babies, young kids, women, elderly. People like you and me, like our brothers and sisters, our parents, our kids

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You have to realize Israel is a very small country. Israel is smaller than NJ where I live now.?

At this point, nearly everyone we know in Israel, and at Taboola, is affected somehow through a family member, or a friend - and i can tell you, these are the saddest stories …..?

We have Taboolars that their family members were murdered.

We have Taboolars that their family members were taken hostage.?

We have Taboolars that are now on reserve duty.?

We have Taboolars whose - family members - are on reserve duty … we might see them working from home or their office desk, but their spouses or children are risking their lives as we speak.?

The savage attack happened in the south of Israel but rockets are being fired at dozens of cities across the country…? at any given moment you might hear an alarm when you have seconds to run into a shelter…. This might happen during this all hands, as we speak.?

And as sad as the situation is, it’s unclear how it will evolve.?

This could very much last days or weeks, or more.?

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As a company, we’re doing everything we can to support Taboolars and their families affected by the war. And there are wonderful things… wonderful things … that our people volunteered to support fellow Israelis. I'll share some of those soon.?

I do want to thank Efrat, our HR leader in Israel, the Israeli HR team, the talent acquisition?team and the Admin team, who are making huge efforts to help those in need, at Taboola and outside of Taboola.

I know many of you living outside of Israel want to help, and it's even frustrating at times as we don’t know how. I don’t have all the answers, but I think - being there for each other, supporting each other is already a lot. And I know you’re doing it. We put together a link for people who want to donate, I’ll share that soon as well.?

The truth is that I’ve never felt so angry and helpless in my life. Taboola, which is my soul and family, on a daily basis is being affected, my brother is on reserve duty as combat doctor… I’m Israeli and my country is at war.?

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As hard as this moment is … sadly, this is not new for Israel or the Jewish people, and there is no doubt in my mind that Israel is strong, and we will win this.

Israel's strength is not only measured by its military strength, but rather - the resilience, innovation, and spirit of its people.?

Taboolars in Israel …I see you. I’m with you.

The challenges we face are huge, but history has shown that we come together and overcome the most difficult situations, again and again.?

And we will win this.

Good will always … always beat evil.?

I pray for better days…and for this to end soon.

(the picture I used is of a burnt house, not by rockets. By Hamas, while people were inside).