high-tech c · 26 hamodia january 4, 2012 helping hands high-tech c feature 010412 p26-33...

HHaammooddiiaa Januar y 4 , 201226

H E L P I N G H A N D S

High-Tech C

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IInnyyaann MMaaggaazz iinnee 9 Teves 5772 27

We don’t need to be reminded of the dangers of technology;

however, in the right hands, it can be a valuable tool to

help humanity. Mr. Michoel Hirsch has spent many

years developing innovative software applications

that have been used by educational institutions

throughout the United States and beyond. He never

could have imagined that his programs would one

day be used by some of the most elite intelligence

agencies in America. Now he is channeling his

talents toward helping Klal Yisrael in an

unprecedented way.

Using TopMilitaryTechnology toHelp Klal YisraelBY GAVRIEL HORAN

Chessed

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Advanced LearningBorn and raised in Brooklyn, Michoel

Hirsch was not a typical student. By theage of sixteen, he had graduated highschool with thirty-six science awards andfifteen pre-med college credits. His pre-med anatomy and physiology scores werein the 97th percentile — for studentsseveral years older. And he had earnedseveral college scholarships.

Although pursued by Ivy League pre-med programs across the United States, hehad his priorities straight. “I realized thatif I went to medical school, I wouldn’thave time for serious yeshivah learningfor as long as eight full years,” he recalls.“I knew that I couldn’t leave learning forso long at any cost.”

Instead, Michoel opted to devotehimself to full-time Torah study, foregoinga promising career in medicine. Heattended Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlinfor many years, simultaneously earning adegree in computers and technology from

Brooklyn College in the evenings. After marrying in 1989, he continued

learning in kollel. When the couple hadtheir fourth child and their three olderones were all under the age of two and ahalf, he decided to enter the workforce.

Michoel was determined to harnesstechnology to advance science in areasthat hadn’t been explored. His wife, whoholds a master’s degree in specialeducation, suggested that he look into thefield of psychoeducational assessment,which consists of test batteries

administered by schoolpsychologists and other

clinicians to measure the learning andcognitive abilities of children and adults.

“Previously validated psycho-educational tests were designed on a veryantiquated model that did not fullyharness multimedia computertechnology,” he explains. “She thought itwould be a great area to incorporate newtechnology to enable the assessment ofabilities that were never beforemeasurable with paper-and-pencil tests.”

In 1995, Hirsch founded AssessmentTechnologies, an assessment companywhose corporate mission was to do justthat. Because his tests were completely

Michoel Hirsch gives a demonstration of his assessment software at a military location. With him is“Butch,” one of the best commandos in the Special Tactical Units of the Air Force Special OperationsCommand. Butch was stationed at Fort Bragg Air Force Base and completed many life-threateningmissions behind enemy lines. The only reason Butch was allowed to have his picture taken is that hehad retired from Special Forces just before this event took place.



computer-administered, they were givenexactly according to protocol, therebyprecluding the potential for examinererror, a common occurrence withstandard written psychoeducationaltesting materials.

A professional test-publishingcompany in Texas was the first to markethis innovation. As soon as they listed thenew computerized tests in their catalogue,many other companies began callinghim, asking him to design similarproducts for them. Soon, Sylvan Learning,which has almost one thousand learningcenters across North America, integratedone of his products into their program.They subsequently used it to test over twomillion children across the nation.

Wanted by the MilitaryMichoel Hirsch’s next major project

was to create a fully interactiveassessment tool that involved sight,sound, real-life simulations, andprofessional voice actors. The projectinvolved a team of one hundred toppsychologists in all fifty states. They testedthousands of children who constituted asampling of the entire Americanpopulation, including certain minoritypopulations that had never been testedbefore.

A group of psychologists even landed asmall plane on remote Alaskan ice to testnative Eskimos there, while another teamloaded a van with computers andcrisscrossed Oklahoma to test Native

Americans on reservations. This was alsoprobably the first time yeshivah and BaisYaakov students were included in suchassessments.

Hirsch received seven internationalpatents for this project in the UnitedStates, Israel, and Australia, and he hasanother twenty-six patents pending inEurope, Canada, and Japan.

At the very first public demonstrationof the new product, a high-rankingmilitary officer approached Mr. Hirsch,

saying he represented the U.S. SpecialForces and agencies within the U.S.intelligence community. “If you’re willingto work with a certain level of ambiguity,we’re willing to use this product in themilitary,” the officer said.

“He couldn’t tell me his affiliation, andI soon learned not to ask,” Hirsch recalls.He has since met with members of everyintelligence and defense agency in thecountry, but is never allowed to ask anyidentifying questions. “I could never haveapproached these agencies on my ownbecause no one knows who works there orwho they are. They find you rather thanthe other way around.”

Thereafter, Mr. Hirsch’s program wasimplemented by the U.S. military and

intelligence agencies at the highest levels.It assists them in selecting specialcommandos for life-and-death missionsand in determining which positions arebest suited for each commando on theassignment.

“The military spends as much as$100,000 to train each man in these topunits — and selecting the right people foreach secret mission is a life-or-deathdecision,” Hirsch explains. “They need tobe incredibly careful whom they select

Mr. Hirsch’s program assists the U.S. military

and intelligence agencies in

selecting special commandos

for life-and-death missions

and in determining which

positions are best suited for

each commando on the

assignment.



and ensure that they are placed inpositions where their specificstrengths can really shine.”

The program uses fifteendifferent test formats to measurecognitive abilities, social andemotional strengths, processingspeed, distractibility, situationalawareness, task focus, and stresstolerance. The tests utilize three-dimensional computersimulations, biometric sensors tomeasure physiological reactions,and multisensory imagery.

During one testing session, Mr.Hirsch was able to tell a colonelthat a certain commando wasespecially afraid of him; wheneverthe colonel entered the room, thecommando’s physiologicalresponse readings went sky-high.During another commando’s test,a call from the man’s wife had thesame result, setting his nerves onhigh alert, whereas for a thirdcommando, who apparently hada better domestic relationship, acall from home had a calmingeffect.

“It’s amazing how thesephysiological sensors can instantlyshow you what’s going on insidethe heart and mind of a person,”Hirsch says.

Top-Secret JewSince his first meeting with the

military, Michoel Hirsch has madecountless trips across the UnitedStates and is often the onlyOrthodox Jew for miles around. Hehas also gotten used to dealing withpeople who live with an extraordinarilyhigh level of secrecy — to the point ofnever even mentioning the name of thepurchasing agency over the phone or in e-mails.

“They told me that if we can hear eachother over the phone, that means the ‘badguys’ can, too!” he says half-humorously.

On his first trip to a classified militaryinstitution, he noticed that there were nowindows in any of the secure military

buildings. When he asked about it, he wastold that an enemy spy can actuallyeavesdrop on conversations in a room byshining a laser at the window pane andlistening to the vibrations on the glassfrom the reflections of the light.

One night, on a secure military base,Hirsch realized it was the last night hecould recite Kiddush Levanah. He walked

outside in his hat and jacket and began torecite the prayer. Suddenly a securitypatrol pulled up, shining high-poweredflashlights in his face. They saw someonedressed in strange clothing talking to thesky and assumed he was beaminginformation to an enemy.

Another time, Hirsch declined to eat ata catered meeting with many high-

The COMIT is a comprehensive assessment battery for children and adults that measures CognitiveAbilities, Social / Emotional Abilities, Distractibility, Processing Speed, Situational Awareness andStress Tolerance.



ranking officers, explaining that he had asupply of kosher food in his suitcase.Hearing that, all the officers rose, givinghim a spontaneous standing ovation. Tothem it was a sign of strength that he wasliving off of “kosher pickles” all week —the only kosher food they knew about.

iCare ChessedDirectoryThroughout his work with the military,

Michoel Hirsch always did his best toharness technology to assist Jewish causesaround the world. Among other projects,he helped customize the database ofIsrael’s premier chessed organization, EzerMizion, and he computerized the “FriendsWho Care” hospital visitation service andthe entire operating system of the VaadRefuah. He did all this with the help ofsignificant grants from non-Jewishcompanies.

“Although my work with the militarystimulated me on an intellectual level, myheart has always gotten the greatestsatisfaction from helping Klal Yisrael,” hesays.

During his work with these and otherchessed organizations, a master planbegan to form in his mind. He wanted todevelop a super chessed database to servethe needs of Klal Yisrael on anunprecedented level. After receiving

grants from four major technologycompanies, Hirsch got to work on hisbrainchild, a revolutionary new chessedprogram known as iCare.

In short, iCare is a comprehensivehigh-tech directory of every major chessedorganization in the world. It is operatedby trained volunteers twenty-four hours aday to help people find the organizationsbest able to fill their needs.

Over the past few years, Michoel Hirschhas put teams of volunteers to workmaking thousands of calls to chessedorganizations everywhere. Togetherthey’ve compiled the most up-to-date listof organizational contact numbers andcapabilities in existence, and heconstructed a highly sophisticatedcomputerized system to organize theinformation.

“iCare has been a dream of mine foryears. … It harnesses all of thetechnological platforms that I had beenutilizing for previous chessedorganizations I have worked with andcombines them into one seamless high-tech system that functions on the samelevel as platforms utilized in Fortune 100companies,” he says. Many of the non-Jewish donor companies said it is the mostbeautiful project they have ever beeninvolved in.

“If IBM and AT&T

are harnessing this

technology to increase

revenue from their

global operations,

there is no reason the

chessed needs of our

own community

should be addressed

with systems that are

any less capable.”

This map depicts the data collection sites in all 50 states where peoplewere tested during the development of the assessment battery, a

process that took many years to complete.



The iCare platform works off anadvanced computer-based phone system.This system has been integrated with asophisticated database so that everyincoming call automatically retrieves allprevious cases from the same caller. Theunderlying database platform is capableof storing millions of cases. It can also tietogether support volunteers on severalcontinents, as though they are all sittingin one office. Volunteers can log in fromtheir home computers anywhere in theworld and instantly have the ability toanswer calls from around the globe.

“Calls can be automatically directed tospecific volunteer call agents based uponfluency in English, Yiddish, or Hebrew, oreven based upon the specific expertiserequired for each case,” Hirsch explains.Additionally, some prestigious chessedorganizations in Israel and Australia haveteamed up with the Vaad Refuah office inNew York to handle the overflow callscoming into the system when the full-timeoperators are busy.

iCare’s staff members will thus becapable of providing twenty-four-hourcoverage simply by working typical nine-to-five shifts in their respective time zones.And the sophisticated computer platformwill help them tie everything together intoone seamless operation.

“If IBM and AT&T are harnessing thistechnology to increase revenue from theirglobal operations, there is no reason whythe chessed needs of our own communityshould be addressed with systems that areany less capable,” Hirsch says.

The NeedPeople with a hospitalized loved one

are often stressed and overwhelmed, facedwith additional responsibilities at homewhile they struggle to make countless callsto arrange kosher food, medicalequipment, and other services for thepatient. Although there are many printedlists of chessed organizations available,these registries are often significantlyoutdated — and none are comprehensive.

Much precious time and energy iswasted in the process of trying to trackdown the right chessed organizations to fill

a patient’s many needs. In addition, it isnot uncommon that several friends andrelatives of the same patient each contactdifferent chessed organizations to handlethe same need. They may approach threedifferent entities to arrange for the onewheelchair required, each unaware of theothers’ efforts, while the patient’s otherneeds remain unaddressed. Aside fromthe unnecessary stress and frustrationinvolved, unwarranted delays in reachingorganizations and initiating services cansometimes have a serious impact on thefamily as well as on the patient.

Another issue is that an organizationmay not have the ability to address all thepatient’s needs, yet out of its sincere desireto help, it may end up assisting in waysthat exceed its resources — preventing itfrom being available to other patients.

“As strong as each organization can bein one area, they can’t do everything,”Hirsch says. “One organization may havedozens of volunteers willing to deliverkosher food to the hospital, but [it mayonly have] access to two gently usedwheelchairs. Another organization mighthave twenty-five brand-new wheelchairsto lend but does not have volunteers tosupply kosher food. No one organizationcan do it all.”

Instead of duplicating anorganization’s existing services, this newservice will help maximize everyone’sresources by calling on their strengths.

How Exactly Does It Work?Initially, iCare will offer an information

service in which its operators will helpcallers find the chessed organization theyseek and automatically connect them.The second stage is an internationalchessed coordination service that willactually assist in making arrangementsfor emergency cases.

If someone in Israel finds out that he

Screen shots depicting some of the varioussubtests of the test battery, which includes theassessment of communication skills, visualmemory, visual closure, logic and reasoning,distractibility, abstract reasoning, processingspeed, auditory memory, social skills and stresstolerance. All subtests incorporate full sight-and-sound.



has a serious illness, G-d forbid, and needsto fly to America for emergency treatment,he can call iCare late at night in Israel. Hiscall will be automatically transferred tothe receptionist in Australia. ThisAustralian iCare representative will thenenter his case into the system.

While he’s asleep, the office in NewYork will get to work contacting all theorganizations that can best meet hisneeds. They will make sure he has awheelchair waiting for him at theairport, kosher food at the hospital,volunteers to help him around the clock,and a Shabbos apartment for his familynear the hospital. When he wakes upthe next morning, he gets a call fromthe Israeli branch telling him everythingis ready and that all he has to do is get

on the plane.iCare’s very first trial ad immediately

brought in fifty calls. Today iCare isputting the finishing touches on theadvanced technology and is training call-center volunteers and staff members forthe planned launch of the service thiswinter.

“We’re not replacing or competing withany chessed organizations, but ratherhelping them connect to the specificpatients and specific needs that they arebest equipped to handle,” Mr. Hirschexplains. “The system has the potential tomaximize the unique skills, resources, andstrengths of each existing chessedorganization by incorporating them allinto a dynamic international system thatis far more powerful and efficient than

any organization can be when workingalone. The patient won’t need to runaround to get updated phone numbers forthe half-dozen organizations that he orshe needs. One call does it all. That’s theiCare dream.” ❚II

If you would like to volunteer for the revolutionary

new iCare service, please e-mail

[email protected].

Chessed for Those at Risk

MICHOEL HIRSCH’S CHESSED ACTIVITIES don’t begin and end with

medical assistance. When he was recently asked by those working with at-

risk youth to design a psychoeducational screening tool for use in yeshivos

and Bais Yaakov schools, he immediately agreed to help.

Hirsch developed a cutting-edge screening program that can identify

children’s specific learning strengths and weaknesses. Available for both

Yiddish- and English-speakers, it has already been implemented in over sixty Bais

Yaakov and yeshivah schools. Although the program has only been available for six

months, it has already garnered the highest praise from educational professionals

across the community.

“Mr. Hirsch’s assessment battery is clearly one of the most exciting and

innovative developments in psychometrics that I have been exposed to in my entire

professional career,” commented Rabbi Dr. Martin Schloss of the Board of Jewish

Education, a psychologist who has trained countless special-ed clinicians. “This is

the trailblazing product in the field of assessment.”

“So many of the crises we see among our youth today come from children who

were frustrated by their school failures,” Hirsch explains. “If we can detect the

problem before they fall through the cracks, they can have a better chance of

succeeding. One of the psychologists I’ve worked with used to say, ‘Every child is

determined to succeed; however, there is a limit to how long they will continue to

be ‘bad at trying to be good’ until they begin to be ‘good at trying to be bad.’

Properly identifying each child’s strengths and weaknesses in order to help them

taste success can literally save lives.”

Mr. Hirsch is also developing a special version of his military stress tolerance

test to be offered to the frum community as a medical-screening tool known as the

S.T.R.E.S.S. (Stress Tolerance Rapid Evaluation Software System). It will help

people understand how they deal with stress and flag those who might be medically

at risk for developing stress-related illnesses such as a heart condition or stroke

later in life, G-d forbid.

While the patient is

asleep, the iCare office

will make sure he has a

wheelchair waiting for

him at the airport the

next day, kosher food

at the hospital,

volunteers to help him

around the clock, and

a Shabbos apartment

for his family.


high-tech c · 26 hamodia january 4, 2012 helping hands high-tech c feature 010412 p26-33...

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