Shul blog hacked!

Shul Blog Hacked!

The term "hacking" may be new to you unless you're a computer geek. Hacking is the name to given to breaking into someone's website by using malicious software. The hacker may just be trying to show how skilled he is at breaking through someone's passwords or firewalls. But sometimes he means to do real harm to the website owner. We can't be sure what motivated the hacker who trashed the shul website, this blog, on December 26. It is a lesson for all of us that computers are not completely fool proof and whenever you put something "out there" in cyberspace, it is vulnerable to attack.

My first hint that something was wrong actually came on December 26 when I started to get junk mail from our blog. Since I have software on the blog that filters filters out junk, I knew that something had stopped working. But it didn't seem serious. I had family matters to attend to last week and decided I would look at it on the weekend. However, on Shabbos morning at shul, Joel informed me that the shul blog was "down". This elevated my concern, and I began an investigation right after we finished Kiddush. Little did I know that I would be spending the rest of the day, New Year's Eve, performing website maintenance.

I would compare this malicious mischief to having graffiti spray painted on your garage. The damage was not severe. The security provisions on our site held up pretty well. My guess is that it could have been much worse. By the time Saturday was over and 2012 had arrived, I had erased any evidence of the hacker's graffiti. Then I started a series of security improvements in hopes of preventing it from happening again in the future. So, who are the hackers and what did they actually do? Based on the calling card they left behind, they are from Kosovo, Albania. Was the attack anti-Semitic? Apparently, yes. But not definitely. They didn't post any anti-Semitic statements or racist remarks, but a link from their logo led to the graphic below. One could conclude that they surf the net looking for Jewish websites to disrupt. But maybe they also do this to Christian sites as well. I took a quick glance through the web in an attempt to find out who they are, and I saw an item indicating that they hacked a bank website somewhere in Eastern Europe. That's as much as I know of them.

During the course of making the repairs, I learned that the best security against internet piracy is a strong password. So, as much as we like easy passwords like "carnegie123", you need to abandon them and replace them with something longer and much more complicated. Yes, it's a pain to have to keep track of them. OK, maybe it's not a big deal if you're just doing Facebook. But if you have your banking online and if you keep personal files online, having a strong password is important to protect your ass-ets.

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The Carnegie Shul Prepares for the High Holidays and Celebrates More Than a Century of Tradition

By Rick D'Loss • September 11, 2025

Carnegie, PA – September 11, 2025—The Carnegie Shul , founded in 1896 and incorporated in 1903, remains a cornerstone of Jewish life in the South Hills. As the oldest congregation in the region , it reflects more than 125 years of history, resilience, and community spirit. High Holy Days Services: A.J. Edelman Returns High Holy Days services at the Carnegie Shul will be held on September 22–24 for Rosh Hashanah and October 1–2 for Yom Kippur . The complete schedule is available at www.thecarnegieshul.org/high-holy-days . This year, services will once again be led by A.J. Edelman, a figure beloved by the congregation. "A.J. has been with us for about 8 years. He is a treasure that we have now," said Rick D'Loss, President of the Carnegie Shul. Edelman is renowned for his historic achievement as the first Orthodox Jewish athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics, inspiring many through his dedication to balancing athletic excellence with religious faith. His leadership and spirituality continue to enrich the community, making his annual return as shaliach tzibur a highlight of the Shul's holiday observances. A History of Faith and Community The Shul's roots stretch back to its founding families, including the Shermans, Millers, Wilks, Klees, and many others. "Starting in the late 1800s, Markus Sherman held services in his home," explained D'Loss. He led the formation of the congregation and organized the first high holidays services in 1896. We didn't even have a building; the first holiday services were conducted in the Husler building, the present home of the Carnegie Historical Society." The congregation was incorporated in 1903 and built a shul on Broadway St. "When a fire destroyed that shul in 1934, it was decided not to rebuild on that small lot because the congregation was still growing," recalled D'Loss. A new and much larger synagogue opened on Lydia Street in 1937. Leadership Across Generations Over the years, leadership has passed through many dedicated families and has been sustained by many other families and members. "In addition to the Sherman family, the Wilk family provided three generations of shul presidents. D'Loss recalled, "Ike Peresman and Jean Perlman served as Treasurers for more than 70 years between them. Stanley Roth served as Secretary from around 1947 up until 2005 and passed in 2009. He was a huge figure in the congregation and we referred to him as Nusi , the Hebrew word for "prince"." D'Loss said Dr. Larry Block, a retired professor from Duquesne University, continues to play a vital role. "He is an incredible, knowledgeable guy who has dedicated so much of his time and effort to this congregation over the past 40 years," said D'Loss. He was and still is a scholar. We rely on him for his knowledge of Torah and tradition. He's in his 80s and leads Torah study for us every week." A Unique Congregational Identity The Carnegie Shul is known for its strong traditions, welcoming nature, and independence. "We have not had a rabbi here since 1978, when Stanley Savage moved on to another shul. The congregation is unaffiliated. The term indie minyan is in vogue these days, but we've been an indie minyan for 50 years." The Shul has an open-door policy for High Holidays. Most congregations limit High Holiday services to just their members, but in the history of the Carnegie Shul, we've never restricted admission. "It's a pretty amazing testament to our place that people come, donate, and join because they appreciate what we offer and they want us to stay open. But their attendance and participation are their most important gift— a gift to both themselves and the community. The congregation is certainly smaller than it was in previous generations, but the ner tamid is still burning in Carnegie," D'Loss said.