Rutgers Football 2024 Outlook

Rutgers 2023 season ended on a real high note as they defeated the University of Miami by a score of 31-24 in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. Winning a bowl game, especially against a storied program like Miami, can provide signifiant momentum as Rutgers heads into the offseason. The 2023 season was host to some important highlights as Rutgers won 7 games, including victories against Northwestern, Michigan State, and Virginia Tech. Rutgers defense showed resilience against some of the strongest offenses in the country and Running Back Kyle Monangai was named to the All-Big Ten Team. 

Despite the highs of the season, Rutgers found themselves outplayed by the strength of the conference, including lopsided losses against Ohio State, Michigan and Maryland. Rutgers quarterback conundrum continued with uneven play from Redshirt Sophomore Gavin Wimsatt and the team lacked playmakers at the Wide Receiver position. 

As we look towards the 2024 season and a new-look Big Ten schedule, including games against Washington, USC, and UCLA, what can we expect and how has Rutgers positioned itself for a more successful season? 

Quarterback

While Gavin Wimsatt is still in the program, Rutgers has brought in QB transfer from Minnesota – Athan Kaliakmanis. Kaliakmanis led the Gophers to a bowl game last season and has showed strong pocket presence and the ability to make plays with his legs. Kaliakmanis and Wimsatt will compete for the starting position in the Spring with the expectation that Kaliakmanis will win out. While the QB transfer is not a program-changing transfer, it is definitely an improvement at a position that is critical to success in the Big Ten. 

Running Back / Offense Line

Rutgers received terrific news when Kyle Monangai announced his return to the team following their bowl game victory. At the very least, Rutgers seems to have a key playmaker returning to an offense that will also see Rutgers bring back their entire offensive line, including Holland Pierce and Reggie Sutton.

Wide Receiver

Following a season where their leading receiver finished with 468 yards and 3 touchdowns, Rutgers wasted no time in the transfer market, bringing in Dymere Miller, a transfer from Monmouth University. Miller set program records in 2023, finishing the year with 90 receptions, 1,300 yards and 9 touchdowns. 

Understanding the War in Gaza between Israel and Hamas

On October 7th 2023, Hamas terrorists launched an attack against innocent Israeli citizens at multiple locations – Nova Music Festival, Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Kibbutz Be’eri – that saw the brutal and savage murder of more than 1,200 civilians. While armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, such as exchanged rocket fire, was common throughout the 21st century, this attack marked the first time since 1948 that Arab militants invaded Israeli territory. 

Was this an act of defiance against the “occupation”? Did Hamas believe that such an attack could unite the Arab world against Israel to push Israel into the sea? 

I believe that this was a calculated attack that looked to achieve the following: 

1. Deal tremendous violence and terror on Israeli civilians
2. Take mass hostages that would force Israel to return Palestinian terrorist in hostage negotiations that could lead future attacks against Israel 
3. Have Israel respond to the terrorist attacks with tremendous force that would show Israel as they aggressor dealing out disproportionate violence against the Palestinians 
4. Engage the populace, international media and world leaders to pressure Israel into actions beneficial to Hamas and the Palestinians (giving over land, etc.) 

I believe Hamas knew that they could not overpower Israel militarily, after all, Israel has far superior military technology, combat numbers, and the backing of United States forces. However, Hamas understands the international populace and the power of the media. Hamas military fortresses are strategically located in densely populated civilian locations, such as hospitals. In fact, there have been reports that top Hamas military operatives would be dressed as doctors and nurses within hospitals to maintain control of these areas. 

Understanding that Israel lost more than 1,000 civilians, Hamas knew a strong Israeli response was in the cards. A response that would aim to eliminate Hamas leadership, militias, and infrastructure. Thus, when Israel responded with targeted rockets, some of which resulted in civilian casualties, Hamas made sure to activate western media to highlight what was happening. Despite the noise being made by Hamas sympathizers across the world, world leadership is privy to the facts of the situation and are not fooled by Hamas-manipulated media. Leaders across the West continue to stand with Israel and defend their right to self-defense. 

It is important to mention that while targeted missiles cause significant damage, they were being used to target Hamas militants and NOT civilians. That being said, war is chaotic. Civilians do get caught in the cross-fire. Avoiding civilians becomes that much more difficult when Hamas uses women and children as human shields. 

The Palestinians of Gaza are victims here. While many of them have been brainwashed by their education systems, developed by Hamas, others desire a life of peace and quiet, not controlled by the demands of Hamas leadership. 

Who is Hamas and How did they come to Power?

Founded in 1987, following the outbreak of the First Intifada, Hamas established itself as a militant islamic organization closely partnered with larger militant organizations, such as the Muslim Brotherhood. For much of the late-20th century, Hamas was focused on gaining influence, following, and authority in the West Bank. While involved in terrorist activity against Israel, they would only see publicity for infighting with other militant islamic groups who looked to maintain authority amongst the Palestinian people. Today, Hamas is the ruling body in the Gaza Strip. How did this come to be? Certainly, unrest from the intifada factored into a change of leadership, but I attribute optimal timing and a strategic political approach as the root for Hamas success in the 2006 election. 

Before delving into the circumstances around Hamas’ rise to power it is important to note that the Gaza Strip, is a strip of land amounting to 150 sq. miles that sits on the western border of Israel. It borders both Egypt to the South and Israel to the North and East. Through years of unrest and terror, Ariel Sharon, the PM of Israel, gifted this land to the Palestinians as an act of peace and goodwill. Such an act was thought to inspire peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This, however, was not the case. In January 2006, government elections were held in Gaza whereby Hamas won 76 of the 132 seats, declaring them majority leaders of the Gaza Strip. Below are the circumstances that allowed for this to happen: 

One circumstance that allowed Hamas to gain control was the Islamic nature of the Hamas charter. The Hamas charter represented a more “authentic engagement” with the aspirations of the Palestinian people as compared to the PLO, whose goals were rooted in a more secular approach. Hamas highlighted a more Islamic interpretation of an armed struggle against the Jews to liberate Palestine. Hamas worked with local Imams and used the media wing of their organization to seize the moment as Palestinians began populating in Gaza. The timing of Israel’s evacuation worked very well with the timing of the election. Hamas leveraged this timing to relate to the Palestinian people, claiming that “Hamas’ resistance compelled Israel to leave Gaza” … a vindication of their strategy. Their media slogan became, “4 years of resistance surpassed 10 years of bargaining.”

While today, Hamas uses violent tactics and threats to maintain political power, in 2005, Hamas took a more political approach that targeted the immediate needs and wants of the Palestinian people over the organizations’ long-term aspirations. Hamas seemingly dropped their Islamic agenda in claiming that they would “refrain from attacks on Israel…if Israel ceased their offensive against Palestinians” and endorsing Palestinian sovereignty over the Palestinian territories, as opposed to all of Israel. The Palestinians wanted peace and did not want a continuation of bloodshed. Hamas understood this, and tailored their political approach around it. 

Israeli Economy Faces Business Challenges

Based in New York, Ben Chevlin is an accomplished people advisory services consultant who has been serving Ernst & Young since 2019. Outside of work, Ben Chevlin actively engages in charitable activities and is a strong advocate for Israel.

According to the Melnick State of the Israeli Economy Index, the Israeli business sector is yet to experience growth in 2023. The index revealed that the level of business activity in April was similar to that of November 2022.

One specific area of concern is the observed stagnation in private consumption. The revenue generated in trade and services was used for this calculation. According to the Jerusalem Post website, the Israeli private consumption indicator, which reflects domestic demand and individual spending, showed no significant growth.

Additionally, the industrial production index, which provides insights into the supply side of the business sector, continued to exhibit substantial fluctuations without a clear trend, highlighting persistent weaknesses. The Jerusalem Post also reported declining job positions, highlighting the adverse impact of Israeli economic stagnation on its labor market.

The Melnick State Index accentuates the urgency for policymakers and industry leaders to tackle the challenges confronting the Israeli economy.

Eligibility Requirements for Joining Pi Sigma Alpha

Ben Chevlin is a product strategy and technology transformation senior consultant at Deloitte. He also graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University. While at Columbia University, Ben Chevlin belonged to the Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society.

The Pi Sigma Alpha is America’s only political science honor society. It has more than 740 chapters across the country. At Columbia University, the Pi Sigma Alpha chapter is called the “Mu Chapter.” Ura members are among the most exceptional political science students, especially those dedicated to scholarship and public service.

To join Pi Sigma Alpha, a student may apply with the local campus chapters. The national office has set the minimum requirements for eligibility, although the local chapters may require additional requirements. The following are the eligibility requirements for joining Pi Sigma Alpha.

For undergraduate students

1. Currently enrolled in the political science program of the college or university where the student is applying;
2. Completed at least half of the required credits to earn a degree;
3. Completed at least 10-semester credits of coursework in the field of political science and have earned a minimum grade of B in these courses; and,
4. Achieved a GPA that places them in the top one-third of their class.

For graduate students

1. Completed nine graduate credits in political science; and,
2. At the time of application, has earned a minimum grade of B in all courses.

Understanding Change Management through Key Activities in Transformation

Change management is a collection of practices to prepare, support, and help individuals, teams, and organizations as they are engaged through organizational change. All organizations undergo some level of change over time. Some changes may be small enough, where they only impact a few members of the IT office that manage a certain process, while other changes may impact the way several teams perform day-to-day tasks. Regardless of size, change management practices must be enacted in order to drive the introduction, adoption, and reinforcement of the change to impacted stakeholders. 

Change management capabilities have become critical to the success of organizational change/transformation. So much so, many organizations have invested in internal transformation offices that specialize in change management skills and help the organization manage large scale changes. Other organizations choose to bring change management consulting in to manage changes or support the transformation office depending on the complexity of change. Below are some of the key change management deliverables and activities which are consistent across most mid- to large- scale transformations. 

Case for Change – This deliverable is critical at the early stages of a change as it is important to have a set of materials that clearly detail why a specific change is happening as well as the key benefits of the change for different audiences. This deliverable is the all-important elevator pitch for change that will be leveraged by the change team as they engage with stakeholders, change agents, and drive buy-in across the organization. 

Stakeholder Analysis – Start by brainstorming and working with the program team to identify all possible stakeholders and impacted parties associated with the change. Once stakeholder groups have been identified, group and prioritize stakeholders on specific criteria (ex. level of engagement, significance, seniority, etc.). This analysis will be critical to other deliverables and strategy associated with the change. 

Change Impact Analysis – This tool serves as the backbone of the change effort as it identifies potential consequences, risks, and impacts specific to different stakeholder groups as a result of change. Change impacts can be determined through interviews, focus groups, surveys, as well as an overall understanding of organizational processes. This tool will inform how the change/program team approaches different stakeholder groups.

Communication/Engagement Strategy – While communication with stakeholders and project sponsors will begin at the initial stages of engagement with the client, the change impacts and stakeholder analysis will be critical to a stakeholder tailored communication plan. In any change effort, some stakeholders will require additional communication and engagement to ensure they feel supported with the right adoption information. 

Training and Reinforcement Planning – Mid- to large-scale changes typically require some degree of training to end users as processes change and new behaviors must be adopted. In some cases, training teams will be brought on if they specialize in a specific tool or technology, however, if changes are focused on process or behavior, the change team will often lead this effort. Activities such as training sessions and focus groups are common, and will be accompanied by training videos, user guides, and instructor-led office hours. Change planning does not end at go-live, instead the right level adoption and reinforcement activities must be planned for well-past go-live. 

Rediscovering Sports as a Young Adult in Manhattan

I am in my mid-20s, work a 9-5 job, and am bored with life. I went from playing varsity soccer in college and drinking with friends, and now I find myself coming home from work, with nothing to look forward to, and having a beer as I watch whatever ESPN has to show me that night. This is a reality for most mid-20 aged men in NYC. 

About a year ago, I stumbled upon a beautiful turf field on 90th and York, by the name of Asphalt Green. Each night I would walk by, I saw 40-50 men and women competing in adult soccer leagues. I tried to step in and join, but I was told games were organized through GothamSports and ZogSports. 

I signed up immediately and was placed on a free agent team. With ZogSports, you can sign up as a team and play with your friends or join individually and get placed with others who signed up as individuals. In short, I was playing with a team of random men and women. It took us a couple games to build chemistry and rapport, but soon enough, we were in full swing. After losing in shootouts to end our first two seasons, we won 3 straight championships and went from a team that started as free agents to a tight knit team of players, each knowing their role and laughing throughout. 

While playing weekly and winning leagues is enjoyable, our team created a tradition of going to a local bar at the conclusion of each game. We have group chats, celebrate birthdays together, and even watched world cup games at each other’s apartments. 

I would like to take a moment to thank ZogSports and promote adult soccer in Manhattan for not only allowing me to get great exercise and play a game that I love, but also create a social group that I look forward to seeing week to week. 

3 Steps to Implementing an Innovation Mindset and Driving Growth in 2023

As the holidays slow to a close, organizations are beginning to look inside and set their goals and agendas for the upcoming year. These decisions and conversations are being had in times of increasing economic uncertainty, calls for more sustainable processes, and more competitive markets. While these times may be financially daunting for organizations, these are also times of opportunity where the right investment in change and innovation can be the differentiator between growth and decline. Below I explain three key steps that organizations can take in 2023 to build a more resilient and innovative organization. I have come to these three behaviors through assessing various organizations across industry over the last 4 years. 

1. Assess and understand the innovation mindset and resiliency across your organization

Understanding how your organization thinks about innovation and incorporates into daily activities and strategy is the first step to building an innovation muscle. There are a variety of tools that can be used to gather this all-important information, ranging from interactive surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc.. Questions should center around “openness to change and thinking outside of the box” to “what type of innovation is used in day-to-day processes” and even “how are brainstorming sessions held”. Asking these questions to the right leaders/stakeholders across the organization will not only highlight strengths/gaps in innovative thinking, but also help identify change champions that believe in the power of innovation and its deepened need within the organization. 

2. Ready your leadership and change champion network

To change the way an organization thinks about innovation and adopts innovation, a group of fearless leaders with strong networks and pull must be engaged and activated as change champions. Without the right leadership sponsorship, any organization-wide change becomes extremely difficult. This group of leaders or change champions will be strong advocates for innovation, involved with creating strategy, and must be equipped with strong talking points on why now? why this? and how do we do this? Leaders will share this messaging with those who report up to them and have such messaging cascaded through the organization. 

3. Build an innovation strategy that incentivizes and invests in innovative thinking and learning opportunities 

Once the right leaders are onboard and there is a clear picture of innovation readiness/openness across the organization, an innovation strategy must be designed. Such a strategy will include town halls, learning requirements, and rewards for raising innovative ideas. Some activities will be tailored to specific groups of the organization, seeing that some may need to more support as they adopt innovative thinking into day-to-day practice. 

In any case, the sooner an organization assesses their innovative muscle and prioritizes building innovative capabilities the more effective they will be in adopting to market change, responding to customer needs, and moving with technology. 

TAMID Group Consults for Israeli Start-Up Companies

A student-run organization active on college campuses in the United States and around the world, TAMID offers students the opportunity to consult with Israeli start-up companies. Although Israel ranks 153rd in size in the world, it has the third highest number of Nasdaq-traded companies.

Boasting more than 60 clubs around the world, TAMID has more than 300 company partners and over 3,500 participating students. Thus far in 2022, the organization has completed more than 167 consulting projects.

Students who enroll in the innovative TAMID group first complete an 8-week educational program that introduces them to the fields of technology, finance, and consulting. During the 8-week academic portion of the TAMID program, students gain foundational knowledge and practical experience through competitions and hands-on workshops. Students also learn about the unique start-up culture of Israel and begin cultivating their connection to the country.

At the end of each educational presentation, students engage in a series of exercises to help them apply technical theories to their own start-up operations. They also have the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a Shark Tank-style group of investors and venture capitalists.

After the academic section, students begin consulting with Israeli companies in various industries. Students might choose to participate in management consulting, completing projects in areas such as branding, business development, strategy, consumer research, industry analysis, and more.

Alternately, students may choose to support TAMID group technology consulting services, providing Israeli companies with data analytics development, as well as front-end, back-end, and full-stack support. Students who choose this track typically come from backgrounds in computer science, math, and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas.

TAMID members also gain experience conducting due diligence on Israeli stocks through involvement in the Investment Fund. In addition to researching investment options and managing a live portfolio, they compete in a trading competition that pits individual chapters against each other in a nationwide contest.

To encourage their continuing financial education, Investment Fund leaders receive support from professional investors and faculty. During the competition, TAMID operates a partnership with financial media outlet Seeking Alpha, which helps Investment Fund members develop strong equity research skills.

During the summer, TAMID students can apply to join a competitive, 8-week summer internship fellowship program. Partnering with Onward Israel, TAMID invites leaders to visit host companies in Israel, immersing themselves in the business and social culture of the country. The highly selective program accepts fellows from the entire pool of candidates from 60 universities.

TAMID participation does not end when students graduate from the program. Social events and networking programs invite graduates to stay connected to the TAMID community, as well as to give back by mentoring newer students or coaching investing teams. The TAMID Pro program aims to create a strong community of business leaders who uphold a commitment to Israel.

In 2017, the TAMID Pro group took its inaugural mission trip to Israel, attending meetings and tours to enhance their careers and relationship to the country. The organization hopes to expand the program to include even more TAMID Pro members. For more information about the TAMID program or to browse a list of company partners, visit tamidgroup.org.

Maintenance and Burial Services Provided by Workers of Truth Cemetery

Initially based in Mercer County, New Jersey, the Workers of Truth Synagogue was established in July of 1928. The synagogue provided services to the surrounding community for nearly seven decades. While it disbanded in 1995, a volunteer group led by Allan Richman formed the Workers of Truth Cemetery, in Trenton, in 2005. Together with the 501(c)(3) non-profit Friends of Workers of Truth Cemetery, the Workers of Truth Cemetery continues to oversee maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery grounds.

The Workers of Truth Cemetery staff and board of governors understand that memorial planning can be an overwhelming experience. It is important to step back and consider some basic desires and needs, such as the type of cemetery preferred. Each cemetery varies in terms of services and categorization. Most cemeteries fall under the categories of public, religious, municipal, national, or cemeteries for veterans of the armed forces.

Public cemeteries are the most common type in the United States. Regardless of categorization, individuals and families must account for the availability and cost of burial plots, as well as the location of the cemetery. Workers of Truth Cemetery is situated two miles southeast of Trenton City Hall, just off Leonard Avenue near Fortitude Benevolent Association-Knights of Pythias Cemetery and Congregation Brothers of Israel. The area is populated by a number of churches, schools, and public parks, including Franklin Park, Agabiti Park, and Wetzel Field.

Beyond cemetery type and location, individuals should not overlook the importance of a cemetery staff dedicated to maintaining clean grounds and a peaceful, respectful atmosphere. The volunteers at the Workers of Truth Cemetery are dedicated to maintaining and overseeing all activities, keeping the property operational, addressing any issues as they arise, and coordinating all cemetery services. Specific cleanup initiatives have included repainting fences, clipping and removing overgrowth, and cleaning headstones.

The location of specific cemetery plots is also an important consideration. Relying solely on outside donations, the Friends of Workers of Truth Cemetery volunteer staff manages the cemetery’s cemetery plot offerings, which include the ability to pre-purchase burial plots. The Workers of Truth Cemetery has more than 500 burial plots in total.

There are several advantages to pre-purchasing a burial plot, ranging from securing an ideal location to paying for space at present prices before inflation drives up costs in the future. The cost of cemetery plots may increase at an accelerated rate as dwindling space results in limited room in the nation’s cemeteries.

Additional benefits include alleviating the burden of loved ones and making memorial planning choices on one’s own terms. After a death, family members may experience considerable stress while attempting to determine the wishes of a loved one. By creating a memorial plan, possibly as part of an estate plan, individuals can provide an actionable road map for all end-of-life decisions.

More information about the Workers of Truth Cemetery, including a layout of the burial plots, is available at workersoftruth.com. In addition, interested individuals can email allanmrrich@aol.com and ask about joining the Friends of Workers of Truth Cemetery.