This week, I was able to participate in a teamwork exercise with other global CISO and cybersecurity leaders in a simulated Amazing Race exercise in Israel.

It kicked off with some private briefings and breakfast at a very special event venue called Alba (which had some great food) .

So, what was the goal of the exercise? After some many long days of meetings and briefings, it was a nice weekend break for a few hours and opportunity to get to know some of your industry peers. You also get to see some famous sites and locations that you may never get the chance to explore on a business trip.

The downside is that you may only get to see these sites for a minute or two…just barely enough time to take 1 to 2 pictures maximum. For example, after visiting the Ben Gurion tomb and taking a look at the overall national park, we did a quick peek at the nearby Ben Gurion university.

Another example was the famous Beit Herzl home in the Rat Forest. It was not his actual home, but a reconstruction to create the historical moment tied to a famous photograph.

Then there was the Monastery of the Trappist Monks. We could not go in, but were able to grab a quick picture and check out the grounds.

There is a “totem” memorial in the courtyard to commemorate three people – Bernard Clairvaux, the spiritual founder of the Trappist order, Rashi – the Jewish Biblical commentator, and Salah al Din (Saladin) who spared the lives of the Crusaders when he could have killed them. 

and of course you may get to try out a new wine as well in the amazing vineyards of Israel. We stopped by the Mony winery which was quite popular with locals and tourists to sit and have a picnic with great views under cover.

We needed more points, so off we went to check out something that was not aware of in Israel…a zoo in a museum!

It was the biblical museum of Natural History.

I must admit, this is the first time I have ever held a giant anaconda snake in my life. Very fun and great museum! But I do have to admit that eating locusts for an extra 100 points was not as bad as I was thinking it would be. We were assured they were kosher though!

It was not at the end of this competitive race and team building exercises, but it was the night before when we go to enjoy a show with Lior Suchard.

I could not resist sharing as part of this posting. I must admit, he was one of the best and most amazing “mentalists” I have ever seen. Magic tricks are amazing sometimes…

and to end the week and the Team8 CISO Summit, they had some celebrity guest speakers along with a performance from the famous and very popular Red Band. What a treat!