Asher Baharav
Israeli businessman and Unit 8200 veteran (1952–2022); founder of the Taldor computer group, founding publisher of the Adelson-owned newspaper Israel Hayom, and co-founder of Gita Technologies and Waterfall Security Solutions
| Asher Baharav
| |
|---|---|
| Image |  Baharav, photographed by Moshe Shai (Flash90) |
| Born | 16 December 1952 Tel Aviv |
| Died | September 2022 |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Residence | Ra'anana |
| Occupation | Businessman; newspaper publisher |
| Known for | Founder of Taldor; founding publisher of Israel Hayom; co-founder of Gita Technologies and Waterfall Security Solutions |
Asher Zelig Baharav (1952–2022) was an Israeli businessman and a former officer in Unit 8200, the signals-intelligence unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He founded the computer services group Taldor, was one of the founders of Israel's national information security authority, which later became the Israel National Cyber Directorate, and served from 2007 to 2018 as the first publisher of Israel Hayom, the daily newspaper set up by Sheldon Adelson and Miriam Adelson.[1] He was also one of the founders of the offensive-cyber company Gita Technologies and of Waterfall Security Solutions.[2][3]
Early life and military service
Baharav was born in Tel Aviv on 16 December 1952, according to the religious-Zionist news site Kipa.[4] He was a member of the youth movement Bnei Akiva and studied at the Netiv Meir yeshiva high school in Jerusalem.[5][4]
He studied economics and computer science in the IDF's academic reserve programme (atuda). Sources differ on where: Makor Rishon says Bar-Ilan University, while Israel Hayom says Tel Aviv University.[5][1] Israel Hayom said that he "joined the IDF Intelligence Directorate" (Intelligence Corps) and, after graduating, "began his service at Unit 8200, which is tasked with a variety of signal intelligence collection efforts", and that he left the army as a major.[1] Makor Rishon also says that he did his military service in "the intelligence unit 8200" and was discharged with the rank of major (rav-seren); Kipa described him as a major in the reserves in Unit 8200.[5][4] When he stepped down from Taldor in 2005, Ynet described him as "יוצא יחידת 8200" (a veteran of Unit 8200).[6] Makor Rishon says that he and his wife then went on a posting (shlichut) to Dallas, Texas.[5]
Business career
In 1982 Baharav founded the software house M.T.I. Computers, and in 1986 the computer services company Taldor (also spelt Teldor).[5][1] Israel Hayom said that Taldor absorbed 12 other companies and became the third-largest computer company in Israel; Makor Rishon says it was floated on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 1993.[1][5] In December 2005 Globes reported that the investment group DBSI, owned by Barak Dotan and Yossi Ben Shalom, had bought control of Taldor in May 2003, and that Baharav, then 53, was retiring after twenty years as chief executive, that the company relied mainly on public-sector customers, and that he held 6% of its shares.[7] He was quoted as saying: "I founded Taldor twenty years ago with two employees and an annual income of 100,000 shekels. Today Taldor has 1,500 employees". He was succeeded by Doron Sapir in January 2006 and stayed on as an adviser to the board.[6]
Both Israel Hayom and Makor Rishon say that Baharav was one of the founders of the state information security authority (ha-Rashut ha-Mamlakhtit le-Avtahat Meida), which later became the Israel National Cyber Directorate. Israel Hayom called him "one of the main actors behind" its creation.[1][5]
Gita Technologies, Waterfall and Urifer
The Israeli business database IVC names Baharav, Lior Frenkel and Amir Zilberstein as the co-founders of Gita Technologies, which it describes as working in signals intelligence, "real-time interception, location finding, cyber warfare" and protocol reverse engineering for "government agencies and high-end enterprises worldwide".[3] Israel Hayom's Hebrew obituary said that he was among the founders of the start-ups "גיטה בתחום הסייבר ההתקפי, ווטרפול בתחום הסייבר ההגנתי" (Gita, in offensive cyber, and Waterfall, in defensive cyber), and of Urifer, which works on a cancer drug.[2] Makor Rishon and Kipa say the same.[5][4] IVC also lists him as a co-founder of Urifer, with Prof. Uri Nir and Moshe Mizrahy.[8] Gita was later bought by Verint and is now a subsidiary of Cognyte.[9]
Israel Hayom and Makor Rishon
According to Israel Hayom, in 2007 Sheldon Adelson and Miriam Adelson asked Baharav to help set up a new Israeli daily, Israel Hayom. He was its first publisher for 11 years, until 2018, and took part in buying a printing house for the paper.[1] Makor Rishon says that he was asked to set up the paper together with Tzipi Koren, who had worked alongside him for forty years.[5] The Hebrew edition of Israel Hayom said that he was later involved in the purchase of the newspaper Makor Rishon by the Adelson family; Makor Rishon says that he also became its publisher when ownership passed to Adelson on the eve of Passover 2014.[2][5] Makor Rishon says that he and Koren stepped down from running the newspapers a few months after he fell ill with a heart condition, about five years before his death.[5]
Charity
Baharav was the active chairman of the charity Eichut BeShikum (Quality in Rehabilitation), which runs hostels, sheltered housing and support groups for people with mental illness.[2][5]
Death
Baharav died over Rosh Hashanah in September 2022. Makor Rishon says that he died of cardiac arrest on the first day of the new year, and he was buried in the Kfar Nachman cemetery in Ra'anana, where he lived.[5][2] Israel Hayom's English report and Makor Rishon gave his age as 69; its Hebrew report said he was 70.[1][5][2]
| Organisation | Role | Years | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.T.I. Computers | Founder | from 1982 | [5][1] |
| Taldor | Founder; chief executive | 1986 – January 2006 | [7][6] |
| Israel National Cyber Directorate (as the state information security authority) | One of the founders | – | [1][5] |
| Gita Technologies | Co-founder | – | [3][2] |
| Waterfall Security Solutions | Co-founder | – | [2][5] |
| Urifer | Co-founder | – | [8][2] |
| Israel Hayom | Founding publisher | 2007–2018 | [1] |
| Makor Rishon | Publisher | from 2014 | [5] |
| Eichut BeShikum | Chairman | – | [2] |
See also
- Gita Technologies
- Lior Frenkel
- Amir Zilberstein
- Sheldon Adelson
- Unit 8200
- Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Assaf Golan, Israel Hayom's founding publisher Asher Baharav passes away Israel Hayom, 28 September 2022, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Assaf Golan, אשר בהרב, המו"ל המייסד של "ישראל היום", הלך לעולמו (Asher Baharav, the founding publisher of Israel Hayom, has died), Israel Hayom (Hebrew), 27 September 2022, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 IVC Research Center, Gita Technologies Ltd. IVC-Online, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Kipa News, איש העסקים אשר בהרב נפטר במהלך החג (Businessman Asher Baharav died during the holiday), Kipa (Hebrew), 27 September 2022, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 Makor Rishon, אשר בהרב ז"ל: איש העסקים, הסייבר ומפעלי החסד שנרתם לשנות את פני העיתונות העברית (The late Asher Baharav: the man of business, cyber and charity who set out to change the face of Hebrew journalism), Makor Rishon (Hebrew), 2 October 2022, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Eli Shimoni, פורש מנכ"ל חברת טלדור, אשר בהרב (Taldor's chief executive, Asher Baharav, retires), Ynet (Hebrew), 7 December 2005, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ofer Levi, מייסד ומנכ"ל טלדור, אשר בהרב, פורש מהחברה אחרי עשרים שנה (Taldor founder and chief executive Asher Baharav retires after twenty years), Globes (Hebrew), 7 December 2005, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 IVC Research Center, Urifer Ltd. IVC-Online, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Cognyte Software Ltd., Exhibit 8.1: Subsidiaries of Cognyte Software Ltd. (exhibit to Form 20-F for the year ended 31 January 2026), US Securities and Exchange Commission, accessed 10 November 2026.