Worst-Case Scenario 

As Israel faces a dizzying array of threats, Avi Schnurr and his team are working to ‘disaster proof’ the country – and other nations – from sudden attacks on critical infrastructure systems and other scenarios no one really wants to think about. While sounding the alarm, he also offers reassurance: Israel is well-prepared.

You can tell a lot about a person from their home, but there’s nothing about the lovely farmhouse layout of physicist Avi Schnurr’s Jerusalem apartment that hints to its unusual occupant.

Garlic cloves hang like wind chimes at the front stoop and olive trees burst with plump buds in the small yard.

The inlaid stone wall, eclectic art, hanging yellow-bulb light fixtures, and wooden antique-style chairs tell the story of staid, artistic retirees, not a laser expert who works with his wife to develop hi-tech global solutions to the worst doomsday scenarios a country can face.

As CEO of the Electric Infrastructure Security Council (or EIS), Avi is a global leader in the development and coordination of protection strategies for critical national infrastructures. In simple English, it is his responsibility to “disaster-proof” nations from sudden attacks on their electric, fuel, and communications systems. The holder of several patents in laser and optical systems and a two-time recipient of the corporate Chairman’s Award for Innovation, Avi has provided briefings for NATO and the EU, advised the US Departments of Energy and Homeland Security, and has reviewed US defense policies.