On the Israeli news site, nocamels.com, Viva Sarah Press published an excellent article in honor of Israel’s 73rd birthday. In “On Yom Ha’atzmaut, A Look At Israel’s Innovation Contributions To The World”,i Press celebrates the impact that her small nation has had on the technological advancement of the rest of the world. For those familiar with Old Testament prophecy, it would be difficult to read her article and not think of God’s promises found in Ezekiel 36 and 37 that have been fulfilled in the modern State of Israel. Contained within her prose are five essential factors that have helped to make this country so impactful to so many.

Entrepreneurial spirit – Israelis are natural risk-takers, and this is evident in the incredible number of tech start-ups that exist within its borders. Dov Moran, managing partner at Grove Ventures, a leading investment firm, says, “We are a country with people who think out of the box, we are a country with people who are bold, who express their opinions, and who are determined to succeed and are not afraid of failure. These are things well-embedded in our DNA and culture.”ii It is this spirit of business adventure that has led to Israel’s moniker of “The Silicon Wadi”.

Wide-Ranging Focus – There are few tech areas where Israel is not leading the charge in advancement. Press writes, “Israel companies are actively innovating in the fields of cybersecurity, homeland security, healthcare, finance, insurance, printing, mobility, navigation, agriculture, water, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, information and communication, IoT [Internet of things], food, hardware, sensors, space, and beyond.”iii Because of the variety of research and development and the openness to networking with other companies, the door is wide open for innovative collaborations that yield pioneering new technological advancements.

Global Mindset – Innovation is one of the small nation of Israel’s greatest resources. Add to that their desire to be accepted and to live in peace with other countries, and you find a people who are constantly looking beyond their own borders for how they can better the populations around them. Efrat Duvdevani, director-general of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, explains, “On the global level, we believe that innovation should serve as Tikkun Olam, to make the world a better place. If we can bring clean water and clean air to people who need it, if we can have startups that treat people in medical dire straits or tackle the problem of world hunger, then this is exactly the innovation that we should work.”iv

Adaptability – A nation whose culture does not adapt with the times quickly becomes irrelevant, and a company that is not flexible enough to deal with change soon becomes obsolete. “When you are in trouble, you are examined for how agile you are, how bold you are, and how you comply with the problems,” says Moran. “Israelis will always be very good in environments in which a situation does not go as planned. During their mandatory army service, Israelis learn that nothing works as expected. You have to be prepared for the unexpected.”v Companies without that openness to adapt or experience at problem solving will not survive the instability of our present global culture.

Competency – Israel is just plain good at what it does. Whatever they set their minds to, they excel at. The tech culture focused on designing computer chips, and now, according to Moran, “Microsoft, Google, and Facebook are talking about establishing design centers of semiconductors in Israel.”vi This is not just the manufacture of the chips, but the actual design of the semiconductors. Hod Moyal, co-founder of Israeli venture capital firm iAngels, said, “Israel is cutting-edge. Startups that we invest in innovate in a way that no other teams in the world are able to innovate.”vii

Israel is unique amongst the nations of the world. Never before has such a young country taken such a strong place within the global community. Throughout the Book of Ezekiel, God explains His reasoning for doing the things that He does – “That they may know that I am the LORD.” The fact that after only 73 years, this small country is what it is today is all the proof one should ever need that there is a God in Israel, and He is the LORD.

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i Press, Viva Sarah. “On Yom Ha’atzmaut, A Look At Israel’s Global Innovation Contributions.” NoCamels, 14 Apr. 2021, nocamels.com/2021/04/yom-haatzmaut-israel-innovation-contributions/.

ii Ibid.

iii Ibid.

iv Ibid.

v Ibid.

vi Ibid.

vii Ibid.