Friday, January 23

My first trip to Israel was in 1970, when my parents rented a house for the summer from a friend of theirs in Jerusalem. It was only a few years after the Six Day War, and on every approach into the city, my parents would point at the surrounding hills. “These have been ours since 1948,” they would say about the lush, green, forest-covered mountains.  “And these,” they would say as they pointed to the barren, grey, empty ones, with only sparce patches of saplings here and there, “have been ours for only three years.”

The point they were making was abundantly clear. Israelis plant. Israelis create. Israelis make the wilderness beautiful. Israelis make the desert bloom. There was an antisemitic joke that made the rounds when I was a kid:
A guy dies and goes to Hell.  The Devil takes him down in an elevator, and finally the doors open to reveal a gorgeous paradise with fountains and streams and trees and flowers.  The guy says to the Devil, “Are you sure this is Hell?” The Devil responds with a sigh, “Yes, it is. It’s just what those damned Israelis keep doing.” 
Even our enemies, who believe we belong in Hell, have to acknowledge the miraculous creativity, innovations, and positive spirit of our People. 

On the innovation side, Israel is famous for its “startup nation” energy, but the deeper story is why. People are trained early to ask questions, improvise, and solve problems fast. That’s why Israeli innovation shows up not just in tech, but in medicine, agriculture, water, disability access, and education. Drip irrigation and water-recycling tech turned desert into farmland. Israeli teams have developed life-saving medical devices, from advanced imaging to emergency trauma tools. Assistive technologies for autism, paralysis, and visual impairment come from small Israeli startups founded by people trying to help someone they love.

Creativity isn’t just in labs. It’s cultural.  Israeli music, film, food, and literature constantly remix tradition with modern life. Ancient texts meet street slang. Yemenite melodes blend with hip-hop. Shabbat tables become think tanks. Even arguments are creative. Debate is practically a national art form.

With all that, I think we probably all agree that most striking is the Israeli positive spirit. Israelis celebrate life loudly. They dance in the streets after weddings, turn cafes into second living rooms, and show up for  strangers in moments of crisis. Mutual aid happens fast and without fanfare. There’s a shared sense of arevut – responsibility for one another. That’s why you put up with it when your taxi driver stops at his house to pick up the mail before taking you to your location, or your waitress has to finish her ice cream before bringing you the bill that you asked for (both of which actually happened to me when I lived in Tel Aviv!).

There’s an Israeli expression: Rosh Gadol which means literally “a big head.” It refers to taking initiative, thinking beyond your job description, caring as if it’s personal. That mindset fuels everything from breakthrough tech to spontaneous acts of kindness. Next week is Tu B’Shvat, the birthday of trees. We celebrate by planting trees in Israel or sending money to plant there. When you plant a sapling, it shows that you believe in a future. Tu B’shvat and Rosh Gadol are what have helped develop our Jewish Homeland on every level. That is the positive spirit — ancient words, modern courage, and a refusal to give up on life. 

Am Yisrael Chai!