Thou Shall Innovate by Avi Jorisch is ´a tale about Israelis who have chosen hope and healing over death and destruction. In a part of the world that has more than its share of darknes, these stories are rays of light´.
Much have been said and written about the ´Start-up Nation´ and it is well deserved. Based on a culture that, as Jorisch mentions too ´encourages its citizens to challenge authority, ask the next question and defy the obvious´, Israel is more than any other nation on the forefront of innovation. Add to this the permanent existential military challenges and the need to permanently adapt to enemies that often act and react in a atypical way thus the need to permanently invest in creative defense solutions, like the famous Iron Drome.
What I personally love when I am reading such books it is the simple way in which it demonstrates the sheer stupidity of boycott movements such as BDS. Dear idiots, you can boycott everything that comes from Israel, please do it and you will see how fast you can get with your life. They don´t even deserve being countered. There are much more positive stories to be told though about how the smart inventions of this small nation in the Middle East contributed to the wellbeing of the humanity, including the anti-semites.
Take, for instance, the emergency bandate, a steril pad applied on a wound to stop the flow of blood, which can provide up to 30 pounds of pressure to stop even traumatic head injuries, which is produced in a factory owned by a Bedouin in N. Israel. Or the medicine such as Rebif who can slow down the effects of MS. The robots developed by an Israeli company are using AI for complicated spine interventions. Israel is the marijuana research capital of the world too, producing medicine that is prescribed, among others, for glaucoma, depression or PTSD. The innovations that Israel developed in the field of agriculture is for years shared with African countries, among others. The grain cocoon, a PVC-made storing recipient for storing grains lifted millions of people out of poverty. Also Made in Israel.
The Centre for International Cooperation (MASHAV) is providing for a long time training for qualified personnel around the developing world in fields like agricultulre, community development, medicine, entrepreneurship and public administration.
The international Israeli disaster relief interventions saved lives - no matter what religion - in Kosovo, Rwanda or Haiti. Thousands of Syrians were treated in Israeli hospitals in the last years by dedicated doctors whose mission is to save lives, no matter the Gd those people pray.
Propagandists whose minds are busy to attack ignore the fact that on the ground, the collaboration between Jews and Palestinians in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship is the missed story from the media reports. There are so many joint projects developed in the last years between likeminded people that give a hope that at least the new generation will approach the peace process and the collaboration on a completely different level. As long as they are left alone by the terrorist organisations operating in the Territories, generously gifted with foreign money from regimes that need to hate Israel to justify their existence.
Thou Shall Innovate features Alpha Omega, founded by Reem and Imad Younis, a Christian Palestinian couple from Nazareth, working together with Israeli scientists to develop medical devices that can help patients of Parkinson disease to better manage the symptoms of this chronical disease. Both they graduated from Technion University, the world renowed technology institute, and created their company in 1993, by selling their Volkswagen and cashing four gold coins received for their wedding.
I come at terms for a long time with the fact that I should not pay any interest to low level display of hate and narrow mindness regarding Israel. All the frustrated people that are naively or with a propagandistic purpose pour their hate and ignorance of social media are just not worth my time and interest. Instead, I am looking for positive stories that elevate the mundane, show how easy is to share humanity and help to fix this broken words. The stories gathered in Thou Shall Innovate spoke my mind and I am glad to further share the news that, indeed, there are many more positive stories to be told than you may find into the everyday chronical sickness of hatemongers. Maybe some bright Israeli mind will create a special device to fix this too one day.
Rating: 5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment