| Despite defending itself (diplomatically - with one-hand) | | | | During the year before attaining draft age at eighteen, |
| against anti-Semites in the UN, Europe and the US; as | | | | Israeli youths, male and female, must report to IDF |
| well as its civilian population (physically -with its other | | | | recruiting centers for an initial one-day screening, which |
| hand) against external rocket and internal terrorist | | | | includes aptitude and psychological exams, individual |
| attacks - tiny Israel has somehow survived, perhaps | | | | interviews, and a medical evaluation. At the end of the |
| even thrived, during the otherwise world-wide collapse | | | | day, a health and psychometric classification is |
| of industry and technology - thanks to teen-age | | | | determined, with service possibilities presented to the |
| seriousness and a culture of entrepreneurial | | | | young candidate in a personal interview. |
| high-technology. | | | | An interesting factor in the national attitude and |
| In spite of the constant drumbeat of negative press | | | | aptitude of Israelis, those who complete their training |
| coverage by liberal extremists (Israel, their | | | | program together, remain as a team throughout the |
| double-standard pariah state), there is one aspect of | | | | many years of their regular and reserve service. Thus, |
| this lone democracy in the mid-East that gets scant | | | | their unit becomes like a second family, and Israelis |
| attention - the country's technological economy. In the | | | | remain in the military reserves until their mid-forties. |
| face of the inordinate per-capita economic and | | | | While it is difficult to get into the top Israeli universities |
| manpower drain on its limited resources which are | | | | (comparable to Harvard, Princeton or Yale) the IDF's |
| expended in its own defense, Israel has still achieved | | | | elite units are considered equivalent. The unit in which |
| the highest percentage concentration of innovation and | | | | an applicant served tells prospective employers what |
| entrepreneurial ism in the world. Despite railings against | | | | skills and relevant experience the applicant may |
| investment in Israel by extremist anti-Israel, pro-Arab | | | | already possess. |
| special-interest-groups, giant multinational technology | | | | At the age of 18, Israelis enter the army for a minimum |
| companies and global investors have been setting up | | | | of two to three years, and if they don't reenlist, they |
| research and development laboratories in Israel for | | | | typically enroll at a university. A massive percentage of |
| decades. Even in 2008, a year of chaos for the global | | | | Israelis thus enter university from army service, far |
| economy, the per-capita R and D ventures in Israel | | | | more than any other country. According to the |
| exceeded that of the US by 2.5 times, Europe by 30 | | | | Organization for Economic Co-operation and |
| times, China by 80 times, and India by 350 times. And | | | | Development, almost half of Israelis are |
| for start-up companies, Israel still achieves the highest | | | | university-educated, among the highest percentages in |
| concentration in the world, with more Israeli companies | | | | the world. And according to a recent World |
| listed on the US NASDAQ stock exchange than from | | | | Competitiveness Yearbook, Israel was ranked second |
| Europe, China, Japan, India and Korea - combined. In | | | | among sixty developed nations on the criterion of |
| the percentage of its total economy that is spent on R | | | | whether "university education meets the needs of a |
| and D - giving the world the benefits of its innovative | | | | competitive economy". |
| creativity across a wide spectrum of science and | | | | By the time students finish college, they're in their |
| technology, notably in the pharmaceutical and medical | | | | mid-twenties; some already having graduate degrees, |
| fields - Israel is among world leaders. | | | | with a large number married. "All this changes the |
| Much of Israel's economic dynamism, and the way it | | | | mental ability of the individual," says Gary Shainberg, an |
| appears to have weathered the global downturn, | | | | eighteen-year veteran of the British navy, and Vice |
| seems traceable to young-adult seriousness and | | | | President for Technology and Innovation at British |
| government policies which cultivate a unique | | | | Telecom. "They're much more mature, they've got |
| entrepreneurial spirit, including innovative immigration | | | | more life experience - and Innovation is all about finding |
| policies and a disproportionate investment in high | | | | ideas." He reasons. |
| technology. However, the fundamental foundation may | | | | Gil Kerbs, an Intelligence unit alumnus, who works in |
| well be its universal military training and national service | | | | Israel's venture capital industry, comments, |
| program - this seems to energize an early maturation | | | | "In Israel, one's academic past is less important than the |
| of Israeli citizenry. While teen-age students in other | | | | military past - a key question in every job interview, |
| countries preoccupy themselves with taking a years | | | | 'Where did you serve in the army?'" |
| pre-college vacation or deciding which university to | | | | The advantage that Israel's economy and its society |
| attend, Israelis focus on the country's variety of military | | | | gains from this national service experience was driven |
| units. And while students elsewhere are thinking about | | | | home by Shainberg, "There is something about the |
| where to vacation or how to get into the most desired | | | | DNA of Israeli innovation that is unexplainable," he says, |
| universities, Israelis prepare themselves for recruitment | | | | "I think it comes down to maturity: nowhere else in the |
| into elite units of the Israel Defense Forces. For | | | | world where people work at technology innovation, do |
| example, learning to speak Arabic is a leg up toward a | | | | they also have to do national service. |
| desired assignment in the Intelligence branch of service. | | | | |