Around a year ago, I attended an Event at a Synagogue on the upper East side of Manhattan and had the distinct pleasure of meeting Dan Senor. I conveyed to him that I was a huge fan of his and co writer Saul Singer and their book ‘Start-Up Nation’. Dan responded with a smile and replied “Did you buy my new Book?” I immediately purchased his latest Book entitled “The Genius of Israel; The Surprising resilience of a divided Nation in a turbulent World” and could not let go of it. When we think about the concept of the Genius of Israel, we think about a Country with a miraculous story of survival that is the size of New Jersey, surrounded by enemies on all sides yet who have led the World in innovation. Dan Senor is an American columnist, writer, and political adviser. He was chief spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq and senior foreign policy adviser to U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the 2012 election campaign. A frequent news commentator and contributor to The Wall Street Journal, he is co-author, along with Saul Singer, of the book Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle (published by Twelve, an imprint of the Hachette Book Group 2009) and most recently The Genius of Israel; The Surprising resilience of a divided Nation in a turbulent World” (published by HigherLife Publishing, also listed as Higherlife Development Service).

Saul Singer is a prominent American-born Israeli author who (along with co-authoring these two best sellers with Dan Senor) was the former editorial page editor for The Jerusalem Post, in which his work primarily explores Israel’s innovation culture and societal resilience. In their most recent book, Senor and co-writer Singer discuss in great detail how a small nation of over 9 Million people had to fight for its existence and security since its founding. What the book highlights is key factors that make the Country so unique. These factors include a culture of military and national service that integrates diverse groups, including at-risk youth and neurodiverse individuals. They also discuss a deep sense of shared fate that allows the nation to function even during intense internal political divisions and also highlights that Israel consistently ranks among the happiest nations in the world (4th in the 2023 UN World Happiness Report) despite constant security threats and political turmoil. Regarding Societal Health: Israelis experience fewer “deaths of despair” (suicide and substance abuse) and have higher life expectancies compared to many other wealthy nations and unlike most Western democracies, Israel has a young, growing population, which the authors attribute to a culture that values family and the future.

As someone who has a deep connection to Israel with my family living in Jerusalem, I have always admired how many innovators have come from our Homeland and have beaten the odds at all cost. Just take a moment to think how much this Holy Nation has contributed to the World. Whether it be Waze (a free, community-driven GPS navigation app that provides real-time traffic updates and road alerts), The Iron Dome (the system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 to 70 kilometers (2–43 mi) away.), Mobileye (the leader in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving technology), Rewalk (helping the paralyzed stand), Icecure (developer of minimally-invasive cryoablation technology that destroys tumors by freezing as an option to surgical tumor removal) and countless other innovations, Israel has shown time and again that the Nation has changed the world. As an orthodox Jew and someone of deep Faith, I truly believe that being a “light unto the nations” in modern times includes sharing life-saving and life-enhancing innovations such as medical breakthroughs and water conservation with the entire world. Israel is truly is a diamond that shines across the World and I thank Dan Senor and Saul Singer for writing this masterpiece of a work to share the Miracle that truly is the Nation of Israel.

The writer received his undergraduate degree in business (cum laude) from Yeshiva University and his MBA with double distinction from Long Island University. He is a financial advisor who resides in New York City, and is involved in Israel based and Jewish advocacy organizations