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Monday Jul 14, 2008
Israel is ranked 38th in the world according to the Economist's Quality of Life Index; and 23rd according to the 2007/2008 UN Human Development Index.
For some countries that might be enough but it's not enough for Israel.
We face the greatest gap between our potential, based on exposure to technology and education, and our achievements. The quality of our life is at the bottom of the developed world, and we don't have to be there.
The idea of Leapfrogging Israel's Quality of Life isn't just a nice thing to do. It's crucial for our survival - otherwise, we just won't be competitive.
Competitiveness is critical for a country like Israel because the world is going global. And in this world, there's fierce competition over important resources - technology, people and investments.
These resources are mobile and they can easily move from place to place. In order to succeed, a country has to be attractive, and attractiveness is measured competitively.
Since people nowadays have so many choices, they need reasons to want to live somewhere. There is nothing stopping someone from getting up, packing their bags and moving to Palo Alto.
Today, Israel is one of the biggest exporters of highly educated people in the world. I believe that in the future, we could become one of the greatest exporters of quality educational programs, if we put our minds to it.
In order to leapfrog into one of the leading 15 countries in the world, Israel needs to initiate a bottom-up process.
This includes mobilizing the key sectors of society including Arab citizens, the Ultra-Orthodox, people from the development towns and periphery, from the big cities, philanthropists, the Jewish world and government ministries to create a shared vision that can motivate us all to reach this country's potential.
This was one of the aims of the recent ISRAEL 15 Vision Conference organized by the Reut Institute and is the organizing logic that will guide our work in the future.
Gidi Grinstein is the founder and president of the Reut Institute.
1 | Adi, Tuesday Jul 15, 2008
Without a real commitment to the country and the guiding principles of the zionist and jewish ideas for the country nothing will inhibit the talented and ambitious to seek their fortunes elsewhere, there are brilliant people in my own family who have left israel and a now making millions, they feel that after the military that they don't owe the country anything that could compete with the positions available in the US financially but they do leave with a heavy heart family and friends, Israel and Zionism and Jewishness or Religion is not even in the equation for them.
2 | M E Brooks, Wednesday Jul 16, 2008
Want to know why people are not going to want to move to Israel? It is simple. I considered moving to Israel but after I looked into Israel wasn't a choice. Socialism and Taxes. People of means do not move from a Country of lower taxes and regulation to a Country with Higher Taxes and Higher Governmental Interference in their lives. I would love to live in Israel, but I'm am not going to do so at the expense of my ability to earn and personal freedoms. Plain and simple.
3 | Rick, use, Wednesday Jul 16, 2008
Israel isn't reaching its "potential'? Israel is sinking like a stone - and its not because of the number of millionaires you do or don't produce. Warsaw and Cracow and lots of others were once Jewish cities - where Jews, at the top of their 'game' were amassing fortunes. They saw themselves in the same terms this author and many of his countrymen do - little financial machines. Their financial success is on display at Yad Vashem, for as long as that 'museum' exists, and until it is destroyed by a new group of conquerors.
4 | Jake T USA, Wednesday Jul 16, 2008
If all we Jews had to worry about was "making millions" and that "Israel,Zionism and Jewishness or religion is not even in the equation"...(as Adi says) ...then we Jews are in big trouble. The Pogromchiks are out there all over the place. Of course thats nothing new...4 thousands years of pogroms are still with us. The economy and making money is a joke.
5 | daniel, New York, Wednesday Jul 16, 2008
Israelis want to raise families in Israel, but they also need to be able to provide for those families. The Israelis that come to NY end up realizing that living here becomes 'golden handcuffs'. Yes you earn money, but the cost is also great - cost of living, and cost of quality of life. Every Israeli friend I have talks about wanting to go back (as I do), but at what point do you jump? They become so intrenched in the machine of life here, with all its money, costs, homes, investments, schools - that breaking it become a major hurdle. Also, many Israelis find it is harder then they assume.
6 | Gnarlodious, Thursday Jul 17, 2008
Israel is staggering because of bad television. Specifically, American television. Imitating America is a dead end for israel because Jews are very social people and Americans are so competitive. Israel can only reach its potential by teamwork, but everything on television is competition and stupidity.
Israeli television is disturbingly similar, because Israel is imitating American media success. Enamoured of Ronald Reagan's "Greed is Good" ideology where the bottom line is building your own personal economic empire. Israel will fail following this example. Israel must reject Americanism.
7 | Dror, Haifa Israel, Friday Jul 18, 2008
Israel is a beacon of exploitation and injustice. Zion is supposed to mean a beacon for the Jewish people. The Land of Zion is the land of the Jewish people. The State of Israel has become simply put, evil and exploitative. Most average middle class Israelis are working for minimum wage and some for slightly more. Our corrupt self-serving government and economists refused to raise the minimum wage while giving themselves pay raises. People are barely surviving and are drowning in debt. The rich and well off flaunt and show off. God will smite down the wicked, unfortunately it is Israel's govt.
8 | Lukas, Amsterdam, Monday Jul 21, 2008
The main problem: lack of business management skills (project / programme management, quality management, people/resourcing/recruiting/teambuilding skills) AND the arrogant attitude that these things are not needed because we're so smart.
Once a company grows over the entrepreneurial group's head, they panic, get selfish and sell it out abroad. There are a few, VERY few exceptions like Teva.
The solution: train decision-makers in management (basic skills such as taught in an MBA programme).
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About this blog
A Link in the Chain
Founder of the prestigious Reut Institute, Gidi Grinstein, blogs about his vision for Israel and 21st century Zionism.
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Recent Comments
JMK: Your arrogance is so typically Israeli, for you think the world revolves you and your wishes, secular, rational, comfortable, read Kissinger's doctoral dissertation "A World Restored" and his understanding of the staus quo establishment that would be Israel and revolutionaries who do not accept the present reality and its idealogy and values that would be the Arabs, Israel has no room for error, Israel has no room to be magnanimous, but since your idealogy is that of Tzadokim Hellenized compromised, your vision is clouded, think Chamberlin, Churchill not so much.
Tzvi Nokam/ amerikkka: He boasts of being part of the group that started the diasterous oslo agreement which led to many Jewish deaths. Gidi is good at negotiating a surrender
Lukas, Amsterdam: The main problem: lack of business management skills (project / programme management, quality management, people/resourcing/recruiting/teambuilding skills) AND the arrogant attitude that these things are not needed because we're so smart.
Once a company grows over the entrepreneurial group's head, they panic, get selfish and sell it out abroad. There are a few, VERY few exceptions like Teva.
The solution: train decision-makers in management (basic skills such as taught in an MBA programme).
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