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8
THE ROOTS AND RITUALS THAT
FOSTER INNOVATION
The process of becoming a global innovator is usually hard-won – it requires a breadth of
experience built up over time in order to tackle the intellectual and technological challenges
that the world consistently places before us, and to discover those that await us around the
corner. Israel is consistently ranked as one of the most innovative countries in the world,
despite its relatively short history. So what are the key moments in Israel’s past that have
nurtured its culture of innovation?
IMMIGRATION NATION
One of the main contributors is Israel’s diverse immigrant population from over 130 nations.
From the deserts of Morocco, to small towns in Syria, Ethiopia, the metropolitan centers of
Europe, farms in South and Central America and onto North America, individuals from varied
backgrounds came to Israel to forge their future. Yet when they arrived here, they were
faced with a number of daunting challenges - namely how to make the most of the limited
natural and physical resources available in the country.
The Kibbutz, a collective community, was the first Israeli institution to address these
challenges using the limited resources at its disposal – a challenge that has engrained
entrepreneurship and risk-taking into Israel’s national fabric.