While American Secretary of State John Kerry threatened Israel
this weekend, saying “for Israel there is an increasing de-legitimization
campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it, there is
talk of boycott and other kinds of things. Are we all going to be better with
all of that?” While Kerry talks about boycott, he should realize Israel
will be just fine – with or without John Kerry.
The
Israeli innovation economy is booming – and no John Kerry threats will change
that. Some great quotes on the economy, and how the
Israeli economy will continue regardless of John Kerry:
•
“… 2013 was a good year for Israeli technology firms and 2014 appears to be
shining just as bright.” Forbes.com
•
“You have within this tiny country – you can drive from east to west in an
hour, from north to south in five – every major sector and subsector of the
technology industry. What is next? All technology.” Saul Klein
•
“Try as you might, it is extremely hard not to be a bit star-struck by the
Israeli technology scene.” WSJ
•
“Israeli opportunity is amazing -and the upswing is just starting.” Henry
Swieca
•
"From birth, your mother will tell you that you have to succeed, that you
have to be better than your cousin, or her friend's son, or whoever."
Yossi Vardi
•
"I see you as the avant-garde force, the pioneer ahead of the crow. Don't
be 'conditional' Israelis. The biggest struggle of Israeli society, of the
Jewish people, needs people like you. You need to be the political, moral and
educational elite. You must keep the moral guidelines that define our existence
as a people and pass them forward." Haim Gouri
•
"Reasons include the role of the Israeli Defense Forces, and in particular
the high-tech Unit 8200; the unique cultural values of a country forged from
centuries of oppression; and Jewish mothers." Ben Rooney
•
“Innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied
to logical structure.” Albert Einstein
•
“Ultimately, this form of collaboration presents an opportunity to build on —
indeed, to multiply — the successes of both the innovation economy and the
Jewish establishment around the country in a manner that will surely enrich the
quality of Jewish life for those already engaged, as well as for those who are
yet to become so.” Darren Kleinberg
•
“Israeli entrepreneurs move quick, think big and make it happen.” Michael Lichtenstein
•
“I think that we see maturity among entrepreneurs on the venture capital side
too. The market here has become more experienced, which brings better results,
and the technology markets are picking up. We are now simply seeing companies
that start here have bigger ambitions.” Ravi Mhatre
•
“It’s not just about creating the first step or second steps of a company. We
can also be good at building the company going forward. And maybe it’s time for
us to think about ourselves as a country going from a startup nation to a
high-tech nation, where startup is the first step, but companies are still
built in Israel, maintained in Israel and grow from Israel.” Avishai Abrahami
•
“We tell the kids about high-tech to make them part of the startup nation. We
want to give them more opportunities, and the connection with JVP [Jerusalem
Venture Partners] opens that world for them.” Yair Zaafrany
And
the most important message is Am Israel Chai (The Jewish People Live.)
