The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World by Dan Senor

The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World Reviews

• 
  Lauren

  Do you mean the Genius-ide of Israel? Cause yes, over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by this Genius-idal settler colonial state :) Next.
• 
  Tony

  Just the same boring Zionist apologia. It's a view of Israel through rose coloured glasses without any criticism or nuance in any way shape or form. This is a "democracy" that discriminates against the vast majority of its population as settler colonizers keep pushing indigenous people off their land. To write a book about a nation's "exceptionalism" with no comment on how it oppresses so many of its people sounds like something you'd read from South Africa or in American newspapers in support of genocide against the indigenous nations in America. Got about halfway through and decided not to waste any more of my time. Not worth the time tbh
• 
  Sterling Weiser

  My coworker lent me this book after a conversation on current events. It was rife with data and studies that explain a wide range of things about Israel. This book came out just a few months before October 7, 2023 which has been an incredibly divisive moment in discourse around the country. With that said, the book provides a viewpoint as close to the present that is free from recent prejudices and opinions. I love data. I love history. I found myself reading facts aloud to my wife and interrupting her reading sessions all the time while reading this. Definitely a worthwhile read.
• 
  Stetson

  This book, overshadowed by events, is a look at social institutions and customs within modern Israel. It contains a lot of interesting interviews and social commentary along with some economic and demographic data. The most interesting phenomenon is the rare nexus of high fertility and high income, which the authors point out cannot entirely be explained by religiosity.
  
  I have a ~2000 word
  review at my Substack Holodoxa
  
  
  
• 
  Jason

  Very easy to read, it simply and efficiently breaks down Israeli society - and explains why Israel ranks so high on the happiness scale (and low on the despair scale). There are good anecdotes/stories throughout. It made me think about what we can take from Israeli society to help improve life in the US. Mandatory national service after high school would be an obvious help - but it is really unrealistic. Ultimately, the small size of Israel and its precarious situation bonds the citizens in a way other countries are unlikely to be able to duplicate.
• 
  MJ

  I learned a lot about Israel and how a society that is set up to support families, women, and true meritocracy yields happier people.
• 
  Ian Mewhinney

  This was an amazing nonfiction book all around. I have just finished Rise and Kill First at the end of 2023, so I expected this to be another politically charged book about the war crimes they have been doing through history. I was pleasantly surprised to quickly see it was mainly a cultural book relating to how they get along as families and careerts, despite being such a dangerous part of the Arab world. Amazing narration from the Author Dan Senor on the audiobook. This was very exciting and engaging all the way through. It had me thinking about it well after I finished the book. A very advanced society that has helped the whole world on technology and intelligence, but largly seems to be a result of Netanyahu's policies, even though he has been committing plenty of crimes and accusations. Very impressive, I will have to buy a copy of the book. I would love to read more cultural books like this. 4.75/5
  
  Summary:
  
  Why do Israelis have among the world’s highest life expectancies and lowest rates of “deaths of despair” from suicide and substance abuse? Why is Israel’s population young and growing while all other wealthy democracies are aging and shrinking? How can it be that Israel, according to a United Nations ranking, is the fourth happiest nation in the world? Why do Israelis tend to look to the future with hope, optimism, and purpose while the rest of the West struggles with an epidemic of loneliness, teen depression, and social decline?
  
  Dan Senor and Saul Singer, the writers behind the international bestseller Start-Up Nation, have long been students of the global innovation race. But as they spent time with Israel’s entrepreneurs and political leaders, soldiers and students, scientists and activists, ultra-Orthodox Jews, Tel Aviv techies, and Israeli Arabs, they realized that they had missed what really sets Israel apart.
  
  Moving from military commanders integrating at-risk youth and people who are neurodiverse into national service, to high performing companies making space for working parents, from dreamers and innovators launching a duct-taped spacecraft to the moon, to bringing better health solutions to people around the world, The Genius of Israel tells the story of a diverse people and society built around the values of service, solidarity, and belonging.
  
  Widely admired for having the world’s highest density of high-tech start-ups, Israel’s greatest innovation may not be a technology at all, but Israeli society itself. Understanding how a country facing so many challenges can be among the happiest provides surprising insights into how we can confront the crisis of community, human connectedness, and purpose in modern life.
  
  Bold, timely, and insightful, Senor and Singer’s latest work shines an important light on the impressive innovative distinctions of Israeli society—and what other communities and countries can learn.
• 
  Greg Talbot

  "Are you sure you want to publish this book now? You are going to look delusional", Dan Senor recalled hearing this from his hesitant publishers. (
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6yzM...). He was referring to the fact that his book was ready for print at the time that the Israeli climate was divided due to the judicial reforms. And all of this in the pre Oct-7th world, before the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians. He shares in the interview, “if you looked at Israel on Oct. 8th, you saw the resilience of the country I was writing about…We wanted to remind Israelis we had been there before”.
  
  In his book “The Genius of Israel”, Dan Senor and Saul Singer explore the stories and data of the burgeoning Israeli state. Although the 75 year bloom in the desert has been marked by war with neighboring Arab countries, the Palestinian intifadas, the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, and the military operations against the terrorist group Hamas; there is a rich narrative about the Israeli people and their resilience which needs to be explored.
  
  Senor and Saul explore the social glue of Israel. The gibush he might say. The remarkable fertility rate (3.01 children per woman), the achievements of the start-up culture, expansive cinema culture, lionization of military service, and thousands of years of culture that unites the collective and individual desires of the Israeli people. “What does it mean to touch history. It’s to live in a city that’s at the edge of chaos and war and decide not only to stay there but to build something innovative (p.118).”
  
  One of the highlighted stories is about the creation of SpaceIL, a group of engineers cobble together a plan to enter into the Google Punar competition. Exemplifying a spirit of ambition, fearlessness and trust, they build the project into a massive collaboration effort with government and private industry support. Commenting on the improbability of the achievement, Senor quotes “it’s not about being optimistic that things will work out. It’s about being optimistic about what happens when they don’t (p.33).
  
  This is not a pollyannaish vision either. The divisions of the United States can seem shallow compared to the tribal differences between jewish isrealis, secular israelis, Haredi (ultra-orthodox jews) and Israeli Arabs. Stories are shared about the need and desire for Israeli Arab representation in politics and tech sector roles. Entrepreneurial and venture capital opportunities extended to students from Haredi students has been a focus as well. Senor has stated in a recent interview the need for Palestinian authority, a two state solution, that may not be electable at this time, but must be pursued by Israeli’s democratic aim.
  
  Although this book is about the Israeli experience, the book aims to challenge the sclerotic western world adrift in despair with political intransigence, alarming rises in deaths of despair and a profound spiritual emptiness. Most disappointingly, while Israel faces an existential threat from Hamas and islamic militants, the response of many young Americans has been hostility toward Israel or moral cowardice. “Elite” universities like Harvard, Penn State and MIT revealed themselves as breeding grounds for anti-semetic rhetoric. Platforms like Reddit, Twitter and TikTok are awash in propaganda and terrorist sympathies. Without addressing our own country’s antisemitism, we are hardly in a place to give moral vision to the wider world.
  
  In contrast, the Israeli culture offers a vision of a country with a democratic future. This is a young country enriched with the bonds and hardship won by the prior generation. Commenting on the strong social safety net and rich family life Israeli journalist Shmuel Rosener “everything in Israel is built around the children” (p.87). Both modern and traditional, technocratic and rooted, Israel offers to give us a model of well-being and promise.
• 
  Gladys Perez

  Dan Senor, soy tu fan.
  
  Léanlo y no dejen de escuchar su podcast, Call me Back.
• 
  Steve Gross

  Good book that explains the uniqueness of Israel. For a short book, though, there was some unnecessary repetition
• 
  =^._.^=

  so random but while reading this i finally learned why it was impossible to get my moderna booster there. who would've thought the plot of my green card was that big lol
• 
  Jamie Crutchley

  Israelis like to argue, nationalism and group spirit are important and compulsory military service binds everyone together. There we go summed up the book. Oh and Israeli is v pro-children. Done. Not particularly deep in terms of its approach and a title like this should’ve screamed panegyric.
  
  Interesting and sad in some ways as it’s written pre-Oct 7, but does help an outsider understand the solidarity across the board this society finds when pushed into crisis mode. Some of the aspects of military service touched upon were interesting, especially the program for youth w autism.
  
  Rather more repetitive than illuminating unfortunately.
• 
  Treasa

  This book is well researched and reveals many things inspire and create the highly successful, patriotic nation that is Israel. The 3 stars is due to the mind numbing repetition with which the authors told this valuable story. It’s a shame. I considered putting the book down never to return - I finished because I enjoyed learning more about this tiny, powerful nation. But I consider that I conquered this book by sheer perseverance. Whew. Good luck.
• 
  Stuart Berman

  This book is so much more than a survey of Israel. Senor and Singer shed light on the twin epidemics of despair and declining birth rates around the world and how Israel, with its unique culture is resistant to this malaise. As someone who has lived in Israel, I can affirm how powerful this effect is and how other nations should stop focusing on symptoms of decay and start thinking about what can be done to help citizens find meaning and purpose in their lives.
  
  Despite being printed just prior to October 7, readers will find the content more relevant today than ever. Today we see Israelis, Jews, secular and religious as well as Israeli Arabs more unified than ever.
  
• 
  Behrooz Parhami

  I listened to the unabridged 10-hour audio version of this title (read by the first author, Simon & Schuster Audio, 2023).
  
  Though this book isn't a sequel to Start Up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle (2009 book by the same authors), it tells the same type of success story, this time focusing on Israel's social structure. The fact that Israelis are by and large a happy bunch that rank near the top of world happiness index, despite internal challenges and external threats, is just as surprising as a relatively young country of about 7 million people with no natural resources producing more start-up companies on a per capita basis than large, peaceful, and stable nations and regions like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and all of Europe. Whether the social miracle holds up in the wake of the October 2023 Hamas attack and the ensuing Gaza war, is something to be seen.
  
  Israel ranks high on life expectancy and low on deaths from suicide and substance abuse. It is unique among the world's wealthy democracies in not facing aging and shrinking population. The optimism about the future that pervades the Israeli socitey is seemingly incompatible with being surrounded by hostile nations bent on destroying it. This optimism in turn prevents the levels of loneliness, teen depression, and social decline we witness in many Western democracies.
  
  On the surface, the Israeli society is highly divided into four groups of citizens: Observant Jews, secular Jews, Orthodox Jews, and Arabs. These groups do not see eye to eye on many issues, but they are united in their love for Israel and when there is a need to defend their homeland. Trust in leadership is quite high: The same Israelis that protest against certain government policies follow official calls during a national emergency. One uniting influence is military service that tends to bridge the age and generation gaps. The sense that if they don't work together, they will perish together is a strong motivating factor.
  
  The authors offer plenty of social success stories. I will focus on a few of them in the rest of this review. Healthcare and medical technology is a good example. During the COVID years, Israel led the world in procuring and stockpiling vaccine doses, based on an economic analysis that the cost of economic shut-down would be several times higher than the hefty premium paid for vaccines in the early days. Israeli doctors and hospitals are state of the art and their services are provided to everyone.
  
  Another example is Israel's film/television industry. Despite the very small market for Hebrew films and shows, Israel has been producing hit films and series, often selling the rights to other countries that produce English versions. The hit TV series "Homeland," based on the Israeli series "Prisoners of War," is a good example. Another TV series that caught my eyes because of my involvement in helping families dealing with a loved one's mental illness portrays a psychologist who treats patients at his clinic five days a week and then seeks psychological treatment for himself. A similar US series would go a long way toward scaling up efforts to spread public knowledge about mental illness and confronting the stigma that comes with it.
  
  Seven of the book's 13 chapters are about Israeli success stories of the kind discussed above, but Senor & Singer also include several chapters focusing on internal divisions in the country, including Jewish/Arab and religious/secular dichotomies. The political stalemate that led to the election of Bibi Netanyahu as the head of the coalition of conservative/nationalistic/religious parties is discussed only briefly. The authors seem to have a favorable view of Netanyahu's Judicial-reform policy.
  
  Perhaps the authors paint an overly-rosy picture, but there are many lessons in Israel's economic and social successes. The success in social domains is built around the values of service, solidarity, and belonging. The ethos of service, instilled in Israelis by Israeli Defense Forces, deserves a good chunk of the credit. The social success story of Israel provides other countries with models of how to overcome the crises of disconnectedness and lack of purpose in modern life.
• 
  Alan Kaplan

  This is a great book about what is going on in Israel. The book was written before October 7 so nothing is mentioned about that war. The strengths of Israel are fully described. In 2021, Israel's GDP per capita surpassed Germany, the UK, France, and Japan. Also according to the World Happiness Report in 2022, Israel was 9th in the world. By 2023, Israel has risen to 4th. The Happiness Report measures life satisfaction. Israel and Singapore are the only two countries in the world where people were optimistic about their child's financial future. Even more importantly, Israel population is growing and growing rapidly, not just among the Ultra Orthodox. "While the rest of the wealthy world will look increasingly like an old age home, Israel will still be opening playgrounds and schools at a steady clip." Israel's median age is 29. Europe's is 41. By 2050, Israel's median age is predicted to be 32.9 and Europe will be 47. How will they ever continue to fund their social welfare societies?
  Israel has also built the world's second largest innovation ecosystem.
  According to this book, Israel has a tremendous sense of purpose, a strong sense of family and an amazing sense of perspective that comes from "absorbing so many layers of pain and being able to move on."
  I have been to Israel three times, and you will be amazed by what you see. They have built a first world country in the Middle East in 75 years. The rest of the Middle East is mired in the 3rd world. While Israel was creating Waze and hundreds of other high tech companies, the perpetual victims in Gaza were building tunnels and rockets. We are shocked by the death culture in Gaza. They do not care about human life. The best line that I have heard about their nihilism is, you kill them, they win, they kill you, they win. They do not allow the citizenry to enter the tunnels. They are all human shields. The screams about ethnic cleansing do not apply to the Palestinians but to the Jews who were tossed out of every Middle Eastern country since 1950. Countries that had housed Jewish communities for hundreds of years, not to mention the psychotic ethnic cleansing of the Jews in Europe and Nazi Germany.
• 
  kglibrarian (Karin Greenberg)

  I've always been amazed at the resilience and strength of Israel. In the aftermath of 10/7 I can't even begin to understand how a country whose people were so brutally attacked could pick itself up and show the world what true courage looks like.
  
  The Genius of Israel highlights the foundation of this remarkable spirit. As I did with other books about Israel that I've read since October, I recalibrated every part in light of the current situation. I felt devastated knowing what was about to occur. But it's even more important to read this now. It documents events and attitudes right up to the summer of 2023, putting everything into a context of life in Israel up until the moment it all changed.
  
  Noting that Israel consistently comes out near the top in world happiness rankings, the authors explore the reasons behind this. From strong community ties to valuing collective success as much as individual wealth, the citizens of Israel live with purpose. The authors share stories of unlikely citizens rising to the top of the tech startup world; the unique experiences of the IDF soldiers; collaborations between ultra religious and secular entrepreneurs; Arab, Druze, and Jewish Israelis working together in government and other fields; and the problems that remain despite the high level of optimism and faith among the country's residents.
  
  As I've seen for myself during my visits to Israel, the people who make up this nation are diverse and dynamic. They share a love for the land and respect the views of others. They're dedicated to preserving the integrity of their country and fighting for it. There is so much more covered in this book including popular culture (Fauda, In Treatment, and other TV shows that were created by Israelis), internal politics, history. . .it's a must read for anyone who wants to get a close up look at what Israel is like at its core.
• 
  Shawn

  Israel is a small country facing tremendous obstacles. It is threatened and attacked by well-funded genocidal enemies. Meanwhile the international community, such as it is, is ambivalent at best and internally, Israel is regularly rocked by protests and religious and ethnic divisions. Yet, Israel, according to various international metrics, is one of the happiest countries. This apparent paradox is what Dan Senor and Saul Singer have set out to explain.
  
  Looking at the different parts of Israeli society, they try to find out what makes Israel resilient and happy in the face of the many challenges it faces. This is what they mean by the “Genius of Israel”: how it is able to deal so successfully with its unique challenges as well as the problems afflicting most of the rest of the wealthy, liberal democracies. The short answer is that Israelis share a collective meaning and purpose, with a sense of community cementing that meaning and purpose.
  
  This ties together much of what they look at: the educational system, the military, the tech sector, the family, the sabbath, and the regional historical connections. They explore the ways these elements all connect to, create, and reinforce that purpose and community.
  
  They also look at the Haredi (ultra-orthodox) and Israeli Arab communities. While outliers in many ways, they also share some of the features that create that purpose and community. They point out how Israel has to do better by these two groups by incorporating them more into the mainstream. But they also show the ways that this integration is being driven internally in these communities.
  
  All in all, an informative and engaging exploration and explanation of Israeli society. Important to read to understand Israel.
  
• 
  Amy

  Super interesting, I learned a lot. Israel is one of the top ranked happiest countries in the world, despite the fact that it is surrounded by countries that have repeatedly tried to exterminate it for more than 75 years since the U.N. voted modern Israel into existence. At first I was concerned that this book read more like a series of articles patched together without an overarching theme to explain why Israelis are so happy and what makes their society work, but as I kept reading, the themes and explanations emerged. I learned about a number of aspects of Israeli culture with which I wasn’t previously familiar.
  
  The book focuses mainly on the mainstream, Jewish but not ultra-Orthodox, majority of the population. It does have a chapter on Israeli-Arabs and the ultra-Orthodox, but this book is not mainly about those minority groups. It is also most definitely not about Israel’s wars with its neighbors or the Palestinian conflicts. Anyone who hates Jews or Israel is not the target audience. The book was finished in 2023, so it offers a good brief explanation of the mass protests in 2023 (and how different they were from political protests in the U.S. or many other countries) but does not contain anything from October 7th onward.
• 
  Wil A Emerson

  A riveting account of how Israel and its citizens have survived in an area surrounded by those who want to eradicate their existence. In present day light, we watch the horror of their reaction to a hideous terrorist attack on their country. The government and IDF's response more violent than ever before. And by far, more necessary than ever before as the world is slow to react, curtail the activities of those terrorist leaders who want to dominate the middle east and ultimate invade the U.S. However, The Genius of Israel is an inspirational read for all people of every religion or nationality. The spirit of the people in this Jewish nation, whose ancestors bore the scars of WWII in death and survival, cannot, has not, been equaled. Optimistic, confident, caring about family and community and the struggle to do the right thing are undeniably the driving forces.
  I hope many take the time to read this worthwhile book to gain insight into living successfully when all odds are against you.
• 
  Man Ha

  Once, the author of Thinking Fast and Slow mentioned that Israel had a great training program for the military. I was curious why he stated that in the book. Five years later, this book was published. It mentioned that Jerusalem became a city of start-ups, and it is no longer a historical place for tourists to visit. Israel is rising, but they can keep their tradition, culture, and happiness together. They maintain the community, the connection, and the religion to support each other. I agree with everything in the book because that's how the economist also evaluates Vietnam's economy. However, Western authors need to dig deeper into the other dark side of a country like Israel or Vietnam. First, it could be more enjoyable. Secondly, there are no ongoing actions to improve. However, people learn to cope with it. Learning positive thinking from the West is better than nothing. Everything is improving for me, but it does not mean everyone can deal with the opposing sides. It all depends on each generation and what they want for their families.
• 
  Brian Katz

  I really enjoyed this book. It provided me with a great understanding of how Israeli society is structured and what important institutions are used to accomplish various objectives. The many stories that were used in the book were insightful and provided a human element, that was critical to the lesson being conveyed. A significant focus was placed on the Israeli military, IDF and how young soldiers were trained and educated on important lessons relating to their service, as well as life after IDF.
  The key lesson conveyed is that one’s service to Israel and fellow citizens, rather than to self, is paramount. Service in IDF and other organizations (youth groups, family, etc..) are what bonds Israelis together - which create a very strong sense of belonging. This was evident to me when I visited Israel in April / May 2022. There was something in the air that was very exciting and unusual. I could feel it.
• 
  Liam

  This book focuses on four positive aspects of Israeli society and uses them as examples of Israeli exceptionalism. The author writes this book for an American audience and with a masterful use of tone and flow, making it an easy and accessible read for me. I appreciated Dan Senor's insight into Israeli society and have come to respect and take an interest in his claims of a tightly-knit social society based on civic service working for a greater purpose. I did not appreciate the explicit exclusion of Haredim and Arabic cultural groups from being considered part of Israeli society. I found it troubling that the book provided an un-nuanced perspective of the harm produced by the Israeli military against Palestine. I found it disheartening to hear the celebration of settler colonialism against Palestinians. I would recommend this book as an interesting read on the society of secular Israeli Jews with the caveat of it taking pride in militarism and populism.