Israeli visitor to Cape Town, Gusti Yehoshua-Braverman, stresses that Israel must communicate far more about the country as being a treasure trove of new developments and innovative thinking – and not just perpetuate the media image of the country as the location of ongoing conflict with the Palestinians. As Head of the Department of Irgoon and Israelis Abroad for the World Zionist Organisation, she was here for the iVision Innovation Conference organised by the SA Zionist Federation (Cape Council).
“Israel stands out as a country known for innovation,” Gusti explained. “It’s part of the history of the Jewish people. After all, Herzl’s vision of creating a state for the Jewish people successfully moved from a dream to a reality. Bringing together people from 30 different countries, from 30 different cultures, with numerous languages, and moulding them into a new nation took a great deal of innovation.”
And an understanding of the importance of innovation has driven the State of Israel to focus on the concept in very real ways. Eliezer (Moodi) Sandberg, the keynote speaker at the iVision Innovation Conference, an entrepreneur and former Minister in the Israeli Government, highlighted that Israel’s investment in research and development is much higher than in other countries. And there is a notable focus on science in higher education in the country – and this has resulted in the country producing eight Nobel Laureates in the field of science, a number way out of proportion to the size of the population of the country.
The focus on science education is clear in the numerous educational facilities established in the country with a focus on science: the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Haifa Technion, and the many scientific research bodies within the military.
Today, Israel is particularly successful in the field of tech innovation – and it’s staggering to consider how many of the most significant tech developments stem from the country. From the RSA Protocol, which allows one machine to talk to another one; to the M-Systems DiskonKey (the USB stick); to the Intel Mobile Processor – core in the development of the laptop; to VoIP; to 3D printing – the list is endless.
Over and above the innovations in the computer field, tech innovation in medicine has been a significant feature, too. And the Waze driving app was developed by an Israeli, too.
Spurred on by its belief in Tikkun Olam (‘Heal the World’), the country is keen to share its innovations with other states. This is noticeable in the export of agricultural technology, such as the concept of drip irrigation, which was also invented in Israel, and in innovations relating to the use of water resources. And the country has so much more to offer the world!
Cape Town entrepreneurs, Leora Hessen, and Mark Levitt, participated in a panel discussion at the conference. The most important message from both of them is that Artificial Intelligence, the metaverse, blockchain technology and other features of the world of tech are where the future lies.
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• Published in the October 2023 issue – Click here to start reading.
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