Regardless of political beliefs, one must appreciate the unlikely hood of the existence of a State of Israel. After the state's founding in 1948, Israel seemed doomed to destruction, before it could ever get off the ground. Invading Arab armies in 48, 67 and 73 seemed set to wipe Israel off the map; yet, against all odds, Israel survived.
The "Six Day War" of 1967 was particularly notable (In my attempt to keep this blog as a political as possible, I will try to keep to the agreed upon facts of this war.) Israel won a stunning and decisive victory on 3 fronts (Egypt, Syria and Jordan), nearly tripling the size of the country. This victory has been studied by military strategists and tactics employed in this war are taught in places like West Point. These were the miracles of Israel in its early days, however the miracles experienced by Israel today are of a different nature.
What was once a third world economy, is today one of the strongest and fastest growing economies in the world. In the 1980's Israel's economy nearly collapsed. Hyper inflation caused the Israeli currency, The Shekel, to become nearly worthless. Economic reforms were implemented and today Israel is the 24th largest economy in the world. Israel weathered the recession nearly unscathed, due to the conservative banking measures of Stanley Fischer.
Israel has the highest per capita venture capital in the world, with more start up companies than nearly any country. This is the modern day miracle of Israel: That, against all odds, a tiny strip of land in a very rough neighborhood, only 63 years old, is one of the major powerhouses of the global economy.
I am currently speaking with companies regarding positions at one of the countless start up companies in Israel. Whether it is serendipity or dumb luck, the direction of my job search now brings this blog full circle. I named my blog A New Beginning in The Start Up Nation, purely as a play on words; referring to the history of Israel as a new nation, coming from the ashes of the Holocaust, as well as the current economic environment. I didn't realize that I too would (hopefully) soon be an integral part of the actual "Start-Up Nation."
Showing posts with label Start Up Nation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Start Up Nation. Show all posts
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Humility and Cultural Diversity
This post is really two posts in one. I missed a few days there, so I am making up for it.
I have been learning Hebrew since the age of 3. No exaggeration. I began learning the Aleph Bet as soon as I entered nursery. I have done numerous summer tours, spent more holidays than I can count and lived in Israel for various period of time. Yet, when it came time to go shopping today… I froze. I don’t know what it was. So far, I have been able to command the language and get myself through most daily tasks, but for some reason today I blanked. The worst part was that I was too proud to ask anyone for help.
I think I need to re-evaluate my expectations for assimilating into Israeli culture. Yes, I lived in Israel for a year, and in that time was completely fluent. However, that was 10 years ago. I know it will take time to brush off the cobwebs and get back to where I was. I do know that I am not falling into the trappings of the “honeymoon phase;” I think writing about it, and internalizing it has been very helpful for me. I hope that it helps other future Olim as well.
An Observation on Cultural Diversity
Today I got a real dose of the duality of the Israeli ethos. As I was walking to the center of the city (Jerusalem), I came upon a small demonstration by a left wing organization (I am going to leave out its name and purpose, because I would like to keep this blog as apolitical as possible). As I passed, a car pulled up and stopped in the middle of the street, rolled down their windows, and proceeded to flip the protesters the bird. Not more than a minute later another person pulled up and stopped in the road, this time however, the person smiled and flashed the peace sign. I found this to be the ultimate example of the diversity of Israeli society. I think many people who are not familiar with Israel think it is an entirely homogenous country, because of its “Jewishness.” The truth is Israel is as diverse a country, if not more, than any other. The reason for this is that Jews from all over the world have come to Israel since its inception in 1948. Jews from Eastern Europe along with the former Soviet Union, Western Europe, South America, North America, South Africa and Arab countries. While these people share common religious practices (though not completely identical), their cultural differences are very apparent in Israeli society. It is for this very reason that the people, the smells and the languages are all different. I am excited to immerse myself in the culture, as well as retain my own to add to the melting pot that already exists here.
I have been learning Hebrew since the age of 3. No exaggeration. I began learning the Aleph Bet as soon as I entered nursery. I have done numerous summer tours, spent more holidays than I can count and lived in Israel for various period of time. Yet, when it came time to go shopping today… I froze. I don’t know what it was. So far, I have been able to command the language and get myself through most daily tasks, but for some reason today I blanked. The worst part was that I was too proud to ask anyone for help.
I think I need to re-evaluate my expectations for assimilating into Israeli culture. Yes, I lived in Israel for a year, and in that time was completely fluent. However, that was 10 years ago. I know it will take time to brush off the cobwebs and get back to where I was. I do know that I am not falling into the trappings of the “honeymoon phase;” I think writing about it, and internalizing it has been very helpful for me. I hope that it helps other future Olim as well.
An Observation on Cultural Diversity
Today I got a real dose of the duality of the Israeli ethos. As I was walking to the center of the city (Jerusalem), I came upon a small demonstration by a left wing organization (I am going to leave out its name and purpose, because I would like to keep this blog as apolitical as possible). As I passed, a car pulled up and stopped in the middle of the street, rolled down their windows, and proceeded to flip the protesters the bird. Not more than a minute later another person pulled up and stopped in the road, this time however, the person smiled and flashed the peace sign. I found this to be the ultimate example of the diversity of Israeli society. I think many people who are not familiar with Israel think it is an entirely homogenous country, because of its “Jewishness.” The truth is Israel is as diverse a country, if not more, than any other. The reason for this is that Jews from all over the world have come to Israel since its inception in 1948. Jews from Eastern Europe along with the former Soviet Union, Western Europe, South America, North America, South Africa and Arab countries. While these people share common religious practices (though not completely identical), their cultural differences are very apparent in Israeli society. It is for this very reason that the people, the smells and the languages are all different. I am excited to immerse myself in the culture, as well as retain my own to add to the melting pot that already exists here.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Preface
"Why would you move to Israel"? This is a question I have faced a lot recently, out right or implied. Many of my friends who do not have experience with the country of Israel only view it through the lens of the media. I know that many people think I am crazy; that I am moving to a war zone and throwing away a life of privilege in the land of opportunity. The assumption that this is the land of opportunity for someone like me however, has proven false.
(Side note: I absolutely loved the time I spent in Colorado, the friends I made and the experiences I had. However, not being able to work was an unsustainable situation for me.)
A little background: I grew up in an environment of passionate Zionism. Zionism being the belief in the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign national homeland. Where I come from, the greatest achievement one could make is to move to Israel. A move to Israel cleanses one of all sins of the past. While I find this notion to be extremely phony, this is the world I grew up in. An example of this environment comes from my days at Jewish summer camp. The camp, which will remain nameless for the sake of anonymity, was as Zionist as any institution could be. I would liken it to a Kibbutz (an Israeli form of socialist commune that was championed in the early days of the State) situated in the mountains of Pennsylvania. All announcements where made in Hebrew, all activities had Hebrew names, and the idea of Aliyah (a return of the Jewish people to our homeland) was given the greatest priority. Many a night I would wake to a hushed voice over the loudspeaker saying "Make Aliyah, Make Aliyah."
This all may come off as resentment, but that is not the case. My belief in the Zionist movement is all my own, built on the foundation of my research into it's history. Was I taught history that conveniently glossed over certain events? yes. Did I have to search out information on my own, and come to terms with certain aspects of Israeli history? yes. However, this never affected my adherence to Zionist principles. My decision to move to Israel is all my own, based on personal ideals and, given the current economic state, a rational decision.
I am 25 years old, a recent MBA graduate and... hopelessly unemployed. I completed my undergraduate studies in Psychology from Boston University in 2007. After knocking around New York City and going nowhere in life, I took a job opportunity that brought me to South Florida. While I kept this job for a year, it was a miserable dead end and I had serious cognitive dissonance about what I was doing. I found a glass ceiling for someone without a graduate degree. I decided I would wait out the current recession by going back to school, hoping that when I finished the job market would be back to it's former self. This assumption was wrong on many levels. Not only had the job market worsened in the time I was in school, but I could not even find a job that paid as much as the job I had prior to returning to school. After living in Colorado for 6 months and hitting a brick wall regarding a career I was ready to throw in the towel. However, a serendipitous trip to Israel for Passover turned into a month long test run of living in Israel. Once the decision was made, I moved very quickly. A month after returning from that trip, and a mound of paperwork later, I am sitting on my parents couch one day away from a new life in a new country. Part of my "pilot trip" was to gauge the job market. Over the last year I had read of the exponential growth of the Israeli economy. Highest per capita venture capital, 3% lower unemployment rate, higher standard of living etc... These are all numbers. I had to test the waters myself. Within a day of putting my resume online I was offered a job and an invitation for an interview, both of which I had to turn down because I hadn't actually made Aliyah. Needless to say the people contacting me were a little perturbed. But, this was all I needed. My litmus test had proven that, for someone like me, an English speaker with an advanced business degree, Israel offered more opportunity. In the states I faced a catch 22: either I was over qualified because of my MBA, or I was under qualified because I didn't have the necessary job experience. How am I supposed to get experience if no one will hire me??? My frustration grew and month after month passed with no offers, even though I spend 7 hours a day putting out resumes.
In the last month, while going through all the bureaucracy (something Israel renowned for), I found that my family connections had significant pull with all the right people. I was able to push my paperwork through after one phone call from a family friend to the Israeli Consulate in New York. Beyond political connections, I was able to network with business people in high places and set up meetings with some potential employers. None of these things were possible in Colorado. None.
I am calling this blog "A New Beginning in The "Start Up Nation" because of the excitement I feel about the opportunities that await me. Am I being naive? possibly. I am well aware that per capita income in Israel is far lower than in the US, but those numbers are misleading. Someone like me, a new comer into the work force, is hopeless in the US. People with significantly more experience are taking the jobs that someone entering the work force would have gotten in the past. These numbers are not taken into account when unemployment rates are calculated. Having just read the book "Start Up Nation" I am confident that my business interests and experience are a perfect fit for the new entrepreneurial paradigm that is taking form in Israel. One of the most exciting companies to come from the start up boom is Better Place. Better Place is an electric vehicle (EV) company, however they are much more. Better Place's model is different. They believe that the customer will not be willing to pay the additional costs that come with an electric vehicle up front. Better Place does not make cars, they make batteries and infrastructure. I did a lot of research around the re-emergence of the U.S auto industry during my MBA. One car I found to be very interesting was the Chevy Volt. However, Better Place takes the concept of EV to a new level. Charging stations, battery swap stations and GPS tracking are all part of a new model that was championed by Shai Agassi, the former executive from SAP who decided to take on the question "how do you make the world a better place?" I visited the show room in Tel Aviv while on my passover trip and drove the car. I think that Better Place may very well change the world and create a paradigm shift away from the internal combustion engine and help alleviate, if not completely bring to an end, our addiction to oil. I believe that Better Place is the perfect example of the ethos of the new "Start Up Nation." Taking risks that companies in other risk averse countries are not willing to take. It was for this reason that I shot (with great insistence from my parents) an email to CEO Shai Agassi, letting him know that I was moving to Israel and was excited about the new on goings of the business environment is Israel, in no small part to what his company was doing. I had little to no faith that this email would ever make it past the gate keepers who undoubtedly control Mr. Agassi's work email (I will not post the address here, but suffice to say it didn't take a rocket scienest to figure out.) However, this morning I received an email from someone at Better Place who had seen my email and read my resume. He included a job opportunity. I am hoping this is the one of many unforeseen strokes of luck that will occur throughout my adjustment period in Israel.
Note: This is my first attempt at a personal blog. I have blogged for marketing purposes, but never as personal as I assume this blog will become. I don't expect anyone to actually read this on any sort of regular basis, or to care much about my experiences in acclimating to Israel. However, I think the cathartic aspects of putting on paper my struggles and successes, will help with my assimilation into Israeli society. So here it goes...
(Side note: I absolutely loved the time I spent in Colorado, the friends I made and the experiences I had. However, not being able to work was an unsustainable situation for me.)
A little background: I grew up in an environment of passionate Zionism. Zionism being the belief in the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign national homeland. Where I come from, the greatest achievement one could make is to move to Israel. A move to Israel cleanses one of all sins of the past. While I find this notion to be extremely phony, this is the world I grew up in. An example of this environment comes from my days at Jewish summer camp. The camp, which will remain nameless for the sake of anonymity, was as Zionist as any institution could be. I would liken it to a Kibbutz (an Israeli form of socialist commune that was championed in the early days of the State) situated in the mountains of Pennsylvania. All announcements where made in Hebrew, all activities had Hebrew names, and the idea of Aliyah (a return of the Jewish people to our homeland) was given the greatest priority. Many a night I would wake to a hushed voice over the loudspeaker saying "Make Aliyah, Make Aliyah."
This all may come off as resentment, but that is not the case. My belief in the Zionist movement is all my own, built on the foundation of my research into it's history. Was I taught history that conveniently glossed over certain events? yes. Did I have to search out information on my own, and come to terms with certain aspects of Israeli history? yes. However, this never affected my adherence to Zionist principles. My decision to move to Israel is all my own, based on personal ideals and, given the current economic state, a rational decision.
I am 25 years old, a recent MBA graduate and... hopelessly unemployed. I completed my undergraduate studies in Psychology from Boston University in 2007. After knocking around New York City and going nowhere in life, I took a job opportunity that brought me to South Florida. While I kept this job for a year, it was a miserable dead end and I had serious cognitive dissonance about what I was doing. I found a glass ceiling for someone without a graduate degree. I decided I would wait out the current recession by going back to school, hoping that when I finished the job market would be back to it's former self. This assumption was wrong on many levels. Not only had the job market worsened in the time I was in school, but I could not even find a job that paid as much as the job I had prior to returning to school. After living in Colorado for 6 months and hitting a brick wall regarding a career I was ready to throw in the towel. However, a serendipitous trip to Israel for Passover turned into a month long test run of living in Israel. Once the decision was made, I moved very quickly. A month after returning from that trip, and a mound of paperwork later, I am sitting on my parents couch one day away from a new life in a new country. Part of my "pilot trip" was to gauge the job market. Over the last year I had read of the exponential growth of the Israeli economy. Highest per capita venture capital, 3% lower unemployment rate, higher standard of living etc... These are all numbers. I had to test the waters myself. Within a day of putting my resume online I was offered a job and an invitation for an interview, both of which I had to turn down because I hadn't actually made Aliyah. Needless to say the people contacting me were a little perturbed. But, this was all I needed. My litmus test had proven that, for someone like me, an English speaker with an advanced business degree, Israel offered more opportunity. In the states I faced a catch 22: either I was over qualified because of my MBA, or I was under qualified because I didn't have the necessary job experience. How am I supposed to get experience if no one will hire me??? My frustration grew and month after month passed with no offers, even though I spend 7 hours a day putting out resumes.
In the last month, while going through all the bureaucracy (something Israel renowned for), I found that my family connections had significant pull with all the right people. I was able to push my paperwork through after one phone call from a family friend to the Israeli Consulate in New York. Beyond political connections, I was able to network with business people in high places and set up meetings with some potential employers. None of these things were possible in Colorado. None.
I am calling this blog "A New Beginning in The "Start Up Nation" because of the excitement I feel about the opportunities that await me. Am I being naive? possibly. I am well aware that per capita income in Israel is far lower than in the US, but those numbers are misleading. Someone like me, a new comer into the work force, is hopeless in the US. People with significantly more experience are taking the jobs that someone entering the work force would have gotten in the past. These numbers are not taken into account when unemployment rates are calculated. Having just read the book "Start Up Nation" I am confident that my business interests and experience are a perfect fit for the new entrepreneurial paradigm that is taking form in Israel. One of the most exciting companies to come from the start up boom is Better Place. Better Place is an electric vehicle (EV) company, however they are much more. Better Place's model is different. They believe that the customer will not be willing to pay the additional costs that come with an electric vehicle up front. Better Place does not make cars, they make batteries and infrastructure. I did a lot of research around the re-emergence of the U.S auto industry during my MBA. One car I found to be very interesting was the Chevy Volt. However, Better Place takes the concept of EV to a new level. Charging stations, battery swap stations and GPS tracking are all part of a new model that was championed by Shai Agassi, the former executive from SAP who decided to take on the question "how do you make the world a better place?" I visited the show room in Tel Aviv while on my passover trip and drove the car. I think that Better Place may very well change the world and create a paradigm shift away from the internal combustion engine and help alleviate, if not completely bring to an end, our addiction to oil. I believe that Better Place is the perfect example of the ethos of the new "Start Up Nation." Taking risks that companies in other risk averse countries are not willing to take. It was for this reason that I shot (with great insistence from my parents) an email to CEO Shai Agassi, letting him know that I was moving to Israel and was excited about the new on goings of the business environment is Israel, in no small part to what his company was doing. I had little to no faith that this email would ever make it past the gate keepers who undoubtedly control Mr. Agassi's work email (I will not post the address here, but suffice to say it didn't take a rocket scienest to figure out.) However, this morning I received an email from someone at Better Place who had seen my email and read my resume. He included a job opportunity. I am hoping this is the one of many unforeseen strokes of luck that will occur throughout my adjustment period in Israel.
Note: This is my first attempt at a personal blog. I have blogged for marketing purposes, but never as personal as I assume this blog will become. I don't expect anyone to actually read this on any sort of regular basis, or to care much about my experiences in acclimating to Israel. However, I think the cathartic aspects of putting on paper my struggles and successes, will help with my assimilation into Israeli society. So here it goes...
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