Since the time that the Jewish people escaped the bondage of the pharos of Egypt and marched into the desert in search of the Promised Land, they were a nation without a country -- until 1948, when the Jewish nation got a country of their own called Israel.
In 1919, German leader Erich Ludendorff announced that the Jews were the people responsible for the defeat of his country in the First World War. He alleged, “The supreme government of the Jewish people was working hand in hand with France and England. Perhaps it was leading them both.” To prove his accusations, he cited, ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’, a document that served as a pretext and rationale for anti-Semitism mainly in the early 20th century. Later, it was proved that it was a forged document written by the Russian secret police to incite hatred against the Jews. Millions of people all over the world believed this conspiracy and whatever evidence was presented against it became a global sensation. The myth of a global Jewish conspiracy continued to gain momentum.
Today, the Jewish nation of Israel is a reality. A small country of only nine million people is surrounded on all sides by hostile countries. A country founded on ancient land of Palestine and an occupier of lands that do not belong to them has managed to defy the might of all Arab countries and has been victorious in the wars of 1967, 1973 and countless skirmishes with Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Today Muslim countries like Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Qatar, and Turkey have diplomatic relations with Israel and some more Muslim nations are in line to do the same.
As of 2017, the Nobel Prizes have been awarded to 902 individuals of whom 203 or 22.5 percent have been Jews when the total Jewish population comprises less than 0.2 percent of the world population. This is not due to any conspiracy but sheer hard work and education.
What is the secret of their success? In one word the answer is education.
As of 2017, the Nobel Prizes have been awarded to 902 individuals of whom 203 or 22.5 percent have been Jews when the total Jewish population comprises less than 0.2 percent of the world population. This is not due to any conspiracy but sheer hard work and education.
Israel is a prosperous progressive secular democracy. It has managed to develop one of the finest education systems in the world with free and compulsory education for all children from the age of six to eighteen. Textbooks and school supplies are usually needed to be purchased.
Israel is frequently referred to as the Startup Nation. A startup is a company that introduces a new product or service to the market. The country boasts the highest per capita number of startups. That indicates one startup firm exists for every 1400 people, implying that Israel has roughly 6000 companies. This type of entrepreneurial mindset is not found in any other country on the planet.
Apart from that, when it comes to NASDAQ, the world’s second-largest stock market, Israel has the second-highest number of listed businesses. Another point to consider is that Israel is home to research centres for some of the world’s most well-known technology businesses, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook.
The reason for this is that the Jews are born with a proclivity for education, which the technology corporations take advantage of. The Israelis place a strong emphasis on education, which is the main reason for their success. They also place a significant emphasis on information and brainpower in education to find practical answers to societal challenges.
Israel has proved that a nation’s best weapon is education, and the countries that lack education are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
They established universities, such as the Technion Institute of Technology in 1912, Hebrew Science University in 1925 and Weizmann Institute of Technology in 1934. The country focused on science and technology even 100 years ago as they realised that scientific approaches were the key to progress in the modern world.
For Israel, this thought process was a game-changer. Due to its emphasis on education and a vibrant research and development culture, Israel has become a global technological and entrepreneurial powerhouse. The recent Bloomberg Innovation Index, an annual ranking of countries that measures performance in research and development, technology education, patents and other marks of technological prowess, listed Israel at No 5 in the world and it is fast out doing many European countries. Four Israeli universities are now listed in the top 100 prestigious universities of the world. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is listed 18th on the list of world’s best universities, Tel Aviv University ranks 29th while Weizmann Institute of Science and the Technion are ranked 96 and 97.
Israel has proved that a nation’s best weapon is education, and the countries that lack education are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Pakistan can learn from the spectacular success of Israel. Both countries were founded on the basis of religion almost at the same time. Pakistan as a nation has a strong need to free its education system from the vicious grip of religious fanatics who from the time of General Ziaul Haq have ruled the roost. During the PTI times under Imran Khan, the Single National Curriculum managed to convert the education system into madrassas of the Taliban. Unless and until our education system is freed from the obscurantist philosophy the intellectual and material decline of the country will continue.