The Israel Test

The essence of this book is not about Israel; it's about a choice we all need to make: Do we live in envy of others who are smarter and richer, or do we instead appreciate them, work with and learn from them and thereby enhance our own lives. It's a choice we make on an individual level and essentially the same choice is made at a national level. Do we allow the forces of envy (most egregiously dominant in the Arab world, but also seen in the west) destroy the state of Israel, or do we help support a shining star of human achievement: the Jewish nation and the Jewish people.

George Gilder has been a constant source of inspiration to me over the years. Not only is he a first-rate writer, but his research skills are superb and his insights, penetrating. What I admire above all is George's work ethic and his rigorous approach to research. Put simply, he does his homework. In a way, he reminds me of the great physicist and Nobel Laureate, Richard Feynman. Feynman preferred not to take the conventional path to solving a problems or pursuing opportunities. He chose, instead, to approach them from the ground up in unique and innovative ways. Working in such a fashion, Feynman could see things that others had difficulty seeing. The same can be said of Gilder's approach. You may not agree with everything George says, but he will make you think long and hard about any subject he tackles. And so it is with his latest book, The Israel Test. The book deals with a very important, sensitive, and politically-charged topic, and it does so in a refreshing and innovative way, reminiscent of Feynman. Gilder weaves a radiant tapestry that illuminates the importance of Israel and those of Jewish descent, to science, technology, capitalism, and the world at large. If you have enjoyed George's previous books, then I highly recommend reading The Israel Test. It is classic Gilder.

Gilder argues that the root cause of the Middle East conflict is not land or religion but essentially psychological, arising from resentment of success. Anti-Zionism is driven by the same phenomena that have always promoted antisemitism: ignorance of economics and envy. This emotion manifests in the hatred of traders, entrepreneurs, bankers and other wealth creators that exists wherever a minority economically distinguishes itself. One of many examples is the Chinese community in Southeast Asia. Helmut Schoeck's Envy: A Theory of Social Behaviour provides an in-depth analysis. Ordinary people do not normally harbor this resentment; the intelligentsia does and often manages to spread it to society at large through the notions that poverty results from 'exploitation,' that resources are limited and that therefore the wealth of some is the cause of others' poverty. That's why Israel divides the world. Its opponents in the West, concentrated at the UN, transnational bodies and the humanities departments of academia, are those who consider capitalism as a zero-sum game in which success is attained at the expense of the poor & the environment. On the other side are those who admire success and recognize that everyone benefits by the accomplishments of achievers. Antisemitism is similarly a zero-sum delusion. Collectivists and their apologists envy Jews since they're unable to emulate them; they therefore attempt to destroy that which accentuates their own failure. The author shows how Jewish entrepreneurs and scientists like Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Heinrich Hertz, John von Neumann and Richard Feynman helped to bring about the IT-revolution that provides the matrix of our modern prosperity. Gilder profiles contemporary Israeli scientists and entrepreneurs, especially those in physics and information technology. They are the minds behind Israel's gifts to the world, some of which are highlighted in the book Israel in the World: Changing Lives Through Innovation by Helen and Douglas Davis. Israel in fact leads the world in per-capita innovation as proved by a 2008 Deloitte & Touche survey indicating that the Jewish State outperformed all but the United States in software, telecoms, microchips, biopharmaceuticals, medical devices and clean energy. The country's growth since the 1990s is primarily due to (a) immigration of freedom-loving people from the former Soviet Union (b) immigration from the USA of people with business acumen and entrepreneurial skills (c) economic reforms that reduced taxes, regulations and state ownership, for which Benjamin Netanyahu deserves much credit. The author holds the current prime minister in high esteem, viewing him as the right leader for our times. After the 6-day war of 1967 Israelis started settling in the Territories, establishing an infrastructure of education, electricity, water & medical care. During Israeli rule, the economy in these areas surged by about 25% annually; growth surpassed that of Isra

Leave it to George Gilder to take the debate over Israel to a whole new level. Gilder convincingly argues that every freedom loving people and every American should enthusiatically support the State of Israel. He deposits the criticisms of Israel into the trash heap of history. He piles on the evidence that the criticism of Israel is based on envy and anti-semitism. He marshals the facts that prove that Israel is the best thing that has happened to the Palestinians. Throughout this book, Gilder's arguments, his prose,and his clarity are complimented by important but little known facts. His analysis of Hitler's Mein Kampf (where Hitler admits the Jewish people are superior to Aryans)is worth the price of this book, but there is much much more. Gilder's potrait of Prime Mininster Benjamin Netanyahu presents a picture of Israel's leader that is right on the mark. Much of this book will be enlightening to people who care about the Israel conflict with the Plestinians and those interested in solving the problems. It will also interest people who want to learn about Jewish history and Jewish personalities that are largely forgotten. Gilder has a keen eye for the facts that tell the story. This book has already started more than one controversy. It goes against the political correctness of Israeli doves, the Obama Administartion, the leaders of the European Union, and Israel's sworn enemies. You can listen to Gilder talk to bloggers about the book here [..] I highly recommend The Israel Test for people who agree or disagree with Gilder's thesis. It is one of those rare books that will surprise and educadate the initiatied and the uninitiated. Bravo Mr. Gilder. I hope The Israel Test will do for Israel what Gilder's Wealth and Poverty did for supply side economics.

[...] The Vitality of Israel George Gilder was one of the speakers on the recent National Review cruise round the Mediterranean, and he gave me a copy of his new book The Israel Test -- there, I've declared an interest. He can be relied on to say striking and original things. At the moment, Israel is treated as a pariah among the nations, blamed for defending itself against the various Arab and Muslim states or terrorist groups trying to destroy it. To support the Arabs and Muslims in this endeavor has become a moral imperative for the Left everywhere. So figureheads like Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have revived and updated anti-Semitism: That is their contribution to the world we live in. Nobody but Gilder could have written this book. Israel of course has its defenders, but they use arguments based on nationalism, territory, ethnicity, defence of minorities, rights, historicism, and so on. Gilder sees Jews since their emancipation as the vanguard of human achievement. They may be few in numbers, but their creativity has brought prosperity to themselves and those around them, and that prosperity in turn has brought freedom. Thus Jews spearhead capitalism and the democracy indispensable to its proper functioning. Marxists, Nazis, and now Muslims and their apologists envy Jews because they cannot emulate them, and so set out to destroy the success that shows up their failure. The attitude you take towards Israel and Jews decides whether you love or hate freedom, and beyond that, mankind -- that's the test he is proposing in the book's title. And just in case the reader risks failing this test by jumping to a false conclusion, Gilder has a portrait of his very non-Jewish ancestry, saying, "We were classic WASPS all." To go to Israel even for a brief visit is to be struck by the vitality of the country. Everyone seems to be in a whirl of fulfilment, grabbing life with both hands. The middle part of this book is an account of some prominent Israeli inventors in computer science and physics, fascinating personalities at least the equal of their great Jewish forebears like Heinrich Hertz, Robert Oppenheimer, or John von Neumann, the latter a particular hero of Gilder's. An essential aspect of the test he thinks we all face when it comes to taking a position about Israel and Jews is to value the exceptional individual because, as he puts it, "the good fortune of others is also one's own" -- simple, brilliant, and true! These rare people, he thinks, will see Israel safely through whatever trials lie ahead, and they are also benefactors of us all. An attack on Israel is a blow against the entire West. And alas for the Arabs and Muslims, stuck in their hate and envy when they are lucky enough to be so close to Israel that they could join in its success. By the time they get the point of this book a bright future may have passed them by.