Avi Jorisch, the author of “Thou Shalt Innovate: How Israeli Ingenuity Repairs the World,” explains how Israeli innovations are improving the lives of billions of people around the world when it comes to medicine, science, agriculture and much more.
“This particular story of innovation, technology and making the world a better place I don’t think gets a sufficient amount of exposure and it is one of the more inspiring narratives coming out of that part of the world today,” Jorisch said. “This is a story that I think we all can get behind — on the left, on the right, religious, secular. This is not just a good story, it’s reality.”
To name a few innovations Israelis have developed: Israel is a global water superpower that has achieved full water independence despite half the country being a desert; Mazor Robotics turned CT scans into a 3D hologram image of the body, so surgeons can now virtually plan operating procedures before walking into the operating room; GPS for brain surgeons guides them as they carry out deep brain stimulation procedures used to treat neurological disorders like Parkinson’s.
“Where Israel also shines is the idea of curing the sick, feeding the hungry, helping the needy,” said Jorisch. “If you look at where Israeli tech really moves the dial for people around the world, it’s in those realms. And that speaks to the cultural roots of our people.”
When Jorisch says tikkun olam is part of Judaism’s spiritual DNA, he is speaking in a cultural sense, not a religious sense.
He said for the last 1,500 years traditional Jews have been praying the Aleinu prayer three times a day, which instructs us to repair the world in the image of God.
He also pointed out that in the Mishna, the rabbinic body of teachings, it instructs us no less than 10 times to engage in tikkun olam — making the world a better place. And the prophet Isaiah calls upon us to ultimately bring more light to the world.
“That is where it is ultimately at, bringing more light,” he said. “You can’t repeat the ideas of repairing the world, curing the sick, feeding the hungry, helping the needy for 3,000 years day in and day out without having a deep cultural impact on the DNA of your people.
“We are not a nation of saints, but we have been seeking higher meaning for the last 3,000 years.”
Jorisch believes the secret of Israel’s success rests on three foundations: the cultural DNA of the Jewish people; the diversity of the State of Israel, which, in addition to Jews from every part of the world, has Christians and Muslims of every variety; and Israel’s secular values.
“It’s these three legs of the stool that really are the secret behind Israel’s success,” he said.
Jorisch believes cultural DNA inspired the founders of the state of Israel, quoting David Ben-Gurion who said, “We have been granted the privilege and the obligation to tackle some of the greatest challenges of the 20th century.”
“He seemed to be saying that at the very center of the reason to bring Israel into existence was the idea that Israel was there to protect and enrich its own citizens, but also make the world a better place and Israel is doing that today through innovation,” Jorisch said. “Israel is leveraging its best asset — innovation — in order to bring more to the world. It’s about bringing light.”
He said there are great challenges facing us today and over the course of the next 20 to 30 years — whether it’s food insecurity, war insecurity, artificial intelligence, space, medicine, etc.
“We are experiencing massive challenges on the planet Earth today, which are only going to become more prevalent, and Israel is offering solutions,” he said.
Author talk
Avi Jorisch will talk about his book “Thou Shalt Innovate” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the Jewish Community Campus. Cost for the event is $12, including a reception, book sale and signing. Pre-registration is requested online at thejkc.org/getlit or by calling 913-327-8074.
Copies of the book are currently available for a discounted price at The J’s main reception desk.