How Has Israel Changed in the Last Decade?

How Has Israel Changed in the Last Decade?
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How has Israeli culture changed in the last decade? What were the major influences? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

"How has Israeli culture changed in the last decade? What were the major influences?

I've seen so many changes in Israel in the past decade.

I like to use wine as an example of how things are moving. When I lived in Israel (from 1988 to 1999) with my late husband, Ted Arison, I strictly avoided drinking Israeli wines: they had been boiled in the koshering process and tasted like syrup, and they gave me a headache. Why drink them, when wines from Europe and California were so much better?

Then in 2009, a friend convinced me to visit the Carmel Winery in Zichron Ya'acov. I went (reluctantly), and while there we tasted a Cabernet Sauvignon that was complex and beautiful, even heavenly. It certainly could rival any French Cab. I was shocked! My curiosity was piqued. What had happened here? What else had moved forward so dramatically in Israel?

That is what prompted Diana Stoll and I to take our voyage through Israel: we were looking for what is new, and what had changed. We discovered extraordinary innovations in the realms of science, education, industry, high-tech, the arts, agriculture, sustainability, and much more. We saw that the Israeli population is now expecting and demanding better, more sophisticated offerings in cuisine, wine, nightlife, and productivity. We saw Israel reaching out to other countries to share its knowledge in many important areas. It is truly exciting to see it all taking shape, and to see Israel holding its own so well on the world stage.

Much of this energy is driven, we believe, by an ingrained "cultural psyche" in Israel. It might stem partly from the knowledge of the Jewish pioneers, moving from their homelands in the 1800s and on, that they had to build working lives in this new land. There is an ingenuity that accompanies necessity. And it is compounded with the amazing crosscurrent of people and cultures in the country: Jews, Christians, Muslims, and more--all bringing ideas, traditions, and knowledge to the table. The energy and ingenuity continue to flower in Israel, despite the conflicts that plague the country.

The momentum is very high, and Israelis are making it work; they are now, in fact, leading the way in many realms, such as high-tech, nanoscience, and entrepreneurship. It has been such a pleasure to turn our focus to these things over the past few years for our project The Desert and the Cities Sing: Discovering Today's Israel.

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