If I Were Jewish
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A country younger than your grandparents has become a global leader in medicine, tech, and innovation. Here's what you probably don't know about Israel today.
It's remarkable how quickly such a young country like Israel has become a global leader in medicine, innovation, and technology. But perhaps more important than what Israel has built is the shared purpose, meaning, and hope it has created for Jews everywhere.
Here are five things you may not know about Israel today.
About the size of New Jersey, Israel contains deserts, mountains, valleys, coastlines, and the lowest point on Earth (the Dead Sea), all within a few hours' drive. It's one of the only countries that began the 21st century with more trees than it had in the 20th, thanks to national planting projects that added over 250 million trees, reversing centuries of deforestation.
Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Amharic, French, and English are all heard daily. Jewish communities from every corner of the world, Ethiopian to Bukharian, call Israel home.
It's also remarkably inclusive: Nalaga'at, the world's only theater company made up entirely of deaf and blind actors, is based there. And the Israeli army makes room for everyone: lone soldiers, people with special needs, women in combat, and Muslim, Christian, and Druze soldiers all serve together.
Israel has more companies listed on NASDAQ than all of Europe combined and more startups per capita than anywhere else on earth. The USB flash drive, Waze, drip irrigation, the Iron Dome, and Intel's chips were all developed there. Israel also built the world's first underwater archaeological park, in Caesarea, and is home to world-class universities including the Technion and the Gordon School of Education in Haifa. Its Save a Child's Heart organization performs free heart surgeries for children from around the world, including many Palestinian children.
Israel is a Jewish state but people of many faiths come to pray there. The Western Wall draws world leaders, celebrities, and visitors of all backgrounds, who come to pray and tuck notes between its ancient stones. Jerusalem's Old City has four quarters: Jewish, Christian, Arab, and Armenian. The Baha'i Gardens in Haifa, the Dome of the Rock, the birthplace of Christianity, and countless other sacred sites welcome people from across the globe. On any given Friday evening, you can watch the sun set over the Western Wall while the Muslim call to prayer echoes across the city.
Since its founding, Israel has been a haven for Jews in need. From Holocaust survivors who arrived in 1948 to nearly 850,000 Jews expelled from Arab lands after World War II, Israel's Law of Return guarantees that any Jew can come home. Ethiopian, Yemenite, and over a million Soviet Jews all found refuge there.
More recently, over 15,000 Ukrainian Jews immigrated to Israel under the Law of Return, and 15,000 non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees were also welcomed since the war with Russia began.
Israel has also provided unconditional medical care to those in need, and even after October 7th, while still under fire, the Israeli army continued transporting Gazan children and civilians to Israeli hospitals for treatment.
Despite ongoing war, relentless uncertainty, and national trauma, Israel ranked 8th in the 2025 World Happiness Report for the second year in a row. A major factor: most Israelis have friends or family they genuinely believe they can count on. That close social support builds resilience and hope. In fact, young Israelis rate the quality of their friendships higher than young people in any other country in the world. Israel's universal healthcare and free education also remove two of the heaviest stressors people face elsewhere. Since October 7th, anxiety and grief have grown, but Israelis continue to score exceptionally high on life meaning and satisfaction.
As Israel celebrates its birthday, it's a moment to feel grateful for the Jewish homeland and for the extraordinary story of a people returning from exile to rebuild something remarkable. From deep compassion to world-changing innovation, Israel remains an inspiring source of hope. May this year bring renewed peace, stronger unity, and lasting blessing.
