A Bond of equal partners

by Joe Ozer

As I write this, I am sitting on a coach driving around Poland on March of the Living.

I’ve been able to sit and reflect on the last 3 ½ years, working with Israel Bonds. Looking out at the vast forests we are passing helps to put into perspective why it was so important for David Ben Gurion to turn to the supporters of the new fledgling State of Israel and secure the country’s future.

Ben Gurion recognised that for the Jewish People to have a home, to live in safety, they must have a state of their own.  And in order for it to be a secure refuge where Jews could build lives of dignity and prosperity, Israel would have to become economically successful.

In the aftermath of WW1 and WW2, many countries came into being.  But only Israel has managed to create and maintain a long-term, consistent and dependable diaspora bond program, an unbroken lineage of 68 years.

Today’s Israel is a success story.  A world-renowned innovator, Israel enjoys a thriving and resilient economy, with a growing population:

• According to London Economist Intelligence Unit: ”…The country [Israel] has several key advantages, particularly its high level of skills and technology and its favourable demographic profile. This should ensure that the economy continues to expand more rapidly than that of most developed countries…
• Over 500 multinational corporations (MNCs) from 35 countries are active in Israel, a majority of them seeking to enhance their core capabilities through collaborative innovation, according to a new survey. Titled “The State of Innovation,” the report was released by Start-Up Nation Central (SNC) and PwC Israel (PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Ltd).
• Israel’s population has exceeded 9 million people this year – the miraculous fulfilment of Ben Gurion’s statement in 1950 that he could imagine a Jewish state of ten million.

My message is simple: celebrate the State of Israel.

From the brink of destruction, we’ve had a hand in building a strong nation. Brick by brick and bond by bond.