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Has Israel made a positive difference in the world?

Step Up For Israel 2012/05/15 19:16:35
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Quick facts about Israel:

> Israel has the highest number of companies listed on the U.S. Stock exchange after the US and Canada

> Israel leads the world in the numbers of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000

> Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in the number of trees

> Over the past 25 years agricultural output has increased sevenfold with hardly any increase in the amount of water used

> Many bus stops in busy areas have tzedaka (charity) boxes

> Almost 1/3 of all Israelis are volunteers

Learn more about Israeli innovation and humanitarian aid by watching this week-long FREE stream of new hit PBS film ISRAEL INSIDE and also enter to win a free flight to Israel!

Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference is a new feature-length documentary that explores the positive characteristics of Israeli society from a humanistic, psychological, and emotional perspective.




The film is hosted by Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, who gave up the unique distinction of being Harvard University’s most popular lecturer to return to his native country, Israel. In the film, Ben Shahar explores the core character strengths – called “actualizers” – that enable Israelis to succeed against incredible odds. Through Tal’s eyes we explore the deep-seated values such as education, family, and responsibility for the world (a Jewish concept known as “tikkun olam”), which directly contribute to Israel’s accomplishments in the economic, technological and humanitarian spheres.

Read More: http://www.stepupforisrael.com

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Top Opinion

  • Fef 2012/05/15 19:50:09
    Yes
    Fef
    +15
    Israel has made a positive change for the world for thousands of years!

    The people of Israel have given us the Torah -- for which all Western civilization should thank Israel.

    The world owes Israel for its modern contributions as well.

    Israel gives liberties to its citizens, including Arabs, women and other minorities -- unlike the rest of the Arab region.
    torah moses

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Opinions

  • firebird 2012/06/18 23:48:33
    Yes
    firebird
    YES, it has..... many brilliant people and inventions have come from Israel.....
  • Chris Tate 2012/06/06 16:40:21
    Yes
    Chris Tate
    though I do have to say that part of the reason they can make any kind of influence is because of their constant disputes with other nations, wars are considered to be a nations most productive time and Israel is almost always on the brink of war
  • Lia Mida 2012/05/31 08:50:16
    No
    Lia Mida
    no
  • Tdog 2012/05/31 04:36:40
    Yes
    Tdog
    +1
    I'm honestly not that cultured. I come from a household where our only bookcase is filled with dvd's. I kid u not. It'd b funnier if it wasn't so sad. Lol.
    So, I would have answered undecided (I just don't know enough about the israelites) if it weren't for the quick facts you posted. Smart.
    The quick facts alone were sufficient enough for me 2 answer in the affirmative... So that I did... evidently. Lol
  • Tdog Tdog 2012/05/31 04:39:33 (edited)
    Tdog
    Wow, just read a few ppl's comments. Israel rocks.
    What's disappointing is that more ppl said no than undecided but they're probably all just racist bigots so whatevs. Lol.
    N, yes, I replied to myself coz I didn't feel lyk editing my 1st post though I just edited this, my second, post... Meh.
  • Jeri 2012/05/28 18:17:21
    Yes
    Jeri
    +2
    Israel is the only friend we have in the mideast and the most productive for being so small.
  • L.A. woman 2012/05/26 06:01:07
    Yes
    L.A. woman
    +2
    Israel shows us what is possible. People have been persecuted/downtrodden through out history. Israel, a people persecuted for their beliefs, almost annilated were able to take a POS land and turn it into what it is today through hard work, faith, and perseverance. We can all do this if we apply ourselves. Too many of us have been conditioned that we shouldn't have to work that hard, that somehow that is wrong. Their strength and ability to carry on through years of homicide bombers creating havoc in their streets. I pray we never experience what they went through. They have a thriving business climate, and most recently tapped into an energy source which will make them independent. What are we waiting for?
  • Tee Quake 2012/05/25 03:33:02 (edited)
    Yes
    Tee Quake
    I'm taking your question to mean, "Have Jews made a positive difference in the world?" The answer is an uncategorized YES!!! Although, Jews constitute only a miniscule minority of the world population, their contributions to society, in comparison, have been astronomical. Whether this fact stems from nurture, nature, or God, is an excellent question. I believe Jews also adhere to a religious dogma that they be beneficial to host societies, whenever they are exiled (I.e. living outside Israel). It appears they have more than satisfied their mandate.
  • JERSEYDUDE 2012/05/24 23:26:51
    No
    JERSEYDUDE
    +1
    yeah lol okay sure....thanks for the good laugh
  • Annie~Pro American~Pro Israel 2012/05/22 04:47:20 (edited)
    Yes
    Annie~Pro American~Pro Israel
    +1
    Since the beginning of time, Israel has contributed to the world many things, laws to follow for a moral society as well as laws to go by for healthy living (our first medical solutions).

    Read an article the other day where the author was talking about how dumb Hitler was. He stated that Hitler killed the very ones that made the country of Germany great, as the Jewish people have always been blessed with huge amounts of intellect as well as a keen business sense. They have contributed so much to science. And, have even contributed their ideas to our military.
  • Annie~P... Annie~P... 2012/05/25 07:51:50
    Annie~Pro American~Pro Israel
    +1
    Jewish Contributions by Rachel Raskin-Zrihen

    Quote:
    Well, it seems to me, too often not when he or she is famous for something positive.

    In just the last couple of days, the world lost three giants in their fields – musical group Beastie Boys founder Adam Youk, children’s author Maurice Sendak and women’s hair stylist pioneer Vidal Sassoon – all Jews, though one must make a dedicated search to find this out.

    It is not an automatic part of most articles on them.

    This is true for many others, and has been, essentially, forever.

    Albert Einstein, for instance, is often referred to as a German immigrant and a lot less often as a Jew. If his Jewishness is mentioned, it is usually in passing and must be watched for or is easily missed. It is similar with famous magician Harry Houdini (Erik Weisz) and polio vaccine inventor Jonas Salk.

    It seems to me that, unless it’s unavoidable, Jewish people who have done extraordinary things (and Jewish-invented things, as well) are identified in any way the writers can find that doesn’t include their Jewishness.

    An extremely partial list of life-changing items invented or discovered by Jews runs the gamut from lipstick to the atomic bomb, according to several online sources, and includes things like jeans, the ballpoint pen, instant coffee and the...






































    Jewish Contributions by Rachel Raskin-Zrihen

    Quote:
    Well, it seems to me, too often not when he or she is famous for something positive.

    In just the last couple of days, the world lost three giants in their fields – musical group Beastie Boys founder Adam Youk, children’s author Maurice Sendak and women’s hair stylist pioneer Vidal Sassoon – all Jews, though one must make a dedicated search to find this out.

    It is not an automatic part of most articles on them.

    This is true for many others, and has been, essentially, forever.

    Albert Einstein, for instance, is often referred to as a German immigrant and a lot less often as a Jew. If his Jewishness is mentioned, it is usually in passing and must be watched for or is easily missed. It is similar with famous magician Harry Houdini (Erik Weisz) and polio vaccine inventor Jonas Salk.

    It seems to me that, unless it’s unavoidable, Jewish people who have done extraordinary things (and Jewish-invented things, as well) are identified in any way the writers can find that doesn’t include their Jewishness.

    An extremely partial list of life-changing items invented or discovered by Jews runs the gamut from lipstick to the atomic bomb, according to several online sources, and includes things like jeans, the ballpoint pen, instant coffee and the TV remote control. It also includes traffic lights, Scotchguard, and the Flexistraw along with genetic engineering, virtual reality, sound movies, color TV and holography. And that’s not to mention monotheism, psychoanalysis, the Theory of Relativity, as well as Capitalism, Communism, discount stores, pawn shops, the shopping cart, the ready-to-wear clothing industry, and all sorts of medicines like Prozac,Valium, radiation, chemotherapy, the artificial kidney dialysis machine, the defibrillator, the cardiac pacemaker and laser technology. Also included are Google, the FAX, the microphone, the gramophone, the micro processing chip, optical fiber cable, drip irrigation, scale model electric trains, the pager, the walkie-talkie, refrigerated railroad cars, the incandescent lamp, Kodachrome film, stainless steel and a whole host of other things most of us take for granted.

    It’s too bad this omission can’t really be avoided. Maybe people would be slower to acquiesce to calls for anti-Jewish/Israel physical and/or economic violence if they realized how dependent their lives are on things that sprung from Jewish minds.

    But back to the inventors/discoverers themselves.

    Sometimes, if it can’t be avoided, a genius’ Jewishness is shunted aside by a phrase like “he was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants,” suggesting that while the parents may have been Jews, the famous person wasn’t.

    The most famous case in point may be Jesus.

    I have actually had arguments with people insisting that somehow this man, born into a Jewish family in Roman-occupied Judea, was not a Jew, despite the fact that the Bible itself makes no bones about it. In fact, I have encountered people who found the very thought insulting.

    I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t know and readily accept that Judas was a Jew, but they have more trouble accepting that all the rest of the disciples were, too.

    This tendency for humankind to avoid if they can attributing anything positive to Jews continued this week with the reporting of the passing of the three famous individuals, including author, Sendak, “widely considered the most important children’s book artist of the 20th century,” according to reports, who died this week at 83.

    Despite a slew of reports on the man all over the news and the Internet, it took a trip to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s website story on his death to learn that “the characters in his most well-known children’s story are based on his old Jewish relatives,” and that “in some of his stories, Yiddish words are interspersed with his poetic English.”

    It is here, and essentially nowhere else, that we find that Sendak’s most famous work, “Where the Wild Things Are,” is “based on the Yiddish vilde chaya (wild beast), which Jewish parents for generations have used to describe rambunctious children.”

    We also learn here that “some of Sendak’s stories, including ‘In the Night Kitchen,’ speak to his own fears of the Holocaust. His immigrant parents lost most of their family members in the Holocaust and reminded him that he would have had many more cousins were it not for the Nazis.”

    As for Sassoon, I would guess many people know he was born in England, and, in fact, most stories on his death refer to him as an English or British-born hairstylist. But I doubt anywhere near as many know he was a Jew, despite the fact that he was a veteran of Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, and a “militant Zionist,” who spent his life “committed to eradicating anti-Semitism.”

    By searching, though, we find that “both experiences gave him a lifelong passion for human rights,” which lead him in 1982, to “establish the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of anti-Semitism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.”

    I wonder how many people know that.

    As for Yauch, a rapper, instrumentalist, entrepreneur and director who died of cancer at age 47, if one isn’t equipped to discern from the name and the names of his fellow group members, Adam Horowitz, and Michael Diamond, that they might be Jews, it’s not that easy to find out.

    A search, however, reveals that Yauch was born in Brooklyn in 1964, the only child of Frances, a Jewish social worker, and painter and architect Noel Yauch who was raised Catholic, though whether he was born Catholic is not noted. At least in this case, though, as noted in some stories on his passing, “his and his bandmates’ Jewish heritage was often referenced in the media.”

    How many people know that former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is Jewish, (a forgivable oversight since she herself didn’t find out until she was in government service,) or that Bob Dylan, Elizabeth Taylor, who converted to Judaism like Sammy Davis, Jr., and Julio Iglesias (by virtue of his Jewish mother, María del Rosario de la Cueva y Perignat) are Jews?

    Few know actors Harrison Ford and Gwyneth Paltrow, scientist Carl Sagan, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr and Milton Hershey of Hershey’s Chocolate fame, are/were all at least partly Jewish. Or that Michael Dell of Dell Computer, Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Levi Strauss and too many actors, composers, directors and others to mention, are/were Jews? How many know that football great Lyle Alzado, baseball’s José Bautista and Shawn Green, boxing great Max Baer, figure skaters Oksana Baiul and Sarah Hughes and many other sports figures too numerous to mention, are/were all Jews?

    How many people do you supposed don’t know that Bernie Madoff is Jewish?

    Interesting, isn’t it?
    End Quote
    (more)
  • bob h. 2012/05/22 02:25:26
    No
    bob h.
    "cause they grew trees and hung poor boxes? How could we survive without that?
  • Tdog bob h. 2012/05/31 04:43:31
    Tdog
    Still a difference; can't dispute that.
  • Noor 2012/05/18 03:25:51
    No
    Noor
    +2
    HAHAHAHA trick question, right?
  • D.C. Willis 2012/05/18 02:47:45
    Undecided
    D.C. Willis
    +3
    I think there are good and bad people in Israel the same as there are in every nation. If I am to decide whether it has made a positive difference in the world or not, as a whole, that would have to be weighed out against the negative. The scale better be sensitive because it may be closer then one would think.

    I thank the good people in Israel for being a beacon of light in a murky situation. Keep up the good work and continue to bond with your neighbors this will eventually bring more security to the nation then any single army could provide.
  • Tin Man 2012/05/18 02:25:20
    Yes
    Tin Man
    And Israel may make a vast difference with Iran's nuclear plans soon. With or without armed conflict.
  • holyheretic 2012/05/18 01:23:09
  • all roa... holyher... 2012/05/18 01:28:00
    all roads lead to rome
    +2
    Far from protecting and advancing the interests of the mass of Jewish people it has often been devastating for them and caused millions to be labelled unfairly by the actions of the Zionist elite. On the Jews Against Zionism website one feature highlights how Rothschild Zionism targeted Jews who had lived for generations in Palestine side-by-side with Arabs in peace and harmony:

    'The religious Jews who by virtue of their faith, clearly contradicted Zionist nationalism, and who had lived peacefully with their Arab neighbors for generations, became unwillingly identified with the Zionist cause and their struggle with the Arabs.

    They requested the United Nations that Jerusalem be designated as a defacto international city. They appealed to the diplomatic corps assigned to Jerusalem -- but to no avail. They were hence confronted with the choice of either becoming a part of the Zionist State, which diametrically opposed the interests of Jews as a religion, or abandoning the land of which their forefathers were the first Jewish settlers.

    Let's get this straight. Zionism doesn't give a damn about Jewish people. To the Rothschilds and their Zionist gofers and thugs the Jewish people as a whole are merely cattle to be used and abused as necessary - just like the rest of the human population.
  • holyher... all roa... 2012/05/18 04:31:49
  • ☥☽✪☾DAW... holyher... 2012/05/18 04:07:57
    ☥☽✪☾DAW ☽✪☾
    +2
    Christanity is good at a couple things Plagurizing other Cultures and starting wars

    Horus (Egypt 3000 BC)- Born on Dec.25th, Born of a Virgin, Star in the East, Adorned by 3 Kings, Teacher at the age of 12, Baptized/Ministry at the age of 30, Had 12 Disciples, Performed miracles such as healing the sick and walking on water. He was known by many names such as "the truth", "lamb of god", "the Light", etc. After being betrayed "Typhon", he was crucified and buried for 3 days and was resurrected
    lamb god light betrayed typhon crucified buried 3 days resurrected
  • all roa... ☥☽✪☾DAW... 2012/05/18 22:35:04
    all roads lead to rome
    +1
    You don't realize that it was the other way around. satan knew the prophecies concerning the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that was to be born on earth to redeem mankind, so he prepared a counterfeit. All goddess worship and worship of the sun god, Baal (satan) can be traced to ancient babylon. When Babylon fell the people were scattered, the continents divided and they took their pagan customs with them. When rome changed their military costumes for religious ones, they mixed pagan teaching with a little Judaism and a pinch of Biblical Christianity. Islam is another offshoot of rome that carries similar customs and teachings.
  • all roa... all roa... 2012/05/18 22:37:30
    all roads lead to rome
    +1
    ...and catholicism (the starter of wars, crusades, martyrs, "celibate" priests who molest children, etc...) is not the same as Christianity. That is like saying Zionism is the same as Judaism.
  • all roa... all roa... 2012/05/19 15:27:15
    all roads lead to rome
    +1
    HA! DAW, you blocked me because you can't handle the TRUTH! satan is very much in existence and has pulled the wool over Daw's eyes. Darkness will never prevail, the Light of the Word of God always shines in and overcomes the darkness! As usual, that liar puts darkness for light and lies for truth. Earth (semiramis) and sun (satan) worship began with satan... the god of this world. If you were a lover of truth and light you wouldn't be afraid to have a discussion. perhaps you are willingly ignorant... that so often is the case. I hope you can open to the truth before it is too late.
  • Annie~P... all roa... 2012/05/22 05:09:57
    Annie~Pro American~Pro Israel
    +1
    Daw always blocks those who prove him wrong.
  • all roa... Annie~P... 2012/05/23 02:48:44
    all roads lead to rome
    What an open minded dialogue :) That shows fear, most definitely.
  • ☥☽✪☾DAW... all roa... 2012/05/18 22:40:57
    ☥☽✪☾DAW ☽✪☾
    Satan DOES NOT EXIST
  • Annie~P... all roa... 2012/05/22 05:09:07
    Annie~Pro American~Pro Israel
    Daw and his buddy up there are confused about the poll topic.
  • ☥☽✪☾DAW ☽✪☾ 2012/05/18 00:37:02
  • all roa... ☥☽✪☾DAW... 2012/05/18 01:23:59 (edited)
    all roads lead to rome
    NO! -I agree with you... SH won't let me add additional comment, so I'm replying :)

    The world's second biggest Zionist population is in the United States and given that both America and Israel are controlled by the Rothschild networks it is not hard to fathom why that slither of land in the Middle East receives around a third of all US overseas aid.

    An average $3 billion a year is handed to the State of Rothschild as a result of decisions made by American administrations that are always, 'Republican' or 'Democrat', controlled by the Rothschilds. One hand of the network hands over the cash to another.
    This explains why the United States never talks about the arsenal of nuclear weapons stockpiled by one of the world's most trigger-happy states. Israel refuses to discuss them and the American policy, recently reconfirmed by Obama, is never to ask or bring up the subject.

    The last two US administrations are testament to the extent of Zionist (Rothschild) control of America and thus its foreign policy, not least with regard to Iraq, the former land of Sumer and Babylon, which according to some just happens to be part of the 'Greater Israel' that the Zionists seek to secure.

    The 'Bush' government was the glove-puppet of the so-called neo-cons, or neoconservatives, whose only political...
    NO! -I agree with you... SH won't let me add additional comment, so I'm replying :)

    The world's second biggest Zionist population is in the United States and given that both America and Israel are controlled by the Rothschild networks it is not hard to fathom why that slither of land in the Middle East receives around a third of all US overseas aid.

    An average $3 billion a year is handed to the State of Rothschild as a result of decisions made by American administrations that are always, 'Republican' or 'Democrat', controlled by the Rothschilds. One hand of the network hands over the cash to another.
    This explains why the United States never talks about the arsenal of nuclear weapons stockpiled by one of the world's most trigger-happy states. Israel refuses to discuss them and the American policy, recently reconfirmed by Obama, is never to ask or bring up the subject.

    The last two US administrations are testament to the extent of Zionist (Rothschild) control of America and thus its foreign policy, not least with regard to Iraq, the former land of Sumer and Babylon, which according to some just happens to be part of the 'Greater Israel' that the Zionists seek to secure.

    The 'Bush' government was the glove-puppet of the so-called neo-cons, or neoconservatives, whose only political philosophy in truth was the interests of Zionism. At the heart of the Rothschild-controlled neocon cabal were Richard Perle (Zionist), Paul Wolfowitz (Zionist), Dov Zakheim (Zionist), Douglas Feith (Zionist), John Bolton (Zionist), Lewis Libby (Zionist), the list goes on and on. These were the people who orchestrated the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq on behalf of the Rothschilds.
    http://www.rense.com/general8...
    (more)
  • ☥☽✪☾DAW... all roa... 2012/05/18 01:26:52
    ☥☽✪☾DAW ☽✪☾
    +1
    are you agreeing with me or disagreeing im confused
  • all roa... ☥☽✪☾DAW... 2012/05/18 01:34:16
    all roads lead to rome
    I'm agreeing... that is what is so diabolical about zionist propaganda... the sides aren't even clearly defined. Few Christians will speak out against the Israeli state for fear of being labeled anti-semitic or against "God's Chosen". The Ashkenazi that rule Israel (every prime minister) are not even real jews!
    http://www.iamthewitness.com/...
  • ☥☽✪☾DAW... all roa... 2012/05/18 01:38:51
  • all roa... ☥☽✪☾DAW... 2012/05/18 01:41:53
    all roads lead to rome
    1921: Under the orders of Jacob Schiff the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is founded by Ashkenazi Jews, Bernard Baruch and Colonel Edward Mandell House. Schiff gave his orders prior to his death in 1920, as he knew an organisation in America needed to be set up to select politicians to carry on the Rothschild conspiracy,and the formation of the CFR was actually agreed in a meeting on May 30, 1919 at the Hotel Majestic in Paris, France.
    The CFR membership at the start was approximately 1000 people in the United States. This membership included the heads of virtually every industrial empire in America, all the American based international bankers, and the heads of all their tax free foundations. In essence all those people who would provide the capital required for anyone who wished to run for Congress, the Senate or the Presidency.

    The first job of the CFR was to gain control of the press. This task was given to John D. Rockefeller who set up a number of national news magazines such as Life, and Time. He financed Samuel Newhouse to buy up and establish a chain of newspapers all across the country, and Eugene Meyer also who would go on to buy up many publications such as the Washington Post, Newsweek, ant The Weekly Magazine.

    The CFR also needed to gate control of radio, television and the motion picture industry. This task was split amongst the international bankers from, Kuhn Loeb, Goldman Sachs, the Warburgs, and the Lehmanns.
  • holyher... all roa... 2012/05/18 04:35:18
  • Swan Es... ☥☽✪☾DAW... 2012/05/18 14:03:53
    Swan Eshdeh
    bravo ...bravo ...god protect you young man ! you are the best

    you are the best

    love you

    love you brother


    love you brother
  • ☥☽✪☾DAW... Swan Es... 2012/05/18 14:08:14
    ☥☽✪☾DAW ☽✪☾
    Goddess bless you
    may the Goddess bless you
  • Swan Es... ☥☽✪☾DAW... 2012/05/18 14:15:06
    Swan Eshdeh
    goddess !?
  • ☥☽✪☾DAW... Swan Es... 2012/05/18 19:56:50
    ☥☽✪☾DAW ☽✪☾
    Yes GODDESS
  • Swan Es... ☥☽✪☾DAW... 2012/05/18 20:22:07
    Swan Eshdeh
    ah!! what's your religion brother ?
  • Tony Vidak 2012/05/17 23:41:04
    Yes
    Tony Vidak
    ...and while we're at it; How many Great Muslim heroes does the world rejoice for their efforts to better mankind?
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