What I Saw in Israel That Never Makes the Headlines

I just returned from a week in Israel. This was my 14th visit to Israel since 1978, not including the year I lived in Israel while a student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1984-1985.

This was not a "regular trip," filled with visits to our sacred sites like the Western Wall and other places of ancient or historical significance, or simply touring the breadth and beauty of our Jewish homeland. We traveled to attend the wedding of our nephew and to participate in all the festivities and celebrations. It was a time to relax, spend time with family, and simply enjoy being in Israel.

This was my first visit to Israel since January of 2024, when I participated in a special Rabbinic mission in the aftermath of the horrible events of October 7th. When I returned from that important but difficult trip, I wrote to the congregation that, to my great surprise, despite all that Israel had endured in the three months before we arrived, life went on. Even with the difficult fighting in Gaza and the deep political tensions, people were living their lives, and it was beautiful to see. The roads were filled with traffic. The malls and stores were full of shoppers. The restaurants, cafes, and entertainment centers were similarly busy. I marveled at the determination of Israelis to carry on proudly.

While the focus of this recent trip may have been radically different, I nonetheless observed the same spirit throughout my week in Beer Sheva and its surrounding suburbs. While the absolute unity that was so evident in 2024 is certainly gone, and deep and often ugly political divisions are once again prominent features of everyday life and discourse, Israel continues to pulsate with life and optimism about the future.

Just as we worry about Israelis because of all the news reports we receive about the problems and challenges they face, Israelis are quite aware of the challenges confronting American Jews and our institutions. Many shared with me their concerns about our safety, security, and future.

While in Israel, I witnessed several things that, despite all the news we hear and all the stories we see on television and social media, rarely get reported. Yet they are important because they tell a very different story about the country.

The Israel that often appears in the headlines is an Israel of war, political turmoil, terrorism, and international criticism. Those challenges are real and should not be minimized. Yet there is another Israel that receives far less attention: an Israel that is building, expanding, innovating, and planning confidently for the future.

I encountered that Israel everywhere I went.

First, the amount of new construction throughout Israel is staggering. New apartment buildings, shopping centers, schools, roads, and major infrastructure projects dot the landscape. As just one example, I spent an afternoon with family members in the new community of Carmei Gat, a city that will eventually number 20,000 residents but did not even exist a decade ago.

Similarly, the Israeli Air Force is in the midst of relocating significant portions of its administrative and support infrastructure from the Tel Aviv area to Beer Sheva and other locations throughout the Negev. This multi-year undertaking will bring thousands of new residents to southern Israel and has already stimulated the construction of new neighborhoods, schools, and public facilities. What is particularly striking is the level of planning involved. The communities being built today reflect a degree of long-term vision and coordination that often eluded earlier generations of Israeli development.

Second, Israel's culture of innovation remains extraordinary. Several days before I left for Israel, Elon Musk addressed the Samson International Mobility Summit in Austin, Texas and praised Israel's innovative culture, describing it as "number one in the world by far in innovation per capita." Whether one agrees with Musk on every issue is beside the point. The larger reality is difficult to ignore.

Israel's high-tech sector continues to thrive. During my travels, I saw the headquarters and facilities of global giants such as Nvidia, Microsoft, Intel, and Elbit Systems, as well as countless smaller companies whose names may not be familiar but whose technologies are used every day by millions of people around the world.

I was particularly struck by the sheer size of Intel's operations in southern Israel. The scale of the facilities and the magnitude of the investment are difficult to comprehend until one sees them firsthand.

Israel faces tremendous challenges. Yet it continues to produce world-class scientific and technological achievements, attract the attention and investment of leading global companies, and secure billions of dollars in venture capital funding from around the world.

As I reflected on the week, I realized that what impressed me most was not any particular building project or technology campus. Rather, it was the confidence that underlies them all.

No one builds cities, expands schools, relocates major institutions, or invests billions of dollars because they believe the future is bleak. People make those decisions because they believe tomorrow will be better than today.

Perhaps that is why the wedding we attended felt so meaningful. At its core, every wedding is an act of faith and optimism. A young couple stands beneath a chuppah and declares their belief in the future. They pledge to build a home, a family, and a life together despite all the uncertainties that lie ahead.

In many ways, that is what I saw throughout Israel during the past week. I saw a nation that, despite war, political division, security concerns, and relentless criticism, continues to build, create, innovate, and dream, and thrive.

This week's Torah portion, Beha'alotecha, describes the Israelites setting out on their journey through the wilderness toward the Promised Land. They did not know what challenges awaited them. They could not see the destination. Yet they moved forward with confidence and purpose. That spirit remains alive in Israel today. The headlines will continue to focus on conflict, crisis, and controversy. Those stories are important and deserve our attention. But during my week in Israel, I was reminded of another story, one that is every bit as important. It is the story of a society that continues to invest in its future, a people who continue to believe in tomorrow, and a nation that, despite everything, remains remarkably hopeful.

And that, perhaps more than anything else, is what gives me hope as well.