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By Arlene Bridges Samuels

The only Jewish nation among 193 countries worldwide, Israel has climbed to the heights of innovation in multiple rungs of achievement including healthcare, technology, and agriculture. 

Known for producing the most cutting-edge technology startups in the world, how does so small a nation achieve such distinction?

The source of their innovations often begins during their mandatory military service, which requires that both men and women serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) upon graduating from high school.  

Mandatory military service is a necessity for Israel to protect its citizens from the near-daily threats they have faced since 1948, when the modern state was officially inaugurated. The Israelis are not warmongers. They want peace above all—yet have been forced to defend themselves from every direction for more than 75 years. I find myself asking, “What other nation could survive under such intensive daily assaults?” In addition to beefing up its military service, IDF training is also a groundbreaking entrepreneurial laboratory.

The induction process begins when teenagers receive their “first order”—tzav rishon—before their 17th birthday. During the interview process, these young people are evaluated on their skill in reading and writing Hebrew, personal attributes, and their scholastic reports. The second phase includes a medical examination, then an interview conducted by a soldier trained in psycho-technical proficiencies. This second interview assesses specific personality traits such as motivation and the ability to withstand stress, and it seeks to identify any anti-social patterns. 

These interviews are based on behavioral economics, a theory about decision-making developed in the 1980s by two prominent Israeli psychologists, Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman. Kahneman was a Holocaust survivor, and later received the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics. The groundbreaking theory, which integrates psychology into economics, is also called the Prospect Theory—how humans make decisions when facing risk or uncertainty, including financial risk. 

Although still in high school, young Israelis find the competition for eventual inclusion into the IDF’s elite units to be fierce. Some sign up for pre-army prep programs, inform the IDF about wanting to join an elite unit, and are invited to an army base for a testing day. After undergoing a week of more rigorous physical and mental tests, those with the highest scores are sent to the top-tier Special Operations Forces (SOF), which require 22 months of specialized training.

The SOF leaders in the IDF—and later in societal innovations—are divided into three tiers. Tier 1 includes Sayeret Matkal, which is considered the most famous unit due to its 1976 stealth operation in Entebbe, Uganda. In a daring undertaking that stunned the world, the unit rescued 100 passengers and 12 Air France crewmembers held by seven hijackers and some 100 Ugandan troops—in the process destroying 11 Soviet-built MiG fighter planes of the Ugandan air force on the ground. Tier 2 includes Duvdevan, a counterinsurgency undercover unit functioning as disguised Arabs. Tier 3 is composed of paratroopers in the Sayeret 35 brigade, infantry, and armor brigades. 

In the elite units and among all military, the 18- to 21-year-olds gain experience and leadership. Dealing with life-and-death situations and being forced to make profound decisions on the spot gives the younger adults decision-making skills that easily translate into multiple kinds of innovations later. Mixing up trainees’ cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and emphasizing multidisciplinary skills rather than a narrow focus on a specialty provides another huge advantage: it gives people a lot of experience in thinking outside the box and calling on a wide breath of knowledge to solve problems. 

Another aspect of Israeli society is its Reserves. After their preliminary service, they are in reserve duty for up to one month each year until ages 43–45. (They may volunteer after this age.) As a small nation under constant threat, Israel relies on these reservists, who are the backbone of defense against deadly attacks, active threats, or all-out war.

The first edition of the excellent book, Start Up Nation, is an illuminating primer written by Dan Senor and Saul Singer in 2009. I recommend it as an introductory resource into the world of Israel innovation in a variety of disciplines. As Senor and Singer delve into the Israeli culture, they note that Israel’s free-thinking, multidisciplinary background promotes combining military service with civilian professions. For example, they single out a concept in the IT world called “technological mashups,” which connect considerably different technologies and disciplines. Their explanations of Israel’s military culture are fascinating.

One concept is that the IDF has fewer colonels than lieutenants. Soldiers are expected to obey orders and follow the chain of command, yes, but improvisation and initiative in lower ranks are greatly valued in crisis situations. Amos Goren was a 22-year-old commando at Entebbe. In his interview with Start Up Nation he observed, “Israeli soldiers are not defined by rank; they are defined by what they are good at.”

What follows are several outstanding examples of startups that began in the military—creating innovations that benefit both Israel and the world at large. 

Uri Levine, the inventor of Waze—possibly the world’s best GPS software—was a software developer when he served in the IDF. 

Israeli military scientist Gabriel Iddan worked on missile technology for years on something called “seeker”—the “eye” of a missile that captures targets and guides the missiles to them. Iddan thought he could apply the same technology to the medical field. He eventually designed a tiny capsule about the size of a vitamin that, when swallowed, captures photos of a patient’s intestines as it makes its circuitous route. The Given Imaging PillCam was born, offering wireless, painless gastrointestinal tract exams.

Unit 8200 is a technology superstar IDF unit. In the 1950s, it was set up as a highly secretive second intelligence service. It came somewhat to light in recent years as it grew into the IDF cyberwar division yet maintains its secrecy. Unit 8200 is credited with producing thousands of tech-savvy entrepreneurs, acting as a “conveyor belt of innovation.” 

Lastly, in addition to the extraordinary startups the IDF generates—what they call the “Spirit of the IDF” is important. Their call is to protect the State of Israel: its independence, the security of its people, and its very existence. Service is based on patriotism, commitment, and devotion to the State of Israel, a democratic state that is the national home of the Jewish people and all of its citizens. The IDF, which is also obligated to preserve human dignity, believes that all have inherent value, regardless of race, faith, nationality, gender, or status. 

The IDF—an innovator of character, patriotism, life skills, responsibility, and careers—was founded due to constant war and attacks against the Jewish homeland. Nevertheless, they have engineered conflict into commerce that has benefited the innovation nation and other countries worldwide in countless ways, including IDF humanitarian aid. 

Please join CBN Israel this week in praying for Israel and the IDF:

• Pray for each branch of the IDF: Army, Air Force, Navy, and Cyber Security.
• Pray for families of three IDF members who were shot dead at the Israel/Egypt border this past Saturday.
• Pray for Prime Minister Netanyahu and top brass to make wise and effective decisions. 
• Pray for Israeli parents who do not know if a son or daughter serving with the IDF will return from their tour of duty. 

Arlene Bridges Samuels pioneered Christian outreach for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). After nine years on AIPAC’s staff, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her part-time as Outreach Director for their project, American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, guest columnist at All Israel News, and has frequently traveled to Israel since 1990. She co-edited The Auschwitz Album Revisited and is a board member for Violins of Hope South Carolina. Arlene attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summit and hosts her devotionals, The Eclectic Evangelical, on Facebook.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

Surrounding Israel through its demonic proxies in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, Iran’s terror is expanding on the high seas, where they are outfitting Iranian commercial ships with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). The Islamic regime’s Ministry of Defense broadcast the launch of its Kheibarshekan (“castle buster”) missile on West Asia News Agency. With a reported range of l,243–1,450 miles, this missile could easily reach Israel. In fact, the ICBM’s name symbolizes the regime’s declared intentions toward Israel; it stems from the seventh century, when Muslim warriors allegedly captured a Jewish castle in the Arabian Peninsula. 

However, surface-to-surface ICBMs are not merely a threat to Israel. Although the Islamic Ayatollahs call Israel the “little satan,” they refer to the United States as the “big satan.” Iran’s stealthy creation of these floating terror bases is not at all surprising. The Islamic regime’s military ambitions must be taken seriously, and it is vitally important that we continue to advocate for a strong, mutually beneficial U.S.-Israel relationship.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Fellow at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, describes Iran’s treacherous strategy: “It’s no surprise that Tehran is looking to extend the range of various unmanned aerial threat systems so that its rockets, drones, and missiles can be launched from containers or vessels at sea and away from Iranian territory. This helps feed the fiction that Iran intends to keep its 2,000-kilometer range cap on ballistic missiles while increasing the severity of the threat and aiding in deniability.” 

Consider geography and our oceans for a moment. Maritime law is fascinating and complex, since oceans cover more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface. For our purposes, here is a simple maritime boundary explanation from NOAA, our National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: “Once a vessel is in waters that are more than 24 miles off the coast of a country, they are considered to be on the high seas and in international waters.” If an Iranian “commercial” ship is carrying ICBMs that have a range of up to 1,450 miles, 24 miles is miniscule. 

Navigating from Iran to the East Coast of the U.S., Iran’s maritime route would begin at one of its seven ports located along its coastline on the 21-mile-wide Strait of Hormuz. Here’s a significant fact: as ships ply the waters of the channel, they transport a fifth of the world’s oil, around 21 million barrels a day, worth more than a billion dollars. From the Strait, ships sail out into the Arabian Sea, and then up through the Red Sea, which empties out into the Mediterranean. As they sail west for the narrow Strait of Gibraltar located between Spain and Morocco, the Atlantic Ocean is just beyond and with it, the East Coast of the United States. 

Boston, New York, Washington, Norfolk, Charleston, and Savannah would be in the crosshairs of an ICBM. The ruthless Iranian regime now boasts about the possibility of a 3,300-pound warhead on its “castle buster” missile. Adding a nuclear tip, aimed at our East Coast, is not out of the question to Islamic Imams who are firmly intent on attaining their goal of world domination in a modern-day caliphate. You do not need much imagination to visualize this. 

Iran’s malign sea-born activities are nothing new. The terrorist nation has made trouble in the Strait of Hormuz beginning with motorboats as a nuisance interfering with ships in the Strait. Building on the harassments, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s navy got busy unlawfully seizing merchant ships. They have added oil tanker seizures to their crimes—such as Niovi, a Panama-flagged oil tanker, and Advantage Sweet, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker. In 2022, an Iranian “suicide drone” launched from an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base in Iran attacked an Israeli-owned civilian tanker near Oman. An Israeli defense source commented, “Iranians are no longer hiding behind proxies.”

Fortunately, in May the Biden Administration undertook a U.S.-led multinational partnership called Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) by creating a new taskforce to train and improve maritime security in the Middle East. CMF is the largest multinational naval partnership in the world, with 38 nations committed to upholding the international rules-based order at sea. More good news: Israel’s famous Iron Dome missile defense systems are being added to their naval frigates. 

Unfortunately, Biden simply will not let go of the disastrous 2015 Iran deal—despite alleging that the deal “hasn’t been on the agenda for months.” The truth is, since January discussions have continued. Foundation For Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz sums up this latest version: “Under this ‘less for more’ deal, Tehran will give up few nuclear concessions, keep most of its important nuclear advancements, and get billions of dollars to rescue its failing economy. Too many will see the hope of a longer and stronger agreement. But they will be like pilgrims in the desert looking at the horizon and seeing a mirage.” 

Beyond what is written above about geography, terror bases on the high seas, threats against Israel and the United States, and a revived Iran deal, the raw reality of dealing with the Islamic Imams is as follows: The Western nations do not yet fully understand that we are in a spiritual battle. The Islamic regime is intently—and patiently—laser focused on their fundamentalist religious goal centered on welcoming their divine Twelfth Imam, the Mahdi, who will rid the world of evil in a “final apocalyptic battle.” They have gradually indoctrinated their elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with this outlook, called Mahdism.

It is truly timely that millions of Christians joined in for the Isaiah 62 Global Prayer and Fasting for 21 days, which ended on Pentecost Sunday (Shavuot). With a terrorist ring of fire surrounding Israel within the physical and spiritual realm right now, do not be surprised if Israel must launch a first strike against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran in Syria. May the recent foundation of prayers worldwide enable Israel’s Defense Forces to deter attacks that would come from multiple fronts simultaneously. And may God deliver the Iranian people from the oppressive Islamic regime that is willing to sacrifice innocent citizens longing for freedom in order to achieve its evil intent. 

As we pray for Israel, let us remember the message of Deuteronomy 20:3-4: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

Please join CBN Israel in prayer this week for both Israel and the United States:

• Pray for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to “throw Israel’s enemies into confusion.” 
• Pray for the U.S. and all Western nations to be wise about the true nature of the Islamic regime. 
• Pray for protection for at-risk Israeli civilians amid any multiple-front attacks. 
• Pray for all branches of IDF to experience the Hand of God in every kind of battle. 

Arlene Bridges Samuels pioneered Christian outreach for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). After nine years on AIPAC’s staff, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her part-time as Outreach Director for their project, American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, guest columnist at All Israel News, and has frequently traveled to Israel since 1990. She co-edited The Auschwitz Album Revisited and is a board member for Violins of Hope South Carolina. Arlene attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summit and hosts her devotionals, The Eclectic Evangelical, on Facebook.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

The Israeli cabinet held its weekly meeting last Sunday in the Western Wall tunnels below the Temple Mount to celebrate the 56th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification. While this was not the cabinet’s first tunnel meeting, the symbolism and biblical mandates endure. How fitting, since Israel just celebrated a national holiday, Jerusalem Day, on May 18-19, where thousands marched through the Old City waving Israel’s blue and white flags in the streets in honor of the capital’s 1967 reunification. Psalm 122:3 established the ancient (now modern) proclamation, “The built-up Jerusalem is like a city that was joined together within itself.” 

On Capitol Hill last week, I attended an inspiring reception celebrating Jerusalem Day in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus (CIAC). Israel’s parliament first created the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus (KCAC) in 2004. KCAC has expanded under the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF) into a network of 51 parliaments and congresses globally. From Brazil to Botswana, Canada to Croatia, and South Korea to South Africa, IAF’s faith-based diplomacy is upheld by the eternal fact that “the State of Israel has the right to exist in peace within secure borders with Jerusalem as its indivisible, eternal capital.” They educate and empower pro-Israel, faith-based legislators worldwide. 

The United States caucus was the first one founded in 2006 after the Israel caucus. CIAC is a bipartisan, pro-Israel working group in the U.S. House of Representatives. Hundreds of guests celebrated the two-party pledge with both co-chairs—Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) and Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL)—speaking in one voice of support. More than 70 members of the U.S. Congress are in the pro-Israel caucus. Repeated cheers and applause from Israelis, Americans, Christians, and Jews saturated the room. 

Jordanna McMillan, newly appointed as U.S. Director for Israel Allies Foundation, emceed the program, observing: “In one of the most divisive political times that I remember, it’s nothing short of a miracle how Israel brings members together from opposite ends of the spectrum amid the rise of bold anti-Israel forces.” She adds that for legislators in the U.S. or the 51 IAF caucuses worldwide, their “biblical faith compels them to support the Jewish people and the State of Israel. The Judeo-Christian values that bind our nations together will not be broken.”

Josh Reinstein, who has been the director of Knesset Christian Allies Caucus since its inception, is now president of the Israel Allies Foundation. He observed, “The Congressional Israel Allies Caucus plays an important role in stressing the nonpartisan nature of the U.S.-Israel alliance. Faith-based diplomacy unites congressmen across the political divide based on shared values, which includes support for Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the State of Israel.” 

Israel’s Minister of Intelligence, Gila Gamliel, gave the keynote address. She totally caught my attention when she mentioned the words “Cyrus Accords”—how Cyrus, as king of ancient Persia, freed her ancestors and helped them rebuild their Temple. Gamliel then declared in a powerful statement, “I am honored to be here together with the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus to celebrate our capital, Jerusalem, on this historic occasion,” she said. “The prophets promised that Jerusalem would become a house of prayer for all nations and in today’s times we have seen that prophecy materialize. Over 2,000 years ago, Cyrus, the King of Persia, or modern-day Iran, proclaimed that Jews had the right to return to Israel and rebuild their second temple in Jerusalem. Just recently, as a Minister of the State of Israel, I had the privilege to invite the son of the last Shah of Iran to visit the site of that very temple.”

The exiled crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, sat in the audience. Afterward, a long line formed to shake the hands of Minister Gamliel and Crown Prince Pahlavi. Gamliel also asserted that any division of Jerusalem would have a chilling effect on freedom of religion that encompasses billions of people in the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

To amplify her statement: Between 1948 and 1967, Jordanians occupied east Jerusalem with oppressive policies until Israelis liberated and united their 3,000-year-old capital in the 1967 Six-Day War. For the first time in 2,000 years, Jews controlled their holiest sites—freely touching their Western Wall and hearing the shofar sounding the victory. Israel enacted their new Basic Laws guaranteeing religious freedom in the capital city and throughout Israel for the three Abrahamic faiths: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. 

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem’s President, Dr. Juergen Buehler, always speaks with eloquence. He summed up a fact we would do well to recall: “What happens in Congress saves lives in Israel.” If you think that nothing good happens in Congress, take time to learn that the Israel Allies Foundation is a ray of political light!

Gilad Erdan, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, has previously commented about Israel Allies, “We can count on you to be our Iron Dome of truth.” Friends, let us make sure that we in the Christian community live up to his Iron Dome description, shooting down rockets of lies endlessly aimed at the world’s only Jewish state. After all, Israel is our spiritual homeland and worth defending! 

Please join CBN Israel in prayer this week for the Jewish nation and people:

• Pray with thankfulness that we are grafted into the Jewish olive tree.
• Pray for the Israel Allies Foundation to grow exponentially amid the rise of Jew hatred.  
• Pray for the United States Congress to remain a bulwark of security support for Israel.
• Pray that more Christians will raise their voices of support for our spiritual homeland.

Arlene Bridges Samuels pioneered Christian outreach for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). After nine years on AIPAC’s staff, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her part-time as Outreach Director for their project, American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, guest columnist at All Israel News, and has frequently traveled to Israel since 1990. She co-edited The Auschwitz Album Revisited and is a board member for Violins of Hope South Carolina. Arlene attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summit and hosts her devotionals, The Eclectic Evangelical, on Facebook.