Israeli politics are back in the news again - specifically in a way that is important to the United States. Since Barack Obama assumed the presidency in January last year, the Israel-US relationship has cooled considerably. After many false starts and canceled visits, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, finally traveled back this week to Washington, D.C. for only his second meeting with his US counterpart, President Barack Obama. See below for a YouTube video of their Oval Office meeting from Britain's ITN News.
Hopefully the Obama and Netanyahu meeting will help begin to diffuse the rising level of animosity that has prevailed for much of the past year. Ultimately though, I'm certain it will take significantly longer for the average Israeli to begin to trust that President Obama has their (and Israel's) interests at heart. As the New York Time's reported yesterday: Photographers clicked away in the Oval Office as Mr. Obama praised the prime minister as someone "willing to take risks for peace" and blamed the press for reports of discord. Mr. Netanyahu loosely quoted Mark Twain, saying, "Reports about the demise of the special relationship aren’t just premature; they’re just flat wrong."
As an American in Israel, the feeling among the Israelis I've met has been an adamant and clearly voiced dislike for our president. By all accounts, President Obama is persona non grata among most Israelis. Looking at the situation from my American perspective I definitely understand (though don't agree) with their assessment. As I've quickly come to find out, Israelis view our politics (and political leaders) only through the limited lens of how much we support (or don't support) their position regarding the Palestinian situation.
The perception (rightly or wrongly) is that President Obama is taking a more Pro-Palestinian stance than his predecessor George W. Bush. For Israelis that is unacceptable. It will be interesting to see how this issue (i.e. changing US-Israel relations) plays out over the coming months - especially as other more pressing regional issues (unrelated to Gaza, settlements in the West Bank, or the peace process generally) come to a head (e.g. Hezbollah and Lebanon, Iran's nuclear ambitions, American withdrawal from Iraq, etc.).
For the past few years, I've been a regular reader of Andrew Sullivan's blog at The Atlantic. Andrew's political and social analysis is top notch, and though I don't always agree with everything he writes, I am always impressed by his thought provoking articles and the discussions his blog fosters.
Back in May 2006, Sullivan began a daily feature on his site that he called The View From Your Window. Originally started as a week-long experiment of reader submitted photos, the project quickly became a favorite of regular readers and has continued on ever since. Per his blog, here is the goal of this daily feature:
The point of the project is not to document snow fall in New Orleans, the aftermath of a hurricane in the South Pacific, or a beautiful sunset in the Arizona desert. The best window views are those depicting what you see everyday when you look outside. So show us - and every other reader - your world. Don't pretty it up; just show it as it is - a glimpse through the looking glass of a blog, at the world its readers live in.
This is really all it is - an opportunity for people to get brief looks into the daily lives of others throughout the world. Ultimately, this feature has been so successful, that last year it was turned into a book.
Anyway, what is the relevance for Smith in Israel? Our team has a pretty amazing view from our place in Haifa, so earlier this past week I submitted a photograph taken from the top window of our team's house to Andrew's blog. I really didn't think it had much of a chance to make the cut. Yet, lo-and-behold, out of the many hundreds of photos received daily, he selected mine for his Thursday post!
"The view from my window"
Photo by Daniel Branscome
Though my photo goes uncredited on his site (as are all other photos submitted to this feature) I think its still pretty cool that the Smith team's view of the world - at least for 9 weeks this summer - got to be shared in this way.
On Friday morning, after arriving in Tel Aviv, we went directly to a meeting with one of the most esteemed - yet understated and humble - entrepreneurs in Israel, Yossi Vardi. Our meeting took place at a local primary school in Tel Aviv, where we had a brief, but rewarding conversation with Yossi. The school, which is government run, had been at risk of closure five years ago. However, with the help of Yossi and other generous benefactors, the school has prospered enormously - improving its performance across the board.
"Children playing at the local school sponsored by Yossi Vardi"
Photo by Stephen Kushner
The school draws its students from both locals, as well as the children of foreign workers. Its student body is a veritable United Nations, with pupils from Africa, Asia, and South America. Unfortunately, many students are the sons and daughters of undocumented immigrants, and are at serious risk for deportation. This issue remains an enormous challenge and as such, Yossi and others are leading the charge to quickly and fairly address this issue by bringing their cause to the governments attention.
"Anne makes some new friends"
Photo by Kristin Thompson
In many ways, Yossi is the consummate entrepreneur. Some might even call him Israel's Warren Buffett. Interestingly, I think Yossi is like Buffett - less because of investing - but more because both individuals come across as very down to earth and very connected to real life. To be sure, Yossi talked with us about key trends in the technology and internet markets. However, he made a serious (and well received) argument about social entrepreneurship as well. According to Yossi, incorporating social values significantly and measurably increases the overall value of a venture.
"The team shoots the breeze with Yossi Vardi"
Photo by Kristin Thompson
At a conference in 2007, Yossi quoted Teddy Roosevelt - drawing a clear analogy between Roosevelt's speech and current entrepreneurs - which I think is worth sharing. It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Yossi definitely has a presence - and though known for his lighthearted nature - can also be quite serious (as I think his words, deeds and actions reveal) when he needs to be. Over the course of our meeting we learned a little bit about Yossi's philosophy. Additionally, Yossi made a pretty compelling case for being involved in (and selecting) investment projects that fit the dual criteria of creating both social and economic value. All in all, it was a highly rewarding visit. For some additional commentary on our program from Yossi himself, there's a short video after the jump.
The views expressed on this site are those of Daniel Branscome, hereafter referred to as "the owner", and do not necessarily represent those of the University of Maryland, the Robert H. Smith School of Business, or the Technion. All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this blog or found by following any link on this blog. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.
