Yitzhak Navon, from the generation of the State of Israel’s founding fathers, left the younger generation a digital will, with a message of quality and technology.

Yitzhak Navon, the fifth president of the State of Israel, was a modest man, an educator with strong values and a love of humanity. He passed away last month, on November 6, 2015. Six years ago, at age 88, the former president decided to sit in front of a video camera and speak for almost an hour about his past, and mainly to convey his message for the future. Navon, who was from the generation of the State of Israel’s founding fathers, left the younger generation a digital will, with a message of quality and technology.

In the early years after the proclamation of the State, Navon headed the office of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. When asked in the video interview about Ben-Gurion’s worldview, Navon replied that it could be summed up in this statement of Ben-Gurion’s: “We can never compete with our rivals, who are now enemies, not in wealth, assets, oil or minerals, but only in quality, and moral, scientific, and technological superiority. And the condition for Israel’s existence is dependent on quality, on the face of the society we represent. They’ll also always have more tanks and planes and people, but scientific-technological superiority will aid us in our hour of need.”

It is remarkable to realize that back in the 1950s, just a few years after the establishment of the State in 1948, the fledgling nation’s first leader already knew that Israel would enjoy a scientific and technological advantage. It’s as if he was marking out the path of who we are today – a small, young country that has been labeled “the startup nation.”

Israeli culture is known for its people’s entrepreneurial abilities. These are individuals who come up with great new ideas, take calculated risks, and act ambitiously to make their innovative endeavors succeed and achieve their dreams.

Despite the country’s young age and small geographic area (roughly the same size as New Jersey!), Israelis have enjoyed tremendous international success in a variety of fields. It is no exaggeration to say that Israeli inventions have brought about significant changes in the world. Following are some examples:

Smart Dripper – An irrigation pipe accessory that releases water in small spurts. Its development led to a global revolution in irrigation and fertilization methods, and impacted worldwide agriculture.

Disk-on-Key: A USB device acting as an external hard drive that uses flash memory and enables file transfers between the host and the USB device. The product’s Israeli name, “Disk-on-Key” has become a generic term for this important new technology. In other countries, you can find the same device under other names such as Flash Drive, USB Stick or Thumb Drive.

Iron Dome – Anti-rocket mobile defense solution. Iron Dome functions in all weather conditions and is able to respond to multiple simultaneous threats. It has won global acclaim, and several countries have expressed interest in acquiring the technology.

Waze – An Israeli crowdsourced social navigation GPS application. It works by blending GPS with the smartphone user community. In 2014, Waze was acquired by Google for over a billion dollars!

Cherry tomatoes – The common variety of cherry tomatoes consumed today was first created in Israel. The cherry tomato was conceived of as a healthy snack that could be conveniently eaten while watching TV. Indeed, the original name was “television tomato,” but its similarity to a cherry led to the present name, and cherry tomatoes are enjoyed all over the world.

All these inventions and products, along with many others, were developed by Israelis and occupy dominant places on the international market.

During the past two decades, high-tech industries have contributed significantly to Israel’s progress and economy. In spite of the nation’s limited natural resources and a surplus of both domestic and international obstacles, its progress, technology, quality and education are paramount. And Yitzhak Navon stressed all of these factors in his will and testament to the next generation. He is the first Israeli politician and educator to have left a video will, and did so with a message of progress and technology, and their extreme importance.

What makes Israeli business culture so unique?

Anyone interested in better understanding Israeli business culture, its roots and characteristics, is invited to purchase the book Israeli Business Culture on Amazon. This practical book combines background information with real-life anecdotes and recommendations for good cross-cultural communication.

Read more about the author of the book and the blog, Osnat Lautman, and the services offered by the company OLM Consulting, at the website www.olm-consulting.com.