Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

The fact that the world has a double standard when it comes to Israel is no secret. Things that are either accepted or ignored in the wide world become big news when Israel is involved, allowing the public at large and the United Nations in particular to go through a session of Jew bashing.

Five Jews died in an unbelievably dastardly attack on an Orthodox synagogue in Jerusalem. The New York Times headlined the story “Four Killed in Jerusalem Synagogue Complex.” How stupidly insensitive, inaccurate and anti-Jewish.

Second case in point: A bunch of thugs affiliated with ISIL/IS/ISIS killed 30 Egyptian soldiers (no word if the Egyptians got a single kill). The Egyptian response to this tragedy and other similar ones was to uproot a thousand or so residents in the Gaza/Sinai buffer zone move them out and destroy their homes. This so they can set up a semi-permanent barrier to protect Egypt from further incursion.

Now, suppose Israel, based on its recent experience in Gaza, decided to do the same thing: Bulldoze 800 homes to create a “buffer zone” between Israel and tunnel digging terrorists who try to get into Israel to kill civilians. Can you imagine, can you even fathom the ruckus that would cause?

Can’t you just see everyone from the Saudi delegation to Abbas to yes, even John Kerry in the U.N., on television and in person castigating the Jewish State. But for the military rulers of Egypt, for that virtual dictatorship? Not a peep.

It is hard these days to find positive press about Israel. Netanyahu continues to warn the world about Iran. But the talks drag on. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and only for domestic purposes. Then how come they have so many ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles)? What do they need those for?

President Obama reaches out to the grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He responds by calling for the destruction of Israel. Israeli goods and scholars are the targets of boycotts by universities and religious organizations. Is there any good news?

Well, yes.

Our son Tom, some of you may know, is an IDF veteran, an Israeli commando some years ago. This was of course, before wife Pam, daughters Ayelet and Dani and a hugely successful career as an entrepreneur.

We have known all along that one of Tom’s dreams is to have a business in Israel that would allow the family to travel there at least a few times a year. Well, if you are looking for new, breakthrough products in almost any field, chances are you will find them in Israel.

Tiny Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, which even the prime minister calls a “beleaguered democracy,” has the twelfth largest GDP in the world. With only seven million people? How is that possible?

Their greatest export is not oranges or new weapons, it is brains. And the ideas and products from those brains. Every Jewish mother knows her child is a genius. In Israel, as it turns out, a lot of them are right. And so everything from Voice Mail to Instant Messaging to Stuxnet comes from the brains of Israeli inventor/entrepreneurs.

Tom just returned from his latest trip to Eretz Israel. His basic mission on this trip was to take a 500 kilometer bike ride through the Negev. It was a fundraiser for ALYN Hospital. If you know the Negev, you know it is not a flat sand desert like the Sahara. Think New Mexico. It is hills and mountains and heat and wind.

Tom finished. The goal of every race competitor is to not have a DNF (Did Not Finish) next to their name. But, the other reason for the trip was to meet some of the Israeli entrepreneur inventor/product developers creating new technologies and products for the skin and hair care industry.

Through a business development contact in Israel, Tom met with a number of inventor entrepreneurs who have developed break through products in skin and hair care. The products will be manufactured in Israel and sold worldwide through the platform of Tom’s company. (You may know his products such as Hydroxatone, Miracle Skin and Keranique from television or the Internet).

No, this column is not an unsolicited commercial for our son’s products (although every little bit helps), it is rather to talk about what dynamic things are happening in Israel. At one time much of the innovation coming from Israel came through the IDF and their research and development wing. Today it is from a unique alliance between the universities and start-up companies.

Utilizing the talent and entrepreneurship of a number of bright young soon to be stars in partnership with the research capabilities of Technion, Hebrew U. and others, Israel is making product breakthroughs in a number of industries to make the world a better place in which to live.

Now, if the world would only help make Israel an even better place to live by treating them with the respect and support they deserve, there is probably no end to what these amazing people can contribute to our well-being.