The Genius of Israel by Dan Senor and Saul Singer is part-sequel to their bestseller Start-Up Nation (though the authors demure from this perspective) and part comprehensive optimistic evaluation of the civil society of Israel, specifically its robustness to challenging secular trends: fragmentation, atomization, polarization, etc. Senor and Singer argue that Israeli civil society possesses distinct features that help mitigate against these social-fabric-threatening trends. They call these features innovations, identifying four of them: the kibbutz, youth movements that facilitate vertical transmission of cultural values and practices, the military as bulwark and melting pot, and leadership academies. Senor and Singer also point out that Israeli culture has developed a deep sense of purpose, a strong commitments to family values, and a resilient perspective about their past and future.

Although this book's publication comes at a time where Israel is mourning a horrific terror attack, engaged in a military intervention against Hamas, and trying to navigate a fraught political moment (court reforms, settlement tension, etc), Senor and Singer's claims are still persuasive. I would wager in a year the Senor and Singer vision will look more plausible that the turmoil that appears to be the case in the latest news today. Regardless, this is certainly a moment where readers can benefit from thoughtful works on Israel.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but it was very entertaining and I learned so much about Israel. However it was great to be learning at the same time as being fully engaged stimulated. I was reading well into the night to discover how 3 young adults could land a craft on the moon.

This is a great sequel to Start-Up Nation. At a time when life I. Israel is, as the authors acknowledge, complicated and messy, this is an inspiring telling of sides of Israel and Israeli society that few pay attention to. The social nd cultural dimensions tHat Senor and Singer describe are known but forgotten in the larger narrative that consumes our attention. They remind the reader that Israel continues to inspire in spite of the chaos within and sypurrounding this tiny and complicated nation.