Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Jewish tradition allocates 10 days for personal introspection and repentance. In recent generations, it is appropriate that we mark 10 days of thanks between Holocaust Remembrance Day and Israeli Independence Day.
Even if our "mouths were full of song like the sea and our tongues rejoiced like the rushing waves," we could not manage to express our thanks for the great good with which we are privileged to live in the generation of redemption. Only moments ago, we were being drowned in waves of death in Europe. Now, 70 years later, we are living in a strong, independent, advanced Jewish state.
This is backed up by figures collected for us by Dr. Adam Reuter, founder of Financial Immunities, and Noga Kainan, president of the CFO Forum. In their book "Israel – Island of Success," they write extensively about the subject. Here are the economic data in a nutshell – a lot of numbers that are worth delving into.
Over the three decades from 1987 to 2017, the population of Israel almost doubled, from 4.4 million to 8.75 million people. The number of cars rose from 171 for every 1,000 residents in 1987 to nearly 400 in 2017. The GDP increased 10-fold, from $35 billion to $358 billion. Per capita GDP was $8,000 in 1987 and increased five-fold 30 years later to $41,000.
Foreign currency reserves are an indicator of economic stability. In 1987, the Bank of Israel had $4 billion. Last year, it held $112 billion – an increase of 2,700%. The strength of the economy is also attributable to high flexibility: The Israeli economy is based on thousands of companies, most of which have niche specialties; distribution allows the economy to better handle change.
Let's go on. Since the start of the 21st century, the Israeli economy has grown by a total 65%, putting it at No. 2 among countries that are part of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in terms of growth, almost double the average economic growth of the 34 OECD member nations. The country's debt-to-GDP ratio continues to shrink. In 1987, government debt was 155% of the GDP; 30 years later it dropped to 59%. Israel is one of only two developed countries (the other is Norway) in which the debt-GDP ratio has decreased.
In 1987, the annual inflation rate stood at 16%; last year, it was less than 0.033%.
In 1987, 17% of GDP went to defense and security; 30 years later, we have lowered that figure to 4.5%. Back then, we received an amount equivalent to 7% of GDP in American aid; last year, that was down to a mere 1% - a drop of 86%. In 1987, Israeli exports totaled $10 billion, whereas last year we exported 10 times that, $102 billion. Well done!
The percentage of Israelis who participate in the workforce is stable, and much higher than in the rest of the OECD. Unemployment is at its lowest rate in 40 years, and is lower than in the OECD. In the past 30 years, the percentage of women in Israel who work has increased from 36% to 58%.
The four lowest percentiles have made a notable entry into the workforce. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of men and women from the lowest percentile supporting their families increased by 58%, while in the second-lowest percentile it increased by 73%. The third- and fourth-lowest percentiles have seen increases of 45% and 35%. The Gini Index indicates that inequality in Israel is down significantly.
On the demographic front, in the past five years, the number of new immigrants arriving in Israel has outpaced the number of those leaving by 20,000. Nearly 100,000 new immigrants have arrived in Israel in the past five years. Here's hoping for more.
In 1987, we did not know that a million new immigrants would soon be arriving from the Soviet Union. Let's pray that a million more new immigrants come in the next 10 years; there are plenty of signs that this may happen.
Since the start of the century, the birth rate for secular families, including families who arrived from the former Soviet Union, has risen by double figures. Israel has the youngest population of any OECD nation, with a median age of 30, compared to the OECD average of 42, and it ranks third in the world in educational levels, after Canada and Japan.
Thirty years ago, there were 70,000 college and university students in Israel; last year, that number was 316,000. Very nice. The "brain drain" has been met by "brain absorption." Since 2010, some 4,000 doctorate holders have returned to Israel, about half of whom have been hired by Israeli universities.
The Wolf Prize is considered the second most prestigious in the world, after the Nobel Prize. It is awarded to scientists working in the fields of medicine, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and agronomy, as well as art. Over a third of the winners go on to be awarded Nobel Prizes. Nineteen Israeli scientists have been awarded a Wolf Prize, in medicine, chemistry, and physics – 12% of all Wolf Prize laureates thus far. Three of them have won Nobel Prizes as well.
There is plenty more. Israel is ranked fifth in the world in terms of per capita patents. The truth is that we are first, because the biggest patent, which isn't counted, is Israel itself.
And despite the griping, Israelis are happy. Israel is ranked 11th in the World Happiness Index, just behind Sweden and Australia. We are ranked ahead of Germany (15), Luxembourg (17), the U.S. (18), and the U.K. (19).
International artists have been affected by the good mood, and many are unmoved by calls for cultural boycotts. In 2010, there were 22 appearances by international artists in Israel; last year that number rose to 140.
Two years ago, Israel was ranked 19th on the U.N. Human Development Index, which calculates life expectancy, education, and income, which may help explain why Israelis are happy. Israel was ahead of Belgium, Austria, France and Finland. Moreover, in the space of two years, we have risen 11 places on the World Economic Forum's Competitiveness Report.
Of course, we have many challenges and issues to improve and develop. But we'll leave the criticism for the rest of the year. Now we want to say thank you, and repeat the words of Joshua and Caleb: "The land is an exceedingly good land" (Numbers 14:7).
During these days, we should be doing as the great historian Yosef Klausner wrote: "We have thought about what was attained … considered the great and small steps the country took toward the goals of expansion, advancement and purpose."
Our account is even more exciting: How old are we, as a people? It has been at least 3,200 years, if not more, since the Israelite tribes crossed the Jordan River in the 13th century BCE. Generations of Jews have lived and died since then. The State of Israel can be seen as being like a person, 70 years old, mature. But in the historical arithmetic of the Jewish people, it is a mere toddler. Our forefathers and foremothers prayed for this young being amid their tears in the various diasporas, persecutions and waves of killings. Now that it has been born, let us give thanks.
