The great thing about traveling so much, is I get to spend a ton of time reading. And lately I’ve been spending a lot of time in India and books are much cheaper than in the US or UK, so I’ve been stocking up on a lot of great, new reads. My latest find is Thou Shalt Innovate: How Israeli Ingenuity Repairs the World by Avi Jorisch. This great book introduces a variety of Israeli innovators who have changed the world.
Many of us know Israel as a hub for technology and medical innovations, but Jorisch provides a wide variety of innovations from the young country. As Israel has a lack of resources and is under constant threat from terrorism and hostile neighbors, Israelis have a natural entrepreneurial mindset. In addition, the country was founded on the Hebrew concept of tikkum olam meaning to “repair the world”. So the constant search to improve is part of Israel’s culture.
Israelis are known for their grit, determination, and chutzpah (Hebrew/Yiddish for, extreme self-confidence or audacity, which originally was negative, but now is a compliment). A persistent determination to survive and succeed has provided the foundation for many of the country’s famous innovators. Israeli’s do-good attitude based on religious teachings, the freedom to challenge authority, and an aspirational spirit has fostered many incredible innovators who have not only influenced Israel, but the entire world.
One such innovator is Eli Beer who created a volunteer force of medics to provide medical assistance while injured and sick people often waited long times for ambulances. Beer realized that many people were dying due to the long waits for ambulances, so he combined his background as an emergency medical technician (EMT) and created a network across the country of volunteers medics. The volunteers go through six months of training and a 200 hour first-aid course, before they are allowed to respond to medical emergencies. Beer also adopted motorcycles and scooters to allow the medics to get through traffic quickly to ensure patients received medical care in hard-to-reach areas. These “ambucycles” allow the medics to quickly respond to areas of high traffic congestion and in distant locations of the cities. Another innovation was staffing the network with Arabs and Jews. So now Arabs are saving Jews, and Jews are saving Arabs helping to reduce stereotypes and bring the two groups closer together.
Jorisch also tells the story of Simcha Blass, an Israeli water expert who along with Rafi Mehoudar created modern drip irrigation. When Bass noticed a dripping faucet near a large tree, he realized that the tree was able to survive and flourish with a small amount of water. He realized most plants only need a small, focused supply of water to grow. The invention has allowed Israel to turn the desert into an oasis and create a large agricultural industry.
Or Shlomo Navaro who invented the Grain Cocoon to allow grain to be stored for long periods without the damage caused by insects and resultant loss of product. His Grain Pro, a non-profit which helps many rural villages (especially in Africa) to store crops was based on a simple question: how to store large amounts of grain for long periods of time with almost no losses?
And after years of study and experimentation, the idea came to him in a dream. This example shows that hard work, the persistence to never give up, and allowing yourself the time to let the various information incubate, can bring new ideas at the strangest of times.
Another amazing story was how Harry Zui Tabor, a physicist and engineer created the modern solar water system. After the 1973 oil crisis, Israel realized they had to find new sources of energy. Then in 1976 a new law required all new homes and buildings to be equipped with solar water collectors. Tabor’s invention is now used in approximately 90% of Israeli homes and is estimated to save Israel about 8% of its energy consumption. Many times, a crisis can bring about amazing innovations.
The book also shared the story of Gavriel Iddan who invented the ingestible camera and radio transmitter to examine the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The typical procedure to examine the GI tract is with an endoscope, which is very intrusive, can cause internal damage, and is very expensive. Iddan’s company Given Imaging, setup in 2001, produced the PillCam, which is minimally invasive and much cheaper than a typical endoscope procedure. The only drawback is the PillCam cannot remove polyps, where as endoscopes do.
However, the PillCam provides high-definition images which allow doctors to see the entire small intestine in detail compared to often “grainy” images from endoscopes. Iddan who was an expert in rockets and cameras, but not in endoscopes or the human body, used the First Principles technique to study endoscopes and the various procedures from the ground-up, allowing him a fresh perspective and the ability to create something better. Using the First Principles technique provides a way to rethink problems. You don’t assume anything, ask basic questions such as, What are we absolutely sure is true? What has been proven? You look at the basic principles and then improve each level.
Throughout the book Jorisch provides many inspirational stories and great examples of innovation. From high-tech to low-tech, the examples in the book demonstrate not just the amazing innovators within Israel, but provides a lesson on what it takes to solve problems. As Jorish notes, the Israeli notion of being a mensch (a person of integrity and honor) is an integral part of Israel’s success. Trying your hardest to make the world a better place, never giving up, living life with honor and integrity, and most of all having a good time are lessons for all of us to follow. I highly recommend his book as a great read, source of inspiration, and lesson in how to change the world.
Resource
Thou Shalt Innovate: How Israeli Ingenuity Repairs the World by Avi Jorisch