Prophets, profits and the next 60 years

By Nechemia Meyers

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My typically jolly TV repairman was a little less upbeat than usual this morning. He began our chat with an unexpected question. “How long will it be,” he asked me, “before Israel disappears?”

After explaining that I never even considered such a possibility, I asked him why he did.

“I am overwhelmed by the threats facing us, as are the other members of my family. In fact, two of my daughters have moved to the States and a third is planning to join them,” he declared.

My repairman is not typical of all Israelis, but there is a great deal of concern in the air, which was not even alleviated by the usually festive Israel Independence Day festivities. With the prime minister under a cloud and Hezbollah advances in Lebanon, it already seems certain that the next 60 years won’t be easier than the first 60.

Just last week, by chance or otherwise, Israelis learned more details about the primary reason they have survived up to now—the country’s presumed possession of nuclear weapons. This is hardly news, as the issue has been analyzed in hundreds of articles and innumerable books published overseas.

But there was new information in a “Yediot Aharonot” article by Eitan Haber—Yitzhak Rabin’s right-hand man. Haber listed the names of those who had contributed most to our nuclear development. A couple of those named by Haber, presumably with permission of the government, were politicians, namely Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and his aide, Shimon Peres. The rest were government officials and scientists, most of whom were hitherto little known.

People of that sort are still working hard to reinforce Israel’s defenses in various spheres and to turning scientific ideas into scientific hardware and processes.

Now we will have to see if the behavior of our public figures can rise to that of our scientists and soldiers.

It is certainly not very encouraging to see on one page of our papers a report about suffering in Sderot and on another page a story about luxurious parties hosted by local plutocrats.

The No. 1 party-giver is probably Russian immigrant Arkadi Gydamack. He has piles of money from questionable sources, and uses it to buy sports teams, companies and influence here. His new political party is presently represented by two Knesset members some people think he bought.

What about those Knesset members who can’t be bought? They are the majority and could set new standards of behavior. But will they?

Meanwhile, even under present circumstances, major international companies appear to be more optimistic about Israel’s prospects than my repairman. Dozens of hi-tech firms have already set up branches here, and hardly a day goes by without another one announcing its intention of joining the parade.

It is not Moses or Theodore Herzl who bring them. It is the belief that we can produce not only prophets, but also profits.

Nechemia Meyers is a writer in Rehovot, Israel.