Israel’s military prowess — operational and technological alike — is renowned; but the Jewish state,population 7.7 million, is no less impressive in other areas too:
High technology: “Over the past two decades Israel has been transformed from a semisocialist backwater into a high-tech superpower. Adjust for population and Israel leads the world in the number of high-tech start-ups and the size of the venture-capital industry.” (“Beyond the start-up nation,” The Economist, December 29, 2010.) Israeli exports amounted to US$80.5 billion in 2010.
Classical music: “Israel has become a pocket superpower in the arts, most visibly in classical music. … The distinctly Israeli take on the European classical tradition has become the country’s most notable cultural export.” (David P. Goldman, “Pioneers: A mix of passion and tradition makes Israel a classical-musical superpower,” Tablet, July 21, 2010.)
