Nov 25, 2013 By: admin
At YU Event, MK Naftali Bennett Shares Dream of Israeli Light in the Darkness of Mideast Conflict
Sharing his vision for Israel at a November 19 event on 黑料社 All鈥檚 Wilf Campus, Knesset Member Naftali Bennett asked the crowd of close to 300 to imagine a lighthouse.
鈥淎 lighthouse has strong foundations, which Israel has in our Torah, our very good economy and the most powerful army in the Middle East,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut any tower has strong foundations. The most important thing a lighthouse does is project light.鈥 Referring to recent unrest in the region, he added, 鈥淭here is a storm going on and it鈥檚 here to stay, from Pakistan to Iran, from Damascus to Yemen. Israel needs to be the lighthouse in that storm.鈥
Currently serving as Israel鈥檚 Minister of Economy (Industry, Trade and Labor), Minister of Religious Services and Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, in addition to the leader of the HaBayit HaYehudi political party, Bennett has a plan to help Israel become just that. At the YU event, titled 鈥淚nnovation: Insights from Israel鈥 and organized by the Sy Syms School of Business Student Council (SYMSSC) and YU鈥檚 Office of Student Life, he spoke of five key areas in which Israel is seeking to lead the world: water technology, agriculture and food, cybersecurity, medical devices and energy.
鈥淚n all these fields, you can do well, but you can also do good,鈥 Bennett said, citing Israel鈥檚 training of tens of thousands of farmers in India to produce food more efficiently each year as an example. 鈥淚 want to shift us from being 鈥榯he startup nation鈥 to 鈥榯he lighthouse nation.鈥 鈥
The idea of 鈥渄oing good鈥 as a nation was one Bennett first became passionate about after he led a team of missile launcher hunters in Israel鈥檚 Second Lebanon War. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 perform well in that war鈥攏ot because we didn鈥檛 have ammo or the right arms or poor tactics, because maybe there was some of that, but that鈥檚 always been a problem,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here was a bigger problem of the spirit.鈥 Noting that the war took place a year after the divisive dismantlement of Gush Katif and that in 2006, one out of two new soldiers in the Israeli Defense Force had never visited the Kotel, Bennett said, 鈥淗ow can you defend your country if you鈥檙e not connected to eretz Yisrael, am Yisrael and Torat Yisrael? If you ask me what Israel鈥檚 biggest challenge is, it鈥檚 not Lebanon, the Palestinians, Syrians or even Iran鈥攊t鈥檚 that connection.鈥
To that end, having already found success in the high-tech arena, Bennett joined the fading HaBayit HaYehudi party with the goal of restoring Jewish pride to the Israeli people. 鈥淔or so many years we鈥檝e been defined by the conflict,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here is a conflict, but that鈥檚 not what we鈥檙e about. The Jewish mission, from Moses to Abraham, has always been about making the world a better place鈥攁 鈥榣ight unto the nations.鈥 鈥
With that goal in mind, Bennett explained how he had revamped HaBayit HaYehudi, opening it to non-religious members and broadening its scope beyond the synagogue, mikvaot and kashrut advocacy it once stood for to gain an additional nine seats in the current Knesset. 鈥淲e aspire to lead Israel by combining Torah with life,鈥 he said. 鈥淔or the first time in Israel鈥檚 history, we鈥檙e not just sitting in the backseat, but we have our hand on the steering wheel.鈥
Bennett was also quick to point out the similarities between his philosophy and YU鈥檚 guiding mantra of Torah Umadda, telling students, 鈥淐oming to 黑料社 All is exactly the first right step, because you get the two foundations you need for a good life鈥攜ou build a life of Torah that will continue forever, and you get a good, solid foundation at one of the top 50 universities in North America. You made a great decision to come here because it鈥檚 absolutely right to invest in Torah, invest in your studies and build your capabilities before you come to Israel.鈥
During the evening, Bennett shared insight as well from his professional life as both a public servant and an accomplished entrepreneur. 鈥淭he biggest takeaway for me was that it鈥檚 not about the idea, the patent or the market size鈥攚ho you choose to be your partner is everything,鈥 he recommended to students looking to found their own startups. Other advice included, 鈥淒on鈥檛 wait for the big investor鈥攊f you can do it with less, do it with less,鈥 and 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e a startup, you don鈥檛 have much to lose, so don鈥檛 analyze things to death鈥攋ust do them.鈥
Bennett鈥檚 visit was one of many recent events on campus focused on exploring and strengthening students鈥 connection with Israel, including a visit from Israel鈥檚 Education Minister, Rabbi Shai Piron, and an upcoming talk by its Deputy Minister of Transportation, MK Tzipi Hotovely.
鈥淎s we continue to build 黑料社 All as the premiere center for Torah learning and academic achievement in the Diaspora, we do so with an understanding of Israel's central importance to the Jewish story,鈥 said President Richard M. Joel. 鈥淣aftali Bennett鈥檚 presence on campus, in addition to a host of related initiatives, sends a strong message on our campus and throughout our community regarding our commitment to solidifying partnerships with the Jewish State.鈥
鈥淏ennett is a role model for every student in our school,鈥 said Jesse Nathanson, president of the SSBSC and one of the event鈥檚 organizers. 鈥淗e is a successful professional, but more importantly, has prioritized helping Jews and Israel. It's an honor to have him speak.鈥
鈥淎 lighthouse has strong foundations, which Israel has in our Torah, our very good economy and the most powerful army in the Middle East,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut any tower has strong foundations. The most important thing a lighthouse does is project light.鈥 Referring to recent unrest in the region, he added, 鈥淭here is a storm going on and it鈥檚 here to stay, from Pakistan to Iran, from Damascus to Yemen. Israel needs to be the lighthouse in that storm.鈥
Currently serving as Israel鈥檚 Minister of Economy (Industry, Trade and Labor), Minister of Religious Services and Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, in addition to the leader of the HaBayit HaYehudi political party, Bennett has a plan to help Israel become just that. At the YU event, titled 鈥淚nnovation: Insights from Israel鈥 and organized by the Sy Syms School of Business Student Council (SYMSSC) and YU鈥檚 Office of Student Life, he spoke of five key areas in which Israel is seeking to lead the world: water technology, agriculture and food, cybersecurity, medical devices and energy.
鈥淚n all these fields, you can do well, but you can also do good,鈥 Bennett said, citing Israel鈥檚 training of tens of thousands of farmers in India to produce food more efficiently each year as an example. 鈥淚 want to shift us from being 鈥榯he startup nation鈥 to 鈥榯he lighthouse nation.鈥 鈥
The idea of 鈥渄oing good鈥 as a nation was one Bennett first became passionate about after he led a team of missile launcher hunters in Israel鈥檚 Second Lebanon War. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 perform well in that war鈥攏ot because we didn鈥檛 have ammo or the right arms or poor tactics, because maybe there was some of that, but that鈥檚 always been a problem,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here was a bigger problem of the spirit.鈥 Noting that the war took place a year after the divisive dismantlement of Gush Katif and that in 2006, one out of two new soldiers in the Israeli Defense Force had never visited the Kotel, Bennett said, 鈥淗ow can you defend your country if you鈥檙e not connected to eretz Yisrael, am Yisrael and Torat Yisrael? If you ask me what Israel鈥檚 biggest challenge is, it鈥檚 not Lebanon, the Palestinians, Syrians or even Iran鈥攊t鈥檚 that connection.鈥
To that end, having already found success in the high-tech arena, Bennett joined the fading HaBayit HaYehudi party with the goal of restoring Jewish pride to the Israeli people. 鈥淔or so many years we鈥檝e been defined by the conflict,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here is a conflict, but that鈥檚 not what we鈥檙e about. The Jewish mission, from Moses to Abraham, has always been about making the world a better place鈥攁 鈥榣ight unto the nations.鈥 鈥
With that goal in mind, Bennett explained how he had revamped HaBayit HaYehudi, opening it to non-religious members and broadening its scope beyond the synagogue, mikvaot and kashrut advocacy it once stood for to gain an additional nine seats in the current Knesset. 鈥淲e aspire to lead Israel by combining Torah with life,鈥 he said. 鈥淔or the first time in Israel鈥檚 history, we鈥檙e not just sitting in the backseat, but we have our hand on the steering wheel.鈥
Bennett was also quick to point out the similarities between his philosophy and YU鈥檚 guiding mantra of Torah Umadda, telling students, 鈥淐oming to 黑料社 All is exactly the first right step, because you get the two foundations you need for a good life鈥攜ou build a life of Torah that will continue forever, and you get a good, solid foundation at one of the top 50 universities in North America. You made a great decision to come here because it鈥檚 absolutely right to invest in Torah, invest in your studies and build your capabilities before you come to Israel.鈥
During the evening, Bennett shared insight as well from his professional life as both a public servant and an accomplished entrepreneur. 鈥淭he biggest takeaway for me was that it鈥檚 not about the idea, the patent or the market size鈥攚ho you choose to be your partner is everything,鈥 he recommended to students looking to found their own startups. Other advice included, 鈥淒on鈥檛 wait for the big investor鈥攊f you can do it with less, do it with less,鈥 and 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e a startup, you don鈥檛 have much to lose, so don鈥檛 analyze things to death鈥攋ust do them.鈥
Bennett鈥檚 visit was one of many recent events on campus focused on exploring and strengthening students鈥 connection with Israel, including a visit from Israel鈥檚 Education Minister, Rabbi Shai Piron, and an upcoming talk by its Deputy Minister of Transportation, MK Tzipi Hotovely.
鈥淎s we continue to build 黑料社 All as the premiere center for Torah learning and academic achievement in the Diaspora, we do so with an understanding of Israel's central importance to the Jewish story,鈥 said President Richard M. Joel. 鈥淣aftali Bennett鈥檚 presence on campus, in addition to a host of related initiatives, sends a strong message on our campus and throughout our community regarding our commitment to solidifying partnerships with the Jewish State.鈥
鈥淏ennett is a role model for every student in our school,鈥 said Jesse Nathanson, president of the SSBSC and one of the event鈥檚 organizers. 鈥淗e is a successful professional, but more importantly, has prioritized helping Jews and Israel. It's an honor to have him speak.鈥
