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Hey Silicon Valley! Did you know…

• Microsoft built their first R&D facility outside the US in Israel.
• Cisco built their first R&D facility outside the US in Israel.
• Motorola’s Israel facility is the company’s largest development center worldwide.
• IBM chose Israel for its first VC investment outside of the US.
• Google opened two R&D centers in Israel.
• Your company name here…

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It’s the Israeli economy, chaver!

• Israel had the largest GNP growth (8%) of any Western country for Q4 2006.
• The U.S. is Israel’s largest trading partner and exports to the U.S. made up 45% of Israel’s $43 billion in exports (2005).
• In 2006, the Israeli high-tech industry exported $14.1 billion in goods, up 20% over 2005.
• Startups raised $842 million in the first half of 2007 — the highest level in five years.

Israel Means Business.

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Where in the world?

• is your flu medicine from?
• did you get that cell phone?
• is your microprocessor produced?
• was a voicemail technology invented?
  
• hosts the latest smallpox research?
  
• pioneered non-invasive treatment for fibroid tumors?
  
• developed most of the Windows operating system?
  
• did AOL Instant Messenger start out?

Find your place in the world of Israel.

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Look what Israel has accomplished in 60 years:

• The world’s highest ratio of university degrees to population
  
• The world’s highest number of scientists and technicians per 10,000 workers
  
• The world’s highest percentage of workers employed in technical professions
  
• More than 3,500 start-up companies, mostly in high-tech
  
• A $100 billion economy — larger than all its immediate neighbors combined
  
• The largest number of biotech start-ups on a per capita basis
  
• Number two ranking following the U.S. in venture capital funds
  
• The world’s highest percentage of home computers per capita
  
• Has more museums per capita than any other country
  
• Has the world’s second highest per-capita publication of new books

  Israel. 60 years never looked so good.

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Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day)

The full name of the day commemorating the victims of the Holocaust is “Yom HaShoah Ve-Hagevurah,” literally the “Day of (remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism.” It is marked on the 27th day in the month of Nisan, a week after the seventh day of Passover, and a week before Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers).

Since the early 1960s, the sound of a siren on Yom HaShoah stops traffic and pedestrians throughout the State of Israel for two minutes of silent devotion.

The siren blows at sundown and once again at 11:00 a.m. on this date. All radio and television programs during this day are connected in one way or another with the Jewish destiny in World War II, including personal interviews with survivors. Even the musical programs are adapted to the atmosphere of Yom HaShoah. There is no public entertainment on Yom HaShoah, as theaters, cinemas, pubs, and other public venues are closed throughout Israel.

While Yom HaShoah rituals vary from country to country, there is no question that this day holds great meaning for Jews worldwide. 

The overwhelming theme that runs through all observances is the importance of remembering — recalling the victims of this catastrophe, and insuring that such a tragedy never happen again.

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Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day for fallen Israeli soldiers)

The day preceding Israel’s Independence Day was declared by the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) to be a Memorial Day for those who lost their lives in the struggle that led to the establishment of the State of Israel and for all military personnel who have been killed while in active duty in Israel’s armed forces. Joining these two days together conveys a simple message: Israelis owe the independence and the very existence of the Jewish state to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it.

This Israeli Memorial Day is different in its character and mood from the American Memorial Day.

For 24 hours (from sunset to sunset) all places of public entertainment (theaters, cinemas, nightclubs, pubs, etc.) are closed. The most noticed feature of the day is the sound of a siren that is heard throughout the country twice, during which the entire nation observes a two-minute standstill of all traffic and daily activities. The first siren marks the beginning of Memorial Day at 8:00 p.m., and the second is at 11:00 a.m., before the public recitation of prayers in the military cemeteries. All radio and television stations broadcast programs portraying the lives and heroic deeds of fallen soldiers. Much of the broadcasting time is devoted to Israeli songs that convey the mood of the day. 

Yom HaZikaron is not conceived as a religious commemoration by the majority of Israelis, but as part of the civil culture. The siren sound inspires awe and sanctity no less than any traditional religious ceremony.

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Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day)

Israel's Independence Day is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the state, when members of the "provisional government" read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv.

In the State of Israel it is a formal holiday; so almost everyone has the day off.

Yom Ha’atzmaut in Israel is always preceded by Yom HaZikaron — Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers. The message of linking these two days is clear: Israelis owe their independence —the very existence of the state — to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it.  

The official “switch” from Yom Hazikaron to Yom Ha’atzmaut takes place a few minutes after sundown, with a ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem in which the flag is raised from half staff (due to Memorial Day) to the top of the pole. The president of Israel delivers a speech of congratulations, and soldiers representing the army, navy, and air force parade with their flags. An evening parade is followed by a torch lighting (hadlakat masuot) ceremony, which marks the country's achievements in all spheres of life. 

Other than the official ceremonies, Israelis celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut in a variety of ways. In the cities, the nighttime festivities may be found on the main streets. Crowds will gather to watch public shows offered for free by the municipalities and the government. Many spend the night dancing Israeli folk dances or singing Israeli songs. During the daytime thousands of Israeli families go out on hikes and picnics. Army camps are open for civilians to visit and to display the recent technological achievements of the Israeli Defense Forces. Yom Ha'atzmaut is concluded with the ceremony of granting the Israel Prize, recognizing individual Israelis for their unique contribution to the country's culture, science, arts, and the humanities.

For American Jews, celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut has been a way to express solidarity with the state of Israel and to strengthen their alliance with it.