Kugel to google

Kugel to google

The People of the Book.  From kugel to Google — two small pieces of a legacy that spans millennia. When you see a small, persecuted people keep punching up and coming out on top, again and again, it's worth trying to understand how. Maybe it starts with the name we were given by other nations: the People of the Book.

That title comes from the Jewish people's devotion to the Torah. Over the centuries, that devotion grew into an entire culture of study, questioning, and debate — a mindset that would go on to produce the Mishnah, the Talmud, and a whole tradition of commentary and argument that persists to this day. It wasn't just holy books. It was a nation training itself to think. To question. To wrestle with ideas across generations, spread out in a diaspora that spanned the globe. 

A Nobel Legacy.  A common method of contextualizing this notion is by looking at prestigious academic awards. Jewish people make up roughly 0.2 percent of the world's population, yet have won over 20 percent of all Nobel Prizes — including roughly a quarter of all Physics and Medicine prizes, and about 40 percent of Economics prizes ever awarded. The statistics are staggering and undeniable. We should take great pride that our legacy is one of being a light unto the nations.

From Sinai to Silicon Valley.  In America, that impact runs deep, especially in the technology capital, Silicon Valley. Larry Page and Sergey Brin built Google. Mark Zuckerberg built Facebook. Larry Ellison built Oracle. Steve Ballmer led Microsoft. Michael Dell founded Dell. And most recently, Sam Altman — the visionary behind OpenAI and ChatGPT — brought AI to the marketplace.  It's worth stopping to reflect just with those few names how much the Jewish legacy impacts the whole of humanity.

Before Silicon Valley, There Was Hollywood.  Long before Silicon Valley existed, Jewish immigrants were already helping reshape the country and the world. Sam Goldwyn, the Warner brothers, Louis B. Mayer — Jewish immigrants who arrived with nothing and went on to literally invent Hollywood, creating the American film industry from scratch and spreading American values and the culture of liberty to every corner of the globe.  And to be completely fair, Hollywood came up with a way to use silicon way before Silicon Valley did.... (oye vey) 

The Start-Up Nation: Tech, Water, and War.  Then there's Israel — a country smaller than New Jersey, surrounded by hostile neighbors, with basically no natural resources — and yet it has earned the nickname "Start-Up Nation". Israel has more companies listed on NASDAQ than every country in the world except the US and China.  Let's peak under the lid to see what they've been cooking...

Water — this one is tremendous. Israel is over 60% desert, and for decades it lived under a perpetual water shortage crisis. Today, close to 80% of Israel's drinking water comes from sustainable desalination — turning Mediterranean seawater into something you can drink, at a scale no other nation has matched. And it doesn't stop there: Israel also recycles roughly 86% of its wastewater for agricultural irrigation, the highest rate on earth — second-place Spain recycles under 20%. Nations from India to Brazil to across Africa now hire Israeli water experts to help solve their own shortages.  

In addition to water recycling, Israel has super-powered its agriculture sector with its invention and implementation of drip irrigation technology.  Now used in over 110 countries, this breakthrough is credited with cutting agricultural water use by roughly half while maintaining or even increasing crop yields. This was the secret to Israel "making the desert bloom." Remarkably, this desert nation is now a net exporter of food and water. 🤯

And when it comes to defense, Israel is a powerhouse.  Whether its firearms, fighter jet tech, battlefield AI and more, Israel is at the forefront of innovation and is a leader in defense exports.  They say necessity is the mother on invention, Israel is exhibit A.  Air defense is a primary example.  Israel didn't just build the Iron Dome — the most battle-tested missile defense system in history — it went much further. In December 2025, Israel became the first nation in the world to field an operational high-power laser air defense system: the Iron Beam.  A game changer capable of destroying incoming rockets, drones, and mortars for a cost of just a few dollars in electricity per interception. Science fiction, made real, in the Middle East.

It's tikkun olam in action — the Jewish concept of repairing the world, one invention at a time. Between kugel and Google and beyond, a whole lot of history is being made. Just another reason — you gotta love the Jews!

 

A Few Personal Thoughts.  This topic fits exactly with our brand and core mission. It covers a broad spectrum with no shortage of sources or details to tell the story.  I want to stress that it holds an important lesson I hope everyone can learn and be strengthened by, especially in these trying times.

We often debate what it means to be "a light unto the nations," and especially "the chosen people" — and it's true, this notion can rub some people the wrong way when not understood properly. Being chosen should never be expressed as anything resembling superiority. In fact, when you look at what we've had to endure, it's much easier to argue that our "chosen" status is more burden than blessing. This reminds me of Tevye's line to HaShem in Fiddler on the Roof: "I know, I know. We are Your chosen people. But, once in a while, can't You choose someone else?" I love that line.

Here's the point: the story of the Jewish people is a miracle by any stretch of the imagination. Just surviving alone is mind-blowing — but combined with the biblical prophecy of both our exile and our role as a light for the rest of humanity, the only thing that makes sense is that we are a miracle. Seen in that light, we can fully realize our true purpose: to show all — Jew and gentile — that HaShem is real and worth pursuing.

Go Deeper

Below is a selection of articles and videos that expand on the scale of accomplishments we can be proud of. I urge you to get familiar with this content so you can spread it to friend and foe alike. Why foe, you ask? There's a bittersweet irony in the anti semite who rails against Jews online — doing so on Facebook, built by a Jewish kid from New Jersey, over Wi-Fi technology invented by a Jewish Hollywood actress, on a device powered by processors designed in Israel. The tools of their hatred were largely built by the people they hate.  I hope you enjoy the following selection.


 

  • A few videos to further illustrate the points above.

 

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