“What has Judaism brought to the world?” That was the theme of this year’s Kesher Day conference in Geneva, held on November 5th at the President Wilson Hotel. This annual event, organized for the 5th year running by Bnei Brith, aims to unite the Jewish community around its common heritage, while respecting its diversity. Each conference room hosted different lectures, dealing with topics ranging from society and culture to science and technology, philosophy, history — and more.
The Council for a Beautiful Israel was invited to present a talk on “Israel’s Environmental Aid to the World“. It depicted Israel’s leading role in environmental innovation and suggested ways to go beyond the challenges of peace-making and geopolitics, highlighting Israel’s contribution to shaping a healthier planet.
Merav Nir, the head of CBI’s Environment and Sustainability department, began her talk by positing that Israel’s innovative spirit stems from its need to overcome existential problems, such as water scarcity, arid land and political isolation, with no neighboring countries to rely on. She described Israel’s leading role in water conservation, agri-tech, green energy and sustainable development.
Yael Nathanel, CBI’s Director of Partnerships, suggested ways of presenting Israeli innovations in a manner that contributes to a more positive image of the country. She also spoke about CBI’s environmental and sustainability programs and their impact on creating the next cadre of Israeli innovators. She concluded by describing CBI’s forthcoming accelerator program for young entrepreneurs bent on addressing the world’s toughest challenges and improving our quality of life.