Since 1948, Israel’s adversaries have told the world that the Jewish state has been the primary source of suffering in the world, and particularly in the Middle East.
It doesn’t have to be that way asserts George Gilder, author of The Israel Test (Richard Vigilante Books, 2009). Instead of blaming all their societal ills on the Jewish state, Arab and Muslim leaders in the region could accept Israel’s existence, hitch their wagon to the Jewish star and start trading with the Jewish state. The result would be increased economic growth in the region. Gilder concedes this is very unlikely because leaders in the region have embraced the same attitude toward Jews that the Nazis did in Germany.
The underlying thesis of the The Israel Test is that hostility toward Jews and Israel is rooted in envy. Gilder bluntly asserts that Jews do well in capitalist economies because of their commitment to learning and achievement, rooted in their adherence to ethical monotheism.
