Best-selling author Saul Singer didn’t know how profound his research for his latest book with Dan Senor, “The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Troubled World,” would be until after Oct. 7. The book hit the U.S. market on Nov. 7, a month after Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel.

Senor and Singer also co-wrote “Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle,” but this time, instead of concentrating on Israel’s technology, they focused on its people.

In researching his book, Singer discovered that Israel is a “young” nation with the median age being 29; it has the lowest rate of “deaths of despair” (deaths by suicide or alcohol and drug abuse); and, according to the 2024 World Happiness report, is the fifth happiest country in the world.

“The Israeli people are the strongest in the world,” said Singer. “I would say that’s another way of saying the Israeli people are the most resilient in the world. When we are united, we are invincible.”

Singer, along with Professor Moran Bercovici, were the keynote speakers at the American Technion Society, Phoenix Chapter’s inaugural breakfast, “Choosing Optimism: Technion’s Role in Shaping Israel’s Future,” at Sands at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale.

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