Israel as a Spiritual Startup

By Rabbi Dr. Aharon Ariel Lavi

“Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.” - Zechariah 4:6

For decades, Israel has been celebrated as the “Startup Nation," a hub of entrepreneurship, innovation, and high-tech ingenuity. A desert that bloomed, Israel's tech ecosystem is largely considered a model of resilience and growth. And, that label is well-earned.

But, it only tells part of the story.

Beneath the surface of code and capital lies another current, just as powerful: Israel is also a spiritual startup. A place where ancient ideas are tested in the laboratory of the modern world. A society grappling in real-time with how tradition can inform justice, how covenant can shape community, and how religious identity can drive, rather than hinder global cooperation.

This is not theoretical. I see it every day in my work at the Ohr Torah Interfaith Center (OTIC), where we build relationships between Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Druze. The bonds that we create are more than interfaith platitudes, since they are developed through the hard, sacred work of joint learning, shared missions, and rooted conversation. In a region where religion often fuels division, we believe it can also power transformation.

That’s what spiritual startups do: they take old truths and reimagine how they can serve humanity today.

Reclaiming Faith as a Catalyst

The spiritual startup begins with a countercultural proposition: faith is not the problem but the potential. We often hear that religion causes conflict or, even more so, that misinterpreted religion is the backbone of violence. Yet, in the Middle East, religion is also where people seek meaning, community, and moral vision. As a whole, Middle Eastern societies are much more religious and, though waning in interest, have never outright lost connection to religion as many have in the West. So, the real question is not whether religion should be involved- but how.

At OTIC, we lean into this. In Jerusalem, our Bridges of Light event brought rabbis, sheikhs, and imams to dialogue not despite religion, but because of it. Our partnership with Moroccan Muslim leaders brought together Jews, Muslims, and Christians to speak about sustainable faith relations. As I said in London recently, if we keep shouting at our enemies, we’ll never hear the voices of our allies. It is time to invest in those who reach out with open hands.

“Open for Me a gate the size of a needle’s eye, and I will open it as wide as the great hall.” (Midrash Shir HaShirim Rabbah 5:2)

That is the economy of trust. We don’t need everyone, but we need to identify the ones who are ready, and invest accordingly.

A New Model for Israel’s Place in the World

This approach requires a different type of diplomacy. Beyond foreign ministries, we must find a way to incorporate faith ministries into our ongoing outreach efforts. No, this is not just summits, but sustained encounters and programs that lead to real, personal connections being realized. Our Jewish tradition is rich with stories of dialogue: Abraham and the three strangers, Jacob and Esau, Moses and Jethro, King Solomon and King Hiram, Isaiah’s vision of all nations ascending to Jerusalem. We are a people who know how to use our faith to bridge divisions, heal wounds, and offer a sense of peace to our neighbors.

The prophets spoke of this moment. But we cannot outsource it to history or heaven. It must be built, brick by brick, relationship by relationship. And Israel, reborn as a sovereign nation, is uniquely positioned to lead this effort. We are not the largest. We are not the richest. But we are the most historically experienced in what it means to be a moral minority with a global mission.

From Resilience to Relevance

The Jewish people have survived through resilience. As mentioned above, it may be that quality in particular that has led us to our rightful moniker as the 'Startup Nation'. Yet, now it is time to move from survival to service, from diaspora mindset to peoplehood. To show how our story, far from being an isolated tale of suffering, can offer tools for a broken world to heal.

This is not about apologetics or assimilation. It is about mission. “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6)

Being a priestly nation means two things: standing upright in our own faith, and opening channels for others to access their own divine dignity. This is what we are doing with the Jewish-Muslim Religious Fraternity Project, for example, co-founded by OTIC, which draws on shared values from both traditions to forge real partnerships and actionable trust. To do so means exploring real links of faith beyond the musing of a press release. We are talking about a process and formula needed to take our spiritual diplomacy to the next level.

Back to the Garage

Every startup begins in a garage- with an idea and a handful of believers. The spiritual startup of Israel began in the desert, with a voice that said: “Choose life.” We have the tools. We have the partners. We have the moment.

Now let’s scale the mission.

Article written by Rav Dr. Aharon Ariel Lavi

Managing Director of the Ohr Torah Interfaith Center (website)

Social media: Instagram / Facebook / Linkedin