One of the few pro-Israel events to have escaped unscathed in New York City last month was a conference hosted by NIT, the Northern Israeli Tech Fund.
The event was squeezed between several pro-Israel real estate events in May that were held in Manhattan and Brooklyn and were harassed by antisemitic protests. I attended NIT’s evening’s program at Manhattan’s Edmond J. Safra Synagogue, hosted in conjunction with the Israeli Consulate General in New York. The only inconvenience was stricter security screening than the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Had the event not slipped through what seems like an anti-Israel event scanner, a raucous crowd would have rallied against an organization dedicated to building up technology, start-ups and medical advancements in Israel’s northern region.
NIT invests in the same innovation in hi-tech, cybersecurity, AI and medicine in the north that earned Israel’s tech hub in the center the moniker “Start-up Nation". Speakers, including from Rambam Hospital in Haifa and Tzafon Medical Center in the Galilee region, spoke of the latest cutting-edge innovations and research taking place in Israel’s north, at 30% less cost than in Tel Aviv’s Silicon Wadi.
While Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis spoke of optimism in the face of Hezbollah, not one representative from the various tech and medical entities in Israel’s north even mentioned the ongoing and mounting security concerns in their region. At the conclusion of the event, I asked Ayelet Root, NIT’s General Partner, whether there was a more muted interest in investing in the north considering the security threat from Hezbollah.
The answer was no. Root referenced the astounding growth of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE), which rose 50% in 2025, and the massive influx in private sector raising capital for start-ups.
“Look at the facts," she said. “All this means that the world is betting on Israel. Yes, there is a war but we deliver. I can’t say there isn’t a threat, but we got used to it and we live with it. We grew up here and we find a way to constantly create new startups."
That’s an optimistic attitude for a beleaguered population. More than 60,000 Israeli citizens were evacuated from the north after Hezbollah began its missile attacks on October 8, 2023. Most of those citizens returned and many now find themselves in harm’s way again, but are staying put.
As the Iran war and its subsidiary war between Hezbollah and Israel shleps out, oscillating between dubious ceasefires and flare ups, Hezbollah’s use of drones has been hitting both Israeli military and civilian targets. Tragically, it has taken a toll on IDF targets on the Lebanese front while the IDF seeks a solution.
One would think that such dangerous impediments would have created another mass flight from the blooming terrain and soaring sea cliffs of Kiryat Shmona, Rosh Hanikra, Nahariya and other beleaguered northern towns. But the paradox of resiliency in Israel’s north during wartime parallels the paradox of a booming economy in the rest of the country. Not despite the war but because of it.
Then there is an even more startling inconsistency on the world stage - deepening investment in the Jewish state by naysayers who claim to abhor it. There is sweet irony in the burgeoning interest in Israeli tech and know-how, particularly in military expertise, as a direct result of Israel’s prowess on the battlefield.
Notwithstanding a war on seven fronts that initially caused Moody’s to downgrade Israel’s credit rating back in 2024, Israeli firms are the now second-largest source of foreign listings on the NASDAQ after China. According to the Israel Ministry of Defense, Israeli defense exports reached a record $19.2 billion in 2025, nearly a 30% increase over 2024.
Also, notwithstanding the almost uniform antagonism against Israel in the Democratic Party, a party whose litmus test for partisan fealty now includes condemning the Jewish State and cutting off American aid, the U.S.-Israeli economic and commercial relationship now spans multi-sectors, including defense industries, cyber-security, aviation, bio-tech, energy, pharmaceuticals and more. The boost to American industry by Israeli innovation is enormous.
Just last week, anti-Israel detractors among Democrats tried to distort a provision in the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act that would require the designation of an executive agent to coordinate U.S.-Israeli defense technology cooperation. They claimed it would merge American and Israeli militaries and not benefit America. This, while not being able to disprove that, as Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said, “our cooperative programs with them [Israel] strengthen our national security by giving our warfighters access to cutting-edge technologies."
Countries like France, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, who have castigated Israel for “genocide" and rushed to recognize a "Palestinian state", are gobbling up the very technology that gave Israel a proven military advantage in the war. The EU, comprised of many countries that have tolerated and even encouraged antisemitism on their city streets, has become Israel’s largest overall trading partner.
So much for supposed moral consistency. When it comes to finance, especially in the realm of defense spending, it seems that these countries are open to a wink and a nod. Worse, they value their own self-preservation, buying proven Israeli defense products to safeguard against potential enemies like Russia and Iran, while publicly lambasting the Jewish state for pursuing policies of self-preservation itself.
There is no new hypocrisy under the sun. In ancient and not so ancient times, many rulers routinely reviled Jews while simultaneously seeking out and benefiting from Jewish acumen, creativity and productivity.
In inverted fashion, two-faced investment in Jews has become a weapon for Jewish survival. So, while Jews must continue to fight their wars, on the actual battlefield and in the court of public opinion, they must also continue to build, create, and produce. Typically, others will then continue to invest in and finance that innovation.
Antisemites hate Jews, whether or not they excel, but especially when they excel. However, we can always count on Jew haters to still want a piece of the pie.
Sara Lehmann is an award-winning New York based writer. For more of her writings please visit saralehmann.com. A version of this article first appeared in Hamodia.