Christopher Ridgeway on the Wonderful Times of Israel Community

Christopher Ridgeway, founder and CEO of Stone Clinical Laboratories on the wonderful Times of Israel community

In these COVID times, I’ve been inspired to give back. Whatever skills we have, we should contribute accordingly. Given my background in bio-technology which is obviously hugely relevant in these COVD-19 times, I’ve decided to write.

When it comes to thought leadership there is a lot of white noise, clickbait and fake news. It’s important to separate the substance from the sensational and provide informed measured analysis and opinion.

I’ve been writing at Medium, Thrive Global, Newsbreak, Patch and even my own website, but honestly there is nothing like writing for Times of Israel. It isn’t just a news site but a community. The sense of community, camaraderie, is a microcosm of what Israel is like.

On a day you can read posts that make you laugh, think, cry.

People alternate between writing, reading and commenting.

I’ve learned so much about Israel just from reading the pieces and the comments and you gain a real insight into the people and culture that you wouldn’t get in any tour book.

The different opinions make for great discussion – sometimes heated but it’s good to see people passionate about what they believe in.

One of the curious things about Israel is that everyone around the world seems to have an opinion on it. That unlike any other country, whatever happens there makes front-page news.

This is fine but to be honest, anyone who doesn’t live in Israel should defer to those who do. It’s very easy to give opinions from thousands of miles away but you have to pay more attention to those on the ground.

The electoral system may not be perfect but after 4 elections, it finally found its way to a result. This is a testament to democracy. The coalition representing so many different parties and walks of life is a wonderful representation of the melting pot that Israel is.

Sure it’s not perfect. It has a number of issues it needs to sort out and be better at but which country doesn’t? Given all that it’s up against on a daily basis, it’s remarkable how much it has achieved. So much of the technology we enjoy to day is thanks to the Start Up nation.

I hope to visit one day and sample the sights, sounds and tastes for myself but till then, I can enjoy feeling a part of it virtually via this incredible site and the wonderful writers here.