“Wow, how much water you have! If God gave us that much water, where would we be today?!”

Photo: Sunny Celeste / imageBROKER / Profimedia

“Wow, how much water you have! If God gave us that much water, where would we be today?!” It is the sincere wonder that they cannot hide, expressed with envy and “tears in their eyes” by most Israeli tourists who visit Romania. David Maxim says it, a former fighter in the Israeli army, who often accompanied groups of tourists from Israel, showing them the beauties of Romania.

Invited to the show “In front of you” from Digi24, David Maxim brought to attention the differences and similarities between two apparently different countries, Israel and Romania. He pointed out that, while Romanians are privileged to enjoy abundant natural resources, such as water, and might tend to underestimate the value of such a resource, Israelis, faced with a lack of water, have developed advanced technologies and an agriculture of success in meeting this challenge. Regarding the similarities, the military expert emphasized that Israel and Romania both have a fundamental resource – people, both peoples being neither above nor below other nations.

drip irrigation system in Israel / Photo: PhotoStock-Israel / Alamy / Profimedia

“The water. Many times I walked with many Israeli tourists and they were all amazed by this thing. Romanians as people are perfect, they are in no way above or below anyone else. Just like the Israelis. But what Romania has and all Israelis envy with tears in their eyes is water. Because as long as you take it for granted and do not realize how hard it is not to have it and what efforts are made in Israel to have it, it is very difficult to have this concept.

But I tell you that, walking a lot with Israeli tourists and showing them the beauties of Romania, the thing that constantly came back, in every trip I saw, is: wow, how much water you have! If God gave us that much water, where would we be today?! I’ve had 12-day trips where people would count how many streams we crossed each day, making a tally by the end of the trip. That’s the first thing that came to my mind. Israel has no natural wealth except people. Romania also has people and natural wealth. Romania has no excuse not to be where it needs to be”, said David Maxim, when asked what is the greatest gift that Romanians have and Israelis don’t.

“Being Israeli, you care. You care about the flowing drop of water. All Israelis turn off the water when brushing their teeth”

Another valuable lesson that Romania could learn from Israel is that of tenacity and the active involvement of citizens in community issues.

What do the Israelis have and maybe it would be good for the Romanians to look at them and learn? “Tenacity. And they care. Israelis don’t pass by something saying: leave it, someone else will take care of it. Not. Being Israeli, you care. You care about the flowing drop of water. All Israelis turn off the water when brushing their teeth. If the water, after a rain, flows into the sea, the minister in charge of water can resign. Why wasn’t that water caught and brought and captured in a lake? Israel desalinates water for agriculture. Why? Because he cares. We care about us, we care about the country, we care about what happens to us as a generation and the next generation. To care. Not to go on the idea I’ll let it go like that, because that destroys. We don’t let it go like that. We, I’m talking about my side on the Israeli side.

You can’t tellI let it go and move forward. No, you have to stop somewhere and care. You have to do something, to undertake, to get involved. The Israelis get involved. If you hear the parliaments working in any coffee shop in Israel, wow, how many ideas are there, you’re sorry those people are not in the parliament. And the Israeli parliament is not bad. But people care, people get involved. The population’s action, after October 7, 2023 (when the Hamas attack on Israel took place – nn ), in support of the army went from donations for soldiers, to grandparents who made seven sandwiches, because that’s all they had bread in the house, and s -they went to give them to the soldiers on the way, who were going to Gaza. That they care. You can’t care and not get involved. You have to get involved,” David Maxim told the show “In front of you” on Digi24.

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