At the basis of Israeli arrogance lies the idea that this really is a special nation with special traits that are shared by no other nation. You can see that among Israeli travelers abroad; you can hear it from anyone who comes into contact with foreigners; you can sense it in the deeper currents of Israeli policy. The Americans are "foolish," the Indians are "primitive," the Germans are "square," the Chinese are "strange," the Scandinavians are "naive," the Italians are "clowns" and the Arabs are ... Arabs. Only we know what's good for us, and not only for us but for the entire world. There is nothing like Israeli ingenuity, there is nothing similar to Jewish intelligence, the Jewish brain invents new ideas for us like no other brain, because we're the best, bro.
There are many opportunities to see this idea in action. The latest example not only erupted from the synagogues on Yom Kippur, but was observed on the eve of the holiday, when we heard the very happy news that another Israeli scientist had won the Nobel Prize. And it really was heartwarming: Prof. Dan Shechtman certainly deserves the prize, but Israel does not deserve the sentimental national celebration that immediately erupted. In a society where blunders and failures are always the responsibility of the individual, achievements are nationalized and belong to us, all of us. We were all together on April 8, 1982, in Shechtman's laboratory in Maryland when he first observed his quasicrystal; we're all with him now, on the way to Stockholm.
The achievement of the individual immediately becomes a communal achievement, the communal achievement immediately becomes more irrefutable proof of Israel's superiority. "The crystal is ours;" "The secret of our existence;" "National pride;" and the "Israeli brain" screamed the headlines in a tasteless and unfounded display at the news of the individual prize.
