Entrepreneur: Students come home, Israel needs you

Dr. Erel Margalit speaks at Columbia University conference, says students can help build better society in Israel

Yitzhak Benhorin |Published: 04.17.12 , 12:46

WASHINGTON – "Come home, the State of Israel needs the finest minds of the generation of the future." This was Dr. Erel Margalit's message at a conference held on Sunday at Columbia University in New York.

Over 100 Israelis studying business administration in the US' most prestigious universities, some of whom work in America's financial sector took part in the conference.

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The conference was organized by Israeli students at Columbia University in a bid to strengthen the ties between Israeli students studying for their MBA in the US.

Margalit, who was invited to speak at the conference which is being held for the fifth time told them: "Come back with the knowledge, the talent and the experience you have acquired and join efforts to build a better Israeli society for us all."

US technology companies and major banks employee hundreds of MBA graduates. For most students, this is a decisive phase as they prepare to make a decision about their futures. The choice they need to make – accepting a position in the US or returning to Israel as soon as they graduate.

High-tech entrepreneur Margalit, who holds a doctorate from Columbia University, enlisted a team of "persuaders" for the conference including Israel's Consul General in New York Ido Aharoni and four young Israelis who are "living the dream."

The entrepreneurs tried to convince the students that Israel was an "incubator" and a place where they can use the knowledge they have acquired to create and influence Israeli society. "Economic growth will only come from a new, creative, ambitious and flexible economy that characterizes the high-tech sphere I come from," said Margalit.