By Dylan Singer
The second full day of our opening conference was spent touring various innovative companies and start-ups in Tel Aviv. Google was the largest company we saw and for me, it was very unique. Walking into Google, we saw a warped wood floor which resembled the boardwalk in Tel Aviv, something of a tribute to a unique part of the city in which Google holds its offices. As the tour of the office went on, it felt like we were moving around the world instead of just up a floor on the elevator. Each floor of the google compound has a unique personality with décor, flooring, and even a unique scent representing a different city of Israel. Each floor, though, does have some commonalities: a central kitchen/cafeteria, breakout rooms, and creative thinking spaces in addition to offices. This unconventional workspace fosters a relaxed environment and creative out-of-the-box thinking, which I find refreshing. The underlying message behind the office design is a desire for employees to find work enjoyable instead of a chore, something that would benefit all companies.
After we left, however, I thought to myself, why did we go to this large company? It is not likely that any of us on Nachshon will create a company as large as this, but it is a model of innovation and the environment that fosters it. While the high-tech industry may be perceived as stressful and demanding, it was eye opening to see how a huge and successful powerhouse like Google appreciates and values originality in expression and creativity.
The visit additionally sparked a thought in me about Judaism: if Google is able to adapt their workspace to foster a certain type of thinking, Judaism should do this as well. So what is Judaism’s goal and how can we create a space that is conducive to that goal? That is a difficult question, and I don’t have the answer yet, but I hope that throughout this semester I can think about and discuss this question with some of the future leaders of the Jewish community.
