According to the 2024 United Nations World Happiness Report, Israel is the 5th happiest country in the world, and in 2023 it was #4. Surrounded by enemies who want to destroy the only Jewish state, with the ever-present threat of terrorism, life in Israel is not easy or simple. And yet, the State of Israel is the only developed country with growing population, and it is the youngest of all the rich democracies. There are many other criteria in which Israel is an outlier. This episode answers the obvious question - why is Israel so different from most other countries in the world?