Israeli science has done well in the past decade of Nobel prize awards, with five nominations to three leading institutions — or 0.77 laureates per million people (compared with 0.2 for the United States, for example). This is despite the country's tiny population and the fact that it is the world's leading exporter of brainpower. But more investment in education and research will be necessary to maintain this impressive record.

One-quarter of Israel's academic scholars work at leading academic institutions in the United States — five times more than from any other nation apart from Canada (just over 12%; see http://go.nature.com/xe9nws).

Since 1973, the proportion of scientists in the population and the government's investment in academia relative to gross domestic product have both dropped by more than half, putting Israel below the average for countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (see http://go.nature.com/vozgwh).

Another problem is that the ultra-orthodox education system — which is responsible for more than one-quarter of Israel's first-graders (from age six) — does not teach science or mathematics.

But there is hope for the future. As shown by the ongoing demonstrations for social justice, one of which was estimated to involve 7% of Israel's Jewish population, activism is already leading to short- and long-term changes, including a drive for more investment at all levels of education.