18 Reasons Why Boston And Israel Are More Similar Than You Thought

A recent study published by the New England-Israel Business Council found that over 200 Israeli-founded businesses called Greater Boston home in 2015, and on a recent economic development mission, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a bilateral agreement with Israeli Chief Scientist Avi Hasson to spur cooperation in R&D between Israel and the Commonwealth. Did we mention that MassChallenge, the most startup friendly accelerator on the planet, also has a location in Israel?

It's no secret that Boston is home to fantastic academic institutions - Harvard University, MIT, Boston University, Brandeis and Northeastern, to name a few. Meanwhile, Israel has the highest number of academics per capita in the world and Harvard Business School recently opened a global research center in Tel Aviv! Learn more about US-Israel academic collaborations here!

Over the past 16 years, the Celtics, Pats, Red Sox and Bruins have won 9 championship titles. Meanwhile, over in Europe, Maccabi Tel Aviv has won 4 European Championships and is Israel's most successful basketball team. Did you also know that the Kraft Family Foundation is building an (American) football stadium in Jerusalem that will open in 2017?

Falafel is to Israel what Lobstah Rolls are to Massachusetts

Way before the Sons of Liberty were dumping tea into the Boston Harbor, the Port of Jaffa was the setting of the biblical stories of Jonah, Solomon and Saint Peter as well as the mythological story of Andromeda and Perseus.

Okay, fine. Nothing can reeeeeally compare to Mahane Yehuda in Jerusalem or Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, but Boston does have some bustling spots like SoWa or the Boston Public Market!

Jerusalem or the Berkshires - can you even tell the difference?

While Bostonians flee the city to the Cape or Martha's Vineyard in the summer, Israelis spend all year on the beaches of Tel Aviv and Eilat!

Winter, spring, summer or fall, you can always find people enjoying the Boston Public Gardens or Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv!

The Boston Marathon is a *wicked big* source of pride for Bostonians and as recently as 2011 the City of Jerusalem hosted its first international marathon!

With the Berklee School of Music in Boston and the Rimon School of Music in Ramat-HaSharon, both Boston and Israel boast thriving jazz scenes. Berklee and Rimon share an international exchange program that allows students from Boston to attend the school for one year and to be a part of the lively educational atmosphere, allowing them to take skills learned back to their home countries or to further their studies at Rimon.

A Brandeis professor published a paper illuminating Boston's contribution to what would become the Israeli standard, and on an economic trade mission to Israel, Governor Charlie Baker, presented a replica of that 19th-century Boston prototype to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

... just kidding.