Energy Transitions in Israel

Ariel Barnea interviews his grandfather, Benjamin Barnea, about the energy transformations he has witnessed during his lifetime. Ben, a Holocaust survivor, discusses his early life experiencing a pogrom in Romania in the 1930s, the family's deportation to a ghetto in Ukraine, and his immigration to Israel. He describes his time living and working on a kibbutz and serving in the Israeli army. He draws comparisons between Israel and the United States, noting the importance of consumption to the American Dream. Ben describes the gradual improvement of infrastructure in Israel as it became a "start-up nation," and the challenges the country faces both in the Middle East and from drought and climate change.