On Israel’s 68th birthday, it is worth taking a minute to reflect and celebrate.

We at New Israel Fund are in the social change business, meaning that we talk a lot about what needs to be changed in Israel. Today, it’s worth thinking about some Israeli qualities that needn’t be changed, because they are what made Israel the vibrant and interesting society it is:

Temperament: Yesterday, the Washington Post ran a chart showing 20 nations graded on expressiveness and ability to tolerate confrontation. No prizes for guessing which one scored highest on both scales.

Happiness: Israelis might live in a difficult corner of the world and face a lot of challenges, but every year, independent polling shows that most Israelis are happy with their lives and proud of their country.

Democracy: Yes, there are Israelis trying to change the rules of the democratic game and damage democratic institutions. But there are just as many Israelis who believe democracy, freedom of speech, and minority rights are important and must be preserved – and those are the Israelis supported by you and the New Israel Fund.

No country is perfect. Every country has to work to establish or preserve liberal democracy, avoid demagoguery and in-group privilege, and unify its citizens into a shared society.

So let’s celebrate all that is good about Israel today. And then we’ll continue our work to make it better.