ABSTRACT
Here we deal with two examples of the cultural syndromes associated with the Chosen People and prophetic tradition: traffic deaths and the "social gap" between rich and poor. It is conventional wisdom that Israel has one of the highest—if not the highest road accident rate, and one of the largest—if not the largest—gap between rich and poor among western democracies. Some say the gap is the largest in the world. Even the most modest of these assertions are only partly true. The gap that is most serious in Israeli politics is not that between rich and poor, but between hyperbole and reality. Policymaking suffers where emotion prevails over analysis and honesty.
