In the 24th June 18 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Thanks to
Israeli designers, a disabled Arab boy can now feed himself.
·
A huge Israeli
flag made entirely of cookies has “crumbled” the world record.
·
IBM Israel
set up a globally-broadcast debate between a computer and two Israelis.
·
An Israeli
fabric reduces the energy needed to produce desalinated water.
·
Ford and
Iveco are to use Israeli innovative wheel technology.
·
Thousands of
fans enjoyed A-ha’s first concert in Israel.
·
225 members
of the “lost tribe” of Bnei Menashe made Aliya.
·
Click here
to see the 17th June newsletter on IsraelSeen,
Ruthfully
Yours, Janglo,
and United
With Israel with extra features on Health
and Entertainment.
Also (TY Sandra) in German.
·
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Cells go into
a huddle before fighting infection. Weizmann
scientists have discovered that cells in the immune system cluster together to
decide tactics, before being sent out to battle infections. These “helper
T-cells” resemble American football and basketball teams that frequently go
into a huddle during their games.
Cats (no not
Katz!) can help fight AIDS virus. Scientists at
Israel’s Technion Institute are learning more about the human AIDS virus from
discoveries made researching the feline equivalent (FIV). They have uncovered a
protein that is resistant to treatment. Breaking this resistance will help
fight human AIDS.
More accurate
radiotherapy.
Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center is the first hospital in the Middle
East to install the state-of-the-art Spine SRS software from Germany’s Brainlab.
It allows doctors to give a single dose of higher level radiation to patients
suffering from spine cancer without damaging nearby healthy tissue.
Tailored rehabilitation solutions. Innovators at Pele, a tech-innovation program at the Jerusalem-based
ALYN Hospital, develop personalized solutions for children with special needs.
For 8-year-old Arab boy Yusuf, who cannot bend his joints, it is a structure
that allows him to feed himself.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-8-year-old-who-can-now-eat-by-himself-and-other-rehab-tech-success-stories/
https://www.youtube.com/embed/kt1H0Rv-w8w?rel=0
Rambam trauma
training. 22 participants from 16 nations attended
the 19th “Developing and Organizing a Trauma System” and Mass Casualty
Management Course at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus. To date the center has
trained more than 3,000 health care professionals and officials from 61
nations.
Your medical
questions answered. Israel’s Medint Medical
Intelligence collects and analyzes information from medical websites, social
platforms, blogs, and forums to help patients with cancer and chronic illnesses
make informed medical decisions. E.g. find doctors treating similar conditions,
or relevant clinical trials.
Neurosurgery
saves two children.
It was a busy week at Israel’s Schneider children’s hospital. First 10-year-old
Ilai had emergency minimally invasive surgery to remove a large colloid cyst in
his brain. Then doctors performed a 13-hour operation to remove a huge brain
tumor from 13-year-old Maxim. Both are now home.
Ex-NYC Mayor
and terror victim reunited. In 2002, 13-year-old Dvir Musai was blown up
by a terrorist’s mine. At Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital he was visited by then
NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Now employed at Hadassah Herzstein Heritage Center, father-of-two,
Dvir received another visit from Mr Giuliani.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Subsidized English tuition for children. Israel’s Education Ministry and the Association of Community
Centers’ Shalem volunteer organization are to provide 4th to 8th-graders with after-school
spoken English lessons. Fees will be just NIS 4 ($1.10) an hour, far less than
current private tuition fees.
77,100 academic degrees. 77,100 Israeli residents received academic titles from institutions
of higher education in Israel during the 2016/17 school year - a 1.4% rise
compared to the previous year. Israeli Arabs gaining first degrees rose to
11.9% of the population from 11% last year.
Arabs & Jews celebrate together at
SodaStream. (TY WIN)
Israel’s Sodastream is using its employment model to show that coexistence
between Jews and Arabs is possible in the region.
Israel’s Ramadan Responders. On June 13th, the penultimate day of Ramadan, five Muslim United
Hatzalah emergency medical volunteers responded to a huge fire in Umm al-Fahm.
Despite fasting, they treated many children who suffered from smoke inhalation
and light injuries. United Hatzalah has 400 Muslim volunteers.
Educating for co-existence. Eran Schwartz, director of Beit Yigal Allon, went on ILTV to
explain the purpose and program of his organization based at Kibbutz Ginnosar,
by the Kinneret (Sea of the Galilee). It educates Israeli youth in how Jews and
its minorities can live together in harmony.
World Day to Combat Desertification. (TY UWI)
Although 60% of Israel is desert, it is the only country in the world where the
desert is receding. Thus, the UN designated Israel an expert in combating
desertification -the process by which drought, deforestation, and inappropriate
agriculture turns fertile land into desert.
More Israel-Asia Center graduates. I wrote previously (30
July) about some of last year’s graduates from the Israel-Asia Center’s
Leaders Fellowship. This recent article features three graduates from the
current program. They are from Indonesia (which doesn’t have diplomatic
relations with Israel), Vietnam and India.
The largest cookie
flag. (TY UWI
& ILTV) Using 117,000 cookies laid out to form a giant Israeli flag, the
Jewish community of Atlanta, Georgia not only shattered a world record, it also
raised considerable funds for worthy charities all over Israel. Afterwards, the
cookies were donated to local Georgia food banks.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
8,000 at cybersecurity conference. (TY UWI)
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu opened the 2018 Cyber Week International
Cybersecurity Conference at Tel Aviv University by telling delegates from 60
countries, “you couldn’t have come to a better place for cybersecurity” than
Israel. His speech included a simulated cyberattack.
International sports science conference. Dr. Devora Hellerstein of the Academic College at Wingate went on ILTV
to report on the fifth bi-annual international congress of exercise and sports
science. The conference, organized in conjunction with the University of
Nicosia, Cyprus, attracted delegates from 25 countries.
Innovate Israel. Innovate Israel 2018 on 3rd
July in London highlights the most exciting Israeli innovations. Over 20
leading Israeli thought leaders will give 10-minute talks covering artificial
intelligence (AI), big data, cybersecurity, digital health, machine learning
and Satellite technology. El Al frequent fliers get 15% discount.
Israel wins the
debate. Did
you hear about the fascinating debate between two humans and an IBM computer,
that many said the computer won? Did you
hear or read any of the
global media organizations mention that it was an IBM Israel project or
that the two humans were two Israeli international debating champions?
Israeli startups win counter-terrorism
competition. Two Israeli companies won a
counter-terrorism technology competition sponsored by the Israeli and U.S.
governments. CardioScale won $100,000 for its survivor vitals monitoring device.
Colugo Systems won $10,000 for its hybrid quadrotor & fixed-wing drone.
The drone company to watch. I reported previously (30th
July) on Israeli drone developer Airobotics. The startup has just been
chosen as one of the Wall Street Journal's 25 Tech Companies to Watch in 2018.
Israeli cybersecurity startup Claroty was also included in the list.
Deep learning chip for automobiles. Israeli startup, Hailo Technologies, has developed a deep learning
chip designed to run AI (Artificial Intelligence) applications. Hailo’s first
target is the driverless car market.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2018/06/11/why-this-startup-created-a-deep-learning-chip-for-autonomous-vehicles/#efd645712a25 https://www.hailotech.com/
Award-winning ATM security. I reported previously (Nov
2014) on Israeli cybersecurity startup
Thetaray – a billion dollar company in the making. Thetaray has just won
the 2018 ATMIA Global Award for 'Next Generation ATM Security'. Its systems detect
illicit and suspicious ATM activity using machine learning.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thetaray-wins-atmias-next-generation-atm-security-award-685344251.html https://www.youtube.com/embed/p-frCKRUqTE?rel=0
https://www.thetaray.com/
Protecting a million endpoints. I reported previously (27th
Feb) on Israeli cybersecurity startup Morphisec, which protects against new
threats (e.g. ransomware and trojans) like no other company. In just two years,
Morphisec now protects one million endpoints – the fastest growth of any
subscription B2B security company.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180611005043/en/Morphisec-Hits-Million-Endpoint-Milestone-Years
https://www.youtube.com/embed/pYlSGSw9fW4?rel=0
Protecting pedestrians from automobiles. (TY UWI)
I’ve reported previously (see
here) on the Eye-Net collision prevention technology from Israel’s
Foresight. In a recent trial in Ashdod, Eye-Net was integrated with the smart
traffic light sensors of Israel’s NoTraffic, proving that many potential
accidents can be avoided.
Startup uses its own tech to buy properties. Israeli-founded Skyline AI has developed a machine learning
algorithm that identifies real estate opportunities and calculates an asset's
current market value and potential future value. It has just used the algorithm
to purchase two residential building complexes in Philadelphia.
Keep an eye (or a bracelet) on your
children. I reported previously (May
2017) on Israel’s Barkid that has launched a smart bracelet that enables
parents to supervise their children. Chaim Messika, VP of Barkid, explains the
latest about the product and discloses that it has already saved the lives of
two Israelis.
Automated planting of crops. Israel’s Superplanter has developed technology to revolutionize one
of the most difficult of agricultural activities – the large-scale planting of
vegetables, grains and field crops. https://www.youtube.com/embed/1UNZYdPHeCA?rel=0
Making a video of Wikipedia. Israel’s Kinedio has
developed technology that brings online encyclopedia pages to life. It
transforms Wikipedia’s static information into a cool video platform,
appropriate for today’s audience. https://www.youtube.com/embed/CIi3nifDTKY?rel=0
Improved desalination
technology.
Israel’s Hydrop has developed an innovative fabric that when applied to
reverse osmosis desalination membranes reduces energy consumption, making the
resulting water purification cheaper and more efficient. https://www.youtube.com/embed/0xslngtLL_k?rel=0
https://www.hydropm.com/
Model farm shows latest technology. (TY UWI)
The Neve Ya’ar Research Center in Israel’s Jezreel Valley, is run by Israel’s
Volcani Center-Agricultural Research Organization. The full-scale sustainable
educational farm will be an international showcase for cutting-edge Israeli
technologies in precision agriculture.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Tourism from US up 39% in 2018. (TY WIN)
Israeli tourism has seen increases of nearly 40% so far in 2018, giving the
Israeli economy a $577 million boost in the last five months alone. North
America Israel Tourism Commissioner Uri Steinberg explains the latest trends and
events on i24NEWS.
Environmentally friendly salt
production.
Israel’s Salt of the Earth has implemented an extensive (NIS 1 million
plus) program to protect waterfowl of all species in its salt pools. It
includes a specific island nature reserve. Since the program has started, the
population of little terns (Sterna albifrons) has more than tripled.
Making it easy to get your VAT back. Waze co-founder Uri Levine is now piloting Refundit – an app that
helps tourists process a VAT refund request on leaving a country. It’s simple,
quick, no queues, no closed counters, no need to show the goods and the
handling fee drops to 9% from the current 35 - 40%.
Wizz to fly from London to Eilat. Low-cost airline Wizz Air
has taken over the London-Eilat route that was formerly operated by now defunct
Monarch Airlines. Twice-weekly flights will commence from Oct 28. Wizz already
operates services from Eilat’s Ovda airport to Bucharest, Warsaw, and Riga.
From Tbilisi they did it MyWay. Georgian airline “MyWay Airlines” launches its first direct flight
between Tbilisi and Tel Aviv on 28th June. MyWay is a subsidiary of the
China-based Hooling Group established in 1988, and is one of the youngest
airlines in Georgia. http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/myway-airlines-begins-direct-flights-from-tbilisi-to-tel-aviv/2018/06/21/
It’s all go for
Softwheel.
I’ve reported previously (see
here) on Israel’s Softwheel and its revolutionary new wheel
technology. The latest news is that
Softwheel is partnering car-maker Ford and truck-maker Iveco. Both companies
are embarking on electric vehicle projects and have chosen Softwheel to give
them a smooth ride.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
London in Jerusalem. If you are in Jerusalem in the
coming months, the new Tower of David exhibition “London in Jerusalem: Culture
on the Streets of the City 1918-1948” could be an interesting addition to your
itinerary. It examines the cultural activity of the British, Arabs and Jews during
the British Mandate.
Israeli Opera events. The Akko Opera festival takes place on 2nd and 4th August. It
features a special production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. And on Thursday 9
Aug, the Tel Aviv municipality is hosting a performance of Verdi’s Nabucco in
Hayarkon Park. Admission is free.
White Night in Tel Aviv. On Thursday 28 June, Tel
Aviv holds its annual White Night shindig. Dozens of (mostly free) events take
place in cultural and art centers, commercial establishments and clubs
citywide, many of which stay open late. Outdoor performances are held until the
early hours of the morning.
A-ha’s first Israeli
concert. Legendary 80s icons a-ha performed their
first ever concert in the Holy Land on 21st June at the Amphi Park in Ranaana.
Video is of their classic hit “Take On Me”.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Concert-Review-A-ha-takes-on-Raanana-with-Electric-Summer-tour-560623 https://www.youtube.com/embed/4ZAbjcrYW7o?rel=0
THE JEWISH STATE
Jerusalem’s ancient cistern. (TY Avi) This new
video shows the Gihon spring and Jerusalem’s ancient cistern that provided
water to the city in Biblical times more than 3,000 years ago when King David
ruled. Over 300 years later, King Hezekiah of Judah diverted the spring to
prevent it from sustaining the Assyrian invaders.
225 Bnei Menashe make
Aliya. (TY UWI)
225 members of the Bnei Menashe community from the state of Manipur in
northeast India have just completed their Aliyah through Shavei Israel. 4
separate groups joined 429 members of the Bnei Menashe community who have
already made Aliyah since the beginning of January 2018,
92-year-old survivor makes Aliya. Shoah survivor Jack Nasielski, 92, from Edison New Jersey, fulfilled
his lifelong dream, making Aliya with his daughter Lilly and her husband Bruce.
They join Lilly and Bruce’s four children and Jack’s many grandchildren and
great-grandchildren who already live in Israel.
Rescuer of Yemen’s Jews honored. Capt. Elgen Long is the last surviving member of a commercial
flight crew that saved 1,800 Jewish refugees stranded in Yemen in 1949 by flying
them to Israel. In Shanghai, they removed the seats on their Alaska airlines
DC-4 and flew 150 refugees on each of many trips from Yemen.
