In the 9th March edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Positive news for two new Israeli
leukemia treatments.
·
Wounded Ukrainians have been airlifted
to Israeli hospitals.
·
Only in Israel can top multinational
companies design hi-tech products together.
·
Twice as many low cost flights to
Israel this summer.
·
Two Israeli winners in this year’s
Academy (Oscars) awards
·
Israelis will make people happy on
Good Deeds day and on Purim.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary. Click here for “Things
can only get better” (fast-loading version, no adverts). Also on San
Diego Jewish World and United with
Israel.
·
Click here to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israel prize for developer of
Alzheimer’s treatment. The Israel Prize for Medicine goes to Professor Marta
Weinstock-Rosin of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Weinstock-Rosin developed Exelon, for
treating dementia related to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Exelon is currently undergoing Phase II
trials.
US approval for
Leukemia treatment. The US FDA has approved SYNRIBO from Israel’s Teva for the
treatment of patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia who failed therapy using
tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Positive results in
Leukemia trials.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s BioLineRX announced that its BL-8040
treatment for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) stopped growth of cancer cells
in-vitro and caused them to self-destruct.
It also reversed any protection given to the CML cancer cells from a
bone marrow transplant.
Promoting bone cancer research. Scientists at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem have received a $62,500 grant for promising research
into osteosarcoma metastasis - a bone cancer commonly found in children and
young adults. Dr Rami Aqeilan and his team will explore microRNA biomarkers and
responsiveness to therapy.
Stroke treatment shows promise. Israel’s D-Pharm has
announced successful interim results in the Phase IIa clinical trial of its
drug THR-18 taken in conjunction with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for
the treatment of cerebral stroke.
D-Pharm’s share price rose 117%, despite the trials taking place in the
Ukraine.
Elderly and infirm can stay at home. Israeli life-science
company Essence has launched Care@Home - an in-home care monitoring solution
for the elderly and chronic disease sufferers.
The system learns a person's everyday routine and detects any
deviations, such as skipped meals, reduced activity or unusual events.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Ten years of caring for seriously ill. The Israeli charity Life’s
Door - Tishkofet has helped more than 10,000 patients, family members and
professionals in its ten years of operation.
Professor Ben Corn of Tel Aviv University founded the organization after
losing his father to cancer and finding no one to help with the trauma.
Israeli Arabs live longer than
Americans.
As the book “Liberal Oasis: The Truth About Israel” by Joshua Muravchik
states, “Israel has done better in evening out the differences between its
Jewish and Arab citizens than most countries encompassing sharply diverse
nationalities.” Available on Kindle.
Academic center for Arab girls. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat
has inaugurated the “Center for Excellence You-niversity” in Beit Hanina, an
Arab neighborhood in the eastern part of the city. The Center was established
in cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality and the World ORT Kadima Mada.
Israeli soldiers save Palestinian Arab
crash victims.
Members of the Israel Defense Force’s 669 Search and Rescue Unit treated
4 Palestinian Arabs who were injured in a car crash. Their speeding vehicle flipped over and fell into a wadi. The severely injured and a two-year-old were
evacuated by helicopter to hospital.
Syrians treated in Israel: (Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.com)
Dr. Massad Barhoum, Director General of Israel’s Western Galilee Hospital (and a
Christian Arab) talks about treating casualties from Syria’s civil war. http://bcove.me/fc8s1coe
Ukrainians treated in
Israel.
Seven Ukrainians wounded in the Ukrainian unrest are being flown to Israel
for treatment. One, Alexander, aged 20,
landed at Ben-Gurion airport last week and was rushed to Kaplan Medical Center
in Rehovot for wrist surgery.
Princeton partners with IDC Herzliya. Juniors from Princeton
University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs will
enroll in the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at IDC
Herzliya. The IDC is Wilson School’s
only partner in the Middle East.
LAPD get tour of Israeli hi-tech. Eight top brass of the Los
Angeles Police Department spent 9 days in Israel seeing Israeli crime-fighting
technology. Of most interest was the
HoverMast from Israel’s Sky Sapience.
22 ways Israel has helped Africa in last
3 years. A
great summary by Israel21c of Israel’s recent technological, humanitarian,
medical, ecological and agricultural aid to developing African nations.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Thinner, stronger and greener packaging. Israeli start-up Valentis
is developing a packaging material that has a strength-to-weight ratio 8
times greater than stainless steel. The
material is based on nano-crystalline cellulose (NCC), a biodegradable,
transparent material made from plant pulp waste.
http://trendlines.com/spotlight-coating-platform-food-packaging/ http://trendlines.com/portfolio/valentis/
Toys help develop children's skills.
Israel’s TinyLove makes innovative toys for babies. Check out this
video, showing only one of their many products. It’s on the anti-Israel boycott list, so please support them.
Identifying malicious operations. Israel’s Cybereason has
launched its service that spots hackers once they have breached the security
defenses of an organization.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackmiller/2014/02/21/watch-out-hackers-this-vc-backed-israeli-special-ops-cybersecurity-company-will-hunt-you-down/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iUUirFjW5s
Israel’s Moon shot is already a winner. Israel’s SpaceIL says its
140kg LunarX satellite is one of the top contenders for Google’s $30 million
prize for landing on the moon. It is
the smallest, smartest spacecraft, plus the first to rely on optic navigation.
And the project has already won the hearts of a whole generation of Israelis.
New program for tech entrepreneurs. The Technion-Cornell
Innovation Institute (JTCII) is launching a new one-year postdoctoral “Runway
program” for technology entrepreneurs.
Professors provide academic guidance whilst off-campus consultants
supply legal, industrial and financial advice.
Multinationals work
together in Israel. Only in Israel can Citi, Ebay, General Electric, General Motors,
Microsoft, Red Hat, and 3M develop new ideas together. The seven companies will send 3-5 software
engineers to a “Weekathon” in Ra’anana where they will work in groups to
develop futuristic products.
Cheap roaming for smartphones abroad. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s Simgo has launched a low-cost
roaming service for Samsung and iPhone.
Attach a virtual SIM-enabled protective cover to access high-speed data
services, enjoy excellent quality, whilst retaining your own mobile number for
all calls.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel’s cyber industry. Israel National Cyber
Bureau (INCB) has estimated exports by Israeli companies in the cyber field at
$3 billion in 2013 - three times greater than those of the United Kingdom. Also, Israeli cyber companies raised $165
million last year - approximately 11 percent of total funds raised worldwide.
http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/02/23/israeli-cyber-exports-three-times-greater-than-united-kingdoms/
Who’s using your website? Israeli start-up SimilarWeb
performs in-depth analyses of website traffic. It has thousands of customers,
including Adidas, eBay and Hewlett Packard.
It has just raised finance to expand into Germany and the US.
Frutarom gets more fruitful. Israeli flavors and
ingredients giant Frutarom is still growing.
It has now bought Florida-based CitraSource, which specializes in
developing, manufacturing, marketing and selling of unique solutions in citrus
specialty ingredients.
Managing 3000 vehicles in Brazil. Israel’s Pointer
Telocation has been awarded a $3 million contract for systems to manage a fleet
of 3000 vehicles in Brazil. Pointer's telemetry solution can track and manage
fuel consumption, prevent fuel waste, unauthorized use of the vehicle, improve
productivity and reduce accidents.
What went right in the State of Israel? Please read this great
article by Professor Michael Curtis. It describes some of the major
International companies that have come to the Jewish State to share in its
success.
Building the US border fence. The US subsidiary of
Israel’s Elbit Systems has won a $145 million contract to help secure the US
Mexican border fence. Arizona Senator
John McCain said the technology would help “give our agents the ability to
detect, evaluate, and respond to all illegal entries crossing our border.”
Twice as many low-cost
flights.
This summer, Israel will operate 89 low-cost flights per week from Ben
Gurion airport’s Terminal 1. This is
double the number for summer 2013 and 33 more than the current figure.
Healthier gluten-free sweets. Israel’s Carmit Candy
Industries has launched gluten-free chocolate clusters. Those with Celiac Disease / Gluten
Intolerance and those following a gluten-free lifestyle can enjoy a wide range
of combinations of gluten-free cereals and dried fruits or nuts, covered in
either chocolate or yogurt.
US roadshow for Israeli clean-techs. A delegation of 15 Israeli
energy and water companies is headed to the U.S. for meetings with investors in
San Francisco and Chicago. The
companies include Hydrospin Monitoring Solutions, NewCo2Fuels, G.P.M. and
Greenlet.
Wireless to Latin America. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israel’s FriskyDSP Technology has licensed its LTE Layer 1 Small-Cell Extended
Range solution to one of Latin America’s foremost communication institutions.
The government of the unnamed country demands rural areas 30km from cities to
be covered by wireless by 2017.
Alcoholic drinks at 5 shekels each. The coffee chain Cofix,
which sells everything on its menu at 5 shekels an item, is opening up in the
evenings to sell alcoholic beverages also at 5 shekels (under $1.50) a
glass. Even at those prices, Cofix
expects to make a gross profit of 100 per cent on each drink.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Jerusalem youth orchestra shines at
Carnegie Hall festival. (Thanks to Linda) The Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna youth wind
orchestra won the New York wind festival competition at Carnegie Hall. New York State communities hosted the 45
musicians who then gave a free concert to 200 at Westchester Jewish Center.
Happy in Tel Aviv. (Thanks to Barry and
Israel21c) Israelis dance to the sounds
of Pharrell Williams’s song “Happy” with background scenes of Tel Aviv / Yafo.
Two Israelis win
Oscars.
Israel’s Niv Adiri picked up an Oscar to add to the BAFTA he’d won
previously for his team’s work on the sound of the multi-award winning film
"Gravity." Also celebrating
was Israel’s Arnon Milchan who co-produced “12 Years a Slave” which won the top
prize of Best Picture.
40,000 hit Tel Aviv’s pavements. The streets of Tel Aviv
overflowed as 40,000 runners took part in the 2014 Samsung Tel Aviv
Marathon. It was Israel’s largest
professional running event. Ezekiel
Koech of Kenya won the men’s event in a new course record of 2hrs 14 minute 40
seconds.
THE JEWISH STATE
Hi-tech internships in Israel. The Israel Tech Challenge,
a new initiative by The Jewish Agency, will offer young gifted Jewish students
in computer science from around the world - among them Ivy League students and
employees of companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google - an insider's
look at the Startup Nation.
Every cloud has a silver lining. Israel's embassy in Japan
has donated more than 300 Anne Frank-related books to public libraries in
Tokyo, after many were found vandalized.
The mayor of Tokyo's Suginami ward said, "Through this incident, I
believe that people also learned about the horrid facts of history and of
racism."
Hero pops the question. Just over a year ago I
reported on IDF Captain Ziv Shilon who lost an arm in a Hamas attack but
returned to duty shortly afterwards.
I’m pleased to write that he proposed to his girlfriend at a “Friends of
the Israel Defense Forces” event in Florida, and she said, “Yes”.
Good Deeds Day gets
bigger.
11th March sees the launch of “Good Deeds Day – Kulanana” with its aim
to get one million Israeli citizens to take part. The goal is to strengthen the fabric of Israeli society by
encouraging cooperation between Israel’s different communities.
Laugh - Purim is coming. A flash mob cheers up
travelers on the Jerusalem light railway.
After all, it’s the Hebrew month of Adar Sheni and the Jewish festival
of Purim is approaching.
The long-eared owl is back. The long-eared owl, a
nocturnal bird of prey, was once a rare sight in Israel, but in recent years it
has proliferated. Like a number of other species of birds, the long-eared owl
has become more common in the North and similar areas, having become accustomed
to the expanded, JNF-KKL forests.
