In the 27th Jul 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
US and European medical authorities
have approved a unique Israeli spine support implant.
·
Diabetics can use an Israeli mobile
app to request local help.
·
IDF medics have set up a field
hospital to treat wounded Gazans.
·
Israeli self-sustaining mini-farms can
help feed millions of hungry people.
·
Israel’s rise in employment is the
highest in the OECD.
·
Israel’s biggest natural gas field is
even larger than previous estimates.
·
David Blatt has become the first ever
Israeli to coach an NBA team.
·
An ancient mosaic featuring elephants
was found in a 1600-year-old Israeli synagogue.
·
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Page Down for more details on these and other good news stories from Israel.
Page Down for more details on these and other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Spine support cage
gets US & EU approval. Formal US and European clearances have been
granted to FLXfit, the world's first 3D expandable interbody cage, developed by
Israel’s Expanding Orthopedics. The
minimally invasive implant corrects spine deformities.
Safer cancer radiation therapy. Israeli startup Convergent
RNR has developed MercyBeam, to improve radiation therapy for patients. A patented lens collects most of the X-rays
from any standard X-ray generator and focuses them at the tumor. It increases
the therapeutic dose where it’s needed and not at surrounding tissue.
New process to diagnose blood clots in
pregnant women.
Researchers at Soroka University Medical Center and Ben-Gurion
University have developed a simple way to identify clotting problems early in
pregnant women. The team used a point
system to determine a baseline to diagnose clotting disorders.
Eating whey protein before a meal helps
control diabetes.
(Thanks to Michael H) Israeli researchers have discovered that consuming
whey protein before a regular breakfast reduces blood sugar spikes after meals
and also improves the body's insulin response. Thus whey protein could help diabetics
control blood sugar.
An app for diabetics
to get immediate help in a crowd. (Thanks to NoCamels.com) Israeli Shlomi
Aflalo developed HelpAround, a crowdsourcing application for people with
diabetes and other chronic diseases. It allows them to communicate and get
immediate help from people in the vicinity.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
$1.75 million donation to Israeli
disabled charities. The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust is giving $1
million to SHALVA, The Association for Mentally and Physically Challenged
Children in Israel. Also, $750,000 to
Beit Halochem-Tel Aviv, which provides services for disabled IDF veterans.
Israeli re-elected to UN committee on
women. (Thanks to Hazel) For the third year in a
row, Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari of Bar Ilan University has been elected as
a member of the United Nation's Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women.
Israel named Tier 1 nation in combating
human trafficking.
Israel has been awarded the highest ranking for its efforts to combat
human trafficking in the U.S. State Department's 2014 Trafficking in Persons
Report. It praises Israel's efforts to identify and rescue trafficking victims
and take punitive steps against traffickers.
Muslim Zionist and an IDF officer. Ala Wahib is the operations
officer at a key IDF ground forces training base and the highest-ranked Muslim
officer in the Israeli army. He said,
“I believe in the Muslim faith, and I will never abandon it, but I think that
Zionism is more than a religion.”
Please read his amazing story.
IDF field hospital for
injured Gazans.
The IDF has set up a field hospital at the Erez border crossing between
Israel and the Gaza Strip, mainly for women and children from Gaza. It will include a delivery room.
http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/IDF-sets-up-field-hospital-at-Erez-border-crossing-for-injured-Palestinians-363541 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ls3WpCmwk
Israel allows aid into Gaza. Despite ongoing rocket fire
at Israel from Gaza Strip, some trucks of goods including medicines, food and
basic products entered Gaza from Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem 22nd best
in the world.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has ranked 22nd among the world’s top
universities according to the Saudi Arabia-based Center for World University
Rankings. CWUR evaluates the top 1,000 universities using objective academic
and research indicators.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Green fabric printing. Israel’s Kornit Digital
Printing has developed water-based inks that are entirely organic, 100%
non-toxic, vegan friendly and compatible with all types of fabric. The company’s high-speed DTG printers are
“revolutionizing” the industry with single step fabric printing and no
additional finishing.
Student villages built from recycled shipping
containers.
The Ayalim Association has built a series of ‘student villages’
throughout Israel. The latest in the city of Lod, not far from Israel’s
international airport, has been constructed out of recycled shipping containers.
Mini-farms can feed a
hungry world.
(Thanks to Hazel) Israelis Moti Cohen and Mendi Pollak won the $20,000
top prize in the Pears Challenge. Their Livingbox “mini-farm” can grow
vegetables anywhere, with a self-sustaining “closed loop” of energy and
nutrition. The idea can help feed a billion needy people.
Saving water in agriculture. Israel’s Netafim has
completed a successful international pilot project of its uManage platform,
which helps farmers to monitor irrigation/fertilizer performance and yields.
The software analyzes wind direction, weather forecast, temperature, radiation,
soil moisture and fertilizer.
The world’s first photonic router. (Thanks to Nevet - www.broaderview.org) Scientists at
Israel’s Weizmann Institute have demonstrated for the first time a photonic
router – an atom-based device that enables routing of single photons. It is a
step towards building quantum computers that can process huge amounts of data.
Graduating in the greenest building in
the Middle East.
32 Tel Aviv University Environmental Masters graduates received their
MAs and MSc’s at a ceremony in the brand new Porter School of Environmental
Studies Building.
Israeli designs Singapore Airport’s
bio-dome.
(Thanks to NoCamels.com) Israeli architect Moshe Safdie is building a
huge bio-dome at Singapore’s Changi Airport. It will contain lavish gardens and
fluid waterfalls that will pour down from the dome’s roof. The dome will connect
Changi Airport’s terminals 1, 2 and 3.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel employment rate
rise is highest in the OECD. The Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) has reported that between 2010 and 2014, Israeli
employment rose 13% compared to the OECD average of 2%. The employment rate for Israeli women was
6.5% higher than the OECD average.
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange joins Europe. The General Assembly of the
Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE) unanimously approved the
application of Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) to become an Affiliate
member. FESE has 21 Full members, 20
Affiliates and two Observer members.
We’re at war, and the stock market is
up? Go figure!
Jon Medved, CEO of Israel’s OurCrowd is extremely bullish about the
financial resilience of Israel’s economy during the current fighting against
Hamas terrorists.
China boosts Israel ties. A Chinese delegation,
headed by Ren Zhiwu - deputy director-general of the High-Tech Industry
Department of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) - arrived
in Israel, the first time the high-level government team has come to Israel.
Vietnam’s trade with Israel surges 53
per cent.
Trade between Vietnam and Israel increased significantly during the
first half of this year, reaching US$426 million or increasing 53 per cent
year-on-year.
Unlimited coffee is now available in New
York.
Israeli start-up “Cups” is expanding its virtually unlimited coffee
supply to New York. Using Cups app, individuals pay a fixed rate of $45 dollars
a month to receive a coffee of their choice at participating shops every half
hour. Or $27 dollars a month buys one coffee per day.
http://cupsapp.com/ http://www.fastcompany.com/3009385/tech-forecast/cups-the-app-for-coffee-addicts
25 Israeli start-ups to watch. Forbes magazine has listed
25 Israeli startups to keep your eye on in 2014. It says that Kaltura is most likely to be “one of the next
billion-dollar exits” thanks to its wide-ranging video solutions platform. It
also likes Petbnb, which pairs traveling pet owners with caretakers for their
pets.
Google’s $100m Europe fund to invest in
Israeli startups.
Five years after launching its Google Ventures investment fund, the
Internet giant announced yesterday that it was launching a similar fund in
Europe. sources informed "Globes" that Google will also use the fund
to make investments in suitable Israeli start-ups.
Mobileye is a $3-5 billion company. Israeli collision avoidance
solutions developer Mobileye is looking to raise $150 million in funding from its US
public listing. Mobileye has developed
a camera-based system mounted in vehicles that reads the road ahead and is
designed to help drivers avoid accidents.
Leviathan gas field is
larger than expected. The estimated size of Israel’s largest natural gas reserve was
raised by 16 percent. An updated analysis based on 3D seismic surveys has
calculated the field to hold 21.93 trillion cubic feet (620 billion cubic
meters.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli caves named UNESCO World
Heritage site.
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee added Israel’s 2,000-year-old Beit
Guvrin-Maresha caves to its prestigious list, during its annual meeting in
Qatar. The bell caves consist of
thousands of chambers and networks.
Israel now has a total of eight World Heritage sites.
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys to
perform in Israel. The Beach Boys are coming to
Israel in 2015. “America’s Rock Band” has produced a record thirty-six US Top
40 hits, selling over 100 million records worldwide. Rolling Stone Magazine
ranks the Beach Boys as the 12th greatest artist of all time.
Tony Bennett due in Israel in September. After a 60-year musical
career, Tony Bennett is finally coming to Israel. The 88-year-old American
singer, known for his deep baritone voice, will perform at Tel Aviv's Charles
Bronfman Auditorium on September 14.
David Blatt is the first Israeli to
coach in the NBA.
David Blatt has accepted an offer to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Blatt, who steered Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Euroleague basketball championship
this season, is the first Israeli head coach to make it to America’s NBA.
THE JEWISH STATE
Visit Nahal Teninim – Nature reserve and
Roman aquaduct.
Nachal Teninim (Aligator stream) is a wonderful national nature reserve
and is home to a Roman dam and aquaduct that brought fresh water to
Caesarea. Also features an ancient rock
quarry, a byzantine flour mill and waterfalls.
New mosaic discovered
in ancient synagogue. A mosaic depicting a non-biblical battle scene has been uncovered
in a 5th century CE synagogue in Northern Israel. It features a group of soldiers and elephants clad in armor. It might be a depiction of Alexander the
Great meeting Jewish high priest Jaddua (Simon the Just).
IDF rescue team honored 20 years after
AMIA bombing.
AMIA leaders came to Israel to mark AMIA’s 120th anniversary
and the 20th anniversary of the attack on AMIA’s center in Buenos Aires that
killed 85 and injured hundreds. Ariel
Cohen Sabban, AMIA treasurer, said, “We will never forget that Israel helped
us.”
Six new bus lines in Judea and Samaria. As residents of Judea and
Samaria express concern over the frequency of public transportation and the
resultant need to hitchhike, the Egged bus cooperative has launched six new
routes and announced improvements to several others.
Christian NGO brings Sderot Holocaust
survivors to Jerusalem. Israel Always, a US-based Christian NGO, is caring for a group of
20 Holocaust survivors who have been bombarded by rockets in Sderot. It has
taken them to Jerusalem, where it is providing free hotel accommodations, meals
and activities.
1.75 million friends of Israel. With nearly 1.75 million
members, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) calls itself the largest
pro-Israel organization in the United States.
At their annual summit in Washington, CUFI leader David Brog said, “we
have to speak out and be a voice for Israel”.
Open Hearts, Open Homes. (Thanks to Howard) As in
previous years, the Jewish Community Center, Bergen County, Washington, New
Jersey is running a program that provides respite and fun to Israeli teens that
live along the Gaza border. Please can
other communities in the USA offer this kind of mitzvah (good deed).
