(No newsletter next week, rather a feature blog to celebrate my 10 years in Israel)
In the 17th Sep 17 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
In the 17th Sep 17 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli
scientists have discovered that bacteria can interfere with chemotherapy.
·
The World
Health Organization has appointed an Israeli to its Executive committee.
·
The first
visit by a sitting Israeli Prime Minister to Latin America.
·
Israeli
technology is purifying water at the Hoover Dam.
·
Israeli driver
assistance systems are being installed in Chinese electric buses.
·
An Israeli
won gold at the Czech Open table tennis championships.
·
Click here
to see the 10th Sept newsletter on IsraelSeen,
Ruthfully
Yours and United With
Israel with additional feature on Technology.
Also (TY Sandra) in German.
·
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than 11,000 previous news articles.
·
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Making chemotherapy more effective. Scientists at Israel’s
Weizmann Institute have discovered why chemotherapy sometimes doesn’t work. Bacteria
inside pancreatic tumors metabolize gemcitabine - a common chemo treatment - to
make the tumor resistant. After applying antibiotics, the chemo begins to work
again.
Stem cell
treatments for Asia. Israeli biotech Pluristem has been awarded
two new patents in Hong Kong for two products - mesenchymal stem cells for the
treatment of skeletal muscle damage or injury, and adherent cells to treat Critical
Limb Ischemia and connective tissue regeneration.
Turning Sound
and Touch into Sight. (TY Nevet) I reported previously (in 2012) about Dr.
Amir Amedi of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who is developing innovative
sensory substitution devices and technologies to help the blind and visually
impaired. Here is a video about his work.
Rehabilitating
soccer players. (TY Hazel) Spanish soccer club Real
Sociedad is using BalanceTutor from Israel’s MediTouch to help its teams
improve balance and dexterity, especially after an injury. The 4D treadmill uses
unexpected perambulation (jolting to the side etc.) to deliberately disrupt the
player’s balance.
Hear this. Udi Doron, CEO of Israel’s
Medton, came on ILTV News to describe his innovative hearing aids. The devices are
imported from Oticon Denmark and then adapted and fitted in Israel. They scan
the environment to reduce the level of noise. They also connect via smartphone
to the Internet of Things.
Free eye
surgery for Kenyans. (TY Hazel) I reported previously (three times) on
doctors from Israeli charity Eye From Zion performing free eye surgery around
the world. They have just returned from
Kenya where they treated 723 patients, from infants to senior citizens, removing
cataracts and correcting astigmatism.
Helping
families of cancer patients. Rivi Kossover of Israeli cancer charity Ezer
Mizion arranges transportation for patients, volunteers to make family meals,
respite for teenage carers and a tutor for a failing student. And still manages
to fit in her own domestic activities.
A virtual
safari for bed-ridden kids. Israel’s Ramat Gan Safari has placed cameras in
the monkey enclosures and live-streams video to bed-ridden children at Sheba
Medical Center in Tel HaShomer. The innovation helps kids deal with the stress
of their illness and is to be expanded to video more animals and include more
hospitals.
Medical
treatment for Russian Olympic skater. Russia’s Yulia Lipnitskaya was only
15-years-old when won a team gold medal at the 2014 Olympic games, skating to
the theme “Schindler’s List”. She developed chronic anorexia shortly afterwards
and retired from skating. In January, she came to Israel for treatment.
WHO board appoints an
Israeli. The
World Health Organization (WHO) has finally rewarded Israel for its vital
contributions to the WHO (see here) and
global medicine. For the first time in
21 years it has appointed to its Executive an Israeli - Professor Itamar
Grotto, the Israeli Health Ministry’s Associate Director-General.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/First-Israeli-named-to-WHO-executive-committee-in-21-years-505117
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
IDF develops software for kids. (TY UWI)
Cadets in the final stage of the IDF officers’ course participated in a 24-hour
Hackathon to develop systems for helping disadvantaged children. One of the
organizations to benefit was ALEH-Negev which supports children with severe
disabilities.
“We were told they are the enemy, but in
reality they are friends”. (TY Hazel and UCI) Plenty of praise
here for Israel from wounded and sick Syrians treated by Israel. Even the cynical Washington Post report admits
the changed perceptions about Israel from those Syrians who have been saved or
helped.
US mayors bond with Israel. The American Jewish
Committee (AJC) brought the mayors of Syracuse, Albuquerque and six other US
cities to see Sderot, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem, the Syrian
border and the Ziv Medical Center in Safed.
Delegation chair was Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona.
More
Israeli aid to disaster victims. In a week of hurricanes and earthquakes, Israel has sent aid teams to
Florida, Texas, Mexico, Haiti, and the Caribbean to help recovery efforts. “We’ve
never seen anything like this,” said Mickey Noam-Alon, from IsraAID. “There are
so many massive events going on worldwide.”
8-year-old sees her mother’s work in
Uganda. (TY Avi) Emily Yaari, is the daughter of
Sivan Yaari, founder and CEO of Israeli NGO Innovation: Africa. Emily travelled
to Africa to see the “tikkun olam” work carried out by Innovation: Africa, all
in the name of Israel with Israeli technologies. An amazing 4-minute video.
http://www.israelvideonetwork.com/israeli-8-year-old-girl-travels-to-africa-and-is-shocked-to-see-what-her-mother-has-done/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cSXel5p5sY
The first Israeli PM
to visit Latin America. Benjamin Netanyahu’s four-day
trip to Argentina, Colombia and Mexico marks the first time a sitting Israeli
prime minister has visited South and Central America. He took with him a
delegation of businesspeople with the focus on deepening economic and
diplomatic alliances. In Colombia, President Juan Manuel Santos thanked Israel
for its offer to help clear Colombia of land mines.
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Latin-American-allies-504738
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Colombias-president-praises-Israel-for-help-in-massive-landmine-clearing-efforts-505069
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
UK conference to share cybersecurity
solutions. (TY
Hazel) The UK Israel Tech Hub organized a three-day TeXchange conference in
London to share solutions to prevent cyber-attacks. UK firms attending included
Aviva Insurance, BT, Goldman Sachs, RBS and Visa. At least a dozen Israeli
security startups presented.
Technion and Cornell open New York
campus. (TY UWI)
Cornell Tech has officially dedicated its new campus on New York City’s
Roosevelt Island, home of a major academic partnership between Cornell
University and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Over 500 people attended
the inauguration.
Cutting-edge tech to counter cyber
threats. US
giant Intel Corp. is teaming up with two Israeli cybersecurity firms – Team8
and Illusive Networks to design and develop solutions for repelling cyber-attacks.
Intel is also opening a new cybersecurity center that will operate in both Jerusalem
and Haifa.
Wave power for Mexico. I reported previously (several times) on
Israel’s Eco Wave-Power and its systems for generating energy from the
sea. Now, Eco Wave-Power is to build Mexico’s
first such facility - a 4.1 MW plant at the Manzanillo Port in the state of
Colima along the country’s southwestern Pacific Ocean shore.
A toxin against corn rootworm. Israeli biotech Evogene has announced
positive results in its Insect Control Seed Trait Program and that it had
developed the first toxin against Western corn rootworm.
Low sodium vegetarian food. Israel’s Salt of the Earth
recently completed a series of trials of plant-based, vegan and vegetarian meat
alternatives. They demonstrated the ability to create tasty meat substitutes
with less sodium. http://www.saltoftheearthltd.com/news-events/low-sodium-vegetarian-meat/
Purifying water at the
Hoover Dam. (TY Hazel) I reported previously (3 times) on the Hydro-Optic
Ultraviolet technology of Israel’s Atlantium that purifies contaminated water
systems. It has recently been installed
at the hydroelectric Hoover Dam to help prevent an invasive species of mussel
from choking pipes.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-tech-chosen-to-kill-off-invasive-mussel-species-at-hoover-dam/
Czechs see innovative Israeli city
bio-filter. (TY
Hazel) I reported previously (Jun
2016) on the JNF hybrid bio-filter for purifying and recycling rainwater
runoff at the Israeli city of Kfar Saba. Before attending Israel’s WATEC
conference, the Czech delegation were shown the bio-filter as a possible
solution to their polluted run-off water. http://www.kkl-jnf.org/about-kkl-jnf/green-israel-news/september-2017/czech-biofilter-mission/
Superior quality photos and video. More on the miniaturized hyperspectral technology developed at Israel’s
Ben-Gurion University (see 5th
Feb). It now can be made as an add-on for a standard camera. Using compression
sampling, it generates high quality images and video faster and far cheaper
than currently available commercial devices.
https://aabgu.org/new-hyperspectral-technology/
IAF training system now does soccer. (TY Hazel) I reported
previously (many times) on
Israel’s PlaySight and its SmartCourt training system that began life training
Israeli Air Force pilots. It was adapted for tennis training, basketball and
now soccer with SmartPitch’s launch at the Soccerex convention in Manchester,
UK.
Car sharing in Tel Aviv. I reported previously (22nd
Jan) that Israel’s Car2Go would be launching its Auto Tel car sharing
service in Tel Aviv this summer. Since
July, 170 Auto Tel vehicles have been in operation. Subscribers book a car 15
mins in advance via a smartphone app.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
20% increase in August tourism. 253,800 tourists visited Israel in Aug 2017 - 20% more than in Aug
2016. 57,200 were from the US – a 33% increase. Tourists from Poland soared
60%. 2.3 million tourists entered Israel Jan-Aug 2017 - 24% more than in the
same period of 2016.
Iowa delegation meets Jerusalem biomed
leaders. (TY
Sharon) The Iowa Economic Development
Authority mission, with over 26 members and led by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, were
given presentations from five of Jerusalem's bio-medical and tech community -
Pepticom, Valera Heath, Aeon, NIMD and Votis.
Chicago delegation to Israel. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel
is heading a delegation of more than 40 businessmen, investors, health care
professionals, academics and water experts to Israel, to seek ways to work with
the Startup Nation on technology. 2016 trade between Israel and the state of
Illinois totaled $814 million.
Linking up Multinationals with Israeli
startups. Israel’s
global equity crowdfunder OurCrowd has launched OurNetwork, providing access
for Multinationals to Israel’s most exciting startups. 25 corporations signed up prior to the launch,
including Accenture, GE, Google, Honda, Kodak, Nokia, SAP, Shell, UBS and
YESBank.
China to import Israeli tech - for lab-grown
meat? China
and Israel have signed a $300 million trade deal whereby China will import
Israeli advanced agriculture technologies and smart and green energy
technologies. Not sure how the UK Independent and others made this into a vegan
story but at least it was positive news.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/global/china/israel-china-sign-300m-cleantech-deal/2017/09/11/
https://qz.com/1075989/china-wants-to-import-israels-vegan-meat-technology/
Winning contracts in
China for driverless tech. (TY SA)
Israel’s Mobileye is installing its Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS)
in every electric bus built by China’s Yutong, the biggest bus maker in the
world. It is also working with Chinese electric car-maker Nio and contracts
with more Chinese firms are pending.
Lower fees for international students. Israel’s Bar Ilan University
has dramatically reduced fees for its 2017/18 International BA program. Foreign
students will now pay standard Israeli citizen tuition fees, as set by the
Council for Higher Education - a two-thirds reduction from the current fees.
Helping women farmers in Latin America. Israel’s Frutarom has been
encouraging women in Peru, Brazil, Guatemala and other Latin American countries
to become independent farmers and grow annatto in their fields. Frutarom is
committed to buying at a fair price all the fresh annatto harvested for its
natural yellow ingredient.
Leading German insurer will cover claims
for Israeli exoskeleton. One of Germany’s leading insurers, Barmer,
has signed a confirmation regarding the provision of Israel’s ReWalk Robotics systems
for all qualifying beneficiaries. ReWalk’s exoskeleton allows paraplegics with
spinal cord injury to walk upright.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
London’s top restaurant is Israeli. The Barbary restaurant in
Covent Garden is number one in TimeOut’s list of London’s 100 best restaurants.
Lead chef is Tel Aviv-born Eyal Jagermann.
The anti-Israel Guardian says it’s “thrillingly alien”. The London
Standard says, “If you have to queue, queue”. (Not kosher)
Stunning photos of Jerusalem. Photographer Ezra Landau has
opened his outdoor “Jerusalem Moments” exhibition in the Jewish Quarter of the
Old City. In 50 prints (for Jerusalem’s 50th anniversary Landau finds contrasts
and connections between Jews and Arabs, secular and religious Jews, tourists
and residents.
And a brief tour of Northern Israel. (TY Avi)
A two-minute glimpse of the Galilee, Golan, Hula valley, mountains, waterfalls
and diverse wildlife. https://www.youtube.com/embed/E4JDbsOnbeU?rel=0
Jerusalem women’s night race. (TY Sharon) Several Jerusalem streets were closed
as some 2,000 women and girls raced over 5km or 10km courses in the Capital.
They included mothers and daughters, running groups from around Israel and even
some studying Torah on their smartphones while they ran.
Italian cycle race to begin in Israel. (TY Hazel) The Giro d'Italia
cycling race will open next year's event in Israel, marking the first time in
its 101-year history that the race will begin outside of Europe. More than 175 of the world's best cyclists
will arrive in Israel to compete in the first three stages of the race.
Israelis enter world sheepdog trials. For the first time, there
were Israeli entries in the triennial World Sheep Dog Trials, held in the
Netherlands. Among the 243 competitors from 30 countries were Adi Etrog with
her dog Daisy and Itai Yatzkan with his dog Munch. They enjoyed the experience
and will try again in three years.
Paralympic wins
table-tennis gold.
Israel’s Karmit Dor won a gold medal in the Czech Open Table Tennis Championship.
She beat Poland’s Karolina Peck in 5 sets to win the Women’s Singles - light
disability class. Dor also won a bronze in the doubles with Israel’s Anat Siara
Sagi.
THE JEWISH STATE
Tax
free commercial honey imports. (TY Steven S) Israel’s finance
minister Moshe Kachlon added a sweetener to the Jewish New Year for the
business community, signing an order this week authorizing a Customs tax
exemption for the import of 560 tons of honey to the Land of Milk and Honey.
New
Israeli stamps – Love songs. (TY Jacob Richman) The latest
postage stamps to be issued by the Israeli Postal Service include 12 love
songs. One of them, Zemer Nogeh, was played by NASA to wake up Israeli astronaut
Ilan Ramon (z”l) to start his day on the space shuttle circling the earth.
http://www.history-of-israel.co.il/stamps/jrst0821e.jpg http://www.jr.co.il/videos/hebrew-love-songs.htm
California
boy’s gift brings survivor to Israel. After
hearing his story, 17-year-old Californian teen, Drew Principe, raised $15,000 to
enable 89-year-old Shoah survivor Henry Oster to travel to Israel where he
would meet his last living relative and finally celebrate his bar mitzvah.
California
girl’s funds for agriculture school. 13-year-old Shira Futornick of Palo Alto,
California raised $50,000 for Israel’s Arava International Center for
Agriculture Training (AICAT). It was a part of her bat mitzvah tzedakah
project. Shira had seen AICAT during her older sister’s bat mitzva tzedakah
program in 2015.
Where
else in the world would you see this? This
photo taken at the back of a restaurant in central Jerusalem captures two young
men praying – one Muslim about to bow on his prayer mat, the other a Jew with
his Tefillin on. Religious tolerance and
freedom of religion being practiced in the holiest city in the world.
