Israel Good
News Archive – 6th Jan to 31st Mar 2013
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In the 31st March 2013
edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights
include:
·
Israelis have now won the
L’Oréal-UNESCO “Women in Science” prize for three years running.
·
An Israeli-Arab singer won the final
of the latest series of Israel’s “The Voice”
·
A nearly blind 12-year-old Israeli
girl has started a “theatre for the mind”.
·
An Israeli company uses solar power to
turn polluted water into pure drinking water.
·
At last, healthy confectionary - from
the land of milk and honey.
·
Israel’s natural gas has begun to flow
– it could transform the Middle East.
·
The number of Jews in Israel has
exceeded the emotionally significant mark of six million.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary
Click here for “You
Cannot Passover the Jewish State” (fast-loading, text-only version, no
adverts).
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israeli wins European
science competition – again. For the 3rd year running, an Israeli has won
the L’Oréal-UNESCO “Women in Science” prize. Osnat Zomer-Penn received the
European award for determining the genetic basis of autism. Israelis Hadar Gelber-Sagiv won in 2012, and
Na’ama Geva Zatursky in 2011.
Teva has double success. There were two positive
results from the latest trials by Israel’s largest biotech. Patients who started Teva’s Laquinimod MS
treatment early halted progression of the disease. Then Teva’s Azilect add-on treatment for Parkinson’s disease
improved patients’ condition significantly.
Another Israeli stent approved. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Tel
Aviv’s InspireMD has received CE mark approval for its self-expanding Nitinol
carotid EPS stent. The stent is wrapped
with a MicroNetmesh to prevent strokes that are common following stent
insertions.
The stamp of approval. Three of Israel’s latest
stamps celebrate Israeli cardiology innovations. The 3-shekel stamp depicts the Percutaneous Heart Valve. 4.2 shekels will get you the heart stent and
on the 5-shekel stamp is a picture of the Implantable Defibrillator. Many thanks to Jacob Richman for posting the
images.
A glucometer on your smartphone. (Thanks to NoCamels)
Diabetics can now measure their blood-glucose level with the Israeli-developed
“Dario” attachment to their smartphone.
A lancing device takes your blood and a test strip measures the
glucose. The smartphone displays the
result and records it, for sharing with the doctor.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Gaza weekly deliveries: In the week to 23rd
March, Israel delivered 31,953 tons of goods through the Keren Shalom crossing
on 1,157 trucks. During US President Obama’s visit, Gaza terrorists fired 4
rockets at Israel, causing damage to houses and trauma to civilians in Sederot. The crossing was closed subsequently.
My Israel – Abdol Abugosh. (Thanks to Haifa Diary)
“Israel is my home and where my friends – Arabs & Jews – live. Israel is
where I have rights and Israel is where my family lives. I’m proud to be Arab & Israeli.”
Arab –Israeli wins
“The Voice Israel”. 19-year-old Arab Christian Lina Mahoul from the northern town of
Acre (Akko) won “The Voice Israel” television song contest with a touching
version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’.
The three other finalists were all women and included a religious Jew,
and an Ethiopian.
Please accept our bread. Jews living in Judea and
Samaria had surplus bread that they needed to dispose of prior to the Passover
holiday. Rather than burn it, they
distributed them to needy Palestinian Arabs.
It was the 3rd consecutive year that members of the Eretz
Shalom movement sent this message of peace to their neighbors.
Israeli army field hospital for Syrians. Due the number of wounded
Syrians Israel has been treating, the IDF has set up a "military field
hospital" in the Golan Heights.
The hospital will treat injured Syrians near the border fence to avoid
having to send serious cases on long journeys to hospitals inside Israel.
"Arabs and Muslims must learn from
Israeli morality." This is the title of an article by Mahdi Majid Abdullah, writing
in “Elaph”, a pan-Arab newspaper based in the UK and Saudi Arabia. He begins “I regret with most remorse the
daily hate I had of Israelis” and then includes a long list of Israel’s
positive activities.
When you can’t see,
visit Mind Theatre. 12-year old Aviva Krainess from Bet Shemesh lost most of her
sight 5 years ago but never stopped dreaming of enjoying stories. Together with her father, they started Aviva
Productions and Mind Theatre. It’s like
a Hollywood movie where you create the pictures in your own mind.
Israeli kids grow food for Africa. (Originally in
Ha’aretz) Pupils at the Herzliya Hebrew
Gymnasium are perfecting a growth system for Spirulina, an algae that’s been
dubbed the “superfood” because it contains 70% protein. The algae growing
system was developed in Kibbutz Ein Shemer to wipe out malnutrition in Africa.
Israel to star at Expo 2015. The theme of the Milan Fair
is “Feeding the Planet – Energy for Life”. Expo’s CEO Giuseppe Sala said,
"The outstanding innovative expertise of Israel in the field of technology
for agriculture in arid areas undoubtedly represents a huge added value for the
development of the Expo's theme".
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Israel and NYC sign nano-tech agreement. New York Governor Andrew M.
Cuomo announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to establish an
international partnership in the field of nano-technology between New York
State and the State of Israel. It will
enable new investments and high-tech jobs for both.
Fresh water using the
power of the sun.
Israel’s SunDwater harnesses the sun’s energy to heat and distill
polluted or salty water and turn it into safe, clean drinking water. Solar mirrors heat the water and turn it
into steam, which is then re-circulated back into a holding tank as pure
distilled water.
Keeping South Korea’s nuclear reactors
safe. (From
Atid-EDI) Waterfall Security Solutions of Tel Aviv has installed its
Unidirectional Security Gateways at a South Korean nuclear generator. South Korea faces real physical and cyber
threats and has recognized the value of strong protection for their critical
control networks.
An infrared heart monitor – for your
bike.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Tel Aviv’s
LifeBEAM unveiled its smart bicycle helmet with built-in heart rate sensor. The
unique sensing technology is currently being deployed in test trials for
fighter pilots and is also being analyzed by NASA for possible use in future
space missions.
For smooth video messages, just Glide. Jerusalem-based Glide has
launched a game-changing instant video messenger that makes it easy to
communicate with friends and family.
With Glide, video messages are broadcast live the moment recording
begins and simultaneously saved to the cloud for on-demand consumption.
An Exodus into science. Thousands of Israeli children
and their families swarmed the interactive exhibits of the Clore Science Garden
at Rehovot’s Weizmann Institute of Science on Passover. Exhibits included a “xylostone”, a solar
mirror, the “moon cradle” and activities included building a bridge from
trapezoidal blocks.
Israeli sweets are
good for you.
(Thanks to Israel21c) Israel’s Carmit Candy Industries has launched
innovative confectionary to help shed pounds, boost the immune system and
promote bone health. They include a
weight-management wafer bar and
chocolate coins with calcium, vitamin D and vitamin K.
You can hardly avoid it. This new video shows just
how much Israeli technology impacts on our lives.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
It doesn’t sound Chinese. Israel’s Lexifone, which
has developed technology for simultaneous translation of telephone calls, has
signed a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of a development
center in Guangzhou, China.
Energy Independence
Day. Sunday
31st March 2013 will forever be known as the day when Israel’s
natural gas began flowing into Israel’s pipes.
Gas flow from the Tamar natural gas field should end Israel's natural
gas shortage, reduce electricity prices and improve the standard of living and
the environment.
A miracle in Pennsylvania. (Thanks to Atid-EDI.) Ness Technologies of Tel Aviv has expanded
its operation with a new development center in Pittsburgh, PA. Ness (Hebrew for “miracle”) specializes in
software product engineering and systems integration, application development,
consulting, and software distribution.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
The website of Jewish culture. The website Tarbut IL has
been launched, to provide educational resources on Jewish culture to teachers
and educators in Israel. It covers
Jewish ethics, social justice, models of Jewish identity, Zionism and
Israel-Diaspora relations.
Anthrax hits Tel Aviv. It’s OK, it’s just the legendary US heavy metal band Anthrax who
will give a concert at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv on August 13 2013. The band
has sold over 15 million records worldwide and is considered one of the
founding four of the thrash metal genre, alongside Metallica, Megadeth and
Slayer.
Israel’s defense beats Northern Ireland. The Israeli national soccer
team won 2-0 away from home, against Northern Ireland in an icy World Cup
qualifier thanks to a secret defense weapon – thermal underwear. They really warmed to the task and scored
two late goals to keep them in hot contention in Group F.
THE JEWISH STATE
Shop for Israel. UK-based charity Myisrael
has launched a free phone app to collect donations for Myisrael’s projects from
about a thousand British retailers every time an online purchase is made. Participating retailers include Boots,
Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, PC World and Amazon.
The largest seder in the world. 1300 people attended the
seder at Kibbutz Naan near Rehovot.
They have their own haggadah and songs and the kids put on a show. But
imagine all the washing up!
Thousands receive priestly blessing. A huge crowd gathered at
the Western Wall plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem to celebrate the
traditional priestly blessing performed during the Passover festival. The event is a reminder of the Jewish
pilgrimages to the Temple in Jerusalem, over 2500 years ago.
Six million Jews in
Israel. The symbolic figure of six million has
been registered by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, along with the fact
that Israel now is the country with the largest population of Jews in the
world. It has superseded the United
States, which has a population of 5.5 million Jews.
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In the 24th March 2013
edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights
include:
·
Israeli researchers publicize their
illuminating projects for Save Your Vision Month
·
Israeli medics gave emergency
treatment to another group of wounded Syrians.
·
Israel’s hi-tech innovations and
Arab-Israeli programs won over the US President on his recent visit.
·
An Israeli computer security expert
saved Facebook – twice.
·
Tel Aviv came second in the
competition to find the world’s most innovative city.
·
Israel held Portugal to an exciting
draw in a crucial World Cup soccer qualifier.
·
200,000 Jews have written letters in a
new Torah scroll
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary
Click here for “An
Outstretched Arm” (fast-loading, text-only version, no adverts).
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Weizmann scientists
can save your vision. To mark “Save Your Vision Month”, Weizmann Institute’s vision
research projects include sensory whiskers, glaucoma medication, photon
analysis and brain imaging.
Bladder cancer treatment success. Israel’s
Biocancell Therapeutics Ltd has reported success in the Phase IIb clinical
trial of BC-819 for the treatment of bladder cancer in patients for whom
chemotherapy or standard treatment using Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) failed.
The ear of the rat. A team led by Hebrew
University neurobiologist Prof. Israel Nelken has discovered much about the
brain’s response to sounds by studying the auditory cortices of rats. The research, published in the journal
“Neuron”, could lead to the development of better hearing aids in humans.
The first stem cell conference. Israel’s first
international Meeting of Translational Research on Stem Cells, Cell Therapy and
Regenerative Medicine will take place on April 22 & 23 in Ramat Gan. Israeli biotechs and academic groups lead
the development of cell therapy products for cancer and chronic diseases.
Israel’s role in new anti-psychotic
medications.
Prof. Jonathan Rabinowitz, of Bar-Ilan University is the academic head
of the NewMeds group on advanced data analysis techniques. He is working in a EU-funded consortium to find
new methods for developing treatments for depression and schizophrenia.
Rabbi Firer – the phenomenon. (Thanks to EEJH) Rabbi Elimelech
Firer never received a formal medical education. He founded "Ezra Lemarpeh" to provide patients with
anything Israel’s National Health Service cannot. He reviews 200 – 250 medical cases a day; CT scans, MRIs,
pathology reports. He is now raising funds
for a new Medical Rehabilitation Center in Sderot.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
President Obama wowed
by Maantech.
In Jerusalem, President Obama met Sa’id Haruf, one of 600 Arabs working
for Intel Israel, who explained the Maantech program to him. Founded by Cisco CEO John Chambers, Maantech
is a hi-tech “finishing school” that helps Israeli-Arabs become more integrated
into Israel’s hi-tech scene. The US
president then publicized Maantech when he gave a press conference in Ramallah.
Gaza farmers attend Israeli strawberry
fair. The
Israeli Coordination and Liaison Administration for the Gaza Strip hosted
twenty-nine farmers from Gaza at the annual Strawberry Fair in Qalansuwa,
Israel. The event publicises new varieties of strawberries, new growing methods
and approved pesticides.
Making nature accessible. Students from the Bet
Chinuch School and the Ben Yehuda School for special education participated in
LOTEM's Natural Integration program that brings children from a regular
education class together with children from a special education class for joint
activities in nature.
Canada trip for inclusive Israeli hockey
club. 17
Israeli children (Jews, Arabs and Druze) from the Northern Galilee and Golan
Heights are visiting Winnipeg, Canada to play Canadian hockey. The students
(aged between 11 and 14) are all members of the Canada Israel Hockey School in
Metulla.
IDF medics treat more
Syrians.
Israel Defense Force medics treated four wounded Syrians after they
approached the Israel-Syrian border evidently seeking medical attention. Two were seriously wounded and were
evacuated to an Israeli hospital for further treatment.
Water for all. Ben Gurion University of
the Negev and the University of Chicago have announced a partnership to
collaborate on new water production and purification technologies for
deployment in regions of the globe where fresh water resources are scarce.
British charity shares Israeli expertise
with the world.
(Thanks to Israel21c) The UK’s Tag International Development organization
utilizes Israeli knowledge and expertise to run more than 20 projects in
developing nations. Israeli volunteers
and professionals work in Myanmar, Jordan, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka; and Kenya.
http://israel21c.org/social-action-2/a-british-charity-is-changing-the-world-with-israeli-expertise/
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Seven of the best, for
the US President. US President Obama was shown “Israeli
Technology for a Better World”. It
featured Phinergy’s long-life electric car battery, Mobileye’s road safety
alert system, ReWalk, MinDesktop’s brainwave controller, Robo-Waiter, the
Robotic Snake and ElMindA’s brain analysis system.
History on a
microchip.
One of the gifts presented to the US President by Israel’s Prime
Minister was a gold-plated silicon chip etched by Technion scientists with the
US and Israeli declarations of independence.
The chip was affixed to a Jerusalem stone dating to the Second Temple
Period (1st century BCE to 1st century CE).
More help for software entrepreneurs. Following in the footsteps
of Microsoft, iApps (Israel’s largest mobile application developer) has started
its own incubator for developers at its Herzliya HQ. iApps Booster is the only incubator in Israel dedicated to
building mobile apps.
Hi-tech degree gives entry to Israel. Thirteen young Jewish men
from Morocco joined 25 existing Moroccan engineering and hi-tech students at
the Machon Lev academic institution in the Jerusalem College of
Technology. Most will immigrate to
Israel upon completing their 4-year degree course.
Israeli saves Facebook
twice. For
the second year running, Nir Goldshlager is the No. 1 name in Facebook’s
security “hall of fame”. Goldshlager
uncovered a major security flaw that allowed hackers to take control of accounts.
When Facebook fixed the breach, Nir discovered a second major problem in the
“corrected” code.
Israeli company exposes iPhone security
flaw.
(Thanks to Michael and Jane) Adi Sharabani, CEO and co-founder of
Skycure, has proved that an attacker could retrieve sensitive information
(including the victim’s exact location) and even control the victim’s phone –
e.g. quietly changing their GPS destination while driving.
Israel’s young engineers. A new video showing the work
of Israeli start-up Young Engineers that won Amir Asor the “Youth Business
International Entrepreneur of the Year” award from Britain's Youth Business
International non-profit organization.
Children use LEGO toys to grasp the principles of software engineering.
Netanya pupils top in Intel competition. Netanya students won top
three prizes at the Intel-Young Scientists competition. Victor Isserov of the Shai Agnon School was
joint top with his project on the quantum characteristics of ions and the
development of quantum computers.
Victor will represent Israel in the EU science competition in Prague in
September.
The next generation of Israel’s cyber
defenders.
The Amal network of technical high schools held a nationwide online
detection and hacking race at Cisco’s R&D center in Netanya. The goal is to equip a new generation of
top-tier computer experts with the skills to benefit Israel and successfully
compete in cyberspace.
“Making” a name for themselves. The Start-Up Nation is
hosting a Mini-Maker Faire, “a family-friendly festival of invention,
creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement.” “Making” is the process of taking common
household items and “upgrading” them into a new product or technology. The Makers of today are the high-tech
inventors of tomorrow.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israeli economy improves. The Bank of Israel's
Composite State-of-the-Economy Index for February increased by 0.2 percent. It
reflects increases in industrial manufacturing, goods and services exports, and
in trade revenue. December and January
values were revised upwards following new updates.
Clean water for Colombia. Israel’s Amiad Water
Systems has been awarded a $7.7m contract by Nirosoft Industries for the supply
and maintenance of a pre-filtration solution at a desalination plant in
Colombia.
Tel Aviv is the
world’s second most innovative city. Tel Aviv has been ranked the world's second
"most innovative city" as part of the Wall Street Journal magazine
and Citibank's City of the Year contest.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Free museums during Passover. Every Passover Bank
Hapoalim sponsors free entrance to over 40 museums, national parks, and
heritage sites in Israel as part of their social program. Also see “Things to do in Israel during
Passover”.
May is Smokie time. Do you remember the 1970s
hit “Living next door to Alice”? Smokie
have sold over 30 million albums since.
They will be performing in Haifa on May 3 and in Ashdod on May 4.
The 3rd largest sporting
event in the world. The 19th Maccabiah Games will be the largest sports event in the
world after the Olympics and the FIFA soccer world cup. 9,000 athletes from 72 countries will
compete in Israel from July 18-30.
The Tel Aviv 10km race. IDF veteran Radi Kaiuf, a
46-year-old paraplegic used the ReWalk exoskeleton (as demonstrated to US
President Obama) to complete the Tel Aviv 10km race in less than 4 hours.
Thrown together in harmony. In the seat next to me on
my recent trip to the UK was Bjorn Saw of Aikido Alive London. He had just given seminars in Israel and the
Palestinian territories on behalf of Aikido Without Borders, which brings both
sides of the conflict together in the friendly martial art. Please read his guest blog.
Israel was a good
match for Portugal. 40,000 fans watched Israel play Portugal in a World Cup qualifier
in Tel Aviv. Israel went 3-1 up but in
the end had to settle for a 3-3 draw.
THE JEWISH STATE
Ten Years of Nefesh b’Nefesh. In Times Square, New York,
Nefesh b’Nefesh were busy answering questions from potential olim about jobs,
education and accommodation in Israel.
NbN wants to bring one million American Jews to the Jewish State in its
next ten years.
“Hidden” Polish Jews discover roots in
Israel.
Many Polish Jews were raised as Catholics and have only recently
discovered their Jewish roots. 25
arrived in Israel this week for a special seminar organized by Shavei Israel,
an organization that aims to strengthen the connection between descendants of
Jews and the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
111 orphans are Bar-Mitzvah’d. Kollel Chabad held a Bar
Mitzvah celebration in Jerusalem for 111 boys who have lost either one or both
of their parents. The event was planned
originally for the 11th Nissan – the 111th birthday of
the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, but was rescheduled due to the visit of US
President Obama.
With a little help from our friends. The Christian organisation
“Bridges for Peace” works through Israel’s social services network, soup
kitchens and charities, as well as direct distribution to provide 70 tons of
food each month to 28,000 poor, hungry people in 52 communities across Israel.
200,000 people write
Torah scroll.
A new Sefer Torah (Torah scroll) was dedicated at the Western Wall in
Jerusalem on the first day of the Jewish month of Nissan. 200 thousand people from all continents
(including 100 thousand soldiers) wrote letters in the scroll over a seven-year
period.
Elijah’s flaming chariot? Israelis watching the skies
just after sunset may see a fiery object just to the right of the setting
sun. Dr. Igal Patel, chairman of the
Israeli Astronomical Association, says it is the comet Panstarrs C/2011
L4. But Passover is when Elijah is
supposed to announce the final redemption - so who knows?
130317
In the 17th March 2013 edition
of Israel’s good news, the highlights
include:
- Israeli researchers are using cancer
cells to help fight cancer.
- Ethiopian-born Miss Israel has a dinner
date with the US President.
- An Israeli female professor won the computer
industry’s “Nobel Prize”.
- With Israeli software, you can control
your smartphone using just your eyes.
- In a noisy room, Israeli voice
recognition software can read your lips.
- Barbra Streisand is to perform in Israel
for the first time.
- Israeli windsurfer Lee Korzits won her 3rd
consecutive world championship.
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary
- Click here for “The
Jewish State makes Perfect Sense”
(text only, no adverts).
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Using cancer to kill
cancer.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center have
enhanced the immune system using proteins from melanoma (a severe form of skin
cancer). T-cells in the immune system
are stimulated to produce cytokines, which can fight other cancers in the body.
Success in trials of stem cells for
blood cancer.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Early trials of NiCord (umbilical cord stem cells)
from Israel’s Gamida Cell have proved successful in maintaining the health of
patients with high-risk hematological malignancies. The treatment was safe and reduced the time to recovery period.
Colon cancer rates decrease. Israel is fourth among
Western countries in the prevalence of colorectal cancer and 15th in the death
rate from the tumor. However, the number of cases has declined in the last two
decades - by 17 percent in men and 13 percent in women - largely due to early
diagnosis and treatment.
A pacemaker for the arteries. Israel’s Enopace Biomedical
is developing an endovascular micro-stimulator, which reduces the strain on the
heart by expanding the arteries to accept incoming blood. It is implanted by catheter in a 30-minute
procedure while the patient is awake and is an alternative to a heart
transplant.
Australia approves Israeli robotic
spinal surgery.
Israel’s Mazor Robotics has obtained approval from Australia's
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the import and sale of the company's
Renaissance navigation robot for spinal surgery.
The missing LINC to deafness. (Thanks to NoCamels.com)
Half of all hearing losses are due to genetic mutations. Tel Aviv University Professor Karen Avraham
found that mutations in the LINC cells of the inner ear of an Iraqi family with
a history of deafness could lead to new treatments.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Gaza weekly deliveries:
The Keren Shalom crossing reopened after
Hamas closed it last week and 1,118 trucks delivered 31,338 tons of goods. It
included three trucks from Turkey – the first since the Mavi Marmara incident.
In February, 140,348 tons of goods went to Gaza from Israel on 4721
trucks. 109 trucks of Gaza produce were
exported via Israel.
Equal treatment. Orit served as a medic in
the Israeli army and saved the life of a Palestinian Arab boy caught in
machinery. Then she had to treat a
notorious terrorist in prison. She gave
him IV fluids and medication - everything he needed, since she was trained to
treat those in need regardless of their moral standards, regardless of
nationality.
Improving Arab prospects is good for
Israel.
Israel’s six-year project to improve its Arab community’s job prospects
will also help to bolster slowing economic growth. Manuel Trajtenberg, who
helped to draft the plan, said in an interview, “There is a huge potential there
for economic gains, economic benefits, first of all for the Arab community
itself and for the Israeli economy at large.”
How Israel treats Arab women. This image sums up the
situation very aptly.
Dinner date for
President Obama.
The new Miss Israel, Ethiopian-born Yityish Aynaw from Netanya, spoke
about her invitation to the exclusive gala dinner in honor of the US leader.
"Ten years ago I was walking around barefoot in Ethiopia and I never
imagined that one day I would be in the Land of Israel, meeting the Israeli
president and the president of the United States.”
Women are more than equal in the IDF. Data released by Israel’s
Central Bureau for Statistics (on International Women’s Day) revealed that in
the Israel Defense Forces, 57% of all officers are women.
The sky has no borders. At the Hot Air Balloon
Festival in the Jezreel Valley, the balloons came from the USA, UK, Israel,
Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.
Green religious freedom in
Jerusalem. The
first International Jerusalem Symposium on Green and Accessible Pilgrimage
begins on 21st April. It combines interfaith dialogue with urban
sustainability.
A summit to make a difference. Tel Aviv’s third annual
summit for non-profit organizations, AMUTA21C, helps non-profit professionals
learn best practices in every discipline and express why they work tirelessly
to make the world a better place.
Welcome. Five new ambassadors (Chile, South Africa,
Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia) presented their credentials to the Israel’s
President Shimon Peres, marking the start of their service in Israel. They also expressed their hope to develop
technological and strategic connections.
Entertaining children in Kenya. Israeli celebrity chef Omer
Miller cooked a special shawarma meal for 200 Kenyan orphans from the
Tumshangilieni Mtoto school in Nairobi.
The meal was served up by members of the Israeli embassy and spiced up
with a festive appearance by Israeli percussionist and composer Gilad Dobrecky.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Israeli professor wins
Turing Prize.
Professor Shafi Goldwasser of Israel’s Weizmann Institute was joint
winner of the 2013 Turing Prize for her pioneering work that brought about
computer cryptography – securing transactions on the Internet. The Turing Prize is considered to be the
“Nobel Prize” of computing.
Israeli farmer invents solution for
lemon rot.
Rafi Koren, a lemon farmer from Moshav Avigdor near Kiryat Malachi has
invented a product that prevents the spread of Mal Secco, a fungal disease
affecting citrus trees that has been known to kill entire lemon groves.
Greener soil. The commercial arm of
Israel’s Weizmann Institute has developed a system to protect soil and
groundwater from contamination from pesticides. Environmentally friendly substances called prophyrins act as
catalysts to dissolve toxic substances into harmless ones after they have
served their pest-killing purpose.
Greener roads. Israel’s Dimona Silica
Industries has developed a road asphalt compound that uses old tires for
strength and safety. The new compound,
RuBind, recycles many of the 50,000 tires disposed of every year, and is
already in use in Israel’s Beit She’an Valley.
Snake robot for Obama. Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu will show President Barack Obama a series of technological products
by Israel’s high-tech industries in a special exhibit set up in the President’s
honor. The products are in the fields
of renewable energy, accident prevention, medicine, search and rescue, and
robotics.
The eyes have it. (Thanks to NoCamels.com)
The new Samsung S4 will include eye-tracking technology from Israel’s
Umoove. It will allow the smartphone
user to scroll through text on the screen simply by gazing down. The S4 launched on 14 March in New York.
Watch this space.
http://nocamels.com/2013/03/the-samsung-s4-will-track-your-eyes-with-israeli-technology-reports-say/
Voice recognition that
doesn’t need your voice. Israeli startup VocalZoom has developed an optoelectronic
microphone that is able to extract a person’s voice from almost all surrounding
noise – including other people’s voices.
Its optical microphone “reads lips” by sensing vibrations on the face of
the person speaking.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Ohio buys $42 million Israel bonds. In the largest single
government purchase of Israel Bonds in U.S. history, the State of Ohio has
increased its investment in Israel’s economy to a massive $80 million.
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2013/03/07/3121421/state-of-ohio-purchase-42-million-in-israel-bonds
Unlimited coffee. Israeli start-up
CupsTelAviv has a unique deal – all the coffee you can drink, from any of over
40 coffee shops in Tel Aviv. All for
NIS 169 per month (about $45). I’ll
drink to that.
Israeli entrepreneurs start young. Venture capital firm
Jerusalem Venture Partners held its sixth annual “practice session” for
Jerusalem kids entering June’s “Young Israeli Entrepreneur” contest. The winner
will represent Israel in the Junior Achievement-Young Entrepreneurs Company of
the Year Competition next July.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli cooking is the best. An Israeli cookbook called
Seafoodpedia won “Best in World” in its category at the renowned Gourmand World
Cookbook Awards in Paris, dubbed “the Oscars of international cookbooks.”
Jerusalem’s biblical zoo – A modern day
Noah’s Ark.
The Asian lion, Syrian brown bear, Nile crocodile and Persian fallow
deer are among the animals mentioned in the Bible that have been saved and are
thriving thanks to Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo.
Barbra is to sing in
Israel.
Jewish singing legend Barbara Streisand will perform in Israel for the
first time ever. She will sing at
Israeli President Shimon Peres’ 90th birthday on June 18 at the
opening of the Presidential Conference.
She will also perform twice at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv on June 15
and 16.
The best gigs are in Tel Aviv. The line-up for 2013
includes Ravi Coltrane (Apr 23-24). Shuggi Otis (May 1), Depeche Mode (May 7),
Liars (Jun 15) and Alice Keys (July 4).
Check http://www.touristisrael.com/
Yanni’s first Israeli concert. The legendary composer and
pianist, Yanni will be making his first ever performance of Jazz, classical and
soft rock in Israel, on June 19 at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv. This video is of a 2006 performance of the
aptly named number (in view of Israel’s recent abundance of water) “Rainmaker”.
“Only for him.” Israel’s entry for the 2013
Eurovision Song Contest on May 15th will be Moran Mazor. You can listen here to her singing “Only for
him”.
World champion
windsurfers.
For the third consecutive time, and the fourth in her life, Israeli
windsurfer Lee Korzits took first place at the RS-X World Championships in
Buzios, Brazil on Tuesday. Fellow
Israeli Maayan Davidovich won bronze.
It was the first time that two Israelis stood on the winners’ podium.
THE JEWISH STATE
One of the best countries to retire to. A report, by Natixis Global
Asset Management (NGAM) puts Israel as the 12th best place in the
world for retirees. Using UN and World
Bank data, Israel comes ahead of Canada, the USA and the UK in the “safety net”
the government provides to pensioners, to live better and healthier lives.
The Argan tree of the Negev. Yoni and
Shoshana Rappaport moved to Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev and their lives are now
focused on turning the desert green by planting many thousands of the amazing
Argan tree. It can survive on minimal
rainfall yet produces a healthy oil from its fruit. Please support their work.
In the 10th March 2013
edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights
include:
- Israeli scientists are working to use
an alternative area of the brain, for damaged retinas of the blind.
- Israeli doctors perform a rare
operation to save a baby with whooping cough.
- UK media not normally sympathetic to
Israel featured an innovative Israeli cancer test.
- Despite the civil war, Israel has
exported 18,000 tons of Golan Heights apples to Syria.
- You can now charge your iPhone5
wirelessly, with Israel’s Powermat.
- Relax – your Airbus’s engines are
powered by Israeli technology.
- A Moslem came second in the women’s
race of the Jerusalem marathon, boycotted by the PA.
- Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary
Click here for “In Israel every day is Good Deeds Day”
(fast loading text version – no adverts)
Click here for “In Israel every day is Good Deeds Day”
(fast loading text version – no adverts)
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
From the Start-up Nation to the Brain
Nation.
Bloomberg TV’s Countdown program featured Israel’s advances in Neurotech
- Brain Science. The reporter also
tried out IDC’s Brain Machine Interface.
Projecting sight for
the blind.
Researchers in Optogenetics at Israel’s Technion are working on a
substitute for damaged retinas. A light-sensitive protein can turn the ganglion
cells in the eye into photoreceptors.
Visual images projected onto these cells stimulate neurons and recreate
the image in the brain. Watch this
space!
The unsung Israeli hero of Parkinson’s
treatment.
Professor Hagai Berman of Hebrew University will receive he Rappaport
Prize for Excellence in Biomedical Research as overdue recognition for his work
on Deep Brain Stimulation. Over 100,000
Parkinson’s sufferers have been treated with DBS, one of the most effective
treatments for the ailment.
Israel’s brain center gets off the
ground. A
groundbreaking ceremony took place at the site of the Edmond and Lily Safra
Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The new
building will be home to the largest neuroscience center in Israel and one of
the most ambitious in the world.
UK GlaxoSmithKline delegation in Israel. The GSK delegation visited
the Weizmann Institute, Sheba Medical Center, Hadassit in Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion
University, Israel Technion and other institutions. Dr. Duncan Holmes said, “We
recognize the huge expertise of Israeli academics in research in this field.”
Rare treatment saves
baby from whooping cough. Doctors at Western Galilee Hospital in
Nahariya saved the life of a month-old baby who contracted whooping cough
before immunization. The baby’s blood was replaced with infused blood and she
was soon weaned off her respirator and has now been discharged.
Simply saving lives. An all-women Israeli
company is producing “MediTags” - bracelets that contain medical and personal
details in Hebrew and English. They can
store details of allergies in case the wearer is rendered unconscious; or the
contact details for an Alzheimer’s patient in case they get lost.
UK Guardian hails
Israeli cancer test. Unique recognition of Israel’s medical success in the UK
newspaper that normally only criticizes Israel. It picked up a British Journal of Cancer article on the
innovative diagnosis breath test invented by Israel Technion Professor Hossam
Haick. Also featured on the BBC.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Gaza weekly deliveries: Unfortunately the Keren
Shalom crossing has been shut due to a dispute between the PA and Hamas. 70 trucks are waiting on the Israeli side of
the crossing.
Israeli doctor saves life of Arab
stone-thrower.
At the height of Arab riots, Dr Micah Shamir quietly entered the PA city
of Nablus (Shechem) without an army escort in order to save the life of a
Palestinian Arab who had been badly injured after PA doctors called for
help. The Arab is now recovering in an
Israeli hospital.
Jews and Christians rescue sick Gaza
children.
Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Tel Aviv has teamed up with the Living
Bread International Church to heal children who receive inadequate healthcare
in Gaza and the Palestinian Territories.
The "Rescue the Child" project was set-up when LBIC contacted
the Israeli Army.
Golan Druze export
apples to Syria.
Israel will export 18,000 tons of apples grown by Druze farmers on the
Golan Heights to Syria over the next three months. It benefits Israel, (keeps
the price of the fruit stable); the Druze farmers (able to market their
surplus); and the Syrians gain a supply of regionally grown fresh apples.
Environmentally friendly fashions. Students at Shenkar College
of Engineering and Design have created clothes from recycled surplus or
defective items donated by a leading retailer.
It is part of a project exploring "design as an engine of social
impact." The new items were then
mass-produced and sold on discount.
An excellent question. Why should anyone in the
West boycott Ahava products when Palestinians Arabs in Jericho are selling
them? The BDS movement promotes the
boycott of Ahava skin care products, but virtually every tour bus that comes to
Jericho is directed into the Ahava Temptation store.
An Israeli dairy farm in Iraq? (Thanks to SDM) A
delegation led by Iraqi Kurdistan's agriculture minister and vice president
visited Kibbutz Afikim. They plan to build a dairy farm in northern Iraq
according to the successful Israeli model.
According to Ynet, AfiMilk has already established a camel milking
facility in Dubai.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
A safer car-phone. Israel’s Accel Telecom’s
Voyager car-phone extends your smartphone, with features especially for
drivers. Big, easy to access keys, special noise filtration and cancellation
plus enhanced volume for clearer conversations, voice activation for calls and
commands, a built-in copy of Waze and much more.
Charge your iPhone –
wirelessly.
Israel’s Powermat Technologies unveiled its cordless iPhone5 charger at
the Barcelona World Mobile Congress. The product includes a charging case, an
extra battery which doubles the iPhone's work period and a 7,000-milliampere
mobile internal charging pad, for multiple recharges.
Your hi-tech guide to Israel. (Thanks to Uri) Eye On
Israel is a really smart new Windows application to help you explore and
navigate Israel. It contains dynamic
maps, videos and information on the best geological and historical sites, plus
wildlife, attractions, accommodation and more that I haven’t had time to check
out yet.
A cyber nation. A recent event organized by
SpeedMind - Israel offered the opportunity for an inside look into Cyber
Technology in Israel. The government,
VC’s and companies offering a variety of products and services for the cyber
security market are now investing in and promoting the Cyber Security market in
Israel.
Clearly a better image. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Tel
Aviv-based Sightec’s super-resolution technology can recognize people with only
3-5 pixels rather than the 400+ required by competitive systems in use today. Sightec has been acquired by US-based Pongr
to enhance its photo-sharing business to a completely new level.
The Chinese connection. Here is a video of the
visit to the Technion from the Chinese Ambassador to Israel. Long histories connect China with Israel and
the Technion attracts top Chinese students to study here.
How water is treated in Israel and
California.
(Thanks to Herb) There are
physical similarities between the Jewish State and the South-West State of the
USA. So how does each deal with its limited water resources?
Powering the plane. When you next board an
Airbus or any plane with Pratt and Whitney engines, you can rest assured that
Israeli technology is helping to power you to your destination. Bet Shemesh Engines produces components for
the auxiliary power units and will continue to do so for at least the next
seven years.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel’s assets increase. The value of Israel’s
public finances improved by 5.8% (in real terms) during 2012 to NIS 2.7
trillion.
And debts decrease. Israel is the only Western
country to have reduced its debt as a proportion of GDP in 2012. Israeli government debt was 73.5% of GDP
last year, compared to 74.1% of GDP in 2011 and 80% of GDP five years ago.
From start-up to buy-out. Here is a fascinating
interview describing the history of Israel’s Minicom until it was sold to Tripp
Lite in 2012. Eli Sasson came out of
the army in 1985 and graduated from Tel Aviv Uni in 1988. He started a business and built his PC
control device in his garage. Follow
his story.
Kids education is now a big game. Israeli publisher of children’s
and family apps, TabTable, has bought Israeli smartphone educational games
company Kids Games Club. Together they have produced over 200 educational apps,
making the combined Israeli company one of the big players in the market.
Boosting trade with the Philippines. Philippine Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (PCCI) president Miguel Varela said he wants to triple
two-way trade with Israel during 2013.
He outlined plans during a business matching session and forum in
Manila, attended by a 15-member delegation from Israel.
Broadband for Argentina. Israel’s Alvarion has
deployed wireless broadband to Argentina’s seventh largest city of Mar del
Plata - gateway to Patagonia with a population of 600,000. Its ”Smart City”
network connects municipal centers, including libraries, community centers,
schools, hospitals, clinics, and municipal offices.
The first Asian R&D center in
Israel.
Singapore-based telecommunications group SingTel and Israeli software
solutions provider Amdocs are setting up a joint development center in
Israel. The center will develop
innovative products for customers of the SingTel group in the 26 countries in
which it operates.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
10.5 million visitors to the Western
Wall. 2012
data provided by Israel’s police indicates a major boost in Kotel tourism
compared to 2011. The data includes
regular worshipers and the many thousands who come for special prayer services
on holidays as well as tourists and other visitors.
10 Israeli bands at SXSW Texas. (Thanks to SDM) If you
visit South By South West in Austin Texas next week, you will get an
opportunity to hear performances from some of the best Israeli groups.
What to do in March.
Rita rocks the UN. Here is the full video of
Iranian-born Israeli singer Rita’s concert at the United Nations.
20,000 race in
Jerusalem marathon. Runners from 52 countries
competed in the 2013 Jerusalem Winner International Marathon. Ethiopians won both the men’s and women’s
races in record times. Note that Radiya Mohammed Roba of Ethiopia came second
in the women’s marathon. Meanwhile, the UN cancelled the Gaza marathon because
Hamas wouldn’t allow women to race.
Happy International Women’s Day.
THE JEWISH STATE
A British Muslim’s view of the Middle
East. The
founder of www.theisraelcampaign.org
Kasim Hafeez writes about the double standards used by human rights activists
in relation to Israel and any other country.
Kasim ran in the Jerusalem half marathon to raise funds for the Michael
Levin Lone Soldier Center.
Israel destroys landmines. Israel has begun a project
to rid the area of Eilat of over 10,000 defensive landmines placed near the
city in clearly marked minefields during the sixties and seventies. The recovered land will be returned to the
city for use in housing and agriculture.
Israel to build nationwide cycling grid. Israel’s Transportation
Ministry has approved a new project to pave 400km of cycling trails across the
country. The project's main goal is to
minimize accidents involving cyclists on interurban highways. The ministry also hopes more people will use
this eco-friendly mode of transportation.
Study the Jewish State – in DC. The Israel Institute opened
its doors in the US capital last week with a novel mission: to advance the
scholarly study of modern Israel in the United States and around the world.
Going “up” in the World. David Brent is a NASA
engineer who will shortly become an American Israeli. It is a lot easier than becoming an Israeli American. He explains that in Israel, the laws of
physics are reversed. It is easier to go “up” (Aliyah) than to go down. David is coming home.
130303
In the 3rd March 2013 edition of
Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Turkey’s ex-Finance Minister received
stem cell treatment in Tel Aviv.
·
An Israeli organization is working
under cover to bring aid to Syrian refugees.
·
The new Miss Israel is an Ethiopian
immigrant.
·
Israel’s Waze won the MWC Barcelona
prize for the best mobile application in the world.
·
Israel has launched the project to
send another Israeli astronaut into outer space.
·
A new section of the Tel
Aviv-Jerusalem highway will include an eco-bridge for wildlife to cross.
·
Iranian-born Israeli superstar Rita
will perform Iranian songs at the United Nations.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary
Click here for “Israel
Sets the Pulses Racing”
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Ex-Turkish finance
minister has stem cell treatment in Israel. (Thanks to Israel21c) Kemal Unakıtan spent
nearly two-and-a-half months at the International Center for Cell Therapy &
Cancer Immunotherapy in Tel Aviv. He received groundbreaking stem cell
treatment to wean him off dialysis and avoid a kidney transplant.
New treatment for psoriasis. Researchers from
Ben-Gurion University and Teva have developed an improved version of an
experimental medicine for the treatment of the chronic skin disease
psoriasis. It inhibits the faulty
immune system signal interleukin-17 that triggers the inflammation associated
with psoriasis.
For kids with disabilities, virtual
reality isn’t just a game. (Thanks to Israel21c) A
unique-to-Israel use of virtual reality (VR) has been pioneered at ALEH,
Israel’s largest network of facilities for children with severe cognitive and
physical disabilities. Residents at
ALEH’s Moriah facility in Gedera go on field trips in simulated environments.
Restoring mobility to the spine. (Thanks to Israel21c)
Israel’s Premia Spine offers a unique treatment to those suffering from spinal
degeneration. Its artificial titanium joint replaces the posterior spinal
column totally. No more pain, full
mobility and none of the problems that alternative spinal fusion treatments
cause.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Gaza weekly deliveries: The Kerem Shalom crossing
from Israel to Gaza had to be closed briefly due to the resumption of terrorist
rocket fire on Tuesday. Despite this, 42,700 tons of goods (1,397 truckloads)
entered the Gaza Strip from Israel through the crossing – even more than the
previous week.
Israelis for Syria. An amazing article about
Israeli volunteers from www.il4syrians.org
working to help Syrians left wounded and homeless by the fighting in
Syria. The 5-mins embedded video
features friendship between an Israeli volunteer and a Syrian family. For those
who want more, view the youtube video.
IDF airlifts Sudanese refugee’s
premature twins to hospital. The IDF evacuated a Sudanese refugee and her
two premature babies from Eilat to Assaf Harofeh hospital in Tel Aviv. The babies weighed only 900 grams.
A festival for one shekel. Festival Bashekel features
top Israeli and international groups for a ticket price of just NIS 1 –
equivalent to 25 US cents. Hundreds of
thousands of young Israelis from marginalized communities have benefited and
Bashekel even staged a joint Jewish-Arab festival in Gilboa in 2009.
Purim is for everyone. The Institute for the
Advancement of the Deaf and the national-religious rabbinic association Tzohar
held the first ever sign language reading of the megila (Book of Esther) for
the deaf and hard of hearing. More than
600 people attended the reading at the Tel Aviv International Synagogue.
Three Queen Esthers guard the Jewish
State. Like
their namesake, Corporal Esther Feldhammer, Sergeant Esther Yaso and Sergeant
Esther Pakado chose to stand up and be counted when presented with the
opportunity to join the IDF and defend their country. Women are exempt from combat duty but all three volunteered.
Miss Israel is an
Ethiopian immigrant. Yityish Titi Aynaw, a 21-year-old from Netanya, was chosen to be
Israel’s representative in the Miss World 2013 competition - the first
Ethiopian-born contestant to win the title.
Asian Science Camp Israel 2012. (Thanks to 12TribesFilms)
250 of the most talented science students from all over Asia, Australasia and
Oceania spent six days in Israel learning, touring and enjoying themselves
courtesy of the Hebrew University and the Israeli government.
March 10 is Good Deeds Day. Originating in Israel in
2007, GDD now takes place in 50 countries.
The project for this year is volunteering at your local elderly home.
Tasks could be anything from working in the garden, helping during meal times,
or simply visiting and sitting with the elderly.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Waze is the best
mobile app in the world. Israel’s mobile navigation and traffic community application,
Waze, won the “Best Overall Mobile App” prize at the 18th Annual Global Mobile
awards at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Smartphones for everyone. Jerusalem based UIU has
developed a system that encourages individuals without smartphones to join the
technological revolution. Even those
with visual impairment can use the large fonts and security features. But did the Times of Israel really have to
label people aged 55+ as “elderly”?
Find your way in a Moscow hyper-mall. Russia is undergoing a
retail boom. The Moscow Mall is one of
Europe’s largest with 5000 stores. So
Haifa-based WiseSec’s location application is essential if you don’t want to get
lost. It also provides you with coupons
to attract you to visit particular shops.
No GPS necessary.
When stars die. Eran Ofek of the Weizmann
Institute is head of a team of researchers that has discovered the dying
signature of stars. Just prior to
becoming a supernova, stars emit gravity waves and eject up to one percent of
their mass. The researchers studied a
star, which became a supernova 40 days later.
Israel to train a new
astronaut.
The eighth annual International Ilan Ramon Space Conference in Herzliya
attracted the heads of 14 space agencies around the world. Israel announced that it planned to train
another astronaut and was invited to join the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of
Outer Space (COPUOS).
Better fiber-optic security. Three Israeli university
researchers have designed a new encryption method for fiber optic
communications. “It is analogous to
many soft sounds of a lovely symphony scattered through a recording of
background noise,” said the researchers.
Only the authorized user can enjoy the symphony.
Israeli research is global. British Ambassador Matthew
Gould outlined the scheme for Israeli and UK scientists to work on joint
regenerative medicine research. And
Israeli ministers welcomed the first group of post-doctoral students from India
and China arriving on six-month research programs with Israeli Universities.
Catching the wind. Israeli wind sensor company
Pentalum Technologies has raised $5.5 million to expand production of SpiDAR, a
cost effective device for remote sensing of wind. The device is 20% of the price of competitors, allowing wind
farms to improve electricity production by up to 10% - equal to millions of
dollars.
Smart Irrigation. Israeli start-up 22Seeds is
raising finance for Greenbox - a revolutionary iPhone-controlled wireless
irrigation system. From the comfort of your home you can program your
irrigation valves, optimize water usage, import water programs, integrate with
weather forecasts and much more.
No pesticides and no pests. (Thanks to Israel21c)
Israeli farmers in the Negev have cut their use of chemical pesticides by about
80%. They use natural predators – bugs
that don’t harm the crops – to get rid of the pests. Also they allow the land to rest in the July heat to kill off any
remaining insects and fungus diseases in the soil.
New website for environment info. The Israel Union for
Environmental Defense has launched a new online website to give eco-conscious
Israelis comprehensive information about recycling centers, air and water
pollution, cellular antennas, open spaces, beaches and various environmental
hazards.
Safer roads for
drivers and animals. A dangerous section of Route 1 between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is
being improved with a 16km new section.
The NIS 2.5 billion cost includes an eco-friendly bridge, indistinguishable
from the surrounding forests, which will allow animals to cross the highway in
safety.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Get ready for IBW. International Business Week
at Tel Aviv University starts on March 4th. It brings together aspiring
entrepreneurs from Israel and around the world for business-related events and
company visits. It connects young innovative minds from around the world and
shows them what Israel has to offer.
Israel “occupies” Barcelona. 2,000 high-tech officials
left Israel on Sunday to participate in the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in
Barcelona, which opens on March 4.
Israel, with 150 companies, has sent the fourth largest delegation to
the conference after the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
Waze founder is a top 10 mover. Ehud Shabtai, Israeli
founder of driving navigation startup, Waze received accolades by the mobile
industry: The Israeli innovator was nominated as one of the top ten mobile
movers by Venturebeat, a leading technology blog. (Waze won the top award at MWC Barcelona – see above.)
Wix to list on NYSE. Wix.com Inc., an Israeli
provider of online tools that help people build websites, will seek about $75
million in its Initial Public Offering (IPO).
JPMorgan Chase will lead the IPO.
Virginia invests in Israel
Agro-technology.
The US State of Virginia estimates that it will invest up to $10 million
in the next 2-3 years in Israeli companies that will participate in the Gateway
USA: Agritech program. A delegation
from the Virginia Israel Advisory Board (VIAB) is in Israel to interview
potential companies.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Interview with Israeli painter Matan
Ben-Tolila.
Jspace News partners with the America Israel Cultural Foundation to
bring an interview with one of the many Israeli artists they support throughout
the world. Matan Ben-Tolila lives and
works in Jerusalem and won The Mitchell Presser Prize for Excellency in painting.
Israel’s “Master Chef” is gourmet
kosher. Tom
Franz – winner of Israel’s “Master Chef” is proud that his buffet is so good
that people who don’t observe Jewish dietary laws can’t detect that it’s
kosher.
Barbie loves Israel. Barbie and Ken are the
alter egos of Italian couple Enrico Pescantini and Maria Giovanna Callea and
their so-called holiday snaps are the final result of a pop-art project the two
undertook during a vacation last August, aptly called "Barbie Loves
Israel." The exhibition has been
featured in the Italian editions of popular fashion magazines Vanity Fair and
Vogue.
World record Harlem Shake. Tel Aviv became home to the
largest “Harlem Shake” dance video yet, hosting some 70,000 people in front of
the Tel Aviv Museum. The video was made
during a pre-Purim street party.
Rita to sing at the UN.
Iranian-born Israeli diva Rita will perform “Tunes for Peace,” at the UN
General Assembly Hall on Mar 5 in a first-of-its-kind event organized by the
Israeli Mission to the UN. Rita will
sing in Hebrew, English and Farsi in front of UN chief Ban Ki-Moon, diplomats
and Iranian community leaders.
THE JEWISH STATE
Returning from China. Seven descendants of
Kaifeng Jews, an ancient community from China’s Henan Province, have come to
Israel and reclaimed their Judaism thanks to the charity Shavei Israel. At its height, 5,000 Jews lived in Kaifeng.
Today, about 1,000 Chinese can trace their roots to them.
Israel Give and Tech. Israel Give & Tech is a
brand-new Taglit-Birthright Israel trip, in conjunction with Israel Free
Spirit. It's designed for people interested in experiencing how Israel uses its
technological innovation for tikkun olam, or repairing the world. The free 10-day trip will depart from New
York in early July.
A word in your ear please, Mr President. Nadav Shragai, writing in
Israel Hayom, urges that we must provide US President Obama with an historical,
religious, legal and emotional tour of the Jewish State. He needs to be shown that the Jewish bond to
our land pre-dates WW2 by more than three millennia.
Captain Ziv Shilon returns. I reported a few weeks ago
about the IDF officer whose arm was blown off by Gaza terrorists but who
returned to present his battalion with its combat medals. Well here is the video. He praised his soldiers and then quoted
Psalm 121 “He who neither slumbers nor sleeps will guard over Israel”.
130224
In the 24th Feb 2013 edition
of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli scientists have discovered a
treatment for aggressive cancer tumors.
·
An Israeli researcher has found a link
between the immune system and intelligence.
·
Seven Syrians wounded in their civil
war fighting were treated in an Israeli hospital.
·
A gigantic Israeli green pepper has
broken the Guinness World Record.
·
Intel Israel doubled its profits to
$2bn and its revenue accounts for 10% of Israel’s industrial exports.
·
An exhibition by Israel artists in
Rome has won the Italian Medal of Honor.
·
The BBC played the Israeli National
Anthem on its longest-running radio show.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary
Click here for “What
an Amazing Turnaround”
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
A way to treat
aggressive cancers. Current medication for breast cancer targets receptors in the
tumors. But one in six tumors have no
receptors and are difficult to treat.
Now, a team of 11 Weizmann scientists has found a combination of two
antibodies that mount a pincer attack on these tumors, causing them to collapse
and die.
Nano-genetic diagnostics. Imagine a microscopic
device injected into your body that searches for genetic malfunctions in your
cells. If it finds any, it emits a
green light to highlight the diagnosis. Weizmann Institute scientists have
developed such a device – and are now working on upgrading it to destroy the
cancerous cells.
The secret to a good relationship. Bar-Ilan University’s
Psychology Professor Ruth Feldman found couples that stay together have higher
levels of oxytocin in their blood when they first pair up than couples that
ultimately break up. Prof Feldman spent
years studying the hormone’s role in the mother–child bond.
Get smart – boost your
immune system.
Weizmann Institute graduate Prof Jonathan Kipnis has discovered that the
T-cells that fight infections also govern intelligence. Mice without T-Cells cannot perform simple
tests, but perform normally when their T-Cells are restored. Kipnis got the idea from his Weizmann
advisor.
“Bad behavior” causes flare-ups in the gut. Scientists at Israel’s
Weizmann Institute have discovered a pseudo-education system in the colon. Newly arrived monocytes are taught how to
maintain a healthy balance in the gut by resident immune cells. But if you get
an infection or eat the wrong food, the new pupils run wild!
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Gaza weekly deliveries: Last week 39,518
tons of imports entered Gaza from Israel on 1,394 trucks. This included 572 truckloads of construction
materials. Since January 1st, a total
of 235,797 tons of imports have entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing.
IDF save PA accident victim. IDF medics saved the life
of a Palestinian Authority Arab motorcyclist who suffered severe abdominal
bleeding in a crash with a mini-bus near Shechem, otherwise known as
Nablus. The Arab is now in a stable
condition at Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah, near Tel Aviv.
Turning swords into SodaStreams. Watch this video
of Palestinian Arabs, Jews and Druze working happily together at SodaStream’s
factory in Judea. SodaStream’s CEO
explains that he could have put his factory on the coast, but he wanted to
build an enterprise that fostered peace between Jews and Arabs.
Syrians treated in
Israeli hospital.
The IDF administered emergency first aid to seven Syrians wounded in
battles between Syrian army forces and rebels near the border fence. They were then taken to the Ziv Medical
Center in Safed for further treatment.
One was in a critical condition.
PM hosts children with cancer. (Thanks to Sidney) In a
pre-Purim event Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife Sara and their son
Yair hosted children with cancer in the Prime Minister's office. Local entertainers performed and sang with
the children and the Netanyahus handed out Purim presents.
Samsung helps kids enjoy Purim. Samsung sent 10,000 Purim
baskets to any Israeli whose friend signed them up for one on the Samsung
Mobile Israel Facebook page. Samsung paid for the candy, and for two Israeli
charities, Variety Israel and the Enosh Fund, to assemble the baskets.
Putting the record straight about
Africa. A
columnist in the Jerusalem Post stated that Israelis were self-centered and
ignoring the poverty in Africa. So I
wrote a letter to the editor mentioning just some of the recent work that
Israelis have been doing in Africa.
Please respond to unjustified criticism whenever possible.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
A search engine for equations. (Thanks to Uri – Israel
Defense) The Israeli start-up Eqsquest has created what is believed to be the
first semantic search engine designed specifically for scientific and
mathematical equations. Symbolab allows users to search for equations using
both numbers, symbols and/or text. QED!
Prize-winning road safety app. Israel’s ionRoad mobile
in-car safety application has won the Qualcomm Venture Qprize competition as
one of the most promising Israeli startups.
ionRoad uses your phone’s native censors to determine vehicle speed and
its distance from the vehicles ahead and alert you to a possible collision.
Purifying the water with UV light. Israel’s Atlantium has
developed Ultra-Violet systems (validated by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency) to render germs harmless without damaging equipment or generating high
levels of ozone. It has just received
$3 million of funding to develop new uses for its technology.
Natural anti-freeze. A team of Israeli, American
and Canadian scientists has unraveled the workings of anti-freeze proteins that
allow animals, plants, fish and microorganisms to exist in cold climates. The discovery can help improve food and
medicine production around the world.
Priming Israel's Innovation Pipeline. The President of Tel Aviv
University has written a nice piece in the Huffington Post. He tells about Maor, whose father - a
construction worker – insists he goes to university. 12 years later, with a Masters degree, Maor is preparing his
siblings to become scientists.
“Israel is contrary to nature”. So said Shimon Peres in the latest KKL-JNF
video, which explains how Israel is able to turn the arid wastes of the Negev
desert into fertile soil for agriculture.
It turns one drop of water into five drops of water.
Israeli world record
pepper. A
green bell pepper dubbed “Godzilla” has won a place in the Guinness Book of
World Records. Grown in brackish water
with natural pesticides by the company Yofi Shel Yerakot (Beauty of Vegetables)
of Moshav Ein Yahav in the northern Arava desert, it weighs half a kilo.
Israeli robots are ideal for China. The world’s largest economy
has a shortage of workers, due to its one child per family policy. Israel’s small but advanced robot industry
has a big chance to grow, by building robots for China, which is set to become
the most robot-hungry market in the world.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
The Hive is buzzing again. Gvahim’s next Accelerator
program (Hive3) begins in March. New
and returning Israeli immigrant entrepreneurs can receive help to successfully
establish a new business. This includes
office space in Tel Aviv University, mentoring, workshops, networking events
and exposure to investors.
South America and India to go Blue. (Thanks to EDI) Israel’s
Blue I Technologies has raised $3 million, for expansion into South America and
India. Blue I’s advanced water
controllers and analyzers measure parameters such as Chlorine, pH, Redox,
turbidity, conductivity and temperature.
Intel Israel has a
mega year.
Despite the global economic slowdown, exports by Intel Israel more than
doubled to $4.6 billion in 2012 from $2.2 billion in 2011 and now accounts for
a tenth of Israel's total industrial exports.
The number of full-time Intel employees grew by 10% to 8,500 and
indirect employees to 25,500.
A fridge with Israeli fizz. The new Samsung Four Door
Refrigerator will incorporate a built-in carbonated water dispenser from
Israel’s SodaStream International. Users
will be able to select up to three levels of carbonation for their sparkling
water. To quote a Samsung VP, “it brings a new experience to the kitchen”.
Ten of the best. Fast Company magazine lists
the ten most innovative Israeli companies, which includes SodaStream as the 23rd
most innovative company in the world.
Boeing protects planes with Israeli
defense system.
Boeing will offer Elbit Systems-produced directed infrared
countermeasures (DIRCM) equipment with all of its military and civil
aircraft. Boeing is working to integrate
the systems on to new and existing aircraft.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Visit the Land of the Biblical
Heroes. A
multimedia visitors’ center has been built at Tel Shiloh – site of the
Sanctuary (Mishkan) before King David brought it to Jerusalem. The centre opens during Passover, projecting
movies onto transparent windows inside a tower that looks out onto the site
where the actual events happened.
Rome displays Israeli
art.
Twenty-four renowned Israeli artists are the stars of an exhibition in
Rome under the title, "Israel Now: Reinventing the Future." The exhibition at the MACRO Testaccio Museum
has received the Medal of Honor from Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.
Israel gets more beer. Gush Etzion residents from
Scotland and the United States have teamed up to create Lone Tree Brewery,
which works to make “the best beer possible.”
David Shire (originally from Scotland) describes his new product at the
International Mediterranean Tourism Market conference (IMTM) in Tel Aviv.
But watch what you drink. The Jewish holiday of Purim
in Israel is full of fun, but the BBC account makes a clear case for writers
not to indulge in unfamiliar alcohol when supposedly committed to accuracy. The
BBC has moved the text of the story from the Bible to the Talmud.
THE JEWISH STATE
Good news – I’m not the only one. Sarah Honig writes some
great things about Israel in her weekly blog.
Turning abandoned quarries into parks. Israel’s Quarry
Rehabilitation Fund has transformed disused limestone quarries on the Golan
Heights and in Karmiel into sites of natural beauty for all citizens to
enjoy. The Avital Valley Park will be
inaugurated next month. Binyamina and
Zichron Yaakov are works in progress.
MDA’s Overseas Volunteer Program. Exciting new video showing
the opportunities given for volunteers to train with Magen David Adom –
Israel’s emergency first response service.
“If we could, we would stay in Tel Aviv
forever”.
“The people are wonderful, the food is outstanding, the views are
splendid, the soldiers walk around with big guns and huge smiles and they are
much nicer than our civil servants." This was the
impression that six Serbian bloggers took back to Belgrade. (Thanks to Uri)
The BBC plays
“Hatikvah”.
Non-Jewish Zionist writer Julie Burchill chose the Israeli National
Anthem as one of her eight records when she appeared on the BBC’s Desert Island
Discs. She also chose “Hebrew Man” by
Israel’s Ehud Banai and the theme song from the movie “Exodus”.
You know it’s
time to make Aliya when….
Congregants at the Or Avner Jewish day school in Chelyabinsk, Siberia
heard a huge explosion during morning prayers followed by a bright flash that
lit up the sky. Outside, a meteorite
fell from space, shattering the stained glass windows of the Chelyabisnk
synagogue.
130217
In the 17th Feb 2013 edition
of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli scientists have developed a
cure for a disease causing millions of genetic deformities.
·
Israel’s new parliament will have a
larger proportion of women than those of the USA or UK.
·
Israeli surfers saved 8 children from
drowning in Hawaii.
·
Israeli 3D printers can now print your
false teeth.
·
An Israeli company won the top award
at the Munich CleanTech Conference.
·
Israel exported 60 million flowers to
Europe for Valentine’s Day.
·
The UN heard first hand about the
fruits of Israeli technology.
·
Last week’s descriptive newsletter
highlights (text-only version)
Click here for “Israel
is on the Map”
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
A cure for genetic
deformities.
A team including researchers from Israel’s Technion has developed an
innovative technique that they believe will cure deformities and blindness
caused by ectodermal dysplasia, which affects seven out of every 10,000 babies
born in the world. Via in-vitro experiments, damaged cells caused by mutant p63
genes can be greatly improved using a chemical substance called PRIMA-APR246.
Israeli stem cells slow down blood
cancer.
Israel’s Gamida Cell Ltd. reported success in the Phase III clinical
trial of its StemEx treatment for leukemia and lymphoma. Compared to a control group, far more
patients receiving StemEx survived 100 days or more following transplantation.
Saving life in Armageddon. Emek Medical Center in
Afula, is near Megiddo, the fabled site of Armageddon. The hospital treats 50% Jews and 50%
Arabs. In 2012, the head of Emek’s
intensive care unit traveled with two nurses, to the Mulago Hospital in
Kampala, Uganda, to open a new trauma center and train local staff.
Israeli medical devices wow NYC and
Boston. The
Israeli innovations featured at the US road shows included Archmedical’s tissue
sampler, BiFlow’s Nitino stent, Medasense’s pain monitor and Moebius’s
injectable solution for osteo-arthritis.
QCore’s pumps go global. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) A new
distribution agreement with Hospira of Illinois means that the Sapphire medical
infusion pumps developed for ambulances and hospitals by Israel’s QCore Medical
will soon be available in more than 60 key markets across Europe, Asia and the
Americas.
Patient monitoring across the USA. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s EarlySense systems will now be
distributed to hospitals across the United States. A deal with Welch Allyn means that the innovative “under the
mattress” sensors may soon be monitoring the vital signs of millions of
Americans.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
“Too many Israeli goods in Gaza”. The rhetoric has changed. Having found it impossible to pretend that
Gaza is under siege, the latest upside-down anti-Israel argument is that Israel
supplies too much! This week 42,898
tons of goods and gas entered Gaza from Israel in 1,445 truckloads.
Israel lets Turkey build Gaza hospital. Israel has authorized
Turkey to build a Turkish-funded hospital in Gaza. Turkish daily Hurriyet reported that Israel gave permission to
transport the construction materials to Gaza as a gesture of goodwill toward
Turkey. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan will inaugurate the hospital.
More Israeli women
lawmakers than in the USA and UK. The 19th Israeli parliament will have a
record number of women lawmakers in Israel’s history. Women now comprise 23 per
cent of the Knesset – a higher percentage than in the US Congress (18 per cent)
and the UK House of Commons (22%).
Venture philanthropy. The Dualis Fund is a
venture capital fund with a difference.
It provides profit-making opportunities for investors, helps businesses
succeed, but also ensures a ‘social return’.
Projects include a restaurant employing at-risk youth and a software
company for people with disabilities.
Refugee clinic gets Government aid. Until recently, Tel Aviv’s
illegal migrants received medical care only from volunteers. Now, Israel’s Ministry of Health has stepped
in to provide emergency treatments via a staff of doctors, paid by the Ministry
from rented offices at the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station.
Israeli surfers rescue
8 drowning children in Hawaii. Three Israeli surfers went to the aid of
eight children aged between 12 and 14 that had been swept out to sea and were
being pounded by the huge waves. Tzvika
Elias, Yair Naftali and Gabi Liptz were hailed as heroes by the children’s
parents.
Israeli satellite broadcasts Africa Cup
of Nations.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s Spacecom has been broadcasting the 29th
Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa using its AMOS-5 satellite and
transmitted every single game from all five South African stadiums to Europe
and the Middle East.
Better services for UK Police families. (Thanks to EDI) Israel’s
BluePhoenix has completed a project to replace old computer systems for the
UK’s Police Mutual Assurance Society (PMAS).
Now 200,000 UK police officers and their families will receive savings,
investments and insurance services much quicker.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Samsung to open Israeli innovation and
strategy center.
Samsung's new center in Ramat Gan will focus on Israeli startup
companies, Israeli research academia and venture capital funds investing in
start-ups. The new center will be part
of Global Samsung, through which the company will expand its activity in
Israel.
Printing your
dentures?
Compass3D, a leading provider of 3D Digital Solutions has begun offering
Stratasys 3D Printing Solutions in Brazil.
The Objet Eden 3D Printers from Stratasys can be used in conjunction
with dental, orthodontics and guided implant products.
Saving power in Central America. (Thanks to EDI) Digicel Group, the leading mobile telecom
operator in the Caribbean, Central American and Pacific regions, has deployed
Smart Energy Solution (SES) from Israel’s eVolution Networks. SES reduces energy consumption and CO2
emissions of cellular base stations.
Amiad filters for new desalination
plant. My
cousin’s company is in the news again.
The water filters from Kibbutz Amiad have been selected for the
protection of ultra-filtration membranes at the Mekorot Group’s new Ashdod
Desalination Plant which, from early 2013, will be one of the largest such
facilities in Israel.
Projecting a good image. Israel’s Valens makes the
chips for HDBaseT technology, which projects High Definition multimedia over a
single cable, and has now enabled the popular display port. More companies are adopting this technology,
which means the future prospects for Valens look very exciting.
You’ve got to Moovit. Israel’s Moovit application
for public transport information is now available in beta in the UK. Already
operating in the US, Canada, and Western Europe, Moovit is the first public
transport application to harness the power of the crowd, using real-time
user-generated information to improve public transport trip planning and
navigation.
The best Clean
Technology in Munich. The 2012 Munich Cleantech Conference awarded their very first MCC
Venture Award to Israel’s TIGI. TIGI’s
Honeycomb solar thermal collectors generate heat for space heating, domestic or
industrial uses at extremely high efficiency.
Sending Benelux packing. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Scodix SENSE digital printing presses are to be sold in Belgium and
Luxembourg. Using CCD cameras and 3D
polymers, the system produces unique products, printed materials and packaging
to the service provider and the consumer.
A quality camera for your smartphone. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Corephotonics develops computational cameras and tiny
electro-mechanical engines to improve focusing capabilities. Corephotonics have
raised $5.2 million to put the power of still cameras into smartphones.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Apple opens Ra'anana development center. The new Apple development
center in the Ra'anana Industrial Zone will be the company's third in Israel
after it opened a development center in Haifa last year and acquired flash
memory developer Anobit in Herzliya.
Most new staff were previously laid off in TI’s global closures.
Magal-S3 swallows WebSilicon. (Thanks to EDI) Readers
often ask why there are few big Israeli companies. Well here is one that is definitely growing. Magal, which develops cutting-edge perimeter
security systems, has just bought another Israeli IT company – WebSilicon,
which builds network management devices and systems.
The worldwide leader in speech
analytics. For
the fourth year in a row, Israeli hi-tech company NICE has been ranked
as the global market leader in Speech Analytics by DMG Consulting. NICE holds a 28.3 percent market share and
has the largest number of customers. It
was also topped the product satisfaction scores.
Building a virtual cable TV service for
Singapore.
(Thanks to EDI) Singapore-based MediaCorp has hired Israeli video
startup Tvinci to build a new streaming video service called Toggle that will
provide live and on-demand access to streaming video content. Toggle will have Video On Demand (VOD)
content, plus a dozen channels of live TV available for streaming to customers’
connected devices instead of their TVs.
Israel-Cyprus Sign Gas and Oil
Explorations Deal.
Israeli firms Delek and Anver signed an agreement to acquire a 30
percent stake in exploration rights for gas and oil off Cyprus's southern
shore. Commerce Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis told reporters that the signing
provided a "new era of Cyprus-Israeli strategic cooperation which includes
economic and political dimensions,"
Israeli microalgae company sold for $50
million.
UK’s Grovepoint Capital has bought Israeli start-up Algatechnologies -
manufacturer of AstaPure (astaxanthin) - a powerful antioxidant from the
microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis. Asta Pure is used as a nutritional
supplement and component in cosmetics.
Israeli agriculture biotech sold for $35
million.
The US giant Monsanto has bought the activity of Israeli crop
bioengineering company Rosetta Green Ltd – developer of improved genetic
strains of wheat, vegetables and other plants such as cotton, biofuels and
algae with medical properties.
Israel exports 60
million flowers to Europe for Valentine’s Day. It may be a day of love and romance for
those celebrating Valentine’s Day around the world, but it’s a day of hard work
for Israeli farmers. Israel exported some 60 million roses, orchids, Bonsai trees
and other flowers to Europe this Valentine’s Day.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
From Essex to Israel. Israel’s bars, beaches,
music scene, nightlife, restaurants and tourist spots are just right for this
trendy young visitor from England’s South-Eastern county.
Chinese dance around Israel. The Spring Chinese Dance
Festival is a joint effort of the Suzanne Dellal Center and the Chinese
Government. Performances will be held
around the country, such as Ashdod, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Karmiel and Haifa.
A
sea of birds. Some two dozen international bird experts
enjoyed a day exploring Israel’s winter home to the birds of the Kinneret
basin, the Hula Valley and the Gamla Nature Reserve, prior to beginning a
week-long seminar on GPS tracking of osprey migration paths.
THE JEWISH STATE
"You shall eat
the fruit of your own work and you shall be happy". Israel’s Noa Furman quoted
the Torah in her statement to the UN Commission for Social Development. “We have moved from cultivating apples to
designing Apple Computers and harvesting oranges to building Orange mobile
phones.”
The magic of Jerusalem. Israel’s Deputy Foreign
Minister Danny Ayalon highlights Jerusalem’s harmony where (for the first time
in history, under Israeli sovereignty) Jews, Christians, Muslims, secular,
religious, young and old live side by side. He also shows the unbreakable bond
between the Jewish people and Jerusalem.
Final section of Eilat railway link
approved. The Southern District Committee for
Planning and Building has approved the final leg of the future Eilat
railway. The rail link will connect the
Red Sea to the Mediterranean, and provide a swifter passage of goods to both
Europe and Asia, strengthening international relations, improving tourism to
Eilat and significantly reducing air pollution levels.
130210
In the 10th Feb 2013 edition
of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israel Technion’s unique cancer breath
test device is to go into commercial production.
·
An IDF medical team saved a
Palestinian Arab boy suffering from pulmonary edema.
·
World Health Organization says Israel
approves 98.7% of requests to treat Gaza patients in Israel.
·
Israel is building a bridge out of
recycled shipping containers.
·
An Israeli company is providing
broadband Internet to thousands of Mexican rural classrooms
·
Two Israelis won gold medals at the
World Judo Championships.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary
Click here for “Israel
says No to the Status Quo”
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Good news for infertile couples. A research team from
Israel’s Technion has produced human eggs using cells from the amniotic sac
that surrounds a baby in the womb.
Experts believe that donation of the amniotic sac will be more
acceptable than egg donation from fertile women.
Cancer breath test to
go into production. The eNose early diagnostic breath test for lung cancer developed
by Israel Technion Professor Hossam Haick is to go commercial. The Technion has announced a joint venture
with Alpha Szenszor Inc. to produce an economically viable, non-invasive,
digital screening tool.
“To reduce suffering and save lives –
for the sake of all humanity.” These are the goals of Israel’s Technion
Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, as described in this video.
Man sees new baby after Israeli doctors
save his eye.
Moshe Schreibhand of Rishon Lezion went fishing to relax on the night
before his wife was due to give birth and a fish hook got caught in his
eye. Doctors at Kaplan Medical Center
removed the hook, sewed up his eyeball and saved his sight.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Nature knows no limits. Founded in 1996, the Arava
Institute for Environmental Studies accepts 40 undergraduate and master’s
students each year, divided equally among Israeli Jews; Arabs from Israel, the
Palestinian territories, and Jordan; and international applicants. In 2013 the
number will double to 80.
IDF Saves Life of
13-Year-Old Palestinian Arab. An IDF medical team on Sunday saved the life
of a 13-year-old Palestinian Authority dialysis patient whose life was in
danger due pulmonary edema. He was
transferred to the Meyer Children's Hospital in Haifa, which specializes in
Pediatric Nephrology Dialysis.
Israel upgrades electricity lines to
Gaza. The
"Grizim" underground electrical lines that supply electricity from
Israel to Gaza's northern region have been refurbished and upgraded. This has
significantly increased the capacity of the lines, providing a more stable
supply to the 70,000 residents of northern Gaza.
And WHO recognizes
Israel’s humanity.
According to a 2012 World Health Organization report, Israel approved
91.5 percent of Palestinian applications from Gaza to receive medical care in
Israel proper, while an additional 7.2 percent were approved pending a security
check. In total, 210,469 Palestinians received medical treatment inside Israel
proper in 2012.
More Israeli women are empowered. The Hadassah Foundation has
awarded grants totaling $200,500 to organizations in Israel and the United
States that empower girls and women. The Foundation is a philanthropic pioneer
in the fields of improving economic security for low-income Israeli women.
Japan honors Israeli tsunami aid. Two years after a massive
tsunami ravaged the eastern seaboard of Japan, the people of one of the hardest
hit towns, Yanmei-Sanriku, have inaugurated a statue honoring the assistance
that Israel provided in their darkest hour.
Titled “Rebirth and Resurrection” the statue was installed in front of
the municipal offices and temporary Israeli hospitals established in
Yanmei-Sanriku.
Learning in Israel; healing the World. Seventy public health
professionals from over 20 countries in Africa and across the globe return to
Jerusalem to participate in the 2nd Pears International Master's in Public
Health (IMPH) Alumni Reunion. They will
learn cutting-edge research and exchange professional experiences. Over 750
professionals from 90 countries have graduated from Israel’s IMPH program since
its inception in 1971.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
A better hummus and falafel. Yissum, the Research and Development
Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is introducing new chickpea
varieties, which retain high nutritional values and exhibit improved
synchronization between flowering and the rainy season to increase yield.
Ginger corrects the spelling. Ginger Proofreader, from
Israel’s Ginger Software, understands language context well enough to make sure
you’ve written what you intended to. So
“Hey dude, let’s go grab a bear tonight” would be flagged as being misspelt.
After the "Smart-Phone", meet
the "Smart-Shower" (Thanks to Herb) Israel’s SmarTap has
developed an electronic cartridge that can replace the mechanical-thermostatic
unit currently used worldwide in showers.
SmarTap offers a “personalized shower experience” even in case of a loss
of pressure in the cold water pipe.
Predicting the future. Israel Technion’s Kira
Radinsky and Microsoft’s Eric Horvitz have developed a program that has
successfully predicted disease and violence outbreaks with 70 to 90 percent
accuracy. The prototype merged two decades worth of New York Times archives and
other Internet sources such as Wikipedia to make its predictions.
A longer life with your mobile phone. Even if there is no
evidence for needing its protection against harmful radiation, Israel’s Tawkon
mobile phone emissions warning system has several other benefits. It increases battery life; tells you when
reception is poor; and it’s free. Plus,
it may stop your phone from frying your brain!
A very smart Muve. Israel’s Muve is a new way
to move around town. Described as a
CleanTech backpack on wheels, the electric scooter eases congestion but gets
you from A to B at a steady 20-25 km per hour.
At $2,000 it is a third of the price of a Segway and has many more
features.
A bridge too far-out! Each year, the world dumps
800,000 aging maritime shipping containers.
Israel is building the first ever bridge from recycled containers, to
link the Ariel Sharon Environment Park at Hiriya with the main thoroughfare
leading to Tel Aviv. The bridge even
has solar-powered lighting.
Cut crime by focusing on hot spots. A 16-year study by
Professor David Weisburd of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Institute of
Criminology has shown that 50% of city crime occurs in 5% of the streets. Traditional
crime fighting focuses on the criminals but Stockholm Prize-winner Weisburd has
changed perceptions.
Israel is on the map. Israel NewTech is launching
the Clean-Tech Map. The Facebook application shows Israeli Clean-tech projects
and installations anywhere in the world. Visitors search by either category or
by browsing the map. Visitors may then read about each project, view photos or
clips, and contact the company.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Broadband for Mexican
schoolchildren.
Israeli communications company Gilat has won a contract to supply over
7,000 SkyEdge VSATs in support of the Mexican government's initiative to
provide thousands of rural classrooms and government offices with Internet
connectivity.
Israel stars at the Super Bowl. Whilst Baltimore was
beating San Francisco, the huge TV screens featured Super Bowl advertising
debuts for Israeli drinks maker SodaStream and Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli.
Israel has the best wines - again. Over 45 Israeli
wineries took part in the second annual Wine Seven Two kosher wine exhibition
in Jerusalem. Israel was the center of
wine production in Biblical times and today it is becoming so once more.
Hi-Tech in a crater. The Israeli branch of
McCann Erickson is opening an advanced, 21st-century office in the Ramon Crater
in the Negev desert. The McCann Valley
Center for Digital Marketing and New Media will employ 120 local full-time
staff with support from the Ministry for the Development of the Galilee and
Negev.
Record foreign currency reserves. Israel’s foreign exchange
reserves stood at a record $78.417 billion at the end of January 2013 - a rise
of $2.511 billion from their level at the end of December 2012. The previous all-time record of $78.078
billion was recorded in August 2011.
Learning from Israel to start-up in
Canada.
(Thanks to Herb) A group of 11
deans of Canadian business schools visited Israel recently. Peggy Cunningham, Dean of the Rowe School of
Business, suggested Israeli successes in innovation and high-tech companies
could be studied and applied in Nova Scotia.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Beersheva - Israel’s Water City. Beersheva means “Well of
the Oath” and is being re-branded as Israel’s “Water City,” with the
installation of public fountains and even a manmade beach on the drawing
board. Other culture includes the Forum
(the biggest nightclub in Israel), regular street festivals and the Negev
Museum of Art. The Old City area has
seen a recent infusion of $10.5 million in renovations.
Mixing music and science. A conference “Music and
Brains: The Surprising Link — An Interface between Music, Cognition and
Neuroscience” takes place from Feb 10-13 at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Participants will mix cutting-edge science with a variety of musical concerts
illuminating the topics.
Music “In D” Negev. In-D-Negev - a play on the
words "indie" and "in the Negev" – is a three-day festival
that mixes desert scenery with great beats.
It is a platform for alternative music and lifestyles in Israel. Camping
in the desert, living off the land and hearing music nonstop without any frills
or neon advertisements
Two Israeli gold
medals at World Judo Championships. Israel's judo team has won two gold medals
and a bronze in the World Judo Championship games being held in Tbilisi,
Georgia. Ori Sasson won gold in the 100
kilo and under. Sagi Muki won gold in
the under 73kg event. Assaf Chen won a
bronze in the 81 kilo group.
THE JEWISH STATE
Cancer sufferer becomes Israeli Air
Force pilot.
While training to be a pilot, Lt. T was told he had cancer - but that
didn’t stop him. He beat the disease and chose to rejoin the IAF’s Flight
Academy. Now he has graduated the course, despite spending long stretches of it
in the hospital.
The water crisis is over. Israel’s Water Authority
has officially declared the national water crisis to be over. Heavy winters rains and snow this year,
combined with increased desalination efforts and conservatory behavior on the
part of the public, has brought the Sea of Galilee to within two meters (six
feet) of its capacity.
A Native and a Zionist. Ryan Bellerose grew up on a
Métis colony in Northern Alberta. Inspired by Israel’s 1948 War of Independence
and the raid to release Jewish hostages in Entebbe, Ryan writes movingly about
Israel’s epic story and hopes that the Metis keep walking the same road as the
Jewish people.
Arab newspaper publishes relatively
positive articles on Israel. London’s Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat recently
published two articles that presented a different view of Israel. The articles
by Dr. Amal al-Hazzani, an assistant professor at King Saud University in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, attracted a flood of hate mail, however.
Leo, the dog who came home. When the shelter at
Jerusalem’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was flooded during
a downpour this winter, many people came to the rescue and fostered dogs like
Leo. 10 days later, Leo ran away and
made a 15km trek back to the shelter – a little thinner, but happy.
130203
In the 3rd Feb 2013 edition
of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
The new improved version of Israel’s
“ReWalk” exoskeleton is great news for paraplegics.
·
Random screening potentially saved 24
Israelis found to have early stage malignant cancer.
·
Israel’s version of “Masterchef” is a
multi-racial gastronomic feast.
·
Israeli researchers have proved that a
higher fat diet increases life expectancy for the elderly.
·
The fourth largest coffee company in
the world is Israeli.
·
The Peter Pan of British Pop – Cliff
Richard – is to perform in Israel this summer.
·
A record one million trees were
planted in Israel to celebrate the Jewish New Year for Trees.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary
Click here for “Israel
Competes in a Fast-moving World”
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Paraplegics can now
walk even better.
Version 2 of the ReWalk exoskeleton from Israel’s Argo Medical has just
been released. Now one device can be
resized to help train different users.
New software programs also make the device easier to use.
Israeli professor advises Euro medicines
agency.
Prof. Jonathan Rabinowitz, of Bar-Ilan University has been appointed to
the Advisory Group on Promoting Good Analysis Practice in relation to European
Medicines Agency (EMA) Clinical Trial Data and Transparency. He will also co-chair of the Program
Committee for the Biennial Schizophrenia International Research Society
Conference to take place in Florence, Italy.
The cause of face/heart abnormalities. One in 4000 babies is born
with DiGeorge syndrome, a congenital condition that causes various
abnormalities, most often in the face and heart. Weizmann researchers have solved a piece of this puzzle by
investigating the genetic network underlying this syndrome.
Putting bones on the flesh. Here is an update on the
progress of Israel’s Bonus Biogroup and its founder Dr. Shai Meretzki who is
generating bones from patients’ own fat cells.
Hospitals in Tzrifin and Afula, have agreed to trial the implanting of
engineered bones back into patients as soon as the Helsinki Committee approves.
Random screening
detected and cured 24 early cancer sufferers. When 1,000 apparently healthy Israelis of a
median age of 48 were screened at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center for 11 of
the most common cancers, 2.4 percent (24) were diagnosed at an early stage with
malignancies and treated successfully.
Deep TMS helps smokers to quit. Of 115 smokers, 84% of
those receiving Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) stopped smoking permanently
at the end of the 6-month trial. 36% were still not smoking after the six-month
post-treatment monitoring period.
Eight massive Israeli brains. The European Commission has
chosen the Human Brain Project as one of its flagship projects. Participating from Israel is a team of eight
scientists from the Hebrew University, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and
Tel Aviv University.
Watch how you walk. Israeli start-up SensoGo
has developed a device that, when strapped to a patient’s leg, performs medical
gait analysis. It records and uploads
data about factors such as the patient’s gait, speed, and style of walking.
Doctors can diagnose a patient more quickly and efficiently than from current
video methods.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
We have lift-off. The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA), Charles Bolden, participated in the launching of the
Moona science, environment and space center in Sakhnin (an Israeli Arab town).
Now we’re cooking. The three finalists in the Israeli
version of Masterchef are Salma (an Arab-Israeli) Tom (a German convert to
Judaism) and Jacky, an Orthodox Jewish woman.
Bedouin eco-village inaugurated. The Wadi Attir Project
celebrated the completion of its “preparation phase” as the Arab Beduin village
of Hura in the northeast Negev desert gradually grows into an eco-village full
of flora and fauna, as well as renewable energy. One of the village’s main sponsors is KKL-JNF.
79 football fields long. This week, 1,138 truckloads of supplies entered Gaza from
Israel. An average pickup truck is 25 feet long. That means if you put all the
trucks that entered Gaza this week in a straight line, you would need more than
79 football fields to fit them all in. Think Gaza is under siege? Think again.
Superhero battles
against cancer. Israeli arts therapist and author Shira Frimer
is raising funds to publish a children’s book called Nistar. It features JJ Barak – a superhero who
fights the vile archenemy that children of all races and religions battle on a
daily basis. Cancer. Please support
Shira’s project if you can.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Ultra-thin curved circuits. Israel’s Technion and
Yokneam-based CPC are developing the technology to print 50-micron-thin
electrical conductors onto transparent curved surfaces. Currently, the thinnest circuits are 150
microns and are normally only printed onto flat surfaces.
Israeli research just got even better. Israel’s Council for Higher
Education has added 11 more research centers into its ICORE research excellence
program, to reinforce Israel’s intellectual capacities and promote synergy
among Israel’s leading research centers at universities, colleges, hospitals
and research institutes.
A high fat diet is
good for you - but only if
you are elderly. A five-year study at
Israel’s Beilinson Hospital says that for the elderly, higher levels of
cholesterol mean a longer life, not a shorter one. Patients of average age 82
with higher cholesterol levels (including high LDL) lived longer than those
with lower levels.
Desalination will supply 80% of drinking
water. At
CleanTech 2013 Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau said, “Israel is emerging
from times of crisis in the area of water into stability. We have not only
continued what has started in the past to develop desalination plants, but we
are now building new and we have extending and developed those that already
exist.”
Israel’s Navy purifies its wastewater. The Israeli Navy has
installed a bio-treatment facility, which separates contamination from
wastewater coming out of the diesel engines of its ships. Engine wastewater from many ships is
collected into a single, large tank. A biological treatment agent is added,
which cleans the water to the extent that it may be returned to the sea.
A bride’s bouquet of recycled plastic
bottles. In
a booth at the CleanTech exhibition hall in Tel Aviv amid colorful plastic
floral arrangements and an intricate bouquet of flowers made of used book
pages, Orly Rostoker was waiting for the bride who will walk down the aisle
with that bouquet.
A personalized video service. Israeli start-up Idomoo is
the leading provider of Personalized Video as a Service (PVaaS) solutions. Idomoo delivers personalized and
individually relevant messages to the computers, tablets and smartphones of
millions of customers.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Russians drink more
Israeli coffee.
Strauss Coffee has bought out Russia's Le Café and Instanta and now has
the third largest market in Russia.
Even before the acquisition, Strauss Coffee was the world's fourth
largest coffee company, and has 6,250 employees.
A new way to invest in Israeli
start-ups.
If you are worth several million dollars and have $10,000 to invest, you
may be interested in OurCrowd. Israeli
entrepreneur Jon Medved has founded an exclusive club to fund and grow Israeli
start-ups into big successful companies.
(Hmmm… I could also do with a few bucks!)
The Tel Aviv Time Incubator. TechWeekEurope traveled to
the sunny city on the shores of the Mediterranean sea, to see first-hand how
the Israeli government and venture capitalists work together to keep the
country’s technology sector relevant.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Visit Japan on Mount Carmel. (Thanks to Sidney) The
Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art on the crest of Mount Carmel in Haifa is
dedicated exclusively to the preservation and exhibition of Japanese art works,
and is the only one of its kind in the Middle East.
Cliff Richard is
returning to Israel. The legendary UK pop star Cliff Richard is to perform at Tel
Aviv’s Nokia Arena on July 11th. His
previous visits include in 1988 for the 40th anniversary of the
State. He even made the film “His Land”
here in 1969.
The race is on. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat
apparently announced that some kind of F1 race will take place on June
13-14. The exact route is yet to be
defined, but it does appear that this summer F1 cars will be screaming past the
Old City walls, and going through Mamila, and buzzing by the King David hotel.
THE JEWISH STATE
An
African-American Zionist in New Orleans.
Non-Jewish New Orleans University International Relations student Chloe’
Simone Valdary was so incensed by her research into the Arab-Israeli conflict
that she created an organization on Campus, “Allies of Israel” to fight
Jew-hatred.
The best rains for 47 years. The rise in the level of
the Kinneret so far this winter is the highest since records began – 47 years
ago. Even before the current week’s
storms, the water level was just two meters below the upper red line (when the
Deganya dam has to be opened).
Record number of trees
planted.
The Jewish National Fund (JNF-KKL) reported that a new record has been
set this Tu Bishvat, as over a million new saplings will have been planted this
past week in forests and parks nationwide.
Fashion with a purpose. A new fashion store opened last year by the Women's Courtyard - a
multicultural organization that provides support and assistance for young-adult
women in distress and at-risk. It offers great clothes while helping at-risk
young women who reside in the cities of Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Bat Yam, find a
place in the workforce.
Come and see the truth. “Seeing is believing” is
the philosophy behind a Foreign Ministry proposal to bring 3,000 North American
non- Jewish campus influentials to Israel to show them the country and combat
what Ministry director-general for Public Diplomacy Gideon Meir called the
“industry of lies” against the country.
IDF Officer Who Lost His Arm in Hamas Attack Returns to
Service. In October, a
bomb planted by terrorists on the Gaza border exploded, injuring Givati soldiers
on routine patrol along the security fence. The commander of the unit, Captain Ziv Shilon, lost his arm in the
attack. Today he is back with his soldiers and in a special ceremony he
presented them with their combat soldier pins.
Some respite for
Sderot. The 24,000 residents of Israeli city of Sderot
have suffered physical and emotional trauma due to a decade of missile attacks
from the nearby Gaza Strip. But Sderot
has no local hospital or rehabilitation facility. When complete, Sderot’s new Medical Rehabilitation Center will
provide physical, occupational, communication, art, sensory and water therapies
at no charge.
130127
In the 27th Jan 2013 edition
of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli innovative treatment improves
the health of stroke victims long after the original attack.
·
An Israeli hospital has cured a
genetic disease causing paralysis in children.
·
An Israeli company has developed a
device to eliminate noise in public places.
·
India’s eighth largest city has a new
Israeli security system to monitor roads and detect crime.
·
Israel had a record date harvest and
provides 50% of the world’s Medjool dates.
·
Israel’s elections confirm a US report
that Israel remains the only free country in the Middle East.
·
Previous week’s highlights in my
summary blog
Click here for “Now
for Some Serious Trading”. (Text
only, no adverts)
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Oxygen enrichment
helps treat strokes. Dr. Shai Efrati, of Tel Aviv University tested his theory on 72
stroke victims. Even those treated 3
years after their strokes showed significantly increased neuronal activity
following a two-month course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).
Israel welcomes the “father of
fertility”.
Britain’s Lord Professor Robert Winston gave a lecture entitled
‘Manipulating Reproduction’ at Haifa University’s January conference on
regenerative medicine. Attendees included
British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould, plus leading British and Israeli
scientists.
Israeli fertility treatment for New
Delhi IVF center.
Cytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection (IMSI), developed
by Benjamin Bartoov of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, is bringing a hope to
childless couples in India’s capital city.
UK-Israel partner stem cell research. British Israel Research and
Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX) will grant NIS 25 million over five years
for seven joint Israel-UK stem cell research programs. Stem cells have unique reproductive,
renewal, and regenerative capabilities for organs.
US doctors get automatic Israeli
license. US
physicians who have passed American MD exams (USMLE) in the past ten years, and
who want to settle and work in Israel, will receive exemption from the local
licensing exam. This is the first time
that Israeli health authorities have accepted foreign test results for an MD
license.
Hadassah breakthrough
saves 4 children.
Doctors at Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem have discovered the reason for,
and a medication to cure, Peripheral neuropathy – a genetic brain disease that
causes paralysis in children. Three
infants suffering from the disease are already showing signs of improvement.
Cyclist healed by Israeli cartilage
regeneration.
An Agili-C implant from Israel’s CartiHeal has repaired the cartilage of
a 47-year-old Slovenian former athlete whose knee cartilage was damaged due to
a volleyball injury over seven years ago.
Six months after receiving the Agili-C implant, the patient was on the
ski slopes. A year from his surgery, he completed a 180 km cycling marathon.
Genetic causes of mental retardation. Researchers at Israel’s
Schneider Children's hospital and in Germany have identified mutations in genes
EIF2S3 and UBE3B as responsible for the development of genetic mental
retardation. The discovery improves the
pre-natal diagnostic tool for prevention of genetic diseases.
Israel hosts international IBD
conference.
Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek hospital was the venue for a conference of 300
Israeli and international experts in the field of diagnosis and treatment of
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
“Challenges in IBD Across Ages” brought together experts from the USA,
Canada and Scotland.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Helping Gaza civilians while under fire. Nira Lee made Aliya from
Arizona and became an officer in the IDF.
She joined COGAT and provided support to Gaza civilians during Operation
Pillar of Defense. She writes about the
work she did and the amazing efforts the IDF made to avoid civilian casualties.
Israeli law school helps the
disadvantaged.
The Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University has established eight legal
clinics, providing legal assistance and counseling to the general public; all
free of charge.
India’s air chief flies in. The Chief of the Air Staff
and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Indian Armed Forces, Air
Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, made his first visit to Israel in his
current position. He previously served as the first Defense Attaché of India to
Israel, from 1997 to 2000.
Israel signs the Kiev Protocol. Israel has become only the
second Middle East country (after Cyprus) to agree to the UN’s Protocol on
Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR). The international
environmental treaty demands that governments exercise freedom of information
and transparency regarding emissions data.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The work of the NIPI. Since 1971 the National
Institute of Psychobiology in Israel has funded over 400 Israeli scientists. Dr. Bernard Lerer, a psychiatry professor at
Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center told a Florida audience about some of
the medical breakthroughs that the NIPI has helped develop.
The news is that Israeli cleantech is
not new.
People are discovering that the roots of Israel’s innovations in water
technology, and renewable energy go very deep.
Netafin (drip
irrigation), IDE
Technology (desalination) and Chromagen
(solar heaters) were established in the 1960’s – and they are still innovating.
We all want a quiet
life.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) With Israel’s Silentium, you can now create a
“bubble” of silence at home, office or in public places. Silentium’s anti-noise systems eliminate
noise by capturing it and canceling it out by reversing the phase. The system was demonstrated at CES Expo in
Las Vegas.
A new dimension for computers. (Thanks to Uri and Israel
Defense Club) Israel’s PrimeSense developed the movement sensing technology for
Microsoft’s Kinetic. But just look at
some of the other amazing ways that PrimeSense’s innovative 3D sensors and
microprocessors can be used.
What about a Twizy? The Israeli city of Kfar
Saba is to trial the Renault Twizy – a two-seater car with an electric motor
powered by a rechargeable lithium battery.
The 2.3m long Twizy carries two people, one behind the other. The more
powerful model with the 17bhp engine can travel 100 km at up to 80km/hr.
Israeli device conquers snow and ice. Israel Zahavi’s new
invention, “Power Wheel” is a removable disc that fits on the hub of the
vehicle’s tires. Inside are twenty metal bars that can be manually or
automatically telescoped out beyond the circumference of the tire to raise the
vehicle slightly and grip the road.
A WiFi security camera. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israeli WiFi chip manufacturer Celeno has teamed up with Quanto – the world’s
largest notebook manufacturer – to build a home wireless IP camera network for
security, surveillance and home monitoring applications.
Security for Indian
city. Project “Safe City Surat” will install
over 5000 security cameras to monitor traffic and crime in Gujarat’s major
city. The architectural software of the
project is of Israel-based Verint company. The center includes a 280-square
foot video wall and a city mapping capability that provides reports on physical
security, fire alarms, water levels, evacuation and disaster recovery plans.
Natural pesticide from strawberries. The Yissum R&D Company
at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem has developed a non-toxic,
environmentally friendly agent that controls fungus and bacteria in
agriculture. It is derived from yeast
isolated from strawberry leaves, and is effective for a large variety of
plants.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
From Finland to Tel Aviv. Finnair, the national
airline of Finland, will start flights from Helsinki to Tel Aviv from June 7.
The flights will run twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, and are likely to
have a great impact on increasing tourism to Israel from Finland during the
summer months.
And from Kenya. Israel's Ambassador to
Kenya, Gil Haskel, says they are working to restore direct flights between Tel
Aviv and Nairobi before the end of the year.
Flights were suspended 10 years ago due to security lapses at Jomo
Kenyatta International Airport.
Resumption will boost tourist trade between the two countries.
Free translation earns more money. Israeli translation company
Babylon has seen its revenue double to $121 million thanks to moving from a
paid-for service to a free service with advertising. Net profit has tripled.
Babylon intends to list on NASDAQ during 2013.
Mobile TVs for Chinese cars. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Siano is to integrate entertainment systems powered with its
Multimedia Broadcasting receiver chipset into cars built by BYD - China’s
foremost independent automobile manufacturer.
Israeli healthcare start-ups on US
road-show.
At the end of January, nine of the most promising, early stage start-ups
from Israel in the medical devices and life sciences arenas will arrive to the
U.S. for an intensive road-show to meet with potential investors. They visit New York, Boston, Chicago,
Silicon Valley and San Diego.
Cisco acquires Intucell. (Thanks to Michael H) Some
months I featured Israel’s Intucell, when AT&T used its technology to
prevent cell-phone overload. Well Cisco
couldn’t resist it and have just bought the Ra’anana-based company for $475
million. I bet that set the phones
ringing!
Date growers celebrate
hearty 2012 harvest. As Jews around the world prepare to celebrate Tu Bishvat – the
New Year for Trees, agriculturalists around Israel are celebrating the
increasing global success of one of Israel’s most fruitful trees. Israel supplies 50% of the world’s demand
for Medjool dates.
Preparing for Israel’s natural gas. Israel Natural Gas Lines
(INGL) has completed construction of a marine liquefied natural gas receiving
buoy. The Submerged Turret Loading buoy will be used to deliver imported LNG
until Tamar comes on-line and then will provide a backup entry point for
Israel’s own natural gas.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Revealing Herod the Great. The Israel Museum is
opening a landmark exhibition "Herod the Great: The King's Final
Journey" It will present archaeological finds from the recently discovered
tomb at Herodium, as well as from Jericho and sheds new light on the impact of
Herod's reign from 37 to 4 B.C.E.
Portuguese Ambassador to visit Secret
Jews Institute.
The International Institute for Secret Jews (Anusim) Studies of Netanya
Academic College and Casa Shalom (IISJAS)—Institute for Marrano-Anusim Studies
is honoring HE Miguel de Almeida e Sousa, Portuguese Ambassador to Israel on 31st
January.
Life’s a beach. The travel guide
"Lonely Planet" ranks Tel Aviv's beach as the seventh best in the
world, rated after Barcelona, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney but ahead of
Dubai and Miami. It wrote that Tel Aviv
beaches are safe and clean, and there are changing rooms and freshwater showers
scattered along its length.
THE JEWISH STATE
“Positive
news for 2013”. This recent article
in Frontpagemag.com has interesting comments on Israel’s demographics, its
economy, the Arab “spring”, gas and oil discoveries and the international
political scene.
Islam is pro-Israel. Sheikh Abdul Hadi Palazzi,
the secretary general of the Italian Muslim Assembly and the Khalifa for
Europe’s Qadiri Sufi Order, is a strong supporter of Israel’s right to exist,
as well as Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem, based on his interpretation of
Islam.
The only free
state in the Middle East. The US-based Freedom House’s annual report entitled “Freedom in
the World 2013” stated, “Israel remains the region’s only free country”,
defined as having open political competition, a climate of respect for civil
liberties, significant independent civic life, and independent media.
And “the only
flourishing democracy in the Middle East”. The highest ever number of Israelis has
voted for a Parliament of political parties that span Left, Center, Right, Men,
Women, Arabs, Druze, Jews (secular, reform, orthodox and ultra-orthodox). PM Netanyahu now intends to form a
“broad-based coalition”.
And to celebrate Martin Luther King Day. “I see Israel, and never
mind saying it, as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a
marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into
an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.”
The “magic” is still there. Operation “Magic Carpet”
brought the majority of Yemen’s 60,000 Jews to Israel in the 1950s. Sixty years later, the last remnants of that
ancient community are taking their enchanted flights.
130120
In the 20th Jan 2013 edition
of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli scientists have discovered an
important trigger for breast cancer
·
On average, Israeli men have the
longest life span in the world – apart from the Swiss.
·
A Swiss-Bedouin-Jew is proud to serve
in the IDF – as are most of his 5,600 close relatives.
·
Two ultra-orthodox Israeli Jewish
women have designed a microprocessor for a space vehicle.
·
An Israeli company is providing
wireless broadband in the coldest spot in the Western world.
·
An Israeli company developing a safe
ADHD medication is launching on NASDAQ.
·
Israel’s huge archives of
archaeological discoveries can now be viewed on-line.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary
Click here for “Reporting theInside Story”
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israelis discover
breast cancer signal. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered
protein S6K1. If this protein mutates it turns into a signal for cells to
proliferate and cause breast cancer.
The researchers are now working on reversing the mutation as a form of
anti-cancer therapy.
15-year-old girl’s donated organs save
four lives.
Liel Naomi, who died as a result of edema of the brain, donated organs
that saved the lives of four people, aged seven to 68. Her family said saving lives was foremost,
and that the organ donations would commemorate Liel’s life.
Teddy Bear hospital. Bar-Ilan University’s
School of Medicine in the Galilee opened a “teddy bear hospital” in December
designed to reduce anxiety about health care among young children. 150 preschoolers learnt not to fear
hospitals and doctors by watching simulated treatment on their teddy bears and
dolls.
Live long and prosper. The latest life expectancy
figures from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics show that Israelis have
among the highest life expectancies on the globe, with an overall life
expectancy of 81.7 years – two years more than the OECD average. Israeli men normally reach 79.9 years,
second only to the Swiss.
When nothing else works. This personal story
illustrates how important the new FitNeS epilepsy treatment from Israel’s
BioControl Medical will be to those sufferers for whom medication has no effect
on their seizures.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
A Swiss Bedouin Jew in
the Israeli Army.
Sgt René Elhozayel’s Arab Bedouin father met his Jewish wife in
Switzerland. Renés grandfather had 39
wives and most of René’s 5,600 extended family members in the Israel-Arab city
of Rahat served in the IDF. As a medic,
René treats anyone from soldiers to illegal African migrants.
Promoting R&D for Arabs. Israel’s Ministry of
Science sponsored a conference on “The Role of Research & Development in
Economic Development in the Arab Community”.
The conference was organized by the NGO Triangle Research &
Development Center, which addresses topics affecting the Arab community in
Israel.
Gaza farmers attend Israeli agricultural
exhibition.
Thirty farmers from Gaza were given permits to enter Israel in order to
attend an agricultural exhibition.
Ramadan Abu Naja from Gaza said, “We came here to learn about Israeli
agriculture. We will take some of the types of produce that we like back with
us into Gaza.
The sky is not the limit. Besides defending the
Jewish State, Israel Air Force pilots perform a major service to Israel’s
youth. Children with difficult
home lives, spend quality time with IAF pilots as members of the "Squadron
Club," where they learn tools for self-expression, coping mechanisms and
leadership skills.
Esra project for underprivileged
children.
ESRA encourages talented underprivileged teenagers to fulfill their
potential by providing them with a challenging program of enrichment and
leadership training. The weekly program
benefits 36 children. The video shows
them studying Marine Science at the Mikhmoret center.
JDC-Israel expands project for the
disabled.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC-Israel) has
received an additional NIS 50 million to expand its Israel Unlimited project,
which focuses on the development of services for the advancement and
integration of people with disabilities in the community.
Mongolia seeks Israel’s environmental
help. A
delegation from Mongolia's Ministry of Environment and Green Development
visited Israel in December to learn about water pollution management and
prevention, and land rehabilitation. Population migration has caused heavy
pollution levels in the capital Ulan-Bator.
Bringing smiles to kids in Nepal. Israeli David Barashi
(“Dush the clown”) holds a degree in medical clowning from Haifa University. He
is currently in Nepal working to help cheer up sick Nepalese children before
they have surgery. David previously
worked with orphans in Ethiopia and tsunami survivors in Asia.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Haredi women develop
spaceship microchip. Two ultra-Orthodox women graduates of the Jerusalem College of
Technology’s Lustig Institute have helped develop a microchip for a space
vehicle. Verisense -a leading Israeli semiconductor design company - ran the
project, for a defense industry company.
An app to help local businesses. Israeli start-up KitLocate
has built a location system that lets retailers find shoppers in their area and
offer them deals and coupons. The
innovative software won KitLocate $25,000 in a competition sponsored by
MasterCard Israel and Israel Advanced Technology Industries (IATA).
Size does matter. The Israeli Industry Center
for R&D (MATIMOP) has launched a new research and development (R&D) and
commercialization partnership in nanoscale technologies with the College of
Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) in Albany, New York.
Olive trees in the desert. Researchers at the Faculty
of Agriculture at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem have confirmed that
planting ten of thousands of olive trees in arid areas in Israel is highly
beneficial. The trees require little
water, protect animals and birds, reduce CO2, discourage jackals and make
excellent olive oil.
Pushing back the desert. Israel’s Fourth International
Conference on Drylands, Deserts and Desertification (DDD) held at the Sde Boker
campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, drew more than 500 participants
from 60 countries. One of its sponsors
was the UN, which aims to halt land degradation by 2030.
Israel is switching to cleaner fuels. Israel’s Transportation
Ministry is compiling an outline of the necessary safety measures required for
the use of compressed natural gas to fuel the country's buses. The ministry
will prepare a similar outline for private vehicles within the next six months.
Israeli expert’s mission to save India’s
rivers.
Renowned water expert Dr Yoram Oren has been developing nano-filtration
membrane separation to purify two of India’s mighty rivers. The Noyyal and the
Bhavani have been polluted due to the large scale discharge of toxic effluents
from dyeing units along the river shores.
Reinforcing the new corvette. (Thanks to Israel21c) The
new Chevy Corvette C7 Stingray sports car is lighter and stronger thanks to the
same very dense plastic composite material that protects US troops in
Afghanistan and Iraq. The material is
manufactured by Plasan Sasa, which is based at Kibbutz Sasa in Northern Israel.
Saving water across the world. Israel’s Miya locates leaks,
saving 600 million liters of water every day in Manila, Philippines. Other projects include the Bahamas, Brazil,
Colombia, Puerto Rico and South Africa.
Mobile communications for ships at sea. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Station 711 has launched its upgraded version of Fleetbroadband to
give officers and crew a commercial, operational and personal link to the world
while at sea.
WiFi in Alaska. Israel’s Alvarion is
deploying its fast wireless broadband service on the North Slope of Alaska, one
of the remotest and harshest places on earth.
Alvarion’s rugged equipment will allow the 7500 residents, including
workers on the Alaskan oil rigs, to have fast access to the Internet.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israeli inflation hits 6-year low. The year-end increase in
the price index was 1.6 percent, well within government target projections of
1-3%. Predictions for 2013 remain low
at 1.8%. Reasons included reduced
prices of fruits and vegetables, mobile phone tariffs, Internet services and
preschool education.
Israeli companies are on the move. Israel’s PointGrab and
eyeSight have 95% of the market for Gesture technology - the latest feature for
personal computers. The Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas, revealed PointGrab’s latest deal with Samsung’s
smart TVs and eyeSight’s with AMD’s new graphics chip.
More El Al flights to London. From March, Israel's
national carrier is to add four more weekly flights to Luton airport, plus a
further five flights in June. By the summer 22 flights will operate from Tel
Aviv into the London area every week.
El Al also announced special flight prices and a new frequent flier
lounge at Luton.
Hi-tech Haredi conference. Jerusalem has been hosting
a first of its kind conference focusing on hi-tech entrepreneurship, innovation
and employment in Israel’s ultra-orthodox sector. Political leaders, entrepreneurs and technicians discussed
government programs and effective ways of raising capital.
ADHD company to make
NASDAQ listing.
Israel’s Alcobra will be the first launch by an Israeli life sciences
company on Nasdaq since 2010. Alcobra's
MG01CI ADHD medication is undergoing a Phase II clinical trial. It is a non-stimulant treatment, which makes
it safer than Ritalin and has far fewer side effects than Strattera.
China buys Israeli flat panel displays. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) China
may be manufacturing the world’s TV flat screens, but their assembly lines need
Israeli hi-tech equipment to build them.
Israel’s Orbotech has just won a contract for $40 million of its latest
generation automated optical inspection and array tester models.
And 660,000 tons of Potash. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel
Chemicals will supply Chinese customers with $264 million worth of Israeli
Potash during 2013. The agreement
includes provision for a three-year total of 3 million tons ($1.2bn). The Potash fertilizer will help grow the
crops necessary to feed China’s huge population.
The country is Israel. A financial organization
has just discovered the investment opportunities in the Jewish State.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Arab belly dancers flock to Eilat. Some 950 dancers from 30
countries – including Turkey, Egypt and Jordan – are participating in the
annual International Belly Dance Festival taking place in Eilat's Club
Hotel. The festival is the world's
biggest belly dancing event.
More success for “Homeland”. Television series Homeland,
based on the Israeli television show Hatufim, has had another successful year
at the Golden Globes, winning Best Television Drama. Homeland’s Damian Lewis and Claire Danes were honored with the
Best Actor and Best Actress awards for their roles in the series.
“Fill the Void” wins at Palm Springs. The Israeli movie “Fill the
Void” was named Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year at the Palm Springs
International Film Festival. The film
portrays the ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Tel Aviv and beat entries from
41 other countries.
THE JEWISH STATE
The ultimate lecture. Everything you wanted to
know about “International Law” but were afraid to ask. 46 minutes from Professor Eugene Kontorovich
that explains the terms “illegal”, “occupation” and “settlements”.
Turkish journalist openly defends
Israel.
Hurriyet Daily News writer Burak Bekdil lives in Ankara and frequently
attacks the Turkish leadership and defends Israel. He wrote that Golda Meir was correct in stating “there will not
be peace between the Muslim world and Israelis until the Arabs learn to love
their own children more than they hate the Jewish people”.
Israel’s archaeology
discoveries are now online. Israel’s Antiquities Authority (IAA) has
launched a new on-line Israel Archaeological Archive. The project consolidates 30,000 Israeli websites and 30,000
antiquity sites. IAA deputy director Dr
Uzi Dahari called it “the largest and most important asset of the State of
Israel.”
The Dead Sea has risen. It may sound like the title
of a horror movie, but it is definitely good news. The measured water level of the Dead Sea has increased by 10cm
for the first time since 2003 due to the surging Jordan River and flash floods
in the area.
130113
In the 13th Jan 2013 edition of Israel’s good
news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli scientists can destroy kidney tumors in
children without harming normal cells.
·
The step-grandmother of US President Obama had
emergency treatment at an Israeli hospital in Guinea.
·
Ultra-orthodox Jewish soldiers rescued Palestinian
Arabs from a flooded river.
·
An Israeli natural pesticide literally “gets up the
nose” of the bugs.
·
Israel’s SodaStream has found a novel way to promote
sustainability.
·
An Israeli company is designing and will operate the
largest desalination plant in the USA.
·
Israel plans to build a wildlife park in Jerusalem.
·
Some great photos following Israel’s recent stormy
weather.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News descriptive summary
Click here for “2013 is
the time for some Clear Thinking”
Page Down for more details on these and other good news
stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Sharp-shooting cancer. Scientists at Sheba Medical Center in Tel
Aviv have isolated the cancer stem cells that fuel the growth of Wilms’ tumors
- responsible for kidney cancer in children.
They then used antibody medication to target specific molecules in those
cells and destroy the tumors without harming any other cells.
Israeli treatment helps bone marrow transplants. Israeli biotech Enlivex has developed a
treatment called ApoCell that triggers a response from the immune system to
reduce adverse reactions during bone marrow transplants. It prevents Graft vs Host Disease (GVHD),
which affects around 70% of transplant patients.
GPS for the brain.
(Thanks to Stuart Palmer and Israel21c.) Israel’s Alpha Omega’s products guide neurosurgeons to the
required location in the brain. Alpha
Omega is run by Imad and Reem Younis – two Christian Arabs from Nazareth, with
their mostly Christian and Muslim staff of Israeli University graduates.
Treating Epilepsy from the inside. Israel’s BioControl Medical has reduced
epileptic episodes by 50% in recent trials of its FitNeS™ implantable vagus
nerve stimulation system. And no side
effects.
Obama’s step-grandmother treated
at Israeli hospital in Guinea.
I had to blink hard when I read this.
The 3rd wife of the US President’s grandfather has just
undergone emergency eye treatment at the “Shalom” La Paz Medical Center in
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Israel’s Tel
Hashomer hospital runs the state-of-the-art medical center and the local staff
includes around 100 Israeli doctors.
Just see some of the photos in the third link.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
“I love the army”.
So said Samir – a Muslim Arab who voluntarily enlisted in the IDF. Samir was born in Syria but now lives in
Israel. He serves in the Tavor
battalion, one of the Home Front Command's search and rescue battalions, whose
men also perform combat activities in addition to their rescue efforts.
Haredi soldiers rescue
Palestinian Arabs. Here is a
news item that may (but should not) surprise you. Members of an Ultra-orthodox IDF battalion saved the lives of
three Palestinian Arabs who were trapped in a car near Nablus in a swollen
stream growing violent due to the stormy weather. Plus, another rescue video.
East Jerusalem Arabs want to be Israeli. Haaretz is surprised by evidence of the true
wish of Arab residents of Israel’s capital.
More applications for Israeli ID cards; more students taking the Israeli
matriculation exams; more enrolling in Israeli academic institutions; and a
rising number of youth volunteering for national service.
And so much more.
Out of the 600 Christians from the Gaza Strip who arrived in the West
Bank in the past two weeks to celebrate Christmas, dozens have asked to move to
Israel. Dozens of Christian families
from east Jerusalem have moved to Jewish neighborhoods in the city. But that’s not the half of it – please read
the article.
A Panamanian immigrant’s view of Israel. Vivian Hamui has just arrived in the Jewish
State, living and studying with Ethiopians, Russians, Spanish, English,
Chinese, Americans, Dutch, Venezuelans and – oh yes – many Arab girls. She doubts if the same situation could occur
in any other Middle East country.
From Israel to Africa with love. A delegation including nine Ben Gurion
University students are currently in the city of Makele in Ethiopia, taking
part in an extensive educational medical program which aims to eliminate
neglected tropical diseases. The
program includes medical intervention and administering medications, combined
with health and hygiene education and addressing the problems of sanitation and
water purification.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
It’s Israeli at any angle. Lenovo’s new range of Ideapad Ultrabooks includes the gesture
control features of Israeli startup, eyeSight Mobile Technologies. With simple hand movements, from a distance of
up to 70cm you can control media player, photo gallery, Powerpoint and PDF
reader.
Chips with everything. The Israeli-developed XciteR chipset developed by DSP Group will
power TECOM’s new MOCET Communicator – the advanced IP phone for Apple’s
iPAD. DSP products are being integrated
into a number of High Definition (HD) devices and services.
A natural herbal pesticide. Israel’s EdenShield has discovered natural
Negev herbs that insects cannot tolerate.
The herbs are converted into solution and sprayed on the netting
surrounding fruit and vegetables. When
the bugs smell the aroma of the herb they turn tail and fly away.
See Israeli technology at Arava Open Day. Yair Farm is the site for this year’s
two-day agritech show. 250 (mostly
Israeli) companies will be demonstrating their products to over 30,000
visitors. It has something for everyone
- free entrance, a farmer’s market, kids’ activities, and gala evening concerts
from top Israeli stars
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israeli unemployment back down to 6.7%. November’s reduction from 6.9% was
accompanied by an improvement in the overall labor force participation rate,
which rose 0.2% to 63.9%. The figures demonstrate that more people were
actively seeking and successfully finding work in November than in October.
True blue-and-white companies. Eight Israeli companies were awarded the
President’s Export Award for 2011. They
included Kamada - developers of advanced cystic fibrosis medication. Another,
SodaStream was on the verge of bankruptcy in 2007 but in 2011 exported $584
million worth of machines and soda cartridges.
SodaStream promotes
sustainability. The
successful Israeli drinks-maker SodaStream saves the customer hundreds of
plastic bottles every year. SodaStream
made a very clever advertisement, which the UK regulators banned for
“denigrating plastic bottle makers”.
You can see both the original ad and its replacement here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE9U4mMqKP4
(original)
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2012/11/29/sodastream-releases-bubble-blackout-nterim-advert-inviting-viewers-clearcast-banned
(replacement)
US-Israeli merger is a “win-win” deal. Israel’s Peer Medical has developed a video
system and endoscope to help doctors detect more cancerous polyps and other
risks. Peer has merged with
Atlanta-based EndoChoice, which markets endoscopes. The ideal “marriage” brings jobs to Atlanta and Israeli
technology to the world.
USA buys Israeli laser technology. Colorado’s Spectranetics has acquired the
products of Israel’s Upstream Peripheral Technologies. Upstream’s innovations
reduce radiation exposure to both doctors and patients when lasers are used to
clear blockages in leg arteries and to reduce the time needed to clear those
blockages.
Aphrodite has gas.
Test drilling at Israel’s Aphrodite-2 exploration well in the offshore
Ishai field 100 miles west of Haifa has encountered a gas layer of 49
feet. By late February they will
confirm if estimates of 3.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas are accurate.
Desalination for San Diego. Israel’s IDE Technologies has won a $650
million contract to help build and then run the largest water desalination
facility in the United States. The
plant will be constructed at Carlsabad, in San Diego County, California and
will produce up to 200,000 cubic meters of drinking water a day.
A year of Israeli hi-tech commercial success in NYC. Many Israeli companies launched onto the New
York City stage in 2012 thanks to personal introductions, trade events and
roadshows, Israel Technology days, International exhibitions and visits by
delegations of US companies to Israel.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Jerusalem’s Gardens are blooming. 2013 developments at Jerusalem’s Botanical
gardens include a Children’s Interactive Discovery Path and an expanded and
renovated tropical conservatory. Read
about these and exciting events for the upcoming New Year for Trees and for the
rest of the Spring season.
The most museums per capita in the world. (Thanks to Liba) CNN has suddenly recognized
that Israel has many cultural attractions.
Here is its top 10 of the Jewish State’s more than 200 museums.
An Israeli reggae violinist. Meet Michael Greilsammer from Jerusalem. He
bills himself as the world’s only Jewish reggae violinist, sings in French and
plays music that is influenced by the rhythms of Bob Marley, Irish pubs, Gypsy
camps and even the Arab street. He has
just performed at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
8-year-old Yoav plays Haydn in the Dohany. Enjoy the performance of Israel’s 8-year-old
progeny pianist Yoav Levanon as he plays Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D major –
without music, note! The setting of
Budapest’s Dohany Synagogue makes it even more atmospheric.
THE JEWISH STATE
Israel rescues Afghan Jewish manuscripts. Israel's National Library has unveiled
recently purchased ancient Jewish manuscripts rescued from caves in a Taliban
stronghold in northern Afghanistan. The
Afghan collection gives an unprecedented look into the lives of Jews in ancient
Persia in the 11th century.
Designers push the envelope. Teacher Marlin Nowbakht at Israel's Shenkar
College of Engineering and Design believes “Israeli students are very targeted
on what they do.... They're pushing the boundaries of their thoughts. They
don't accept every answer as it is. And there is a lot of creativity within
that breaking-the-boundaries kind of approach."
Israel’s first city wildlife
park. (Thanks to Israel21c)
“Gazelle Valley” is a 64-acre site in the Givat Mordechai neighborhood of
Jerusalem, in the south west of Israel’s capital. The valley is to be turned into the Gazelle Urban Nature Park,
preserving the small flock of wild mountain gazelle that live there.
Teaching Diaspora kids about Israel. The Lookstein Center for Jewish Education at
Bar-Ilan University has completed an innovative "Israel throughout the
Year" curriculum for Jewish day schools in the United States and Canada.
Schools can choose to utilize either the colorful print or digital versions.
StandWithUs Conference.
Guests of the StandWithUs Fellowship Reunion Conference included
Israeli Environment Minister Gilad Erdan and CEO of Google Israel Meir Brand.
The StandWithUs Israel Fellowship identifies, educates and empowers Israel’s
next generation of leaders and ambassadors.
A late arrival.
Among the 18,000 new immigrants to Israel in 2012 was 100-year-old
Moises Lederman from Brazil. "I'm
only sorry I didn't come to Israel earlier on, but better late than
never," he said.
Enjoying “good rain”. Here are some of the best Internet images of
Israelis making the most of the unusual weather. Eight of the photos are genuine, but five have been enhanced –
probably with Israeli technology. See
if you can spot the intruders.
Protecting the Jewish State in all weathers. See this lovely photo of an Israeli Air
Force squadron flying over the snow-capped hills of Northern Israel. Sends shivers up one’s spine, and a warm
glow everywhere else!
130106
In the 6th Jan 2013 edition of Israel’s good
news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli discovery that a medication for Parkinson’s
turns sufferers into artists and poets.
·
Order of British Empire (OBE) given to Israeli educator
for services to the teaching of English.
·
13% of Israeli exports go to Arab countries.
·
Israelis have developed the basis for computers that
can anticipate human needs.
·
Israel is growing frankincense for the first time in
over 1500 years.
·
Israel bans cosmetics that involve testing on animals.
·
Accidents and fatalities on Israeli roads are the
lowest for 50 years.
·
Good news for man’s best friend – a life-saving vaccine
and a TV channel.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News descriptive summary
Click here for “Israel
Provides for Special Needs”
Page Down for more details on these and other good news
stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israeli neurologist discovers
positive side effect. A
study by Israeli neurologist Dr. Rivka Inzelberg has identified that patients
taking dopamine-stimulating medication (to control symptoms of Parkinson’s
disease) have contracted artistic or literary creative skills. Reducing the medication suppresses these new
skills.
Calcium control prevents brain diseases. Hebrew University researchers have discovered
that the protein Calphotin regulates the amount of Calcium contained in the
body’s cells. Loss of Calphotin (e.g.
due to aging) causes Calcium levels to rise and accelerates cell death. In the
brain this leads to diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Approval for Israeli tumor test. The US Food and Drugs Administration has
approved the MarginProbe breast cancer test from Israel’s Dune Medical. Surgeons performing lumpectomy operations
use MarginProbe to ensure that the whole tumor has been removed, thus avoiding
the need for further operations.
More power to the brain. The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem and the Max Planck Society of Germany are to build a 3 million euro
Brain Research Center on the Hebrew U’s Givat Ram site in the nation’s
capital. It is hoped that the research
will lead to improved treatment for destructive neurological diseases.
New vaccine for dogs. (From
Israel21c) Two Hebrew University veterinary scientists have developed the first
vaccine effective against canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME), a sometimes
fatal tick-borne disease in dogs.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
More help for educating minorities. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is
creating a program for students from minority backgrounds to encourage access
to higher education. To lead these efforts, the University has appointed Prof.
Nayef Jarrous as the Minority Affairs Advisor to Hebrew U President Menahem Ben-Sasson.
Penny gets Queen’s honor for the
Queen’s English. English-born
teacher, lecturer and writer Penny Ur from Moshav Amnon has just been awarded
the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s New Year’s Honors List for her
work promoting English language-teaching methodologies. Penny made Aliya in 1967.
Asperger’s Birthright tour. 20 young North American Jews with Asperger’s Syndrome have just
experienced Israel together on a special Taglit-Birthright tour. They also met Israelis with Asperger’s at
Shekel, an umbrella organization for Israelis with special needs.
Arab states love Israeli produce. A major Lebanese supermarket chain is
selling Israeli goods, contrary to the 64-year-old Arab boycott of the Jewish
State. Amazingly, according to a Tel
Aviv University report, Israel’s exports to Middle Eastern markets in 2011 were
over $6 billion, about 13 percent of overall Israeli exports.
Only Israel.
Excellent article that sums up the upside-down world we live in.
Israel is one with Newtown. The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School invoked much empathy
from Israeli leaders and organizations.
Both President Peres and Prime Minister Netanyahu sent condolences. Israel Humanitarian Aid donated boxes of
fresh food to first responders in Newtown.
And Hadassah has raised funds to plant a grove of 3,000 trees in
Beersheva River Park, Israel, in memory of the 26 victims.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Two Israeli apps are among Apple’s “Best of 2012”. Two Israeli applications have made the Apple
App Store’s Best of 2012 list. Any.Do
allows users to manage a task list using voice commands or touchscreen
technology. GroupShot allows group photos to be edited so that everyone looks
their best.
Israel introduces “perceptual
computing”. Using a unique
platform developed at Intel’s Haifa center, it will soon be possible for
computers to anticipate the needs of their owners. Intel is offering developers $1 million in prizes to come up with
the software of tomorrow, in the Intel Perceptual Computing Challenge.
Waze can help reduce accident numbers. Ben Gurion University researchers have
analyzed data from Israeli GPS navigation application “Waze “to highlight
traffic trouble spots where police can be deployed more effectively. The data
highlighted slow police response times and unmonitored busy intersections.
The first frankincense tree for
1500 years. Dr Elaine
Solowey of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies has grown a new
sapling of the rare and fragile tree at Kibbutz Ketura in the Negev. Frankincense production at Ein Gedi by the
Dead Sea was a major industry until the Romans wiped out the settlement.
Purifying wastewater in Brazil. Israeli start-up Mapal Energy has completed
a project in Brazil for the supply and installation of floating fine-bubble
aeration units in the state of São Paulo.
Mapal’s units replaced the existing mechanical aerators, saving 50% of
the energy while maintaining the quality of the treated water.
Iron Dome got even better. Israel’s anti-missile defense system intercepted 85% of the
rockets that Gaza terrorists fired at civilians during Operation Pillar of
Defense. But towards the end of the
conflict, Rafael engineers managed to improve this to 100% - and halted the
firing of the second (backup) missile.
Dog TV. Flat screen technology has improved
sufficiently for dogs to be able to view TV programs. Israel’s YES channel has now launched Dog TV. For NIS 9.90 per month you can leave your
pet home alone to watch 3 to 6-minute-long programs of soothing, stimulating
and scary content, so as not feel lonely or abandoned.
Beersheba opts for trees over houses. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Beersheba Mayor Rubik
Danilovich has decided to revoke plans to build 16,000 new housing units in the
city's Ramot Gimel neighborhood in favor of planting a new forest. The urban forest will span across 1,360
acres and serve as the city’s green lung.
The “BIRD” is flying. BIRD is a major Israel-US fund for Research and Development
projects. It has just announced that it
will be providing $9 million for ten new infrastructure projects that address
water technologies, environmental recycling, cyber security and firefighting.
Moses definitely went the right way on leaving Egypt. Harold Vinegar’s 10-minute talk at
December’s Globes Israel Business Conference will tell you everything you need
to know about Israel’s shale oil deposits.
250 billion barrels of high-quality oil will change the face of the
Middle East.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Tamar’s platform arrives. Israel has launched an offshore platform for natural gas, a step
towards energy self-sufficiency for the first time in history. The platform, taller than Israel’s highest
building, is located at the Tamar gas field, 24 miles west of the southern port
city of Ashkelon. Production is
scheduled to start in April.
What do you want for your birthday? Israel’s Jifiti is the first in-store
gifting platform that allows users to select, share and redeem gifts at their
favorite stores. I know that my
children will love this app (sigh!).
Modernizing Canadian businesses. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Herzliya-based
BluePhoenix and Quebec’s WAZ Informatique are converting the out-of-date
computer systems of large Canadian companies to modern open standard
platforms. BluePhoenix is the leading
provider of legacy IT modernization conversion solutions.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
40 years of “Dry Bones”. For the past 40 years, Israeli cartoonist Yaakov Kirschen has
provided profound satire and witty commentary on everyday Israeli news and
international events with his “Dry Bones” cartoon in the Jerusalem Post
newspaper and on-line. See Yaakov’s
educational project www.Dry-BonesProject.com
Warm up to Jazz in Eilat. The winter International Red Sea Jazz festival returns to Eilat
17-19 Jan. Nine ensembles from Israel
and abroad will participate in this year's festival presenting fifteen musical
performances. The hotel venues are the
Royal Garden, King Solomon and the Royal Beach, and jamming at the Monkey’s
bar.
Fed Cup Tennis.
Sixteen countries (including Britain and Turkey) will compete for the
Group 1 Fed Cup in Eilat from 6th to 9th February. This is the third year in a row that Israel
has hosted the European competition.
THE JEWISH STATE
Cleaning up the rivers. Israel has increased the budget for rehabilitating polluted
rivers and streams. The new total
includes NIS 220m for the Kishon River, NIS 300m for the Beersheba River and NIS
178m for the Alexander, the Yarkon, the Taninim Stream, the Shikma Stream and
the Tabor Stream amongst others.
Converting garbage dump into homes. Israel is to transform a disused landfill
site in Netanya into a residential area for 2,062 families and 1,100 hotel
rooms. It involves evacuating 2.5
million cubic meters of waste, increasing Netanya’s famous iris nature reserve
and providing much needed housing for the seaside city.
They’ve come a long way. Fifteen Israeli-Ethiopian teenagers have just visited the
birthplace of their parents. During the
trip they began to understand where they had come from and all that they had
achieved. For Zahava it was as if a
giant puzzle had been completed. “This
was worth everything to me”, she said.
Israeli schools are improving. More government funding, longer staff hours
and teachers for specific subjects are some of the reasons why Israeli children
are getting better test results. The
next goal is to reduce class sizes and tackle the problems affecting children
from poor families.
Israel bans cosmetics tested on
animals. Israel now
officially bans the import, marketing and sale of any cosmetics, toiletries or
detergents whose manufacturing process involves animal testing. Head of the Knesset's Animal Rights Lobby MK
Eitan Cabel said, the law represents "A true revolution in animal welfare
in Israel”.
Jewish coins from Biblical Israel. The Israel Antiquities Authority’s collection
of 800,000 coins is one of the largest in the world. They are solid (often solid gold) proof of the ancient Jewish
connection to the Land of Israel. Jews
were even minting coins during the Roman siege of Jerusalem, 2000 years ago.
Israel’s roads are the 10th
safest in the world. It’s
true! The numbers of accidents and
fatalities on Israeli roads have been falling steadily in recent years and have
now reached a 50-year low. 2012 saw a
25% drop in road deaths. Reasons
include improved infrastructure, technology, publicity and the work of NGO Or
Yarok.
