The Jewish festival of Hanukah recalls two
miracles that occurred over two millennia ago – the victory of the Maccabees
over the Greek-Syrian superpower and the single flask of pure oil that
burned for eight days in the Temple. In
our present time (as regular readers of this blog will know) miracles occur on
a daily basis in the Jewish State.
Israel’s life-changing medical innovations
have become almost commonplace. It was miraculous, though, that the BBC decided to feature
InSightec’s ExAblate non-invasive focused ultrasound treatment curing a
Parkinson’s sufferer of essential tremor.
In the whole episode, however, the flawed broadcaster managed to avoid
naming the developer of the breakthrough equipment or the fact that it was
Israeli. The Jerusalem Post gave
appropriate credit, however, when doctors at Haifa’s Rambam hospital used the
same system to cure
the first Israeli of the debilitating tremor.
At this point I must include the following
Hanukah miracles involving two more Israeli patients. Blinded in a bomb attack by Gaza terrorists last month, 2nd
Lieutenant Ahiya Klein has recovered
enough sight in his left eye to return home and light Hanukah
candles. And, two-year-old Avigail
Ben-Tzion has
been discharged from hospital after suffering serious head injuries
when Arab thugs threw rocks at her family’s car in Jerusalem.
Anyone who has seen incidences of
metatarsus adductus or metatarsus varus will think it is a miracle that these
deformities in the feet of infants can be cured in just six weeks
simply by them wearing the Israeli-developed UNFO foot brace. The device is
worn below the ankle and is far more effective, safer, and less stressful than
a cast or full leg braces. Those
suffering from dementia (and their families) will hope that miracle cures will
emerge from the research being carried out at Ben-Gurion University into the
impact of mitochondria
on memory and brain disorders.
A $1 million German-Israel Project-Cooperation grant will certainly
boost these prospects. And would you
believe that cannabis
/ marijuana is the latest miracle drug? Hot on the heels of its success in treating the symptoms of
Multiple Sclerosis, scientists at Tel Aviv University and Kfar Saba’s Meir
Hospital have had similar results with those suffering from Crohns’ disease. In
some patients, the disease even went into remission.
Israeli doctors and humanitarian aid teams
are the instruments of miraculous work being performed all over the world. IsraAid’s workers and Israeli
hospitals continue to save
Syrian lives and this time, the BBC had to mention Israel’s name
when it reported
on the phenomenon. The UK’s Sunday Telegraph heralded the work of
Israel’s emergency service Magen
David Adom both nationally and globally. Meanwhile, the 148-member IDF
medical team in the Philippines returned to Israel to celebrate Hanukah,
having treated over 2600
patients, delivered 36 babies and rebuilt
a school following Typhoon Haiyan.
It will be a miracle if the world can
continue to feed itself throughout this century, but if it succeeds then Israeli
technology will be one of the key reasons. Israel’s advanced precision farming techniques, water
optimization, robotics, sensor driven technology and environmentally friendly
agrochemicals are all currently on display at the 2nd annual Agrivest Conference
at the Eretz Israel Museum, Tel-Aviv.
Simultaneously, at the Warsaw Climate Change Conference, Israel’s
Ministry of Economy presented a database of the Israeli
companies that offer “adaptation” technologies. The companies address
climate, agriculture, waste, “green” building materials and crisis management.
The world will also need the “miracle” of
Israeli technology to avoid running out of water for drinking and
agriculture. Even before Typhoon Haiyan
struck, Israel’s water management company Miya
saved 700 million liters of water a day in the Philippine capital of
Manila – an achievement for which it won the International Water Association’s
Project Innovation Award. Israel’s
national water carrier Mekorot is working with British firms both in
the UK and globally. And despite the EU
refusal to help fund joint Israeli-PA projects, Israeli water treatment company
Mapal Green Energy is building a
pilot reclamation system in the Palestinian Arab village of Uja, near
Jericho that will recycle domestic sewage and water for use in agriculture.
The miracle of Israel and its ethos can be
summed up in the
music and lyrics of Arik Einstein, Israel’s most popular singer and
songwriter. Despite his death last
week, one of his many enduring songs “Ani v’Ata Neshaneh et Ha’olam” (Me and
You will Change the World) will continue to inspire Israelis.
The return of the Jewish people to its land
is certainly the greatest miracle of modern times. Two recent events emphasize
the link between the modern Jewish State and its historical roots. Firstly, archaeologists have uncovered
a stone altar that provides the first physical evidence that the
ancient city of Shiloh (in Judea and Samaria) was a religious center even
before the First Temple was built in Jerusalem. But the journey of Tony Pina’s family is even more poignant. Following exile to Babylon and later
emigration via Spain to Majorca, the Pina family was forced to convert to
Christianity. But for 500 years Tony’s
ancestors practiced Judaism secretly, culminating in Tony’s return
to his roots in Jerusalem, defying history, logic and the impossible.
Israel’s light is eternal - and that’s
the real miracle.
Michael Ordman writes a free weekly
newsletter containing Good News stories about Israel.
For a free subscription, email a request to
michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
