Recent news is full of examples of how
freedom continues to be championed by the Jewish State, where the concept
began. This is particularly appropriate
at this time of year, in the lead-up to Passover - the Jewish festival of
freedom.
Every week, Israeli discoveries and
developments gives freedom to many suffering from deadly diseases. March is Israel’s colon
cancer awareness month, highlighting the decline of fatalities due to
early diagnosis. Genetic
diseases Progressive Cerebro-Cerebellar Atrophy (PCCA and PCCA2) can
now be detected in prospective parents thanks to a simple blood test developed
by Dr. Ohad Birk of Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva. And further breakthroughs in fighting neurological
diseases are almost certain, with the establishment by the Weizmann
Institute and the Max Planck Society of a new laboratory for Experimental
Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurogenetics in Rehovot.
Arabs in Israel have more freedom than in
any other country in the Middle East.
20 percent of students at Israel’s Technion are Arab. 100 have graduated
from Technion’s NAM (Outstanding
Arab Youth) program since 2006 and are now embarking on successful
careers in hi-tech and engineering. And
as Chairman of “Druze for Israel” Mendi Safadi explains, Arabs, Christians,
Druze and Jews are all equal in Israel. Mendi was born in the Golan Heights on
the border with Syria and highlights Israel’s humanitarian aid to the
beleaguered civilians of Israel’s neighbor.
It is significant that Israeli cooperation
with the “Land of the Free” continues to go from strength to strength. The US House of Representatives
overwhelmingly approved the United
States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act. The bill promotes bi-lateral military, energy, water, science,
homeland security, and agriculture co-operation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also signed a Research
& Development agreement with California Governor Jerry Brown,
focusing on water, energy, storage and cyber security. Then, over 1,000 senior executives from
around the world came to Israel
Dealmakers Summit 2014 in New York to hear about Israeli
innovation in Digital Media, Cleantech, Mobile, Internet, Big Data,
Semiconductors, Software, Healthcare and Telecom. But the message really came
home when it was announced that America’s symbol of freedom - the
Statue of Liberty – is to incorporate Israel’s BriefCam in its
state-of-the-art surveillance system. Briefcam’s unique Video
Synopsis software solution enables law enforcement and security
personnel to review hours of video in minutes.
Freedom of trade is bringing Israeli
innovations to other parts of the world too.
Japanese
companies Takeda, Rakuten, Samurai Incubate and now the Japan External
Trade Organization are investing in the Israeli startup market in search of new
technologies to expand their businesses.
Over in Europe, Israeli biotech Insuline has announced a new
distribution agreement for marketing its InsuPad product in the Netherlands and
Belgium. InsuPad gives more
freedom to diabetics by increasing the effectiveness of Insulin
injections, lowering the required dose and allowing flexibility on timing the
injections.
One of the most powerful aspects of liberty
is “Freedom of the Mind”. The Israeli
education system encourages its citizens to aim for the highest level of
achievement. For example Israel’s National
Science Day celebrates the birthday of Albert Einstein with the scheduling
of hundreds of events at universities and research institutes. And Israeli students were in
free flight at the 54th Israel Annual Conference on Aerospace Sciences.
It included a competition for students to build unique aircraft, which resulted
in a mechanical bird, a short take-off drone, an electric passenger plane and
an autonomous cluster of satellites.
Israel freely shares its educational developments with the world. Israeli accelerator MindCet incubates
education technology start-ups in Tel Aviv and in the Negev. Its founders went to SXSWedu
in Austin Texas, along with start-ups CodeMonkey, Simlisco and
RoadStory to explain how technology can significantly change teaching and
learning processes.
Some sections of the community will benefit
from Israeli support and technology in order to achieve maximum freedom in
today’s society. The UpWest Labs Female
Entrepreneurship Program, funded by Google, is establishing a network
of mentors in Silicon Valley and Israel.
Its co-founder Shuly Galili said, “Israel leads the world in empowering
women to take command.” Meanwhile,
delegates at the recent AIPAC conference saw a demonstration of EyeMusic – a tool developed
at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem that provides visual information for the
blind. Shapes, colors and locations are
converted to music in order to give an audible “picture” of objects.
Finally, here is an opportunity for those who want the freedom to become independent, self-sufficient and resilient. In this “life-changing experience”, Naale Elite Academy enables students to complete their last three years of high school in Israel. The program, co-funded by the State of Israel and the Jewish Agency, provides a full scholarship with all expenses paid until graduation.
Israel – for the freedom to be yourself.
Michael Ordman writes a free weekly
newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.
For a free subscription, email a request to
michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
