140330
In the 30th Mar 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
US neurosurgeons used an Israeli robot
to treat a Parkinson’s sufferer whilst he slept.
·
Israeli scientists have developed
nano-particles to deliver safer, more effective chemotherapy.
·
Official recognition that Israel is
the best country in the Middle East for women.
·
An Israeli company prepares and cooks
food using a printer.
·
Thanks to an Israeli innovation, those
with impaired speech can now be heard clearly.
·
Brazil is using Israeli technology to
protect this summer’s Soccer World Cup.
·
The Rolling Stones are to perform in
Tel Aviv.
·
A video of the re-appearance of a
Negev desert river has gone viral.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israeli robot
treats sleeping Parkinson’s patient. The first ever Asleep Deep Brain Stimulation
(DBS) procedure was performed in Denver, Colorado using the Renaissance
Guidance System developed by Israel’s Mazor Robotics. The 65-year-old patient, previously suffering from Parkinson’s
disease, was responding well.
Cooperating to save lives. The two top Israeli
lifesaving organizations Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah will now share
data on all emergency calls. UH volunteers can arrive quickly on their ambucycles
to treat the sick and injured. MDA
staff in ambulances will then continue treatment and take patients to
hospitals.
Using music to treat illness. (Thanks to NoCamels.com)
Israeli nonprofit “Haverut” (meaning “friendship” in Hebrew) is introducing
healing through music. Guitarist Navot Ben Barak and flutist Avshalom Eshel
perform twice a week at the Hadassah Medical Center in Israel. Songs are chosen
for each individual patient.
Hope for Lupus sufferers. Israeli biotech XTL
Biopharmaceuticals is gearing up for a Phase II trial of its hCDR1 compound for
the treatment of Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus – SLE). HCDR1 is the first new treatment for Lupus
in 50 years and was given special orphan status by the United States FDA.
IDF wins the fight against PTSD. (Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.org) Canadian army
experts are looking at how the Israeli Defense Forces have successfully
combated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The rate of suicides in the IDF is lower that of the national
population, thanks to several key support practices.
New way to tackle
ovarian cancer.
(Thanks to NoCamels) Professor Dan Peer of Tel Aviv University has
devised a cluster of nano-particles that use chemotherapy to directly target
tumor cells. It has achieved a 25-fold
improvement in effectiveness with a dramatic reduction in toxic effect on
healthy organs.
How the Technion helps babies to
breathe.
More on the 3D scanner developed in the Geometric Image Processing Lab
of Israel Technion Professor Ron Kimmel.
(Baby mask reported in 11 Aug 2013 newsletter.)
Israel’s largest ER. The new 5,000-square-meter
fortified emergency room at the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva can treat
200,000 patients a year. It will relieve overstretched emergency rooms in other
parts of the country, especially during the winter season. It cost NIS 90
million (about $26 million) to build.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
The best country
for women in the Middle East. The latest World Economic Forum's Global
Gender Gap survey ranked Israel the best country in the Middle East for women's
rights and freedoms. Israel also
received the “Reducing the Gender Gap” prize in 2013 from the European
Parliament for championing women's rights.
Women-only lighting of Independence Day
torches.
The traditional torch-lighting ceremony for Israel’s Independence Day
will be conducted solely by 14 women who represent a unique mosaic of Israeli
society. They include Hindiya Suliman
from Bu'eine Nujeidat, who works to empower Israeli Arab women.
Chefs support Jerusalem’s elderly. Leading chefs from European
Michelin-starred restaurants have come to Israel to raise funds for Ezrat Avot.
Together with Israeli chefs they will cook a gourmet dinner - the proceeds
going to the construction of a health and life enrichment center for
Jerusalem's elderly population.
Israeli Arabs visit Toronto. Eight Israelis including
Muslims, Druze and Bedouin have been visiting Canadian universities to dispel
the myths by Israeli Apartheid Week organizers. Some students were shocked to learn that Arabs study at Israeli
universities and that some even serve in the Israel Defense Forces.
Syrians treated in Israel: This week’s program on Tel
Aviv radio TLV1’s “Out of the Comfort Zone” features some of the staff that are
treating injured Syrians at the Western Galilee hospital in Nahariya.
Ukrainians treated in Israel. This video focuses on
schoolteacher Sergiy Trapezun who was shot in Kiev and is now recovering after
his operation at Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot, Israel.
Top 10 global publisher of mobile games. Tel Aviv-based TabTable
offers more than 250 different games and apps for children, including
lullabies, digital books and educational experiences. It has reached 300 million downloads in 4 years and has 25
million monthly active users – including many in Saudi Arabia.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Print your meals. Israeli company White
Innovation has developed “Ginny”, a printer that could revolutionize the food
market. Place a capsule of raw
ingredients into one side of the machine. Next, olive oil, milk or water is
injected. It then marinates for about thirty seconds and produces a tasty,
cheap and healthy feast.
Huge attendance at Israeli
nano-conference.
Over 1,200 delegates from 36 countries arrived in Tel Aviv for the
Israeli Nanotechnology Conference.
Co-chairman Rafi Koriat said that a nanotechnology revolution would be more
life changing than the automobile, microtechnology and optics revolutions
combined.
California and Israel: Partners in
cybersecurity.
Tom Glaser’s latest article highlights the work of the California-Israel
Chamber of Commerce. The CICC formed a
Cyber Security Committee and developed programs, events, and participation in
Israeli conferences to generate business and investment opportunities.
UK PM praises Israeli science. British Prime Minister
David Cameron sent Israel a recorded greeting in honor of Israeli Science Day,
which was launched at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. "The work of your scientists is helping
humanity in some truly profound ways," he said.
Israelis clean up in the US. Israeli cleantech companies
enjoyed 4 fruitful events in March - at the Landmark Israeli Dealmakers Summit
in New York; the New England-Israel Business Council in Boston; the CleanTech
Forum in San Francisco and an exclusive investor event in Chicago.
High-tech Israelis aim for the Moon. (Thanks to Grace) Israeli
high-tech start-ups continue to propel themselves farther into the realm of
science fiction. This innovative
know-how continues to turn adversity into opportunity. Israel is now Britain's largest trading partner
in the Middle East — thanks to high-tech.
Start speaking
freely.
Israel’s VoiceITT has developed speech technology for kids and adults
who have difficulty making themselves understood. If you suffer from a stutter, a stroke or a neuro-degenerative
disease, TalkITT will turn your impaired speech into a computerized output of
what you really intended to say.
Israel and Canada team up to extract
shale oil.
The chief scientists of Israel and Canada have approved a $6.7 million
project to develop novel and more efficient ways of extracting shale oils and
other gases deep in the earth.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel is working. Israel's unemployment rate
dropped to a record low in February.
For those aged 15 and over, the rate declined to 5.8% from 5.9% in
January. For those between 25-64 the
rate dropped dramatically from 5.4% to 4.9%.
Participation in the labor force rose to a record high of 80%.
Israeli trade delegation in London. A 30-strong group of
Israeli companies specializing in retail and water technology met heads of
British corporations, including Marks and Spencer, Tesco and ASOS to strengthen
trade ties with the UK. The initiative
was part of the TeXchange program.
Israeli news station on US TV channel. Jewish Life TV will air
Israel’s i24news on American cable and satellite networks. This is the first time that the Jaffa-based
i24news will be shown to an American audience via television, and not just
online. i24news will provide 15 hours
of weekly magazine content.
Brazil to protect
world cup with Israeli drone. The Brazilian Air Force will operate the new
Hermes 900 UAV from Israel’s Elbit Systems to protect 2014 FIFA World Cup
soccer games.
Intel backs OrCam’s glasses for the
blind.
Intel Capital is investing $15-20 million in Israeli artificial vision
company OrCam Technologies. OrCam develops a range of visual improvement
products for the visually impaired including a system enabling them to read
content and interpret the world around them.
Israeli lottery raised NIS 5.8 billion. Israel’s National lottery
raised more than $1.5 billion in 2013 – a 14% increase on 2012. Grants were given to build kindergartens,
classrooms and municipal buildings.
Scholarship funds, the arts and the sciences also benefited.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
30 years of the Israeli opera. Israel Opera’s ambitious
30th anniversary program features seven operas, two Masada events and 10 dance
concerts. Operas include Rossini’s “The
Barber of Seville”, Verdi’s “Nabucco” and a new Israeli opera “The Lady and the
Peddler”.
Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus buildings are
on-line.
Design lovers can now use the Internet to preview some of Tel Aviv’s
largest collection of Bauhaus architecture in the world. Artist Avner Gicelter has produced a series
of colorful graphics that illustrate why Tel Aviv was designated a UNESCO World
Heritage site in 2003.
Blair Underwood visits Israel. (Thanks to Size Doesn’t
Matter) Award winning actor and director Blair Underwood met with Mehereta Baruch,
an Ethiopian Jewess who arrived in Israel aged 10 and is now Deputy Mayor of
Tel-Aviv. He also toured a military
base, Haifa’s Bahai Gardens and Rambam hospital.
Here come the
Rolling Stones.
It’s true! World renowned rock
band The Rolling Stones confirmed that they will perform in Tel Aviv on June 4,
as part of their “14 On Fire” world tour.
Ticket sales for the Park Hayarkon begin Sunday, March 30 at 9 a.m.
Running for LOTEM. One of the Jerusalem
Marathon participants was partially paralyzed Raz Ruterman who raised funds and
awareness for the NGO LOTEM – Making Nature Accessible. Raz serves as a tour guide for the inclusive
trail at Nahal Hashofet in the Megiddo region – one of the first accessible
trails in Israel.
The first international birding race. Israel is hosting an
inaugural birding sporting event.
Fourteen international teams of birders will participate in the
“Champions of the Flyway” in Eilat to celebrate and raise awareness of bird
migration. The winning team spots the
most unique species in 24 hours.
Israeli cyclists go Dutch. The Prime Ministers of
Israel and the Netherlands established the “Going Dutch” conference - an
international conference on urban planning and cycling culture. It also featured an interactive bicycle
exhibition entitled Free Wheel, with more than 100 historic bicycles on
display.
Israeli wins women's Thai boxing
championship.
Sarah Avraham (20), of Kiryat Arba in Judea, won the Woman’s World
Thai-Boxing (Muay Thai) Championship in Thailand. Sarah was born in Mumbai and
converted to Judaism in 2008. She
immigrated to Israel following the attack on the Mumbai Chabad House.
THE JEWISH STATE
Miracles. Here is an appropriate video to bridge the
period between the Jewish festivals of Purim and Passover. It features singers
Gad Elbaz, Naftali Kalfa and Ari Lesser.
The only pilot ever to thwart a
highjacking.
The disappearance of Malaysian flight MH370 has led to the emergence of
another story. In 1970, El Al pilot Uri
Bar-Lev used bravery, trained skills (plus something that cannot be defined) to
disarm two armed PFLP terrorists who threatened to blow up his plane at 29,000
feet.
Thousands attend North American Aliya
events.
Seven Aliya fairs took place simultaneously in major cities across North
America. Some 1,500 showed up to the Nefesh B'Nefesh Aliyah Mega Event in Times
Square. Other fairs took place in
Toronto, Montreal, Florida, Baltimore, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Like streams in
the Negev.
Recent desert rainstorms in Southern Israel have caused a river to
return. This video has had over half a
million views in two weeks. Watch
closely after 45 seconds.
Look who’s cleaning windows? On the recent Jewish
festival of Purim, two window cleaners dressed as the superhero Spiderman
cheered up young patients at Israel’s Schneider Children’s Medical Center.
New look ZF. The UK’s Zionist Federation has launched its
re-branded image. It has also released a new film that publicizes Israel’s
technological achievements, thriving economy and culture.
140323
In the 23rd Mar 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli scientists have discovered the
cause of another crippling genetic disease.
·
Hear a Golan Druze leader praise equal
opportunities for minorities in the Jewish State.
·
The Statue of Liberty’s new security
systems feature Israel’s Briefcam.
·
See how the blind can use an Israeli
device to “hear” shapes.
·
Israeli innovators have been making
big deals in New York
·
145 million TV viewers are expected to
watch an Israeli-hosted swimming competition.
·
A French-born, UK-bred immigrant is
the oldest ever recruit to the Israeli paratroops.
·
Previous JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary. Click here for “A
Happy State of Mind” (fast-loading version, no adverts).
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Genetic disease
breakthrough.
Dr. Ohad Birk of Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva has discovered the
genetic mutations that cause Progressive Cerebro-Cerebellar Atrophy (PCCA) and
its variation PCCA2. A simple blood
test can detect both these mutations in prospective parents.
New Israeli-German lab for neurological
illnesses.
The Weizmann Institute and the Max Planck Society are establishing a
laboratory for Experimental Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurogenetics in
Rehovot. Headed by Weizmann Professor Alon Chen it will research cognitive,
emotional, behavioral and neurological disorders.
March is colon cancer awareness month. The prevalence of
(often-deadly) colo-rectal cancer in Israel has declined thanks largely to
intensive information campaigns by the Israel Cancer Association and
others. The rate of patients who were
diagnosed at an early stage almost doubled – from 20 percent in 1994 to 39%
today.
GPS navigation in hospital. Some hospitals are now so
large that 25 per cent of visitors and patients become confused and get lost
inside, despite signage and information desks.
Carmel Medical Center in Haifa is the first hospital in Israel to
introduce a smartphone GPS app to help people find their way to the correct
department.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Arab students excel at the Technion. 20 percent of students at
Israel’s Technion are Arab, which shames anyone claming Israel is an apartheid
state. 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.
The IDF in Hebron. This video shows
how some Palestinian Arab children react to Israeli soldiers.
A Druze voice
enlightens.
Mendi Safadi is Chairman of “Druze for Israel”. Born in the Golan Heights, Mendi tells that
Arabs, Christians, Druze and Jews are all equal in Israel. He also highlights
Israel’s help for Syrians.
Japanese firms seek to tap into Israeli
startups.
More Japanese companies are looking at the Israeli startup market in
search of innovative technologies and investments to beef up their businesses.
Takeda, Rakuten, Samurai Incubate and now the Japan External Trade Organization
are investing heavily in the Jewish state.
Sustainable water solutions for Africa. Ornit Avidar, formerly a
diplomat for Israel’s Ministry of Industry and Trade founded Waterways, in 2010
in order to provide small-scale, locally beneficial water solutions to rural
African villages. They install easily
maintainable solutions that do not require huge start-up costs.
Israel is a major strategic partner of
the US. The
US House of Representatives approved by 140 - 1 the United States-Israel
Strategic Partnership Act. The bill
promotes bi-lateral military, energy, water, science, homeland security, and
agriculture co-operation and has now been transferred to the Senate for final
approval.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Israeli system
protects Statue of Liberty. (Thanks to Israel21c) The Statue of Liberty
National Monument has included 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.
Baby monitor grows up. (Thanks to Israel21c) In
2010, Israel’s Evoz introduced an app that turns an iOS device into a virtual
baby monitor. This summer, the app
matures into a full home-monitoring system that will detect burglars, fire,
electrical devices not switched off, elderly at risk, and more.
Israeli students take to the air. One of the highlights at the
54th Israel Annual Conference on Aerospace Sciences in Tel Aviv was a
competition for students to build unique aircraft. Projects included a mechanical bird, a short take-off drone, an
electric passenger plane and an autonomous cluster of satellites.
Israel's record-breaking milkers. (Thanks to Stuart
Palmer) Joshuah Miron heads the
Ruminant Sciences Department at Israel’s Volcani Center. He says that Israel’s success in the dairy
industry is due to enhanced breeding of cows for their milk, advanced nutrition
science, and a team of highly educated dairy farmers.
National Science Day. Hundreds of events are
scheduled to be held at universities and research institutes for Israel’s
National Science Day on March 26. Usually held on March 14, the birthday of
Albert Einstein, the celebration is postponed this year to avoid clashing with
celebrations for the festival of Purim.
Israel and California sign R&D
agreement. Israel’s
PM signed an agreement with California Governor Jerry Brown stressing four
main Research & Development areas: water, energy, storage and cyber
security. Brown said "10% of San
Diego's water will be a result of this collaboration and an outcome of Israeli
technology."
The blind can hear
shapes.
Delegates at the recent AIPAC conference saw a demonstration of EyeMusic
– a tool that provides visual information for the blind. Shapes, colors and locations are converted
to music in order to give an audible “picture” of objects.
Israeli-Chinese electric bike. Qoros - the joint venture
between Israel Corporation and China's Chery - has unveiled the EBIKE at the
Geneva Motor Show. The bike, one of the most advanced electric bicycles ever
developed, is equipped with a large battery, electric motor, touchscreen
display and traditional pedals.
Meanwhile, multinational car manufacturers are expecting heavy
competition from Qoros’ new hatchback.
A new mindset for education. The 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.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel’s currency reserves increase
again.
Israel’s deposits of foreign currency rose for the sixth consecutive
month to yet another all-time record of $83.976 billion at the end of Feb 2014.
Budget deficit lowest in 2.5 years. Israel’s accumulated budget
deficit fell to NIS 28.6 billion or 2.7% of GDP. It is the lowest since Aug 2011 and below the government's target
of 3% of GDP.
Where dealmakers and
innovators meet.
Over 1,000 senior executives from around the world came to Israel
Dealmakers Summit 2014 in New York to discuss innovation across key growth
sectors including Digital Media, Cleantech, Mobile, Internet, Big Data,
Semiconductors, Software, Healthcare and Telecom.
Nurturing female Israeli entrepreneurs. 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.”
Send us a minibus. Israel’s Ototo ("just
a second" in Hebrew) is attempting to change the concept of public
transport with “travel-on-demand”. Ototo will use crowdsourcing to identify
demand for passengers from a particular destination to another, and will send a
bus or minibus.
Insulin products for Europe. Israeli biotech Insuline
has announced a new European distribution agreement with 24Care, which will
distribute InsuPad in the Netherlands and Belgium. InsuPad increases the effectiveness of Insulin injections,
lowering the required dose and allowing flexibility on timing the injections.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
The Antithesis of weddings. Tel Aviv’s TLV1
Radio DJ Antithesis broadcast a very special edition of Kol Cambridge on the
day of his marriage.
PM is TV tour guide. Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu is the star of a new series about the tourist sites in
Israel. The program, produced and hosted by CBS travel editor Peter Greenberg,
features footage shot the length and breadth of Israel, with Netanyahu himself
introducing Israel’s major tourist spots.
The Prodigy to perform in Tel Aviv. British pioneers of rave,
techno, and big beat genres, the band The Prodigy plans to perform in Tel Aviv
on 29 May 2014. They have sold over 20 million albums, and hits include
‘Firestarter’ and ‘Breathe’.
Israelis are riding high. The Israeli Equestrian Team
made history when its show jumpers competed in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup,
the first time that an Israeli team has ever participated in an international
equestrian competition. Their debut was
at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Palm Beach, Wellington, Florida.
Israel to host
European swimming championships. Israel will host the European Short Course
Swimming Championships in Jan 2015 - the first time for such a large-scale
swimming event. The venue is the new
Olympic-size pool at the Wingate Institute near Netanya, and anticipates around
145 million TV viewers.
THE JEWISH STATE
A life-changing experience. Naale Elite Academy enables
students to complete their last three years of high school in Israel while
learning to be independent, self-sufficient and resilient. The program,
co-funded by the State of Israel and the Jewish Agency, provides a full
scholarship with all expenses paid until graduation.
Places of Interest – Netanya. United With Israel has just
featured my hometown. The Marmaluke ruins, the Yemenite museum and the Iris reserve
enhance the beautiful beaches, exciting shuk and splendid eateries.
21% increase in Israeli philanthropy. Israelis contributed NIS
5.7 billion (approx £1 billon or $1.6 billion) to nonprofit organizations in
Israel in 2011 - up from NIS 4.1 billion in 2009. It is the first comparison ever performed by Israel’s Central
Bureau of Statistics.
Technion receives $21 million donation. The Azrieli family has
donated $21 million to Israel’s Technion, to help build a Tel Aviv campus. David Azrieli, 91, studied at the Technion
in the 1940s and fought in the 1948 Israeli War of Independence.
Definitely not over
the hill.
29-year-old French-born, UK-raised lone soldier Isaac Moyal is Israel’s
oldest recruit to the paratroop regiment. He has already shown that he can more
than keep up with teenagers. It helps
that he has a brown belt in kickboxing and does Krav Maga (self-defense),
freerunning, and rollerblading.
The Argan trees are growing up. “When you come into the
Land and have planted trees for food...” Here is a new video from Zo Artzeinu
(“This is our Land”) that shows Argan tree farmers Yoni and Shoshana Rappeport
in Mitzpe Ramon connecting the physical to the spiritual. The planting season is upon us – you can
join in too.
140309
In the 9th March edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Positive news for two new Israeli
leukemia treatments.
·
Wounded Ukrainians have been airlifted
to Israeli hospitals.
·
Only in Israel can top multinational
companies design hi-tech products together.
·
Twice as many low cost flights to
Israel this summer.
·
Two Israeli winners in this year’s
Academy (Oscars) awards
·
Israelis will make people happy on
Good Deeds day and on Purim.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israel prize for developer of
Alzheimer’s treatment. The Israel Prize for Medicine goes to Professor Marta
Weinstock-Rosin of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Weinstock-Rosin developed Exelon, for
treating dementia related to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Exelon is currently undergoing Phase II
trials.
US approval for
Leukemia treatment. The US FDA has approved SYNRIBO from Israel’s Teva for the
treatment of patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia who failed therapy using
tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Positive results in
Leukemia trials.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s BioLineRX announced that its BL-8040
treatment for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) stopped growth of cancer cells
in-vitro and caused them to self-destruct.
It also reversed any protection given to the CML cancer cells from a
bone marrow transplant.
Promoting bone cancer research. Scientists at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem have received a $62,500 grant for promising research
into osteosarcoma metastasis - a bone cancer commonly found in children and
young adults. Dr Rami Aqeilan and his team will explore microRNA biomarkers and
responsiveness to therapy.
Stroke treatment shows promise. Israel’s D-Pharm has
announced successful interim results in the Phase IIa clinical trial of its
drug THR-18 taken in conjunction with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for
the treatment of cerebral stroke.
D-Pharm’s share price rose 117%, despite the trials taking place in the
Ukraine.
Elderly and infirm can stay at home. Israeli life-science
company Essence has launched Care@Home - an in-home care monitoring solution
for the elderly and chronic disease sufferers.
The system learns a person's everyday routine and detects any
deviations, such as skipped meals, reduced activity or unusual events.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Ten years of caring for seriously ill. The Israeli charity Life’s
Door - Tishkofet has helped more than 10,000 patients, family members and
professionals in its ten years of operation.
Professor Ben Corn of Tel Aviv University founded the organization after
losing his father to cancer and finding no one to help with the trauma.
Israeli Arabs live longer than
Americans.
As the book “Liberal Oasis: The Truth About Israel” by Joshua Muravchik
states, “Israel has done better in evening out the differences between its
Jewish and Arab citizens than most countries encompassing sharply diverse
nationalities.” Available on Kindle.
Academic center for Arab girls. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat
has inaugurated the “Center for Excellence You-niversity” in Beit Hanina, an
Arab neighborhood in the eastern part of the city. The Center was established
in cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality and the World ORT Kadima Mada.
Israeli soldiers save Palestinian Arab
crash victims.
Members of the Israel Defense Force’s 669 Search and Rescue Unit treated
4 Palestinian Arabs who were injured in a car crash. Their speeding vehicle flipped over and fell into a wadi. The severely injured and a two-year-old were
evacuated by helicopter to hospital.
Syrians treated in Israel: (Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.com)
Dr. Massad Barhoum, Director General of Israel’s Western Galilee Hospital (and a
Christian Arab) talks about treating casualties from Syria’s civil war. http://bcove.me/fc8s1coe
Ukrainians treated in
Israel.
Seven Ukrainians wounded in the Ukrainian unrest are being flown to Israel
for treatment. One, Alexander, aged 20,
landed at Ben-Gurion airport last week and was rushed to Kaplan Medical Center
in Rehovot for wrist surgery.
Princeton partners with IDC Herzliya. Juniors from Princeton
University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs will
enroll in the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at IDC
Herzliya. The IDC is Wilson School’s
only partner in the Middle East.
LAPD get tour of Israeli hi-tech. Eight top brass of the Los
Angeles Police Department spent 9 days in Israel seeing Israeli crime-fighting
technology. Of most interest was the
HoverMast from Israel’s Sky Sapience.
22 ways Israel has helped Africa in last
3 years. A
great summary by Israel21c of Israel’s recent technological, humanitarian,
medical, ecological and agricultural aid to developing African nations.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Thinner, stronger and greener packaging. Israeli start-up Valentis
is developing a packaging material that has a strength-to-weight ratio 8
times greater than stainless steel. The
material is based on nano-crystalline cellulose (NCC), a biodegradable,
transparent material made from plant pulp waste.
Toys help develop children's skills.
Israel’s TinyLove makes innovative toys for babies. Check out this
video, showing only one of their many products. It’s on the anti-Israel boycott list, so please support them.
Identifying malicious operations. Israel’s Cybereason has
launched its service that spots hackers once they have breached the security
defenses of an organization.
Israel’s Moon shot is already a winner. Israel’s SpaceIL says its
140kg LunarX satellite is one of the top contenders for Google’s $30 million
prize for landing on the moon. It is
the smallest, smartest spacecraft, plus the first to rely on optic navigation.
And the project has already won the hearts of a whole generation of Israelis.
New program for tech entrepreneurs. The Technion-Cornell
Innovation Institute (JTCII) is launching a new one-year postdoctoral “Runway
program” for technology entrepreneurs.
Professors provide academic guidance whilst off-campus consultants
supply legal, industrial and financial advice.
Multinationals work
together in Israel. Only in Israel can Citi, Ebay, General Electric, General Motors,
Microsoft, Red Hat, and 3M develop new ideas together. The seven companies will send 3-5 software
engineers to a “Weekathon” in Ra’anana where they will work in groups to
develop futuristic products.
Cheap roaming for smartphones abroad. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s Simgo has launched a low-cost
roaming service for Samsung and iPhone.
Attach a virtual SIM-enabled protective cover to access high-speed data
services, enjoy excellent quality, whilst retaining your own mobile number for
all calls.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel’s cyber industry. Israel National Cyber
Bureau (INCB) has estimated exports by Israeli companies in the cyber field at
$3 billion in 2013 - three times greater than those of the United Kingdom. Also, Israeli cyber companies raised $165
million last year - approximately 11 percent of total funds raised worldwide.
Who’s using your website? Israeli start-up SimilarWeb
performs in-depth analyses of website traffic. It has thousands of customers,
including Adidas, eBay and Hewlett Packard.
It has just raised finance to expand into Germany and the US.
Frutarom gets more fruitful. Israeli flavors and
ingredients giant Frutarom is still growing.
It has now bought Florida-based CitraSource, which specializes in
developing, manufacturing, marketing and selling of unique solutions in citrus
specialty ingredients.
Managing 3000 vehicles in Brazil. Israel’s Pointer
Telocation has been awarded a $3 million contract for systems to manage a fleet
of 3000 vehicles in Brazil. Pointer's telemetry solution can track and manage
fuel consumption, prevent fuel waste, unauthorized use of the vehicle, improve
productivity and reduce accidents.
What went right in the State of Israel? Please read this great
article by Professor Michael Curtis. It describes some of the major
International companies that have come to the Jewish State to share in its
success.
Building the US border fence. The US subsidiary of
Israel’s Elbit Systems has won a $145 million contract to help secure the US
Mexican border fence. Arizona Senator
John McCain said the technology would help “give our agents the ability to
detect, evaluate, and respond to all illegal entries crossing our border.”
Twice as many low-cost
flights.
This summer, Israel will operate 89 low-cost flights per week from Ben
Gurion airport’s Terminal 1. This is
double the number for summer 2013 and 33 more than the current figure.
Healthier gluten-free sweets. Israel’s Carmit Candy
Industries has launched gluten-free chocolate clusters. Those with Celiac Disease / Gluten
Intolerance and those following a gluten-free lifestyle can enjoy a wide range
of combinations of gluten-free cereals and dried fruits or nuts, covered in
either chocolate or yogurt.
US roadshow for Israeli clean-techs. A delegation of 15 Israeli
energy and water companies is headed to the U.S. for meetings with investors in
San Francisco and Chicago. The
companies include Hydrospin Monitoring Solutions, NewCo2Fuels, G.P.M. and
Greenlet.
Wireless to Latin America. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israel’s FriskyDSP Technology has licensed its LTE Layer 1 Small-Cell Extended
Range solution to one of Latin America’s foremost communication institutions.
The government of the unnamed country demands rural areas 30km from cities to
be covered by wireless by 2017.
Alcoholic drinks at 5 shekels each. The coffee chain Cofix,
which sells everything on its menu at 5 shekels an item, is opening up in the
evenings to sell alcoholic beverages also at 5 shekels (under $1.50) a
glass. Even at those prices, Cofix
expects to make a gross profit of 100 per cent on each drink.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Jerusalem youth orchestra shines at
Carnegie Hall festival. (Thanks to Linda) The Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna youth wind
orchestra won the New York wind festival competition at Carnegie Hall. New York State communities hosted the 45
musicians who then gave a free concert to 200 at Westchester Jewish Center.
Happy in Tel Aviv. (Thanks to Barry and
Israel21c) Israelis dance to the sounds
of Pharrell Williams’s song “Happy” with background scenes of Tel Aviv / Yafo.
Two Israelis win
Oscars.
Israel’s Niv Adiri picked up an Oscar to add to the BAFTA he’d won
previously for his team’s work on the sound of the multi-award winning film
"Gravity." Also celebrating
was Israel’s Arnon Milchan who co-produced “12 Years a Slave” which won the top
prize of Best Picture.
40,000 hit Tel Aviv’s pavements. The streets of Tel Aviv
overflowed as 40,000 runners took part in the 2014 Samsung Tel Aviv
Marathon. It was Israel’s largest
professional running event. Ezekiel
Koech of Kenya won the men’s event in a new course record of 2hrs 14 minute 40
seconds.
THE JEWISH STATE
Hi-tech internships in Israel. The Israel Tech Challenge,
a new initiative by The Jewish Agency, will offer young gifted Jewish students
in computer science from around the world - among them Ivy League students and
employees of companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google - an insider's
look at the Startup Nation.
Every cloud has a silver lining. Israel's embassy in Japan
has donated more than 300 Anne Frank-related books to public libraries in
Tokyo, after many were found vandalized.
The mayor of Tokyo's Suginami ward said, "Through this incident, I
believe that people also learned about the horrid facts of history and of
racism."
Hero pops the question. Just over a year ago I
reported on IDF Captain Ziv Shilon who lost an arm in a Hamas attack but
returned to duty shortly afterwards.
I’m pleased to write that he proposed to his girlfriend at a “Friends of
the Israel Defense Forces” event in Florida, and she said, “Yes”.
Good Deeds Day gets
bigger.
11th March sees the launch of “Good Deeds Day – Kulanana” with its aim
to get one million Israeli citizens to take part. The goal is to strengthen the fabric of Israeli society by
encouraging cooperation between Israel’s different communities.
Laugh - Purim is coming. A flash mob cheers up
travelers on the Jerusalem light railway.
After all, it’s the Hebrew month of Adar Sheni and the Jewish festival
of Purim is approaching.
The long-eared owl is back. The long-eared owl, a
nocturnal bird of prey, was once a rare sight in Israel, but in recent years it
has proliferated. Like a number of other species of birds, the long-eared owl
has become more common in the North and similar areas, having become accustomed
to the expanded, JNF-KKL forests.
140302
In the 2nd Mar 2014 edition
of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
An Israeli treatment is curing
sufferers of Type 1 diabetes.
·
Israeli doctors saved two Gaza mothers
and their 3 babies.
·
The Israeli app “CamMe” won the top
award at the Mobile World Congress.
·
Israel has completed tests of its
system to protect civilian aircraft against missiles.
·
Israeli water filters will produce
clean drinking water for Angola.
·
Almost a billion birds stop off in
Israel during their annual migration.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Type 1 diabetes
treatment success.
Clinical trials of Alpha 1 Antitrypsin (AAT), developed by Dr Eli Lewis
of Ben Gurion University, reduced insulin dependence in Type 1 diabetes
sufferers and cured several of the disease.
Some physicians are now prescribing AAT as an off-label treatment ahead
of FDA approval.
Trials success for cervical cancer test
kits.
Israel’s Micromedic has reported positive results in its pilot study
conducted in Peking Union Medical College Hospital (Union Hospital), a central
hospital in Beijing, using the CellDetect product for the detection and
identification of cervical cancer.
New solutions for heart disease. Israel’s Technion Institute
and the Toronto-based University Health Network (UHN) have announced the
establishment of the “Technion - UHN International Center for Cardiovascular
Innovation”. New ways to treat heart disease can reduce the second leading
cause of death in Israel and Canada.
Mobile app for those at risk of heart
attack.
Israeli-developed GPS-based CathMaps+ is the world’s first
HIPAA-compliant mobile app for those with elevated risk of a cardiac
incident. Android and iOS smartphone
users share their medical history with cardiologists and tools include maps of
the nearest catheterization labs.
The regenerating Professor. Whilst at Israel’s Weizmann
Institute, molecular geneticist Professor Michel Revel developed treatments for
MS, ALS and diabetes. Now at 75 years
of age, he works at his biotech Kadimastem developing pluripotent stem cells as
a regenerative medicine solution for all three diseases.
Hopes for tomorrow. Two new videos highlight
how Israel’s Beit Issie Shapiro helps children born with mental and physical
disabilities develop to their full potential – even to use iPads. In the first video are Roni, Eytan, Nevo and
Liora. In the second Eytan’s Dad is
running the London marathon for Beit Issie and his son.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Technion course for Arabs. Unusually positive article
by Tom Friedman about the on-line nano-technology course run by Israel
Technion’s Israeli-Arab Professor Hossam Haick. Some ask him, “Are you a real person? Are you really an Arab, or
are you an Israeli Jew speaking Arabic, pretending to be an Arab?”
Israel honors Israeli-Arab volunteers. 700 Israeli-Arab volunteers
gathered in Karmiel for a celebratory, upbeat and heartwarming event to show
them appreciation. Congratulations and affection was showered upon the plucky
volunteers who resist blatant bullying in order to perform civic service inside
their communities.
Good relations. (Thanks to Michael and Joy)
The PA leadership may not like it, but the religious Jews of Beitar Illit have
been shopping in and receiving services from the Palestinian Arab town of Husan
for years. And both communities are
very happy about it.
Yitzhak Rabin is granted Israeli
citizenship.
18-year-old Yitzhak Rabin Namsy was born in Jordan and named after the
ex-Israeli Prime Minister. His parents fled to Israel in 1998. Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar personally
presented Yitzhak with his Israeli ID card so that Yizhak could fulfill his
wish to serve in the IDF.
Haifa doctors save two
Gaza mothers and their 3 babies. Doctors at Haifa’s Rambam hospital delivered
twins to a Gaza woman with a severe blood clot disorder. They then delivered a baby to a second Gaza
mother in a critical condition due to Rh incompatibility, and then fixed the
baby’s congenital heart condition.
IDF Diversity Week. Every year, thousands of
minority recruits join the Israel Defense Forces. Immigrants have brought their unique culture and traditions from
their countries of origin. The IDF also
contains hundreds of Bedouin, Circassians, Druze, Arab Christians and Arab
Muslims who want to serve their country.
Finland looks to Israel for inspiration. Finnish Prime Minister
Jyrki Katainen is determined to overhaul his economy, and cites Israel's
success as a "start-up" nation brimming with high-tech innovation as
his model. Meanwhile, Finland has been
purchasing millions of Euros of Israeli technology.
What does everyone want? Israeli Technology. Israeli PM Netanyahu told
the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations that all
visiting foreign Heads of State have been asking for three things: Israeli
technology, Israeli technology and Israeli technology.
Young innovators solve global problems. Over 70 young Israeli entrepreneurs
impressed United Nations representatives at the Israeli Designed International
Development (ID2) conference in Caesarea.
Innovations demonstrated included plants that give off light at night
and MobileOCT’s cervical cancer diagnosis system.
Israel and Cyprus ties have never been
better.
Relations between Israel and Cyprus are at an unprecedented level, said
Cyprus’ Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulines during his recent visit. There is good cooperation on security,
energy, water management, science and technology.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Most innovative app. 190 Israeli companies
presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Israel’s PointGrab won “most innovative app” with CamMe that lets
users make gestures to take “selfies” (photographs of themselves) from their
iPhone from up to 16 feet away.
Israel’s EverythingMe was also one of five finalists.
Israel helps drought-stricken
California.
In its most severe drought since 1977, California looks to Israel for
expert water advice and technology. Israel’s
IDE Technologies Ltd. is already helping to build what it says will be the
largest seawater desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere.
Better herbicides. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Evogene has launched PoinTar, a computationally based target discovery
platform for generating new herbicides.
It identifies key molecules responsible for essential biological
processes in weeds, which have the potential to be chemically inhibited in
order to cause weed death.
Better batteries. The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem has boosted the power of sodium-ion batteries with a new type of
anode. Also Israel’s EnStorage received
a $1 million grant for its HBr flow battery development. Meanwhile Professor Doron Aurbach of Bar
Ilan University won the prestigious 2014 International Battery Association
Yeager Award for developing super (EDL) capacitors and rechargeable magnesium
batteries.
Eilat’s ecology recovers. In 2008 Israel relocated
its Eilat fish farms to the Mediterranean port of Ashdod to prevent further
damage to the Red Sea ecology. Studies have now shown that previously
endangered Eilat marine species have recovered and no adverse affects have been
reported regarding the Ashdod environment.
Enjoy the ride. Here are two videos that
demonstrate the selective suspension in the revolutionary new wheel developed
by Israel’s SoftWheel.
Eleven cyber security awards. Israeli cyber-security
companies received eleven awards at the RSA Security Conference in San
Francisco. Votiro won gold in the
“Innovations in Next Generation Security” category for its software that
“sanitizes” any form of data that enters an organization via the Internet. Covertix won two awards - silver for its
database security and bronze for “Awesome Product of the Year”.
Cleantech 2014. CleanTech 2014, the 18th
annual international event for Clean Technologies at Airport City focused on
environmental quality, infrastructures and green building, renewable energy and
water technologies.
Safer aircraft. Israel’s Defense Ministry
has successfully completed final testing on the “Sky Shield” system that
protects commercial planes from missile attacks. A thermal camera integrated with laser technology deflects
missiles. European authorities reported
eight attempts to launch missiles at airplanes last year.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Moody’s upgrades its view of Israel’s banks. Moody's Investors Service
has revised its outlook for the Israeli banking system from “negative” to
“stable”. It reverses their downgrading
of banks in May 2012 and reflects improved macroeconomic conditions, capital
buffers, liquidity and funding.
EasyJet launches Hebrew site. UK low-cost airline easyJet
has launched a Hebrew-language homepage that allows customers to book flights
in any of the ten currencies available.
EasyJet added that, in February, it flew its one-millionth passenger on
its Israel route since it started operations in 2009.
“Angels” choose winning start-ups. New Israeli company iAngels
provides a service for individuals to invest relatively small amounts in
start-ups. iAngels is advised by
wealthy investors “Angels” who pledge their own money. Smaller investors join a “crowdsourcing”
investment that is returned if the finance target isn’t reached.
Developing Ethiopia’s potash mine. Israel Chemicals and
Canada's Allana Potash will jointly develop Allana's Danakhil potash project in
Ethiopia. The proposed mine's feasibility study indicates that it will produce
approximately one million tons of potash annually within five years.
Clean water for
Angola.
Amiad Water Systems won a $1.1 million contract to supply 50 filtration
systems to a project providing clean drinking water in Angola. Meanwhile the Israeli government honored
Amiad an Outstanding Exporter award for exporting products totaling $83 million
in 2012.
America’s support for the Start-up
Nation. Tom
Glaser begins a series of blogs for the Times of Israel. In it, he will focus on the American side of
the U.S. - Israel business equation with articles about the people, companies,
and organizations making a difference.
I hope to link to his regular articles here.
India’s potatoes need Israeli technology. (Thanks to Uri) India’s Dr.
Akhilesh Kumar works at Israel’s Vulcani Agricultural Research Institute. His is investigating how to store India’s
glut of winter potatoes to feed its hungry population all year round. Israeli hi-tech can help develop better
strains and solar-powered storage.
Israeli gas exports can bring peace
between Turkey and Greece. (Thanks to Nevet - www.broaderview.org) An optimistic piece
in the Turkish Haber Turk monthly magazine.
Translated by Al-Monitor.com
Tax breaks to 400 communities. Israel’s Finance Minister
is doubling the number of communities eligible for tax benefits. The emphasis
in the composition of the list was the distance of the community from Israel's
center and its proximity to the borders with Syria, Lebanon, or the Gaza Strip.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Mazel Tov to Antithesis. Our friend, Tel Aviv Radio
TLV1’s Antithesis, will be busier than usual next week. Kol Cambridge’s resident DJ is getting
married on Thursday. Looking forward to
great music at his wedding.
Open Hearts: A Memoir. This new biography is about
renowned Israeli cardiac surgeon Professor Joseph Borman. One of his accomplishments was to save the
life of critically injured soldier Doron Lancet during the 1967 Six-Day
War. Doron went on to lead the Israeli
team that helped map the human genome.
Jerusalem invests in TV and film
production.
Jerusalem’s municipality is to invest NIS 22 million to encourage more
film and television production within the capital. The television series Dig, co-written by Gideon Raff of Homeland
fame, will be the first production to benefit from the initiative.
Israel gets good draw for Euro 2016 soccer. Israel was placed in Group B for the qualifying stages of
the European Nations Cup 2016, with Wales, Belgium, Andorra, Cyprus and
Bosnia-Herzegovina. The top two
teams will qualify for the championship round.
THE JEWISH STATE
Where do Israel’s innovators come from? The best entrepreneurial
incubator in the world might actually be created via conscription … the Israeli
Defense Forces (IDF). A crop of
successful new entrepreneurs is coming out of Israel and they credit military
schooling for their success.
Israel’s popularity highest for 23
years.
(Thanks to Yoram Ettinger) According to the latest Gallup poll, Israel
was rated favorably by 72% of Americans.
This compares to 66% at this time last year and is the highest level
since 1991.
My Israel in 10 objects. Israel's Ambassador to the
UK, Daniel Taub gave an enthralling talk at the UK Limmud Conference. It is a personal, funny and surprisingly
moving portrait of contemporary Israel.
Presbyterian leaders acknowledge the
truth. A
delegation of 14 leaders from the Presbyterian clergy visited the Soda Stream
factory in Maaleh Adumim. During the
tour they affirmed that the location of the factory enhances the business as
well as the interpersonal relations between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs.
Here come the birds. A recent IBA broadcast
featuring some of the 1 billion feathered visitors to Israel.
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In the 23rd Feb 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
A non-invasive Israeli blood-flow
monitor prevents brain damage.
·
A Syrian father praised Israeli
doctors who saved the last surviving member of his family.
·
California’s new Israeli-built solar
power plant produces a third of all US solar energy.
·
Jordan is the first foreign country to
buy Israeli gas.
·
Help finance the new Israeli invisible
keyboards, for the blind and sighted.
·
An Israeli won a BAFTA award and is in
line for an Oscar.
·
Archeologists have uncovered a
2300-year-old village near Jerusalem.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israeli doctor discovers new bacterium. (Thanks to Nevet www.broadview.org) Dr. Itai Amir of Israel’s Maayanei Hayeshua
hospital discovered a new strain of bacteria when examining a patient’s blood
culture. Eisenbergiella Tayi assists in digestion and has tremendous scientific
importance, according to hospital experts.
Non-invasive
blood-flow monitor. CerOx from Israel’s Ornim is the only non-invasive device on the
market monitoring blood flow to the brain in patients with severe brain
trauma. The CerOx device uses
ultrasound and near-infrared light to measure oxygen saturation and prevent
brain damage. It has just raised $10
million.
Treating depression in Sweden. Israel’s Brainsway has
installed its Deep Brain Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) systems at
Stockholm's Karolinska University Hospital where they will be used immediately
to treat patients with depression.
Sweden has one of the highest rates of depression in the world.
Neck device keeps hearts beating. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s BioControl Medical has developed
the first medical device to treat chronic heart failure using
neuro-stimulation. It operates by
stimulating the vagus nerve on the right side of the neck. Trials are being
conducted at 80 centers in the US, Europe and Israel.
Reducing chemotherapy side effects. Scientists at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem have discovered the cause of mucositis – a devastating
intestinal inflammation in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The problem is Interleukin-1 (IL-1 beta), a
protein secreted by the stressed mucosa, which can be blocked.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. In contrast to what you may
have read elsewhere, most ordinary Jerusalemites get along quite well together.
Encouraging girls to like STEM. Tel Aviv start-up Gangly
Sister is producing a cartoon web series to promote Science, Tech, Engineering
and Math to girls. The English-language
series, titled, “Purple and Nine,” has had 64,000 views since its debut on Jan
30. The plan is to release one new 5-minute episode every month.
A Jewish-Arab school, in an Arab town. At the Bridge Over the Wadi
elementary school, children from both the Jewish and Arab communities learn
together in Hebrew and Arabic. (From an
Indonesian website)
Teaching Arab children to love reading. Israel’s Education Ministry
has launched a national program to encourage pre-school children in Arab
communities to read. Maktabat al-Fanoos
(“Lantern Library”) will deliver 4 free books to over 45,000 children in 1,750
kindergartens to bring home and read with their families.
Syrians treated in
Israel:
Three wounded Syrians including a 14-year-old boy were taken to Israeli
hospitals for treatment last week. Poriya Medical Center in Tiberias, has now
treated 46 Syrians. Doctors at Rambam
hospital in Haifa removed part of the skull of a six-year-old Syrian boy who
arrived in a coma. He was injured in an explosion that killed his mother and
siblings. After six weeks he was
discharged to his grateful father.
Helping India clean polluted wetlands. A team of Israel scientists
arrived in Bhubaneswar, Hubaneswar, India, to test a pilot program to use
plants to remove pollutants from contaminated soil and water. The holistic wastewater management process
is called “phyto-remediation”. (See
Algemeiner article for more info on India)
Israel and Germany to give joint aid for
Africa.
Israel and Germany are launching a joint project for humanitarian relief
in developing countries, specifically in Africa. “The Africa initiative" will see Israel pledge 24 million
shekel ($6.8 million) toward humanitarian relief in developing countries from
2015-2020.
Peruvian President visits Israel. President Ollanta Humala of
Peru arrived in Israel for a three-day visit designed to increase economic and
security cooperation between the two countries. Humala was set to meet representatives of Israeli high-tech
firms, and receive an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University.
Greek food bank studies Israeli
charitable system.
Leket Israel, the National Food Bank, hosted the founders of Bouroume
(“We Can”), a virtual food bank in Athens for a two-day visit. The Greek charity saw Leket’s gleaning program
in which 50,000 volunteers pick, rescue and distribute fresh produce to the
needy.
Israel to run Human Rights Council
elections.
170 countries nominated Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor to run
the elections for the UN Human Rights Committee. “The central role Israel plays to advance human rights around the
world is the real answer to anyone calling for boycotts against Israel,” Prosor
said.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Green energy from overlooked sources. Israel’s Energy Industries
uses local natural resources to implement energy solutions for its
customers. Methane from organic waste
in Ghana; hot springs for greenhouses in Georgia; solar power for Israel’s Ben
Gurion University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
One of the most innovative companies in
the world.
Prestigious American magazine, Fast Company has ranked Israel’s
Water-Gen number 21 in its list of fifty Most Innovative Companies. Water-Gen
has developed a unique patented technology that produces drinking water out of
air, plus a mobile water purification solution.
Generating a third of
US’s solar power.
The 392-megawatt concentrating solar power (CSP) plant built by Israel’s
BrightSource Energy is now delivering renewable energy to the California grid. The five-square-mile Ivanpah Solar Energy
Generating System in the Mojave Desert is the largest plant of its kind in the
world.
Iron Beam is hot topic at Singapore
Airshow.
Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems publicized its new laser
missile shield at Asia's largest aerospace and defense exhibition. "It's exactly like what you see in Star
Wars. You see the lasers go up so quickly like a flash and the target is
finished." said Rafael’s Amit Zimmer.
Golden sands. Israel’s Environmental
Protection Minister Peretz has allocated NIS 2 million to keep Israel’s beaches
clean. In addition to allowing for
increased cleaning operations, the funds will serve to provide educational
activities in schools, public relations campaigns and enforcement.
Dolphins adopt Israeli Mediterranean
beach.
Marine biologists and researchers have announced that Achziv’s Northern
Israeli coastal beach is now an internationally recognized protected dolphin
habitat. The dolphins enjoy Achziv Beach because of its sea cliff, which offers
deep waters for the dolphins to feed in.
The ultimate in remote control. Watch how the gesture
technology from Israel’s Pointgrab allows you to run applications on the Lenovo
range of computers from up to 2 meters away, and in low lighting environments.
Israel’s active pen. Intel Corporation will
integrate the pen and mini-touch technology of Kfar Saba based N-trig into its
Educational Tablet, a touch-enabled device for use in the classroom.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel’s economy index is up again. Israel's Composite State of
the Economy Index for Jan 2014 increased by 0.3 percent. Exports of goods and services rose
significantly. The IMF also said that
Israel’s economic fundamentals remain strong, with solid GDP growth and low
unemployment and inflation.
Jordan is first
country to buy Israeli natural gas. Noble Energy has signed a 15-year agreement
in the Jordanian capital of Amman, to sell at least $500 million of gas from
the Tamar field to two Jordanian companies.
It is the first export deal for Israeli natural gas. A pipeline will go
through the Dead Sea to Jordan.
Connecting Canadians. (Thanks to Size Doesn’t
Matter) Toronto’s Porter Airlines and Israel’s EL AL have signed an
agreement. They will co-ordinate
operations at Newark International Airport in New Jersey to connect passengers
between Tel Aviv and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and other Canadian
destinations.
More passengers, more trains, better
reliability.
Israel Railways has reported a new record in the number of passengers.
Israeli trains carried 45 million passengers in 2013, 12% more than in
2012. The growth was due to the opening
of new lines plus more new double-decker carriages. Punctuality rose to 93.3% from 90% in 2012.
The largest Israeli buyout by an Asian
company.
Japanese Internet giant Rakuten has just bought Israeli-developed video
and voice communications app Viber for $900 million. Viber allows users to make free phone and video calls within its
network, and has over 200 million users all over the world.
An Israeli R&D center in Singapore. In a reversal of the normal
trend, Israel Aerospace Industries and the Singapore government today unveiled
the company's Cyber Early Warning R&D Center in Singapore. The center will employ mainly Singaporeans,
but is modeled on IAI's cyber-accessibility center in Israel.
How isolated is Israel? Good economic summary by
Yoram Ettinger.
Israel is a manufacturer of innovation. (Thanks to algemeiner) Ten
of Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett’s former colleagues at Cyota have
built companies of their own. One,
Michal Tzur, co-founded open source video platform Kaltura, which has just
raised an additional $47 million of capital.
Google buys advanced Israeli security. IT giant Google has
acquired the staff and intellectual property of Israeli start-up
SlickLogin. The Israeli company is
developing applications using ultrasound and smartphones, to allow users more
easily to login securely. SlickLogin’s
founders served in the IDF elite cyber security unit.
The invisible keyboard
for both blind and sighted. Israel’s Inpris is using crowdsourcing to
raise the finance to launch two versions of its invisible keyboard: the UpSense
Super Keyboard for single-handed gesture typing, and the UpSense Super Braille
Keyboard for a blind person to type with two hands.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
New Israeli national heritage stamps. (Thanks to Jacob
Richman) The latest beautiful Israeli
postage stamps feature the City of David, Atlid detention camp, Independence
hall, Acre, craters, ancient synagogues and more.
Explore Israel. (Thanks to Uri) Try out
this exciting interactive video tour of the Jewish State.
A British-Israeli musical miracle. 8-year-old Alma Deutscher
plays beautifully piano, violin, improvises, composed an opera and discusses
her music in Hebrew and English. I
couldn’t resist watching all 28 minutes.
Deep Purple rocks Tel Aviv. British band Deep Purple
performs at Tel Aviv’s Nokia Arena on Feb 22 and 23. Deep Purple are considered, along with Led Zeppelin and Black
Sabbath, to be the top hard rock and heavy metal bands in Britain in the early
1970′s and is ranked by Planet Rock as the fifth most influential band
ever. The group will also appear on
the Israeli TV drama series “Atlantica”, about a struggling Jerusalem Rock
band.
Israel's first Chief Rabbi inspires
today's musicians.
Israel has just held its second annual benefit concert for Beit HaRav
Kook, in honor of Israel's first Chief Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook.
Israeli wins BAFTA
award.
Israel’s Niv Adiri won a British Academy of Film and Television award
for his work in the team responsible for the groundbreaking sound work on the
blockbuster “Gravity.” The team has
also been nominated for an Oscar.
Israel to host World basketball
tournament.
Israel will host the FIBA 3-on-3 under-18 World Championship basketball
tournament in 2015. The Basketball
Association of Israel (IBBA) is one of the most active national federations in
the development of 3-on-3 basketball.
THE JEWISH STATE
Arab, Muslim and pro-Israeli. Algerian born Abdel Bioud
contrasts democratic Israel with Arab dictatoriships. Abdel is the Vice President of communications for McGill Students
for Israel.
Easing immigration for French Jews. Israel’s minister of
immigration absorption was in Paris and promised to “erase all bureaucratic
hurdles” for new immigrants. Sofa
Landver plans to submit her ideas at a future Israel cabinet meeting. 3,301 French Jews immigrated to Israel in
2013 - the largest figure out of France since 2000.
The oldest Jew in the world. Rabbi Zechariah Barashi,
114, made Aliya from Kurdistan, Iraq in 1936.
His great great grandchildren are currently serving in the Israel
Defense Forces. He has written four
books on the Torah and mysticism. He
says, “I have had the fortune of living in Jerusalem for 75 years. I’m in
heaven.”
Israelis top the love tweets. Israelis expressed their
love on Twitter more than any other country in the world in 2013, according to
the social media site. More than 481
million Tweets said “I love you” in 116 languages in 2013, with Israel ranking
number one.
Ancient Judean village
revealed.
The remnants of a 2300-year-old rural village have been excavated on the
outskirts of Jerusalem. It was
discovered in June, when work began on building a pipeline to deliver natural
gas from the coast. The Israel Antiquities Authority has been excavating the
Second Temple era site ever since.
140216
In the 16th Feb 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Israel’s new desalination facility can
produce 624,000 cubic meters of water per day.
·
An Israeli company has re-invented the
wheel.
·
An Israeli student won gold at the
Global Young Scientists Summit in Singapore.
·
A joint-Israeli owned company is the
first foreign firm to go public in China.
·
An Israeli soccer player has scored
what is being called the “goal of the year”.
·
15,000 French Jews celebrated “Israel
Today and Tomorrow” in Paris.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
It’s white (not gray) matter that
counts.
(Thanks to Hazel) Israel’s
BioImage is using diffusion MRI to analyze the brain’s white fatty tissue,
called myelin. It explains why some
people excel at math, others have better memories and others can “think outside
of the box”. It could even prevent deterioration
due to aging.
Israeli device cures acid reflux. Israel’s Medigus is
launching its flexible endoscope for the treatment of acid reflux. The simple outpatient procedure can benefit
over 16 million people with acid reflux who do not respond to medication.
Prizes for two biotech breakthroughs. Professor Yair Reisner of
the Weizmann Institute won a Rappaport prize for his leukemia treatment using
stem cells from incompatible donors.
Dr. Yaakov Nahmias of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University won his award for
the grapefruit molecule naringenin that can block viruses.
For that perfect smile. (Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.org) Reuters video of
the orthodontic system developed by Israeli Aerodentis that I featured in Dec
last year. Aerodentis straightens the
teeth through gentle pulsating force, through a plate worn only at night.
IDF and USAF medics sign agreement. (Thanks to Herb) The IDF
Medical Corps and the American Air Force Medical Department signed a
cooperation agreement to share and develop techniques and technologies that
will save lives on the battlefield and during humanitarian rescue missions.
Israeli technology for Australian
diabetics.
Israel’s LabStyle Innovations is distributing its Dario™ blood
glucose-monitoring device in Australia via uHealth Australia. Dario™ is
designed to make life simpler for the 1.2 million Australians officially
diagnosed with diabetes.
Janglo saves a life. Thanks to an urgent request
on Israel’s favorite group information board, a kidney donor was found for a
desperately ill mother of five in Ashdod.
Doctors at Israel’s Beilinson Medical Center performed the transplant in
January.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Preparing ex-IDF personnel for
employment.
The Knesset (Israel’s parliament) unanimously passed a law to use a
higher-education fund to prepare discharged soldiers for the Israeli market,
focusing on engineering, science and technology.
No politics – just humanitarianism. At an Israeli hospital near
the Golan Heights, a 9-year-old Syrian boy who lost his legs is among those
getting the medical care they need. He
has been here for a month, ever since a Syrian government warplane dropped a
bomb that killed two of his cousins and blew apart his lower limbs.
Israeli wins global
young scientist gold medal. Hebrew University of Jerusalem doctoral
student Yossi Kabessa won the Singapore Challenge gold medallion and $100,000
at the Global Young Scientists Summit in Singapore. He designed a system to
detect dangerous materials in large water supply systems.
Helping Jamaica’s economic recovery. (Thanks to Size Doesn’t Matter) The Israeli Government and private
companies are supporting Jamaica’s efforts to turn the island into a global
logistics hub. The new venture will be
a massive boost for enterprises that wish to invest in, or grow their existing
operations in Jamaica.
Israel joins UN human rights group. Israel took up its new
position in the Western States UN human rights sub-group that includes the USA,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Its first role is to help the world to address social, humanitarian
affairs and human rights issues that affect people all over the world.
Israel links to UN Pacific Alliance. Israel was awarded observer
status to the United Nation’s Pacific Alliance group. As an observer state, Israel will be invited to take part in the
staff work of the Pacific alliance and attend its conferences, which will
facilitate the advancement of cooperation with its member states.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Sorek goes live. As Israel prays for the end
of its current drought, the new Sorek large-scale desalination plant has
completed testing and is now fully operational. Its reverse osmosis membranes can produce 624,000 cubic meters of
water a day - two-thirds of the combined output of the existing Ashkelon and
Hadera facilities.
Israel is creating a water surplus using
desalination.
The above, plus this article explains why, despite current drought
conditions throughout the Middle East, Israel is currently supplying ample
water to all of its citizens – and (in future) possibly most of its immediate
neighbors.
An end to all computer viruses? Israeli startup Cyactive
says it not only stops computer viruses already “in the wild” from causing
damage, but also can beat most of them even before they are invented. Cyactive detects the core of any virus,
because 98% of the code inside a new virus is copied from existing viruses.
Find your ring size. How do you order a ring for
someone when you don’t know his or her ring size? The handy Israeli app Findmyringsize will tell you. Take an existing ring and hold it over the
images on your smartphone or re-sized computer screen. Simple to use and you could make someone
very happy.
What makes Israel a Start-up Nation? (Thanks to BBCWatch) There was rare praise from the BBC, when its
technology correspondent paid a visit to Israel. The report includes filmed
items shown on BBC TV news.
See the desert bloom. At the Vidor Family
Visitors’ Center in Israel’s Arava, visitors receive an interactive learning experience
about desertification, flora and fauna, and the development of communities and
agriculture in the region. The Arava was originally a desert but is now the
jewel in the crown of Israeli agriculture.
It’s bigger on the inside. Raanan Stern has turned
space management into an art form with this tiny artist studio in the heart of
Tel Aviv. The modular design allows the artist to shift furniture around, open
drawers or even remove them, depending on the activity. A folding bed is built into the back of the
study door.
Israeli start-up
reinvents the wheel. A comfortable ride is guaranteed, now that Tel Aviv’s SoftWheel
has put “selective suspension” inside the wheel. When a wheelchair, bicycle or aircraft encounters an obstacle, he
wheel’s hub extends or shrinks symmetrically as needed, dramatically reducing
the shock transmitted.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Foreign investors flock to Israel. Overseas investment in the
Israeli Stock Exchange tripled in 2013 from $410 million in 2012 to $1.5
billion. Bio-techs, banks and
communications companies were the most popular.
Israelis to provide Arabic web content. The UK-Israel Tech Hub has
organized the Go Global Program for Digital Arabic Content Entrepreneurs. The
Hub hopes to spark business ties between the Israeli companies and firms that
can bring that technology to the Arabic-speaking world.
Recovering 27% of abandoned purchases. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) When
an on-line customer abandoned his / her shopping cart in the past, that
business was lost. Now, Jerusalem-based
Abandonaid recovers 27% of abandoned business by persuading the customer to
re-communicate. For almost every
language and currency.
What is Israel worth to the EU? Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar presented a report
on January 30 arguing that Israel is strategically vital for a secure,
prosperous and influential Europe. Key
areas include intelligence on terrorism threats, natural gas and 11% of
European Research Council projects.
Close-knit security. Israeli-founded
cyber-security company Imperva has bought two Israeli security start-ups
Incapsula and Skyfence. Imperva aims to
sell firewall services to customers running apps over the cloud.
The first foreign
company to list in China. Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP), a portfolio company of
Israel's Infinity group, became the first foreign co-founded company to go
public in China when it debuted on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Jan tourism at new record level. Tourist entries (those who
stay more than one night) into Israel were up 19 percent to 200,000 in January
as compared with a year earlier, breaking a new record.
El Al goes UP in the world. The first “Up” flight has
officially landed in Israel. “Up” is El Al airline’s new aviation brand
offering low fare flights to destinations including Berlin, Budapest, Kiev,
Prague and Larnaca.
Two top hotels. Two Israeli hotels have
made it into Travel + Leisure magazine's 2014 It List, which introduces the 70
most promising new hotels in the world: The Ritz-Carlton in Herzliya and Alma
Hotel & Lounge in Tel Aviv.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
So French So Tasty. Nineteen celebrated French
chefs have arrived in Israel to launch the second annual “So French So Tasty
week”. The chefs will cook in the kitchens of Israel's most popular
restaurants. In addition, the chefs
will hold cooking workshops for the public, cooking competitions, and winery
tours.
Pete Doherty comes to Israel. Pete Doherty, controversial
British icon of the 2000s, will perform at Tel Aviv's Barby Club on April
30. Doherty, the founder, lead singer
and chief writer of the Libertines and Babyshambles bands, will perform songs
from his solo career alongside hits of his different bands.
The Israeli academy of Irish dance. Yair Werdyger describes how
he founded Irish Dance – Israel in 2002, after completing his Israeli army
service. The academy now has 250 students.
Sunshine across Israel. Rap artist Matisyahu’s
latest video “Sunshine” has gone viral.
What a goal! The sports world is heralding
the incredible goal that Israeli soccer player Barak Yitzhaki scored for
Maccabi Tel Aviv against Maccabi Haifa recently. He performed the famous bicycle kick to perfection.
Follow the Winter Olympics with Israeli
app. The UK
Telegraph's top five apps for following the 2014 Sochi Winter Games includes
the Israeli app One Hour Translation.
Tweet @OHT with an image or phrase to be translated and the company will
reply instantly with a translation from a professional translator.
THE JEWISH STATE
France celebrates the
Jewish State. Around 15,000 people attended “Israel Today and Tomorrow” at the
Brongniart Palace in Paris. The event
featured exhibitions on Zionism, agriculture, high tech, culture, art,
medicine, natural resources, tourism, history and a concert by Israeli singer
David Broza.
Cheaper to be healthier in Israel. A study carried out by the
Israeli Ministry of Agriculture found that the cost of fruits and vegetables in
Israel are lower - sometimes significantly lower - compared to prices of fruits
and vegetables in the United States and Western European countries including
France, Germany and Britain.
Twin Twins. Two different women named Hannah Cohen both
gave birth to twins in the same hospital on the same day at Mayanei Hayeshua
Medical Center in Bnei Brak. The maternity ward staff admitted the two
expectant mothers to different floors of the hospital in order to avoid mixing
up the babies. In the end, they didn’t really need to go to all that
trouble. One mother gave birth to two
boys and the other to two girls.
New Israeli museum to honor Jewish WW2
soldiers.
Israel is establishing a museum within the Armored Corps Memorial at
Latrun to honor the memories of all Jewish soldiers who fought and died in the
Second World War.
Israeli program leads to romance. Jews don’t need Valentines
Day to bring them together. The Jewish
State has a far stronger influence.
These couples met on programs with Alexander Muss High School in Israel.
140209
In the 9th Feb 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli HIV research has led to a
breakthrough in treatments for autoimmune diseases.
·
Israel is helping the Philippines
rebuild its agriculture after Typhoon Haiyan.
·
An Israeli app uses local information
from fellow farmers to help them manage their crops.
·
2013 was a record year for
international tourists to Israel.
·
An Israeli kibbutz firm has won the
contract to fit water filters into new US Navy ships.
·
An Israeli movie was a winner at the
International Sundance film festival.
·
Two religious students amazed Israeli
doctors by reviving a terminally ill patient.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Killer HIV virus can
save lives.
Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have identified how the HIV
virus suppresses the T-cell immune response.
It has helped them develop a peptide (small protein) that reduces the
severity of Multiple Sclerosis - a disease characterized by an undesirable
autoimmune T-cell response.
Transplants for 4 children on 1st Jan. While most of the world was
bringing in the civil New Year, doctors at Schneider Children’s Medical Center
were giving new life to 4 children.
10-year-old Miran received a new heart and lungs; a four-year-old was
given a new liver and two girls (5 and 11) received a kidney each.
Why cancer resists treatment. Researchers at Tel Aviv’s
Sourasky Medical Center have discovered why most patients with estrogen
receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer, who initially respond to endocrine
treatments like tamoxifen, will eventually develop resistance to them. The finding can help develop new treatments.
How ultrasound affects brain cells. Scientists at Israel’s
Technion Institute have used ultrasound to generate electric charges in the
cell membranes of the brain and stimulate nerve activity. It has tremendous potential, from treatments
for epilepsy, to giving sight to the blind.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Arab, female and an IDF commander. Mona Lisa Abdo is Arab,
Christian, Israeli and a brave defender of all citizens of the Jewish State.
She wasn’t required to enlist in the Israeli Defense Forces, but her
determination to protect Israel motivated her to volunteer. She has just completed 3 years service.
Co-existence through football. Jewish and Arab children in
Israel will come together for a new initiative supported by the British
Embassy. It will provide year-round
football-based activities for Jewish and Arab children aged 10-12. More than 180 children participated in the
launch tournament.
Syria’s Israeli guardian angel. Please read this latest
article about Anat (not her real name) and il4syrians.org – the Israeli
organization providing relief to thousands of Syrian refugees. The 200 volunteers include former Israeli
commandos, doctors, social workers, nurses, and Arabic-speaking trauma
specialists.
New Eilat ocean studies center. Israel’s Ben Gurion
University and Canada’s Dalhousie University are to jointly build an
Internationally recognized Ocean studies center in Eilat. The center will focus on marine biology,
oceanography, under sea geology, endangered species, marine security and marine
management.
Agro-tech help for
Philippines.
Staff from Israel’s Tahal Group arrived in Davao del Sur, Philippines to
identify areas of the province that need technology assistance. Agricultural
developers from Tahal’s Larisa Shlafer Water Treatment subsidiary met organic
farmers and checked over the hydroelectric power plant.
Back to Africa. Building business
relationships with Africa is a win-win, both for Israeli start-ups and for the
Africans who will benefit from technology. The Pears Challenge encourages
Israeli start-ups to connect with the needs of Africans, developing solutions
in agriculture, health, water, ICT, education, and renewable energy.
Israeli education system goes global. 70 schools in the US, plus
others in Australia, Austria, India, Poland and Singapore are now using the
Israel-developed CIJE Excellence 2000 program. Mind-bending math problems and
international competitions, puzzles and challenges build a school-wide culture
of excellence.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Innovation Israel. Hope you “like” this great
facebook site. Innovation Israel is the largest startup community in Israel
with over 5,000 entrepreneurs, developers and investors. (See the Israeli bike path lit by solar
studs.)
50% more usage. The power-extending
products from Israel’s Lucidlogix Solutions can now extend battery life of
smartphones and tablets by 50 percent.
GameXtend, WebXtend and NavXtend are targeted at Android device
manufacturers who want to reduce the power drain from high-performance hardware
and software.
Building India’s National R&D Solar
Center.
Israel’s Ener-t beat out billion-dollar companies to win the contract
for the National Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Center in Rajasthan,
India. Ener-t uses ultra efficient next
generation CSP Parabolic Trough technology and is already building a 50 MW
power plant in Rajasthan.
The “Waze” of
agriculture.
(Thanks to Israel21c) Israel’s ScanTask has developed AgriTask, to help
farmers make decisions on planting, harvesting and the use of pesticides. Its algorithms utilize weather reports, GIS
data, information about agriculture from local governments and crowdsourcing
data from individual farms.
Tel Aviv incubator develops Google Glass
apps.
Israeli lawyer Alexandra Gambrian is running a hi-tech incubator in Tel
Aviv for eight developers, building applications that use Google Glass.
Google’s new glasses are in trial mode and include a small screen, speaker and
touch surface for an enhanced user experience.
Dialysis for Cities. (Thanks to Israel21c) At
Tel Aviv’s recent WATEC water technology conference, the JNF showcased its
expertise and exportable knowledge in water for countries experiencing similar
conditions as Israel. Rain flows, water
stress, and how to make non-arable land better suited for agriculture. http://israel21c.org/environment/planting-water-in-israel/
Seven startups in 3 days. 35 students from 15
different faculties participated in a 3-day workshop at Israel’s Technion to
generate an innovative business start-up.
Seven new start-ups were developed, of which two advanced to compete in
Israel’s Biztec Entrepreneurship Challenge competition.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israeli tourism growth
– the bright spot in the region. Israel attracted
an all-time record of nearly 3.6 million international visitors in 2013, up 2%
from 2012. Tourism in the rest of the
East Mediterranean was gloomier. Rarely
publicized cooperation between Israeli and PA tourism officials facilitated
easy access to Christian sites.
Mediterranean tourism fair to bring
thousands to Israel. The 2014 International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) will
feature "exhibitors representing just about every aspect of Israel’s
tourism market.
Israel’s currency reserves at another
all-time record.
The value of the Bank of Israel’s deposits of foreign currency rose in
January by $1.4 billion to a new record $83.1 billion.
What is China doing in Israel? This brief summary shows
how the Chinese discovered the start- up nation Israel and started to invest
billions of dollars in Israeli technology.
From agro-tech, medical, chemicals, tourism, solar energy and education
to the massive project to turn Eilat into an alternative to the Suez Canal.
Israel’s top exporter of the year. In a ceremony in Tel Aviv
Israel’s Economics Minister Naftali Bennett presented Ormat Technologies with
Israel’s award for top exporter for 2013.
Ormat’s environmental-friendly Energy Converter power generation unit
converts geothermal heat into electricity.
Israel: The Innovative Nation. Israel will become an
enhanced innovation nation with the establishment of a national cyber-park in
Beer Sheva, in the Negev, that will be called Cyber Spark. The new initiative brings together
multinational companies, investors, start-up companies, academic research, and
even a high school.
US Navy ships to have
Israeli water filters. (Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.org
The US Navy will buy $2 million of water filters from Israel’s Amiad. The filters will be installed in all new
ships built at the Navy’s Virginia shipyards including the massive new USS John
F Kennedy aircraft carrier currently being assembled.
ClickSoftware gets you back in business. Israel’s ClickSoftware
gives companies the ability to schedule employees to handle crises as well as
normal activities. It is winning contracts
for dealing with storms and “unscheduled” emergencies, like major fires,
earthquakes, gas leaks, forest fires, and burst water mains.
Your start-up MBA. The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem, Bar Ilan University and Israel’s Technion Institute have joined the
Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in offering budding English-speaking
entrepreneurs the opportunity to acquire their MBA skills in the Start-up
Nation.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Da Vinci is alive in Tel Aviv. Leonardo Da Vinci's genius
comes to life throughout February with “Da Vinci – Alive” - a multi-sensory
traveling exhibition at Maxidome, Exhibition Grounds, Tel Aviv. Visitors will get a unique hands-on
understanding of the scientific principles behind Leonardo's incredible works.
Shalom, Mirembe! (Thanks to 12 Tribe Films) The Abayudaya Jewish Community of Uganda
and Israeli artist Irene Orleansky partnered to create "Shalom,
Mirembe!" as part of a music collection from Israelites and Jews of Africa
and Asia.
Israeli film wins
Sundance film award. Tel Aviv University student Yuval Hameiri won the Short Film Jury
Award: Non-Fiction category at the Sundance Film Festival, one of the world’s
largest cinematic competitions for independent filmmakers. "I Think This
Is the Closest To How the Footage Looked," beat 8,161 entries.
“Friends” star in adaptation of Israeli
sitcom.
(Thanks to Israel21c) David Schwimmer is set to take the lead role in
the new ABC comedy, “Irreversible”. The series is based on Bilti Hafich - an Israeli
show about how life changes when a baby joins the lives of an eccentric and
self-centered couple.
Israeli missile tracking technology
gives NBA statistics. (Thanks to Nevet - www.BroaderView.org
) The US National Basketball Association uses the SportVU system to track every
dribble, pass, and off-ball movement 72,000 times a contest. Israeli scientist Miky Tamir, whose
background is in missile tracking and advanced optical recognition, created
SportVU in 2005. He sold the system to
Stats in 2008.
THE JEWISH STATE
More
help from our friends. The
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), a Christian Zionist
organization based in Jerusalem, has sponsored the immigration of another wave
of members of India’s Bnei Menashe “lost tribe” to Israel, reuniting them with
their families and ancestral homeland.
Preserving our history from earthquakes. Israeli officials are to
install seismic monitoring systems to help protect the Jewish State’s most
important ancient treasures from earthquakes.
Previously, the focus has been to retrofit existing schools, hospitals
and apartment buildings, but now key historical sites are to be surveyed.
Returning home to Jerusalem. A new 7 min documentary
featuring Jewish families who lived in Jerusalem’s Old City for generations,
but were evicted by the Arab Legion in 1948 after the State of Israel was
declared. They returned home 19 years later in 1967 after Israeli forces
liberated the Old City during the Six Day War.
“Allah gave the land of Israel to the
Jews.”
Jordanian Muslim scholar Sheikh Ahmad Adwan said on his Facebook page
that Allah has assigned the Holy Land to the Children of Israel until the Day
of Judgment (Koran, Sura 5 – “The Sura of the Table”, Verse 21), and “We made
the Children of Israel the inheritors (of the land)” (Koran, Sura 26 – “The
Sura of the Poets”, Verse 59). His
comments were published in the Arab media.
12 survivors celebrate coming of age. Twelve Holocaust survivors,
five men and seven women, celebrated a joint bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah
ceremony in Haifa, which they were unable to mark during their youth. “At the age of 13 I was in Auschwitz,"
one of them said. "There wasn't really anyone to talk to about
celebrations."
Shabbat songs revive
“no-hope” patient.
On Shabbat morning, two religious students visited Netanya’s Laniado
Hospital to distribute sweets and wish everyone a “speedy recovery.” They sang to a dying 60-year-old woman and
by Monday she had revived, amazing the medical staff. “Thanks to them I am
alive,” she said.
140202
In the 2nd Feb 2014 edition
of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli scientists have patented the
low-level laser treatment of heart aneurysms.
·
A young Syrian Muslim Kurdish refugee
in Iraq is rushed to Israel for heart treatment.
·
Russian transportation officers will
receive Israeli counter-terrorism training.
·
An Israeli company launches the
world’s first 3D color printer.
·
Israel is saving the Internet from
security attacks.
·
Israeli pilots break world record for
the lowest formation flight.
·
Half of Israel’s parliament visited
Auschwitz on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Laser heals heart
aneurysms.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is the 13th biggest killer in the West,
with over 200,000 new cases diagnosed in the US each year. Drs. Gertz and Gavish of the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem have discovered that low-level laser (LLL) reduces AAA
inflammation and promotes wound healing.
Breakthrough in research for Gaucher’s
disease.
Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have found a pathway to a
possible cure for the two currently untreatable forms of Gaucher’s
disease. The removal of protein RIP3
can extend the life of sufferers.
Reducing diabetics’ risk of Alzheimer’s
and dementia.
High blood sugar levels in diabetics produce more enzymes called MAPK
kinases, leading to early brain cell death.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have developed a peptide
TXM-CB3 that in laboratory tests prevents the MAPK kinases from activating.
The study of Optogenetics. Weizmann scientist Dr Ofer
Yizhar explains optogenetics – a neuroscience that examines light-specific
activation or suppression of neurons in the brain. It could help us understand memory problems, schizophrenia and
autism.
Success in oral insulin study. Israeli bio-tech Oramed has
announced that its Phase 2a clinical trial for its
ORMD-0801 oral insulin capsule for the
treatment of type 2 diabetes met all primary and secondary endpoints. The Phase 2b study will be carried out later
this year, and Oramed plans a Phase 2a study for Type 1 diabetes.
MS patients need fewer injections. The US FDA has approved the
40-ml dose of Multiple Sclerosis medication Copaxone from Israel’s Teva. The new higher dosage allows MS patients to
reduce the number of injections from a daily frequency to just three times a
week.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
More women on Israeli judicial panel. To ensure more gender
equality in the Israeli justice system, a new law has been passed that requires
4 out of 9 judicial appointments committee members must be women. The new law was passed unanimously in the
Knesset (Israel’s parliament).
No water and no electricity – huh? The good news for Ahmed
Tibi (an Arab member of Israel’s parliament) is that his Bedouin colleague
definitely has got water and electricity in his village. Please see this video.
SodaStream Arab workers – “don’t boycott
us”.
Palestinian Arab workers at Israel’s SodaStream factory in Judea say
they would be the losers of a successful consumer boycott of the fizzy-drink
maker. They back actress Scarlett
Johansson’s endorsement of the company.
Israel is her only
hope. A
Muslim Kurdish child with a hole in the heart flees a war between the Syrian
Alawite regime and Sunni jihadist groups.
The Christian organization Shevet Achim brings her from the autonomous
Kurdish region of Iran-dominated Iraq to Israeli doctors at Wolfson hospital in
Holon, Israel.
The IDF field hospital that saves Syrian
lives. Here
is an inside look at the field hospital set-up last year by the Israel Defense
Forces, to treat wounded Syrian civilians near Israel’s northern border. IDF
soldiers have continued to apply a core Jewish value: “Whoever saves one life,
saves the entire world.”
2,600 years of friendship. Georgia’s Prime Minister,
Irakli Garibashvili, visited Israel to increase economic cooperation between
the two countries. He said “the bond
between the Georgian and Jewish people goes back 2,600 years, when the Jewish
people first came to Georgia after the destruction of the First Temple.”
Koreans learn from Start-up Nation. 15 young Korean
entrepreneurs plus diplomats met with Israeli students, hi-tech and start-up
veterans at the Korea-Israel Entrepreneurship Forum (KIEF) at Tel Aviv
University. The KIEF program builds economic partnerships and business ties
between the two countries.
Israel trains Russians
in counter-terrorism. (Thanks to Hazel) Officers from Russia’s transportation security
department will travel to Israel for training in transport hub security. Islamist militant groups have frequently
attacked officials, police and civilians by in and around Russia’s North
Caucasus regions.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Growing vegetables in extreme cold. Israel’s Energy Industry
Ltd. has developed a system that injects hot water into fine tubes to
distribute heat over wide surfaces for large greenhouses. It has been sold to the government of
Georgia where temperatures drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
Take the pressure off your water pipes. (Thanks to Israel21c)
Israel’s LeaksStop has developed a unit that reduces water pressure when your
taps (faucets) are not in use. No more
post-holiday floods or high water bills due to leaky pipes. It sends you an SMS message if anything is
wrong.
Israel to launch civilian satellite. (Thanks to Herb) Israel will
launch its first purely civilian satellite into orbit from French Guiana in Dec
2015. The Venus Vegetation and Environment Monitoring New Microsatellite
program was the joint project of the Israel Space Agency and French CNES space
agency. Israel Aerospace Industries is
building the hull of the satellite and Israel’s Elbit is building the camera.
World’s first 3D color
printer.
US-Israeli Stratasys Inc has launched the world's first 3D color printer
- the Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer. The company calls the
product "a game-changer for product design, engineering and manufacturing
processes."
Jerusalem’s water is the best. Thanks to Israeli
clean-tech Hagihon, Jerusalem’s Water and Wastewater Utility was one of the top
5 cities cited in the recent EU report “EIP Water, City Blueprints of 25 Cities
and Regions, Interim Report.” Jerusalem
top-scored in planning, drinking water quality, and water efficiency.
A robotic revolution. This 17-minute video of
Israel’s IDC Professor Guy Hoffman had over 1.2 million views in four
days. YouTube ranked the lecture “The
Interaction between Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Art” as one of the
three most viewed videos in the world.
Nano batteries for the car of the
future.
Professor Doron Aurbach of Bar Ilan University’s Nano Cleantech Center
is leading the development of lighter, longer-lasting batteries. With partners GM, BASF and local Israeli
tech firms, they are using lightweight nano-materials and replacing lithium
with cheaper magnesium.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel is leading
West’s cyber-security fight. The PM then spoke at
Israel’s first-ever cyber-technology show, Cybertech 2014. “Hackers are killing the Internet, and
Israel is one of the few players that can save it” he said. Bloomberg has also picked up on this fact,
noting that Israel now has over 200 computer security companies.
Lockheed Martin and EMC to set-up cyber
center. Two
US giants, Lockheed Martin and EMC are teaming up to establish a joint cyber
security center, employing local workers in Beersheva. It is Lockheed Martin’s
first Israeli venture and supports its tender to build the IDF campus in the
Negev. EMC also has a center in Herzliya.
IBM also to set-up cyber center. IBM Corporation is to
invest several million dollars establishing a cyber center of excellence in
Beersheva, in collaboration with Ben Gurion University.
India and Israel set-up fund for joint
ventures.
India and Israel have agreed to set up a $40 million fund to support
joint technological ventures for consolidating and strengthening economic
ties. Both countries will contribute
$20 million each to the fund over a period of five years.
“A great way to show off your fantastic country.” (Thanks to 12 Tribe films)
Back in November I reported about the Israeli competition that brought young
heads of start-ups in 12 European, Asian and South American countries to
Israel. Here is what they thought of
the Start-up Nation.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israel’s Space Week. A cosmic exhibition has
brought stunning space photography to the Israeli public. Tel Aviv port is exhibiting photographs
taken by an astronaut, the general public and students from Israel’s Bezalel
Academy of Art. It is also
commemorating the 11th anniversary of the death of Israeli astronaut
Ilan Ramon.
Israeli’s song is a hit – in Yemen. Zion Golan's song
"Sana’a al-Yemen" is frequently heard blaring from stereos and
minibus speakers in Sana’a - the capital city of Yemen. Maybe one day the Arab country will allow
the Israeli with Yemenite roots to visit the country!
SodaStream’s uncensored advert. The Super Bowl organizers banned
Scarlett Johansson’s original advert for Israel’s SodaStream as it mentioned
two competitor drinks manufacturers.
But you can watch it here.
Five go to Sochi. Israel is sending five
athletes to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Best prospects are Vladislav Bykanov in the short-track speed
skating and Alexei Bychenko, in the men’s figure skating.
How low can you get? 12 Israeli pilots flying
six aircraft 422 meters below sea level have set a new Guinness World Record
for a low formation flight. The record
setting flight is unlikely ever to be broken, due to the unusually difficult
conditions that go along with flying at low altitudes over the Dead Sea.
THE JEWISH STATE
“The 10th most powerful country in the
world”
(Thanks to Uri) I was initially concerned, but India’s National Power
Index (NPI) 2012 states “Though a small nation in terms of area and population,
Israel ranks highly on technological and scientific progress” “… also ranks a
high fifteen on the UN Development index, reflecting the high quality of life
this small but prosperous state has been able to provide to its people.”
“No greater ally on Earth than Israel”. Newly elected New York City
Mayor Bill de Blasio made his first official comments on the Jewish state since
taking the helm. “Part of my job
description is to be a defender of Israel” he said, “There’s no greater ally on
Earth, and that’s something we should say proudly.” Texas Congressman Steve Stockman made a similar statement on his
return from visiting Egypt, Israel and Russia.
Torah scroll dedicated at Iron Dome
base. The
International Young Israel Movement (IYIM) has dedicated a Torah scroll to the
IDF's Iron Dome unit recently deployed in Haifa. IYIM’s project repairs scrolls that have fallen into disrepair.
It has presented over 200 Torah scrolls to IDF bases and units in the last 18
years.
Half of the Knesset
visits Auschwitz.
58 of the 120 members of Israel’s Parliament marked International
Holocaust Remembrance Day at Auschwitz for the 69th anniversary of the camp’s
liberation. They marched to the
Birkenau death complex in formation, flanked by the Knesset guard and flying
Israeli flags. Amid the snow-filled crematoria, they stopped to sing the
Israeli national anthem before breaking into groups to pray or reflect.
140126
In the 26th Jan 2014 edition
of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
A new Israeli vaccine protects against
all known pandemic flu strains.
·
The humanity of Israel’s army was
praised on an Al Jazeera TV program.
·
Israel signed a security agreement with
the Islamic state of Kazakhstan.
·
Israel is unveiling a laser beam
system to defend against short-range rockets.
·
German giant Software AG publicizes
its Israeli R&D center.
·
Israel gave X-Factor winner Filipino
Rose Fostanes a permit to become a professional singer.
·
Visiting Canadian Premier Stephen
Harper gave his unconditional support to the Jewish State.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Tests success for
Israeli universal flu vaccine. Israeli biotech BiondVax announced that
tests prove its universal flu vaccine matches all six pandemic strains in the
world today. They include bird flu
strains H5N1 and H7N9, which have spread to humans and killed hundreds of
people.
392 people saved by organ donors in
2013. Last
year 90,000 Israelis signed new ADI donor cards, bringing the total of
registered holders to 787,087. 109 of those who received organs were advanced
in the queue because they carried the card.
In addition, 769 people received cornea transplants giving them the gift
of sight.
Genes that cause aging. Researchers at Tel Aviv
University have developed a computer algorithm that identifies genes involved
in the aging process. The findings
could lead to the development of medication that transforms cells from a
diseased state into a healthy one.
What causes Schizophrenia? Scientists at Tel Aviv and
Ben Gurion Universities have found that an important cell-maintenance process
called “autophagy” is reduced in the brains of schizophrenic patients due to
low levels of the protein beclin 1.
Medication to boost beclin 1 levels could offer a new way to treat schizophrenia.
Israeli stem cells treat muscle injury. Israel’s Pluristem
announced that patients treated with PLX-PAD stem cells had a greater improved
change of maximal voluntary muscle contraction force than the placebo group.
The Phase I/II clinical trial shows that PLX cells can help repair orthopedic
injuries including muscles and tendons.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Take the “Israel-Apartheid” test. Use Seth Segal’s academic
tool to examine the intellectual integrity of the apartheid allegation.
Wounded Syrians treated in Israel. A Syrian couple, from the
embattled town of Daraa, arrived at Poriya Hospital in Tiberias with gunshot
wounds in their legs. Two months ago,
their two-week-old daughter died tragically because Syrian troops wouldn’t
allow them to cross a checkpoint. Days
later, at the same hospital, surgeons had to amputate the leg of a 19-year-old
Syrian who had already lost his other leg in the civil war.
Al-Jazeera praises
IDF. In a
debate on the Al-Jazeera’s Arabic service, the presenter and a guest question
an Assad supporter as to why the Syrian army, Hezbollah and other Islamic
military groups cannot be more humane like the Israeli and French armies. Please inform the UK’s Guardian, Independent
and the BBC.
Nairobi poor to get on-line. The makers of the $7
Israeli-developed Keepod “thumb drive” have launched the first project in their
program to “enable" some of the world’s 5 billion people who don’t have
access to a computer. Via
Crowdsourcing, you can help give 1500 of Nairobi’s slum dwellers a new chance
in life.
Welcoming Canada’s PM. Canadian Premier Stephen
Harper has arrived in Israel. Though Canada has always been a friend of Israel,
under Harper’s rule there has been a significant strengthening in support for
the Jewish state which some have called the most dramatic shift in the history
of postwar Canadian foreign policy.
Africa hopes Israel makes malaria
breakthrough. (Thanks to Nevet - www.BroaderView.org) There is much interest in the research being
conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem into solutions to the malaria
parasite. The deadly disease is
responsible for more than one million deaths each year.
Israel signs security
accord with Kazakhstan. (Thanks to Herb) Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and his
Kazakh counterpart, Adilbek Dzhaksbekov have signed a security cooperation
accord formalizing military and defense industrial ties between the two
nations.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
A millionth the size of an ant. Dr. Yuval Golan of Ben
Gurion University explains a nano-particle and the exciting possibilities in
the world of nano-technology. They include storage systems, contact lens
sensors for diabetics, protective clothing, water purification, renewable
energy and ultra-fast computers.
Google’s new notebook has Israeli fast
chips.
Israel’s Altair Semiconductor has won a deal to install its 4G
communications chipset in the new Chromebooks produced by the in partnership of
Google and HP. The 4G chip accesses the
Internet at ten times the speed of 3G chips.
Strike out. (Thanks to Nevet - www.BroaderView.org) The Economist (not
known to be Israel-friendly) has praised Yossi Leshem of Tel Aviv University.
Yossi’s research led to a radar system that detects possible aircraft
collisions with flocks of birds. It has helped the Israeli Air Force reduce
bird strikes by two-thirds.
Iron Beam – a light to
the nations.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems will unveil its Iron Beam laser
air-defense system at next month's Singapore Air Show. Iron Beam is a
high-energy laser based system against rockets, mortar, and airborne target
attacks. It complements Iron Dome by intercepting very short-range rockets.
A collapsible camping grill. Israeli Roee Magdassi (a
student at the Bezalel Design Academy in Jerusalem) has designed the Stakes
camping grill that folds up to the size of a paper towel when not in use. His IDF service inspired him to make a
lightweight alternative to the ones he had to carry in his army backpack.
Boost your Wi-Fi signal. Israel’s Wi-Fi chip
manufacturer Celeno is to deliver its unique “implicit beamforming” technology
into the hardware of global company broadband company Ubee. The effect will be to extend the coverage
and boost the Wi-Fi signal to any device, whether laptop, tablet or smartphone.
Cheap electronic circuits. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Yissum, the Research and Development Company of the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem, has developed low-cost oxidation-resistant copper nano-inks. They can replace expensive silver inks that
make up circuits in RFID-tags, solar cells, sensors and electrodes for
displays.
Two insulators meet in the lab. Something weird happens if
you place two electrical insulators together. The bit in the middle conducts
electricity. Scientists couldn’t
investigate further until Dr Shahal Ilani built a nanotube-based sensor that
could see below the surface. It has
opened up a whole new field in physics.
April launch for students’ satellite. Forty students at Herzliya
High School have built a low-cost micro-satellite to be launched by Russia in
April. The 10cm cube will circle the
Earth every 90 minutes and form part of a network of international satellites
designed to provide a cell phone lifeline to travelers in remote areas.
Israel snaps up the photo app market. There are almost 13,000
photo apps on iTunes and Google Play. Almost the entire top ten originate from
Israel. The reason is probably due to
the fact those apps are the hottest trend in the smartphone market right
now. And Israelis are the biggest users
of smartphone apps in the world.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Software AG needs
Israel’s creativity. Software AG acquired Sabratec in 2005. In 2007, the company
bought SPL and Jacada. Together, the
Israelis’ free and open start-up culture combines with the German company’s
well-organized and methodical culture to make Software AG’s Israeli R&D
center into a very effective unit.
Haifa prepares for China tourism boost. (Thanks to Stuart Palmer)
Haifa’s Mayor Yona Yahav has signed an agreement with tourism officials from 3
major Chinese cities. 200,000 workers
from Shanghai, Sanjin, and Chengdu will be offered low-cost vacation packages
to Haifa.
What would you like to watch next? (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Tel
Aviv-based Jinni has teamed up with California’s Ooyala to deliver a “new level
of video personalization”. TV providers
can deliver personalized channels, recommending films and TV shows suited to
your mood. Jinni is also now expanding into Spain.
Angels bearing cash for start-ups. 28 “angel” investors will descend on Herzliya in February to meet
Israeli start-ups looking for funding.
Nathan Low, President of the Investment Bank Sunrise Financial Group,
has organized the event. Low has made
60 angel investments in Israel and has also set up the Ziontech fund.
Starting up? Try the pub. Hillel Fuld regularly helps
start-ups over lunch at Jems in Petah Tikva by dining, listening, coaching and
connecting the dots with those who want to share their plans and receive his
advice. Hillel also mentors and
lectures at the IDC, plus at accelerators such as Google, Microsoft, and The
Junction.
Larry King to promote Israeli high tech. Former CNN host Larry King
and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology are establishing the Israel
Silicon Valley Chambers of Commerce.
King and Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie will serve as the
presidents of the ISVCC.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Rose the singer. Israel’s Ministry of
Interior has confirmed that Rose Fostanes, winner of Israel’s X-Factor, has
been given granted a full work permit for artists that will enable her to sing
for her livelihood. Rose was previously
only allowed to work as a Filipino caregiver but now can pursue her singing
career in Israel.
More great Israeli music. Thursday’s Kol Cambridge
playlist from DJ Antithesis on Tel Aviv’s Radio TLV1 featured new releases from
Daklon, Shlomi Shaban, Alma Zohar, Eti Ankari, Gad Elbaz and Yaakov Shwekey
& Shlomi Shabat in a fantastic duet.
AnyRoad Israel. (Thanks to Janglo) For
those seeking off-the-beaten-track tours of the Jewish State, have a look at https://www.anyroad.com/Israel. For more details of founders Daniel and
Jonathan Yaffe, see this link.
Good book & good cause. 200 Anglos attended the
book launch for “Like Dreamers” by Yossi Klein Halevi. The venue was the Jerusalem old train
station. Saul Singer, co-author of Start-up Nation, interviewed Halevi. The event raised money for Jerusalem
Village, which supports new immigrants in Jerusalem.
Pamela Anderson’s honeymoon at the Dead
Sea. Just
several days after secretly remarrying her ex-husband Rick Salomon, Hollywood
star Pamela Anderson chose to celebrate her honeymoon in Israel.
THE JEWISH STATE
Renewed life in ancient Shiloh. 36 years ago seven young
families and a handful of yeshiva students came to the site of the Biblical
Shiloh to renew Jewish Life in the very first capital city of the Biblical
Jewish Nation.
Today well over three hundred families of
all ages and backgrounds live in Shiloh.
That’s what I call a
great speech! Please read Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper’s address to the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) during
his historic visit to the Jewish State.
140119
In the 19th Jan 2013 edition
of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
An Israeli device improves the success
rate of heart valve replacements.
·
Volunteer Israeli doctors treat
illegal migrants at Tel Aviv Central Bus Station.
·
Watch Israel’s flying car take to the
air.
·
An Israeli computer security company
is one of the fastest growing businesses in the world.
·
A Filipino caregiver won Israel’s
X-Factor.
·
A record 1600 Taglit-Birthright
participants landed in Israel on one day.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
It’s down to the
wire.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Trans-Catheter Aortic-Valve Implantation (TAVI)
procedures are saving thousands of lives but are extremely difficult to
perform. The Acwire from Israel’s
MediValve allows cardiologists to implant these heart valves at exactly the
right position. Acwire has just
received European CE mark approval.
No more bedsores. Complications from pressure
ulcers (bedsores) are a big problem for hospital patients, and leads to 60,000
deaths in the US each year. Hospitals
are installing the MAP (Monitor Alert Protect) system from Israel’s Wellsense.
A pressure-sensing mat alerts nurses to reposition patients regularly.
Why innocent bacteria become deadly. Group A Streptococcus (GAS)
begins as a mild bacteria infection but can develop into the deadly flesh-eating
disease necrotizing fasciitis. Researchers at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem have discovered how this bacterium metamorphoses, opening the door to
future possible treatments.
Positive trials for pancreatic cancer
treatment.
Israeli biotech Novocure’s clinical study of its NovoTTF therapy for
pancreatic cancer demonstrated a significant decrease in cell count and reduced
tumor volume. Its effectiveness was enhanced when combined with chemotherapy.
Airtight hospital safety. Administering medication is
a hazardous task. Standard syringes
risk exposing hospital staff to dangerous chemicals. The Israeli-manufactured Equashield provides the safe, simple and
sterile transfer of meds, preventing contamination and spillage.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Treating sick
migrants.
In a queue for a plane I met an Israeli doctor who volunteers at the Tel
Aviv Central Bus station’s clinic for illegal migrants MigrantHealth:IL. The clinic also
recruits nurses from within the migrant community, who then reduce the burden
on the clinic by passing on health advice to sick migrants.
Dogs for People. (Thanks to Israel21c) “Dogs
for People” uses dog-handling courses to build self-esteem in humans. 60
therapy dogs - all rescued from the streets - rehabilitate people at risk and
with special needs, in a unique therapeutic program. Some 6,000 Israeli
children and youth have so far participated.
Ariel University gets Czech approval. Czech ambassador to Israel
Tomas Pojar paid a visit to Ariel University in Samaria. He took a special interest in research done
by the University in cooperation with Palestinian villages in the area, as well
as in the “hundreds of Arab students studying on the campus.”
Israel starts up developing nations. For the second year
running, 70 young leaders in social change and startups are meeting in
Caesarea, Israel, to brainstorm ideas to change the world. ID2 (Israeli
Designed International Development) runs from Feb 18-20 and brings young
entrepreneurs into contact with expert help.
Global water competition finalist. Israeli agri-tech Tal-Ya
has reached the last 12 of the Imagine H2O Global Competition. Tal-Ya’s trays create a “personal
greenhouse” for each plant or tree, enabling farmers to prevent weeds, reduce
water use by 50% and fertilizer use by 30%, while accelerating plant growth
dramatically.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
More about “Digital Israel”. Israel’s super fast 1
gigabit Internet being developed could change society. The combination of IEC’s fiber optic cables,
Cisco’s data transport and the digitization of Government records will create
new opportunities for huge numbers of new enterprises and businesses to open
up.
Is your dog healthy? (Thanks to Israel21c) A new
Israeli pet chip monitor company called Oggii has developed a $30 chip and
patented algorithms to correlate pet movements with possible problems such as
ticks, skin allergies, seizures, arthritis, poor joints, brain damage and even
ear infections.
A fertilizer app for crops. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Haifa Group is a global leading supplier of potassium nitrate for
agriculture and industry, specialty plant nutrients and food phosphates. It has
just launched a free mobile app (iOS or Android) that helps the grower
determine the precise amount of fertilizers needed.
Draw a sketch, and we produce a photo. (Thanks to Uri) It’s a pity
that the UK Daily Telegraph didn’t acknowledge that one of the developers of
this clever application, Ariel Shamir, is Israeli and not Chinese.
Israel’s flying car
takes off.
The Air Mule from Israel’s Tactical Robotics has just completed its
first fully automatic test flights. The
unmanned Vertical Takeoff and Landing craft can be used as an air ambulance.
Get the best connection. (Thanks to NoCamels.com)
Israeli start-up Glove has an app that analyses which network provider gives
you the best reception for your mobile phone.
You run the app for three days and then it puts you in touch with the
ideal carrier. It’s useful for anyone
buying a new phone or moving to a new area.
Visit NanoIsrael 2014. Tel Aviv hosts NanoIsrael
2014, the fourth bi-annual conference & exhibition, on 24-25 March
2014. It features 40 presentations
given by Israeli Nano companies. Over
1,200 nano-technology industry players, engineers and scientists are attending
from over 36 countries. Follow the
event on facebook.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel’s trade deficit reduced. Israel's trade deficit fell
to NIS 51.7 billion in 2013 from NIS 70.4 billion in 2012. Imports of goods fell 8 percent and imports
of fuel fell 15 percent mainly due to the start of Israel’s natural gas
production from the Tamar field.
Top notch security
testing.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s Checkmarx was the 2nd fastest growing
security company in the 2013 Deloitte EMEA Tech Fast 500, with over 2,200%
revenue growth in 5 years. It is used
by four of the world's ten largest software companies and three of the world's
four largest IT consulting firms.
Israel is 4th largest buyer of US
commercial property. Israeli companies purchased $1 billion worth of commercial retail
property in the US over the last 3 years.
Israel is tied with Switzerland as the fourth largest foreign investor
with 6% of the market. Only Canada and
Germany bought more.
Don’t miss an opportunity. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israeli start-up Implisit has raised $3.3 million to expand the marketing of
its unique business intelligence system.
Implisit boosts sales by identifying neglected and inaccurate areas of
the pipeline. It identifies potential business, directly from employees’ emails
and meetings.
TeXchange opens UK to Israeli start-ups. The UK Israel Tech Hub is
running its second annual TeXchange competition to connect up Israeli start-ups
with British businesses. 15 winning
start-ups will get trips to London’s Tech City, where they can open up the UK
market in terms of both customers and partnerships.
Mobile Internet in a Flash. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Two
Israeli mobile Internet companies Flash Networks and Mobixell are joining
forces to meet the growing demand for mobile data and services. The new company will support hundreds of
deployments, serving over one billion subscribers worldwide.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Filipino caregiver
wins Israel’s X-Factor. Rose Fostanes, a
47-year-old Filipina caregiver who arrived in Israel six years ago, became the
first winner of the Israeli version of popular singing competition
X-Factor. Now recognized on every street
corner and cafe, Fostanes has become a household name in Israel.
Lev shel Zahav. Rock legend Neil Young (of
Crosby Stills Nash and Young fame) is booked to perform at Tel Aviv's Yarkon
Park on July 17. His most successful
album “Harvest” includes his classic “Heart of Gold” (Lev shel Zahav in
Hebrew).
How does it feel? Vania Heymann of Israel’s
Interlude has made an interactive video masterpiece. Designed like a TV screen, you can switch channels to watch 16
different scenes of celebrities lip-synching to Bob
Dylan singing “Like a Rolling
Stone”. The realistic staged
scenes make a statement on US TV society.
It has gone viral and was featured on the Wall
St Journal, Rolling
Stone magazine, The UK’s Daily
Telegraph, etc. etc.
THE JEWISH STATE
Record
Taglit-Birthright arrival. On 30th Dec, a record-breaking 1,600
Taglit-Birthright participants arrived in Israel in a single day. The 39 groups included from the US,
Australia, Argentina, Canada, Germany and Russia. The free 10-day tour included a mega event in Jerusalem for the
2,500 participants currently in Israel.
Israel to promote Jewish education in
Diaspora.
UK Jewry has been pleasantly
surprised by Israel’s announcement that it will fund programs to encourage
links between the Jewish Diaspora and Israel.
Ideas include summer camps and Birthright-style programs to younger age
groups.
King David’s castle to be revealed. Excavations of an
underground cave in southern Jerusalem are uncovering a complete castle and
possibly an entire neighborhood from the Judean kings' period. It may be a
breakthrough in the perception of the period of King David, his son Solomon and
of the entire Judean kingdom
Israeli government celebrates New Year
for Trees.
For the first time in the 65 years of Knesset history, 40 members of
Israel’s parliament, plus many guests, held an official Tu Bishvat ceremony on
the afternoon of Jan 15. They recited
blessings over the seven biblical species of fruit, drank wine, and read
Talmudic literature.
A Nobel tradition. In 1923, Professor Albert
Einstein started a Technion-Nobel tradition when he planted a palm tree at the
Israel Technion’s original campus. Since 2007, all visiting Nobel laureates are
invited to plant a tree in Technion’s Lokey Park. For Tu Bishvat here is a video of several Nobel Prize winners
doing just that.
Basia comes home. Basia Wieczorek’s
grandmother escaped the Warsaw Ghetto and was adopted by Polish family. When Basia was 5, she told her she was
Jewish. Basia embraced her Jewish
identity, culminating in her Masters thesis “Jewish Identity of the Third
Generation.” Basia immigrated to Israel
on 13 Jan 2014.
140112
