History of Israel’s Good News Jul to Sep 2014
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In the 28th Sept 2014 edition of
Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli scientists have developed
groundbreaking safe and effective chemotherapy.
·
New Israeli legislation promotes the
employment of disabled workers.
·
The US Senate voted unanimously to
make Israel a strategic partner.
·
Israeli scientists make a new chemical
that turns plant waste into fuel.
·
Israel approves the largest-ever
investment in Israel by a foreign company.
·
Immigration to Israel hits a 5-year
record.
·
Click here to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News and on IsraelSeen.com.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Manufacturing safe
cancer treatments inside the body. Technion
scientists are the first in the world to build cancer-killing chemicals whilst
inside the tumor. Their system will
allow chemotherapy treatments to be tailored for the patient and concentrated
only where it is necessary, thus escaping the usual harsh side effects.
100% accurate spine surgery. There is a 10% error rate
in standard (unassisted) spinal surgery, resulting in about 4% cases of
permanent nerve damage. But the robots
from Israel’s Mazor Renaissance ensure a perfect outcome every time. A highlight in this new video is a
pole-vaulter competing six months after robotic surgery.
Star Trek medical technology today. A detailed IBA news report
about the medical holograms that Israel’s RealView Imaging projects straight
into the hands of surgeons in the operating room.
Unraveling the mystery of circRNA. Scientists at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem together with the Max Dellbruck Institute in Berlin,
has discovered how circular RNA is produced.
The findings increase knowledge of degenerative diseases both in muscle
and the brain, and eventually can help their treatment.
Positive trials of bladder cancer
treatment.
Israel’s Biocancell Therapeutics has reported a successful clinical
trial on high-risk bladder cancer patients.
It will allow the company to proceed to a Phase III trial of its BC-819
product, which is administered together with BCG, the standard treatment.
Innovative treatment for Glaucoma. Israel’s XLVision Sciences
manufactures the IOPtiMate CO2 laser treatment for severe Glaucoma
sufferers. The treatment has just made
its first sale in Hong Kong. (Warning
the video – although only an animation - may be unsettling to some readers)
Taste is location-sensitive. Israeli scientists have
discovered that a bad taste memory can be overcome by re-tasting the food in a
different place. There is a link in the
brain between remembering what you ate and where you ate it. It could help parents struggling to persuade
children to eat food that they say they don’t like.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Large businesses to
have 3% disabled employees. A new Israeli law will require all
businesses with 100 or more staff to ensure that their workforce includes at
least 3 percent disabled employees.
Three more Syrians brought to Israeli
hospital.
Three more wounded Syrians are being treated at Nahariya’s Western
Galilee Medical Center. The patients
were suffering from injuries to the chest and limbs. 363 Syrians have been treated in Nahariya alone. Many more have
been taken to Ziv Medical Center in Tzfat.
Israel is the only safe place for
Christians in Middle East. Israeli-Arab Greek Orthodox Priest, Father
Gabriel Nadaf, told the United Nations Human Rights Council, “Israel is the
only place in the Middle East where Christians are safe.” Israel’s Christian population has grown from
34,000 in 1948 to 158,000 in 2012.
US and Israel are
strategic partners. The US Senate unanimously adopted the United States-Israel
Strategic Partnership Act. 81 of the
100 Senators co-sponsored the legislation, which will lay the foundation for
expanded US-Israel cooperation in defense, energy, agriculture, and a number of
other key sectors.
Saving the environment. Israel recycled 52 percent
of its large (no deposit) plastic beverage containers (1.5 liters and over)
sold in Israel last year. Including
smaller (0.3 NIS deposit) plastic bottles, the rate increases to 59%. Including glass bottles, the rate rises to
80%. All rates are higher than most other countries.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Researchers’ Night of Water. Each year, the Israel
Technion invites the public to participate in Researchers’ Night – a
celebration of science and research for the whole family. Participants tasted seawater before and
after desalination; built boats, examined underwater robots, submarines work
and water pollution.
USA raises levels of permitted tomato
coloring.
The US has approved a five-fold increase in the level of tomato lycopene
allowed as a colorant in ready-to-eat meat products. This allows tomato lycopene
colorants from Israel’s LycoRed to replace artificial and insect-based colors
in deli meats, sausage and hot dogs.
Removing nitrogen from water. Israeli wastewater
treatment company Emefcy has developed the revolutionary modular Spiral Aerobic
Biofilm Reactor (SABRE). The permeable
membranes remove nitrogen using 80% less energy, providing a low cost solution
for small wastewater plants.”
New center for researching light and
optics. The
Israeli government has given Ben Gurion University and Israel’s Soreq Nuclear
Research Center 174 million NIS ($47 million) to establish a National Photonics
and Electro-Optics Research Center. It will provide professionals and students
with state-of-the-art equipment.
New enzyme generates
better bio-fuels.
Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have fused two enzymes from
plant-munching bacteria. The resulting
hybrid is quick and efficient at turning difficult to break down cellulose into
useful sugars that can make low-cost bio-fuel.
(A rare pro-Israel article in New Scientist.)
Toyota event to produce new Israeli car
technology.
Toyota is to host the first tech event put on by a large Japanese
corporation in Israel. At the two-day “hackathon”, Israeli programmers and
entrepreneurs will present ideas on improving car safety and performance. Toyota is aiming to produce the ultimate “connected”
car.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Jerusalem’s “Front Gate” to provide
50,000 jobs.
The $1 billion project to expand Jerusalem’s Western edge includes new
malls, hotels and business parks. There will be 2,000 new hotel rooms, 230,000
square meters for industry and business, and 49,000 square meters for
recreation and leisure.
S&P maintains Israel’s “A” rating. Despite the economic
effects of the Gaza “Protective Edge” operation, Standards and Poors has
affirmed its 'A+/A-1' foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on
Israel. S&P expects the government
to maintain stable public finances and contain security risks.
The largest-ever
overseas investment in Israel. The Israeli finance and economy ministries
have approved a plan by Intel to invest $6 billion in upgrading its
chip-manufacturing plant in Israel, marking the largest-ever single
international investment in the Jewish state.
Intel will hire 1000 more workers at its Kiryat Gat factory.
Israel = Silicon Valley: Part II. The DLD Tel Aviv Conference
included a panel of the Israeli heads of IBM, General Motors, Qualcomm, Deutsch
Telekom and Google. All agreed that Israel’s superb engineering talent is due
to strong academic institutions, entrepreneurial and creative spirit, hard working
and a “can-do” attitude.
Pricense wins MasterCard Israel
Technology Award.
Pricense won the MasterCard Israel Technology $25,000 first prize for
its use of “big data analysis” to set prices for on-line retailers. Its system
raises or lowers prices automatically to maximize revenue, based on traffic,
historical data, consumer behavior and other factors.
$3 million order for Camtek. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Camtek has received $3 million worth of new orders from one of the
world's largest OSATs (Outsourced Semi-conductor Assembly and Test
organizations). These orders are for 2D
and 3D inspection and metrology for Advanced Packaging semiconductor
applications.
Arab-Israeli incubator raises $4.5
million.
Takwin (Arabic for Genesis or start) is a unique incubator for start-ups
in the Arab-Israeli community. Takwin
Labs raised $4.5 million from Israeli (Jewish and Arab) and US investors. It will invest hundreds of thousands of
dollars per venture in 4-6 start-up companies.
Wizz off to Budapest, Bucharest and
Warsaw.
Low-cost airline Wizz Air has announced
that due to increased demand, it has added one weekly flight on each its
services from Tel Aviv to Budapest and Bucharest. It has also reinstated its
Tel Aviv-Warsaw service earlier than planned.
Israeli security for Scottish port. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Aberdeen Harbor is the NW Europe’s center of
activity for the offshore oil and gas industry's marine support operations. It selected Israel’s Siklu to deliver a
next generation security network of traffic
including streaming HD video images from the latest IP cameras. Siklu also implemented free Wi-Fi to cover
the start of the 21st stage of the Tour de France, in Leeds UK.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Lost city uncovered near Jerusalem. The Israeli Antiquities
Authority said it "uncovered a large and impressive compound dating to the
Byzantine period in Ramat Bet Shemesh." It included near-perfectly
preserved artifacts offering a rare glimpse into the daily lives of the
inhabitants some 1000 years ago.
Stalactite cave discovered in Jerusalem
hills. A
breathtaking stalactite cave has been discovered during construction work in
the Jerusalem Hills. Initial
measurements indicated that the cavern is 200 meters (660 feet) long and its
large rooms feature different types of stalactites.
Gold for Israeli judo junior. Israel’s Baruch Shmailov
won the gold medal in the under 66kg category at the under-21 European Judo
Championship in Bucharest, Romania, beating Armenian Arsen Ghazaryan in the
final. In the under 74 kg category, Israeli Tohar Butbul won the bronze medal.
Israeli windsurfer wins bronze. Israel’s Ma’ayan Davidovich
claimed her second straight bronze medal at the ISAF Sailing World
Championships’ windsurfing RS:X competition in Santander, Spain. She secured a place for either herself or
her Israeli rival Lee Korzits at the Rio Olympics in Brazil in 2016.
THE JEWISH STATE
Israel’s population is now 8.9 million. On the eve of the Jewish
New Year, the population of Israel reached 8,904,373 - 173,811 more than the
same time last year. 176,230 babies
were born in 5774.
Aliyah hits 5-year
high.
24,800 new immigrants arrived in Israel in the Jewish year 5774, a 28%
increase compared to the 19,350 immigrants who arrived in Israel in 5773 and
the highest number of the past five years.
For the first time in history, more immigrants arrived from France
(nearly 6,000) than from any other country.
Free bus service to Jerusalem Old City. Car drivers visiting
Israel’s capital can now avoid having to negotiate Jerusalem’s busy, narrow
streets. Park for 17 shekels all day at
Jerusalem’s First Station and take the free shuttle bus to the Western Wall or
alight at many other stops in and around the Old City.
111-year-old survivor gets birthday
surprise.
Yisrael Krysztal survived Auschwitz and made Aliya in 1950.
Two Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer players were
guests at his 111th birthday party, bringing presents including a cake,
balloons and a team shirt with the number 111 printed on it.
In the 21st Sept 2014 edition of
Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Leading-edge surgery from an Israeli
hospital was broadcast live to 12,000 US doctors.
·
An Israeli scientist has developed
antibodies to help fight influenza.
·
Israel has the 4th largest number of
people with college degrees.
·
Syrian opposition leader praises
Israeli doctors treating Syrians.
·
Israeli 3D technology wins Intel’s
European Business Challenge competition.
·
Four Israeli universities are in the
top 50 best places to study for an MBA.
·
A book used 1200 years ago to pray for
Jerusalem now arrives in Jerusalem.
·
Last week’s Israel Good News
descriptive summary “Little
Israel makes a Big Impression”.
Also on Jerusalem
Post and United
With Israel.
·
See the newsletter also on Jewish
Business News, IsraelSeen
and IsraPundit.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
12,000 doctors watch
live innovative Israeli brain surgery. (Thanks to United With Israel) A
cutting-edge brain catheterization procedure was performed at Shaare Zedek
Medical Center in Jerusalem while being broadcast live to 12,000 US doctors
attending the world’s largest cardiovascular conference.
Uncovering the secrets of rabies. (Thanks to Israel21c) A
research team led by Eran Perlson of Tel Aviv University has discovered that
the rabies virus hi-jacks the body’s nerve cell transport system to move
quickly from an infected bite to the brain.
The knowledge could lead to new therapies to deal with the deadly virus.
Winter babies crawl 5 weeks earlier. Researchers led by Dr.
Osnat Atun-Einy of the University of Haifa, have documented that babies born in
winter or spring start crawling at 30 weeks on average. Those born in summer or autumn/fall begin
crawling at around 35 weeks.
A cocktail to make stem cells. Scientists at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem have developed a cocktail of genes that is highly
effective at reprogramming adult cells to become quality stem cells that can be
used in transplant therapy. These stem
cells can then transform themselves into previously damaged tissue or organs.
New antibodies for
fighting flu virus. Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Yotam Bar-On has developed
antibodies that enhance the body’s immune system to attack the flu virus. These antibodies interfere with the protein
neuraminidase (NA) - used by the flu virus to evade the immune system’s natural
killer (NK) cells.
Why Israelis live longer. (Thanks to Israel21c) A new video reveals some (but not all) on
the reasons why Israel’s life expectancy is the 4th highest in the world.
NFL to use Israeli brain scanner. The US National Football
League in the NCAA will use the brain scanner developed by Israel’s ElmindA to
diagnose players who receive a concussion injury during the game.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israel is the world’s
4th most educated country. The Organization for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) ranks Israel 4th in the world with 46.4% having a
tertiary (college) education. Only
Russia, Canada and Japan were higher.
The USA was 5th with 43.1%.
Yad Sarah lends out 320,000 medical
items. More
than half a million Israeli residents benefited from services from Yad Sarah
during the past year, with the voluntary organization saving the public coffers
NIS 1.5 billion by lending out 320,000 items of medical equipment.
Kids of all religions learn together. At Haifa’s Rambam Medical
Center, the start of the school year means that young patients also begin their
lessons. Jews, Moslems, Christians,
Druze, Arabs from Gaza, all children study together with other kids their age.
Israeli Arab female IDF commander. This video consists of an
interview with Commander Mona Lisa Abado - an Arab-Israeli from Haifa, who
serves in the Israel Defense Forces.
Israeli & Arab medics talk peace in
Australia.
Uri Shacham is head of Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom. Dr Mohammed Al Hadid is the president of the
Jordanian Red Crescent. The two medical
and humanitarian leaders are sharing their experiences with Arabs and Jews
living in Australia.
Syrian opposition
leader visits Syrians in Israeli hospital. Dr. Kamal Al-Labwani, exiled leader of
Syria’s opposition, visited Israel’s Ziv Hospital and said, "I am grateful
for the dedicated medical care given at the Ziv Medical Center to wounded
Syrians, my people, who were hurt during the war. This moving humanitarian
gesture is an opening for rapprochement between the two peoples and hope for
peace on quieter days,"
Israeli doctors fight to save sight of
Syrian boy.
More details of the 12-year-old Syrian boy brought by his brother to
Israel on a donkey. He lost one eye in
the Syrian civil war and had primary surgery in Beirut on the other eye. Israeli doctors performed retinal surgery
but as yet are unsure if he will recover any vision.
1100 international students receive
Israeli agriculture diplomas. 1100 students from 18 countries (including
500 from Africa) graduated with a diploma from Tel Aviv University in High
Value Horticulture and Irrigation.
Reports from Uganda and Malawi news sites show the high value of this
training in those countries.
Agriculture training in the Philippines. The Israel Embassy in
Manila hosted a forum on agricultural knowledge transfer, particularly in the
field of integrated pest management and post harvest management of fruits and
vegetables. Participants included various Philippine agricultural agencies and
agriculture journalists.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Immense Heaven. “Cosmic” is the only word
to describe the work of a team of scientists including Professor Yehuda Hoffman
of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Warning, this video may make you feel rather small.
Producing algae in the desert. Algatechnologies produces
the antioxidant astaxanthin from algae grown in its factory at Kibbutz Ketura
in the Negev desert. Astaxanthin is
used in foods, medicines and cosmetics.
The company is investing 60 million shekels to expand the factory to
grow new forms of beneficial microalgae.
Fitterli is a perfect
fit in Europe.
Israel’s Fitterli has won the 2014 Intel Business Challenge Europe. With Fitterli’s technology, on-line
retailers can show customers how clothes would look on a 3D representation of
your own body. An Intel spokesperson
said, “The 3D technology offered by Fitterli is the kind of innovation Intel
has come to expect from Israel …. unimaginable just a few years ago.”
CyberSpark is launched. Jerusalem Venture Partners
and BGN Technologies (technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University)
have set-up the CyberSpark Industry Initiative. The non-profit company will
engage in the international promotion of the new cyber center, based in
Beersheva's Advanced Technologies Park.
Israel to build its first bio-waste
power plant.
Israel’s new bio-waste facility at Neot Hovav in the Negev will generate
5 megawatts of clean energy and process over one hundred thousand tons of
organic waste per year. It will
significantly reduce the annual volume of landfill waste and the consequential
soil contamination.
Go on, HopOn. (Thanks to Israel21c)
Riding a bus has never been easier. Tel
Aviv’s HopOn has inserted beacons in 2,000 buses and soon at bike stations and
other transportation hubs. Some 10,000 users have installed the app, allowing
them to hop on a bus or bike without worrying about how to pay.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Pango is on the move in America. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Pango
mobile parking has recently launched in Curitiba, Brazil and expects to be live
in other large Brazilian cities in the coming months. In the United States, Pango is launching in
Pennsylvania, New York, and Texas.
Pango has over a million users in 59 cities.
The best country to do
your MBA.
Four Israeli universities are in the top 50 rankings of institutions for
budding entrepreneurs to study for an MBA.
Tel Aviv University (at number 11) produced 50 graduates who went on to
establish 56 start-ups. Bar Ilan,
Technion and Hebrew University of Jerusalem also featured highly.
ReWalk shares are up and running. The share price of Israeli
exoskeleton developers ReWalk Robotics more than doubled on the day of its Wall
Street Initial Public Offering (IPO).
The 3 million shares, offered at $12 per share, reached $25.6 per share
at close of business. By day 2, the price was $37.15.
Ericsson buys Fabrix. Electronics giant Ericsson
is buying Israel’s Fabrix for $95 million.
Fabrix specializes in cloud storage and computing and network-based
video delivery. Cablevision Systems uses
Fabrix to help power its network-based Multi-Room DVR product that allows
customers to simultaneously record 15 shows.
New national technical innovation
authority.
Israel is establishing a new hi-tech authority, under the Office of the
Chief Scientist, to enhance Israeli innovation and bolster economic
growth.
Matchmaking Israeli and Indian companies. Israel’s Economic Office in
Delhi held a seminar “Indo-Israel Cooperation in Water Security & Waste
Water Management”. India’s largest
Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) companies met 15 Israeli water
technology companies. The event
generated much interest.
Securing business in the USA. Two Israeli cyber security
companies (Sentrix and Secure Islands) have been successful in raising funds to
expand into North America.
Bank of Israel’s governor gets an “A”. "Global Finance"
magazine has named Governor of the Bank of Israel, Karnit Flug, as one of the
seven best central bank governors in the world. The magazine gave Flug an "A" rating – higher than the
heads of the central banks of some much larger economies.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
“My heart and soul belong to Israel.” Violinist and conductor Maxim Vengerov is
starring in the Vengerov Festival at the Tel Aviv Opera House. Vengerov studied at the Jerusalem Academy of
Music and now lives in St Petersburg.
Israel, however, “is in my genes,” said Vengerov. “My heart and soul
belong to Israel.”
Lady Gaga duets with Tony Bennett. Another one of those “Only
in Israel” events. Lady Gaga put on a
show at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park in front of 23,000 fans. In between her most famous hits, she
performed “I can’t give you anything but love” with Tony Bennett – who had his
own concert in Tel Aviv the next day.
THE JEWISH STATE
1200-year-old prayer
book comes to Jerusalem. A 9th Century Babylonian siddur (Jewish prayer book) to go on
display at Jerusalem’s Bible Lands Museum’s “Book of Books” exhibit of the most
important texts ever seen in the Jewish State.
The 50-page Hebrew book is described as “a treasure of the Jewish
People”.
The oldest Bnei Menashe to arrive in
Israel. On
May 29, 2014, Aviel Hangshing landed in Israel, fulfilling a dream he has held
for so many years. Hangshing is the most senior of the lost tribe of Bnei
Menashe to arrive from India so far. “The day after we came to Israel was my
90th birthday!” he says, proudly.
Where will you eat your apple and honey? To celebrate Rosh Hashana,
the Jewish New Year, the people at Israel21c asked some of their friends,
“Where do you eat your apples and honey?” The answers were surprising.
Dream it. Do it. An inspiring New Year
message from the students of Israel’s Technion. In 14 languages.
140914
In the 14th Sept 2014 edition of
Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli brain surgeons cured a tremor
patient whilst she played her violin.
·
Israeli doctors transplant kidney into
Gaza boy who had only one blood vessel.
·
An Israeli company has developed the
world’s smallest GPS chip.
·
The new Jerusalem Arena is the largest
center of its kind in the Middle East.
·
A rare female baby white rhino was
born in an Israeli safari park.
·
Israeli factories are being subsidized
to convert them to natural gas.
·
Israeli security systems protect
European nuclear reactors.
·
A $20 million donation boosts research
at Tel Aviv University.
·
Last week’s Israel Good News
descriptive summary. Click here for “Supporting
Israel is only Natural” (fast-loading version, no adverts). Also on Jerusalem
Post, United
With Israel and Jewish
Business News.
·
Click here to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News and on IsraelSeen.com.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Violinist plays during
her brain surgery.
Former international violinist Naomi Elishuv gave up playing 20 years
ago when she developed essential tremor.
Israeli doctors fitted a Deep Brain Stimulation electrode into her
damaged brain under local anesthetic, and whilst Naomi played the violin, they
guided it to the correct spot.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Health/Former-violinist-with-tremor-regains-ability-to-play-while-performing-during-brain-surgery-374941 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWHA7q4IQmg
Preventing the spread of Ebola. The experimental vaccine
ZMapp isn’t an Israeli invention, but it has been having some success in
treating Ebola victims. The problem is
that stocks have run out and Israeli biotech Protalix has offered to produce
more vaccine. Separately, Israeli
doctors are giving Cameroon medics training on how to fight the virus.
Genetic screening can save women from
cancer.
Researchers at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center have concluded
that all Jewish women of Ashkenazi origin should be screened for BRCA1 or BRCA2
genetic mutations from age 30. 40% of
ovarian cancer cases in Ashkenazi Jews are due to these mutations.
Government funds universal flu vaccine
development.
Israel’s BiondVax has just received a 4.87 million shekels grant from
Israel’s Chief Scientist, to allow them continue development of their universal
influenza vaccine M-001. The treatment
is in advanced trials and the funds will prepare it for commercialization.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Innovations for the elderly. (Thanks to Israel21c)
Israel’s Science Ministry is to give grants totaling up to 15 million shekels
($4.5 million) in 2015 for scientists working on practical solutions for the
elderly. Projects can cover technological, medical and/or social science
applications.
Israel is the safest place for an Arab
in the Middle East. On a recent visit to Northern Israel, Anat Berko stopped in an
Arab village to get her car fixed. The
owner of the repair shop revealed that 10 Muslim village boys were serving in
the IDF in Gaza. The villagers would
not live anywhere else in the Middle East.
Football friendly. (Thanks to Hazel) Shimon
Peres kicked off his Twinned Peace Soccer Schools initiative on Kibbutz Dorot
near the Gaza border. More than 600
children from Israel and the Palestinian territories will take part in these
events throughout the year using soccer to build friendships between Jews and
Arabs.
Surfers for Peace. Four young Arabs from Jisr
al Zarka came to Tel Aviv beach to learn how to teach surfing.
Hoops for Peace. 14 disabled Israelis and
Palestinian Arabs (7 of each) are participating in a tournament in Germany as
part of a joint wheelchair basketball team.
The team, sponsored by the Peres Center for Peace, includes athletes
aged 15 to 25 from the PA town of Beit Jala and from Israel’s Ramat Gan.
Gaza boy has
innovative kidney transplant in Israel. Surgeons at Haifa’s Rambam hospital
performed a unique kidney transplant on a 14-year-old boy from Gaza. Due to a previous failed transplant in
Egypt, and obstructed blood vessels, the Israeli doctors implanted a synthetic
connector to allow his new kidney to work.
Syrian takes wounded 12-year-old brother
to Israel on a donkey. After a 12-year-old Syrian boy sustained serious wounds in his
arms and legs and lost his vision during fighting near Damascus, his brother
seated him on a donkey and led him to the Golan border. The IDF transferred the boy to the Israeli
hospital in Safed.
Syrian woman treated in Israel. The IDF admitted a
47-year-old Syrian woman, seriously injured in the country's civil war, into
Israel for treatment on Thursday. The
woman was admitted to Ziv Medical Center in Safed, which has treated 366
injured Syrians since the civil war began.
IDF saves Irish UN troops. The Irish UN force that rescued
40 Filipino soldiers from Syrian rebels on Aug 30 would have been killed or
captured had it not been for the IDF. The Israelis guided the Irish soldiers,
helping them to avoid large concentrations of militant units. There were reports that they also provided
covering fire.
From Tel Aviv to New York City. (Thanks to NoCamels.com)
According to Guy Franklin, creator of the interactive map “Mapped in NY”, in
January 2013 there were about 60 Israeli startups in the Big Apple. In just
over a year, this number grew to a whopping 200.
Israel gives satellite info to US re IS. Israel has provided the US
with intelligence and satellite images on Islamic State positions. Israeli spy satellites were said to have
greater access to the region, allowing the US to “fill out its information and
get a better battle damage assessment” in the aftermath of its air strikes.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The world’s smallest
GPS chip.
The Micro Hornet GPS developed by Israel’s OriginGPS is only 10x10x5.8mm
and weighs merely 2.5 grams. It has the
capability to be incorporated in clothing, automobiles and any valuable item
that requires its location to be tracked.
Now where did I put my specs? Israeli start-up LOOK has
launched a crowd-sourced funding campaign to help it develop a practical and
effective device for finding misplaced glasses. A tiny attachment to the
spectacles connects wirelessly via an app to any mobile device. My wife would use the app several times a
day.
Cutting out 90% of water evaporation. Here is an Israeli
innovation that I almost missed reporting.
In May, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Innovation Award for
Entrepreneurship and Innovation went to Israel’s “Top-It-Up”. Their “Top-up” spheres cover reservoirs to
prevent evaporation, protect fish and maintain water quality.
The largest center in
the Middle East.
Jerusalem’s new indoor Payis Arena is the largest sports, cultural, and
recreational center of its kind in the Middle East. 11,600 seats, wheelchair access, Olympic-sized swimming pool, ice
skating rink bowling alley and more; it will also host huge concerts and
international conferences.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Middle-Easts-largest-sports-cultural-and-recreational-center-unveiled-in-Jerusalem-374787 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e39v3M10sG8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34pbCQ2cit4
Good insects keep crops pest-free. Farmers at Ein Yahav have
cut pesticide use by 80% thanks to the natural insect predators supplied by
Israel’s “Beauty of Vegetables”. Ein
Yahav is one of the biggest vegetable exporters in Israel, producing a world
record for the largest pepper and the Justin (Timberlake) melon.
Rent a bike by smartphone. Israeli start-up HopOn,
will allow cyclists in Tel Aviv to rent from bicycle rental service Tel-O-Fun
and pay by smartphone. Users of the app will be able to unlock the bicycles at
the touch of a smartphone button, with no need to physically appear at the
machine or wait in line at the rental station.
Clothes that stop bacteria and viruses. (Thanks to Israe21c)
Jerusalem-based Argaman Technologies has developed bio-inhibitive textiles and
masks. High-powered ultrasound impregnates fibers with accelerated Copper Oxide
that prevents the spread of bacteria and viruses. It could even protect against the Ebola virus.
Israel Innovation Week. (Thanks to NoCamels.com)
Tel Aviv’s DLD Conference – part of Israel’s Innovation Week – is Israel’s
largest hi-tech event with thousands of start-ups, experts, investors and
delegations from 22 countries. But
that’s not all. Check out all the other
events here.
Female white rhino
born in Israel. For the first time in 20
years, Ramat Gan Safari has seen the birth of a female white rhino. Once thought to be extinct, the baby rhino
will now stay in Israel to hopefully become a mother to more baby rhinos.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
NIS 4.8 million to
convert to gas.
The Israeli government has issued grants of 4.8 million shekels to
convert 16 factories to natural gas. 4
million shekels were given in 2013 to 16 other factories for the same
purpose. Using natural gas will save
money in the long term and cut pollution from using coal and diesel fuels.
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange opens new
building. The
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange has opened for trading in its new building on Rehov
Ahuzat Bayit in Tel Aviv. It has 10
floors, with the computer center below ground.
Israeli trading platform is sold for
$350 million.
Israel’s SuperDerivatives trading platform is used by banks and
financial institutions around the world.
US clearing house network IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) has just
acquired it, including its 250 Israeli employees, for a third of a billion
dollars.
Apple co-founder loves Israel. Steve Wozniak, co-founder
of Apple Computers, attended Israel’s 2014 EduAction conference. He then gave
an interview to Hillel Fuld of ZuTa Labs (developer of the pocket printer) and
praised Israel’s hi-tech computer industry.
An ideal water partnership. Jerusalem’s water utility
Hagihon, with 1 million customers, has signed a 3-year contract with Israeli
water network management company TaKaDu.
TaKaDu monitors water quality, leakage and pressure for customers in
Israel, the USA, Europe, Australasia, South America and Asia.
Protecting European
nuclear reactors.
Israel’s DSIT Solutions reported its second deal within a week to guard
nuclear reactors in Europe. DSIT’s AquaShield, is installed near the protected
facility to detect divers, submarines, and explosive devices. AquaShield detected Hamas divers during
Operation Protective Edge.
MobilEye is now worth $11 billion. Since Israel’s MobilEye
launched on NASDAQ, its price has soared.
At the time of writing, the price is $54, valuing it at $11 billion, but
Morgan Stanley has a target price of $100.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Tel Aviv – where science fiction almost
meets science fact. The Utopia International Science Fiction Festival is set to
infuse Tel Aviv with a variety of science, imagination and future vision
events, conferences, micro-talk sessions, exhibits and performances. In Israel, though, it seems that the
impossible is only just ahead of reality.
Coming Home. (Thanks to 12TribeFilms) The Maccabeats
latest catchy song (with over 120,000 hits) has an important theme. The visuals switch continually between
scenes of Manhattan and Jerusalem.
Beach Boys performance date. Legendary American rock and
pop band The Beach Boys will perform at Tel Aviv's Nokia Arena on November
29. (Video below is from 1976.)
14-year-old girl combats BDS. It just shows what can be
achieved if you try. 14-year-old Shelly
Dvir heard that her favorite heavy metal band Cruahan from Ireland was
seriously considering canceling their Tel Aviv gig due to pressure from the
Boycott Israel thugs. So she wrote on
the band’s facebook page – and it worked!
THE JEWISH STATE
Huge philanthropic
donation for Israeli research. Ukrainian-born
US billionaire Len Blavatnik is donating $20 million to Tel Aviv University.
The donation will fund three new centers and two new funds at Tel Aviv
University that will focus on promoting applied research.
Jerusalem of Gold. The City of David
Foundation’s annual conference enabled the general public to experience some of
the most important archaeological discoveries in Jerusalem in recent
years. A special portion of this year’s
conference highlighted several never-before-seen golden artifacts.
Visiting the sick and supporting the
fallen. One
of my readers is a member of SOS Netivot – Israel. The organization helps injured children and needy families in the
South of Israel. Please support their vital work.
Lebanese Muslim activist waves the
Israeli flag.
The speakers at the Stockholm pro-Israel rally on Aug 31 included
Mostafa Geha, a Muslim Lebanese activist and writer, who co-founded the Lebanon
Israel Peace Project. He says peaceful
relations between Israel and Lebanon, like those between the biblical Kings
Solomon and Hiram, will create an amazing region.
Flags of joy. (Thanks to Jacob
Richman) Israel has issued new postage
stamps. Three of them mark the upcoming
festival of Simchat Torah (rejoicing of the Torah) by depicting flags waved
during the celebrations.
An Aliya video with a difference. (Thanks to Leonie) This
could inspire many to come and study in Israel.
140907
In the 7th Sept 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli lasers are treating everything
from cancer to athlete’s foot.
·
Israelis have helped with the clean-up
following East Washington’s massive wildfire.
·
An Israeli micro-satellite is being
built to keep the Earth free of space debris.
·
Jordan is to purchase $15 billion of
Israeli natural gas.
·
Both Apple and Aston Martin have
opened sales offices in Israel.
·
An ancient wine cellar has been
unearthed from the time of the Israelites.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary. Click here for “BDS
means Boycott Everything” (fast-loading version, no adverts). Also on IsraelSeen.com.
·
Click here to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News and IsraelSeen.com.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Proton beam destroys
tumors.
Israel’s Hil Applied Medical has patented lasers that perform safer,
focused radiation cancer therapy using positively charged ions (protons). Hil’s revolutionary reduced-size, economical
lasers can bring proton therapy to many of the 300,000 US cancer patients and
others who can benefit from it.
Laser treatment for
nail fungus.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Gentle Pro YAG lasers from Israel’s Syneron Medical
can now treat onychomycosis (nail fungus) – affecting 10-12% of the population
and especially dangerous for diabetics.
Laser heat is safer than oral alternatives and more effective than
topical treatments (i.e. creams). Syneron has also developed a laser that can
remove tattoos.
Acne treatment knocks spots off
alternatives.
As Israel’s Foamix prepares to go public, enter Phase III trials and get
FDA approval, the latest results of its acne treatment are impressive; 72%
reduction in pimples for 150 patients with moderate to severe acne during the
12-week treatment period; and zero side effects.
Good trial results for new asthma
treatment.
Israel’s Teva reported that Phase III trial results for its asthma
treatment reslizumab reduced the frequency of attacks by 50 – 60% compared to
placebo.
Asthmatics need to check Vitamin D
levels. A
study of 21,000 Israeli asthmatics showed that those with a Vitamin D
deficiency were 25 percent more likely to have an asthmatic attack than those
with normal levels. Vitamin D is known
to play a role in regulating the immune system.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israeli agro-tech is a game-changer for
Virginia.
Ralph Robbins, executive director of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board
(VIAB) has developed the model “Ecosystem for Success” in order to promote
Israeli companies that can bring benefits to the agriculture of the US State of
Virginia.
Israel celebrates “International Bat
Night”.
Israel hosts and protects 33 species of bat - they are important
pollinators and prey on insects, especially mosquitoes. Bat Night has taken place every year since
1997 in more than 30 countries.
Lectures and tours take place across Israel.
Israel’s sea turtles are hatching. Some 50 days after mother
turtles laid their eggs in Israeli beaches, newborn sea turtles are starting to
make their way "home," to the sea.
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority tries to ensure that there are
clear paths to the sea for the newly hatched sea turtles.
IsraAid helps clear up
after Washington wildfire. (Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.org) Despite the war back
home, workers from the Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid
(IsraAid), spent two weeks helping clean up after the destruction from the
single biggest wildfire in Washington State’s history.
The first globally-sustainable Israeli
company.
Israeli company Salt of the Earth is one of only 36 companies worldwide
- and the first Israeli company - to pass GRI materiality matters check. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
encourages organizations to contribute to sustainable development.
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/salt-of-the-earth-reveals-new-gri-sustainability-report-273722021.html https://www.globalreporting.org/Information/about-gri/Pages/default.aspx
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Israel completes 11.6km tunnel. Israel's longest tunnel has
been completed after 22 months of work. The tunnel forms part of the 57km (28
minutes) Jerusalem Tel Aviv rail link via Ben Gurion airport. A new station is
under construction at the western entrance to Jerusalem. The entire project
costs NIS 7 billion.
Speech analysis can profile personality. Ben Gurion University
researchers have developed a new computer-based personality profiling
methodology that can decipher the actual feelings of an individual. When used to analyze speeches of Presidents
Obama and Putin it produced some interesting assessments.
http://nocamels.com/2014/08/putin-is-a-romantic-loner-and-obama-mistrustful-according-to-israeli-personality-algorithm/ http://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Pages/news/profile_personalities.aspx
Samsung enhances HD TVs using Israeli
technology.
Samsung has selected the Adaptive Video Accelerator (AVA) from Israel’s
Giraffic to provide Internet video streaming for its smart High Definition
TVs. Giraffic’s AVA software virtually
eliminates the need for re-buffering, to provide reliable, high quality, video
download.
Backup your smartphone while it’s
re-charging.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Don’t worry if you lose or break your
smartphone. With bleep-Smart from
Israeli start-up Musers, your data is backed up every time you charge the
phone’s battery. Contacts, history,
pictures, videos, WhatsApp – it’s all saved to a secure memory stick.
Is it safe to eat? Students at Israel’s
Technion are raising funds to support their project to develop the “Safie” – a
biological system that detects very low concentrations of bacteria, unsafe
chemicals, toxins, hormones and allergens in food and water. Please help them to realize their aims.
Sell unwanted vouchers to those who want
them.
(Thanks to Israel21c) Israeli start-up Zeek has built a crowdsourcing
mobile app to help customers sell their unused gift certificates or store
credit (at a discount) to those who can use them. The app also warns about
expiry and your proximity to the relevant stores.
Microsoft chooses Israeli digital pen. Microsoft has chosen
Israel’s N-Trig to provide the digital pen technology for its new Surface Pro 3
tablet computer. N-trig provides high
performance controllers and a variety of active pen types for touch-enabled
smartphones, tablets and Ultrabook devices.
A tugboat for wayward
satellites.
(Thanks to Israel21c) Israeli start-up Effective Space Solutions (ESS)
is 18 months away from launching its micro-satellite “tugboat” to maneuver
communications satellites that fail to get into their correct orbit. It will also be able to take satellites into
a safe “graveyard” orbit at the end of their life.
As free as a “Bird”. Tel Aviv Radio TLV1’s
start-up of the week is Israel’s MUV Interactive, which is developing the
“Bird” – a device that turns any surface (e.g. your sofa or wall) into an
interactive touch screen simply by wearing a ring on your finger. Listen to the 7-minute interview on TLV1.
Water treatment for the nuclear energy
industry.
Israel’s RWL Water is supplying mobile water treatment systems to one of
America’s response centers that deliver non-emergency equipment to America’s
nuclear energy facilities.
http://www.rwlwater.com/sixteen-skid-mounted-mobile-water-treatment-systems-nuclear-energy-industry/
The world prints with Israeli
technology.
Indigo Digital Press was founded in 1977 in Israel, specializing in
digital offset printing presses and was acquired by HP in 2001. HP Indigo has
developed and grown to become a world leader in the digital printing industry.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Unemployment down again. Israel's unemployment rate
fell in July, to 6.2%, from 6.5% in June.
The number of people in full-time jobs (35 or more hours per week) rose
by some 27,000, or 1% compared to June.
Israel's tech start-ups
"thriving" despite Gaza conflict. Embassy of Israel in London’s Nathan Tsror
says, "Despite the fact that over 70 per cent of the country has been
exposed to increased volumes of rocket attacks, the robust Israeli economy
continues to operate as normal with very little impact from the conflict."
Jordan to buy $15
billion of Israeli gas. The Leviathan partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
with Jordan for the export of $15 billion of gas over 15 years. The agreement
will make Israel Jordan's principle supplier of natural gas in the coming
decades.
Developing water in Kazakhstan. Israel's Mekorot National
Water Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of
Kazakhstan for a program to develop the country's water resources. Geographic
constraints are causing a water shortage in Kazakhstan.
Israel secures European nuclear power
station.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s DSIT Solutions has received an order for
its Underwater Security System to protect am unnamed European Nuclear Power
facility.
Tracking cargo in Africa. (PR Newswire) Israel’s Pointer Telocation has been awarded a $1.3
million supply contract to provide tracking solutions for an unnamed customer
in Africa. Pointer’s advanced cargo and
monitoring devices will enable safe and efficient delivery of goods between
various countries in Africa.
Israel launches first Asian start-up
incubator.
StartupEast is the only accelerator in Israel having extensive business
networks across Asia, including Singapore, Hong Kong and Seoul. Its goal is to
bridge between Israeli innovation and the immense market opportunities, which
Asia presents.
Apple opens Israeli
sales office.
(Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.org)
Technology giant Apple will soon open an official office in Israel for
marketing and sales. Apple already
employs 600 (mostly Research & Development) staff. Apple is building new offices in Herzliya
Petuach to house all its employees.
Aston Martin opens
Israeli sales office. I doubt if we will see Mossad agents driving
around Israel in the Bond car, but I expect that at least one of Israel’s
successful entrepreneurs will splash out $2 million on an Aston Martin
Vanquish. I just hope that he/she
doesn’t try driving 300km / hour down my street.
Israel’s come a long way in 30 years. Comparing Israel’s 1984
statistics with 2014 really puts its economic miracle in context: GDP rose from
$30bn to $300bn; GDP per capita from $7k to $38k; Foreign currency deposits
from $3bn to $89bn; exports from $10bn to $90bn; and its public debt ratio fell
from 280% to 66%.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
The artist who cannot draw. (Thanks to Israel21c)
Israeli artist Hanoch Piven’s inability to draw forced him use everyday
objects, including food, to make his pictures.
He now illustrates top magazines; produces children’s books, mobile apps
and tours Israel and the USA inspiring young students to be creative.
Manhattan Transfer – Israeli directed
for 35 years.
Those who have enjoyed listening to vocal harmony group Manhattan
Transfer over the years may be surprised to discover that its musical director
and pianist since 1979 is Tel Aviv-born and bred Yaron Gershovsky. Manhattan Transfer is performing at Tel Aviv
port.
A spoonful of hope. Not just entertainment, but
a way to help children in Southern Israel.
Desert Rose Productions is doing a fund raising event in Ra’anana on the
17th of September to raise money for 'A Spoonful of Hope' who are making Rosh
Hashana gift boxes for the children in the South. Please support it if you can.
Israeli wins silver medal at World Judo
championships.
Yarden Gerbi came up just short in her attempt to defend her title at
the World Judo Championships, winning a silver medal in the under-63 kg
competition. The final against France’s
Clarisse Agbegnenou was a repeat of last year’s final, which Gerbi had won.
THE JEWISH STATE
Archaeologists unearth
Canaanite wine cellar. Excavations at Tel Kabri, near Nahariya in Northern Israel have
revealed a 3,600-year-old palace storeroom full of wine jars. Two further storerooms will be excavated in
2015 and may provide a glimpse of the agriculture of the Land of Israel at the
time that the Israelites entered it.
US medics help at Israeli hospitals. Over the last seven weeks,
the Emergency Volunteers Program (EVP) has brought volunteer emergency first
responders from various locations in the United States to help out where they
were most needed – southern Israel.
In the 31st Aug 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Israel’s ReWalk inventor is still
wheelchair-bound, so he has invented the UPnRIDE.
·
Israeli surgeons have repaired the
heart of a Yazidi infant from Northern Iraq.
·
An Israeli company says its technology
produces virtually every electronic device.
·
An Israeli “search and rescue” device
could be the answer to the terrorist tunnel threat.
·
Israel has a new multi-billion-dollar
company – MobilEye.
·
Israel wins an “Emmy” for
technological excellence.
·
The oldest metal object made by humans
has been discovered – in Israel of course!
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
A foolproof method for diagnosing ADHD. Scientists at Tel Aviv
University, Sheba Medical Center and Haifa University have discovered the first
objective system for diagnosing ADHD.
Involuntary eye movements accurately reflect the presence of ADHD. The test is affordable and accessible.
International conference on pancreatic
disease.
Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem has hosted an international conference
focusing on inherited pancreatic diseases.
It included physicians from Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Norway,
Spain, and the US specializing in identifying genes related to chronic diseases
of the pancreas.
Soon, even
quadriplegics will be able to stand up. (Thanks to Hazel and Israel21c) Israel’s
Amit Goffer invented ReWalk to help paraplegics to walk. But Amit is a
quadriplegic and cannot use ReWalk. So he has
invented the UPnRIDE, which allows almost every wheelchair user to stand
upright – even on sloping ground.
Whey to go! A joint study by Israeli and Swedish
researchers has found that a plain whey protein drink one half hour before
breakfast could help diabetics, or pre-diabetics, prevent blood sugar spikes
and better manage the disease. Blood glucose levels were reduced, insulin
levels were higher and the response was earlier.
Successful transplants following cardiac
death. More
lives can be saved now that Israel has adopted technology to allow transplants
from donors whose hearts have stopped beating.
Previously, some religious authorities rejected brain-stem death, whilst
cardiac death damaged vital organs making them unusable.
The only Middle-East member of ISOC. The exclusive International
Society of Orthopedic Centers (ISOC) has expanded its membership to include one
center in the Middle East: Jerusalem’s
Hadassah Medical Center. ISOC members
must perform a minimum of 5,000 orthopedic surgeries each year.
New pipeline for brain disease
treatments.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s Kadimastem is to work with giant Merck to
conduct screening for new treatments into Multiple Sclerosis and other
neurodegenerative diseases.
Kadimastem’s revolutionary technology uses stem cells to produce cells
that protect or repair brain function.
Mother’s cancer drives daughter to
research breakthrough. Dr. Svetlana Bunimovich of Ariel University has developed
mathematical models to improve the treatment of bladder cancer. She was inspired to study the issue when her
mother was diagnosed with bladder cancer.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Jerusalem’s Old City to become
disabled-friendly.
(Thanks to Janglo.net) The Jerusalem Development Authority has announced
a 20-million shekel project to open up the Old City for tourists with
disabilities. Sloping ramps will be
built in the Jewish Quarter, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the City of
David.
Israeli Arabs
in the news.
(Thanks to Hazel) Professor Ahmed Eid is Hadassah’s head of surgery, while
everyone at Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon loves Dr. Rabia Darawasha. Meanwhile, Technion graduate Johny Srouji
was appointed as the vice president of hardware technologies at Apple,
reporting to CEO Tim Cook.
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/08/14/avi-benlolo-in-a-hospital-under-fire-from-gaza-we-see-the-best-of-israel/ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4559672,00.html
Israel evacuates Gazans to Turkey. Around 100 Gazans are
transferred for treatment to Israeli hospitals every month. However, some refuse to be (or are prevented
by Hamas from being) treated in Israel.
So Magen David Adom helped evacuate 18 Gazans by plane to take them for
treatment at a hospital in Ankara, Turkey.
And here are some Gazans who are being
treated in Israel.
Israeli hospital delivers another Syrian
baby.
(Thanks to Israel21c) A Syrian woman fleeing from Quneitra gave birth to
her first child at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed (Tsfat). This is the seventh
birth of a Syrian baby at the northern Israeli medical center.
Israel treats sick
Yazidi child.
(Thanks to Hazel and Israel21c)
A Yazidi child from Northern Iraq was given life-saving heart surgery in
Israel.
Israeli appointed as head of European
medical group.
Dr Zev Goldik from Haifa's Carmel Hospital is the first Israeli to be
elected President of the European Society of Anesthesiology (ESA). The ESA has over 18,000 members in 40 EU
countries.
Why are Israeli startups leading the
tech world?
Interesting article in Popular Science magazine explains that
cross-pollination between military and civilian technologies fuels Israel’s
fast-moving hi-tech industry.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Institute for transport innovation. Tel Aviv University is to
open the country’s first National Research Institute for Transportation
Innovation. The institute will receive
NIS 13.5 million in funding for the next five years. Entrepreneurs will be invited to perform research in the Porter
School and receive financial support.
NASA adopts Israeli space camera. NASA has adopted Israeli
technology for a robot to inspect equipment in deep space. The Visual
Inspection Poseable Invertebrate Robot, or VIPIR, is an articulating borescope
tool and a tiny camera from Israeli medical device company Medigus to provide a
close-up look at space equipment.
“Today, virtually
every electronic device is produced using Orbotech technology.” (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Now
you have it – one Israeli company is responsible for the production of almost
every single electronic device in the world.
Read this statement in Yavne-based Orbotech’s latest Press Release.
A complete pre-school learning program. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Herzliya’s Tiltan Games announced a new versatile educational program for
preschool, pre-K and kindergarten kids. It includes over 30 topics and
games. Adaptive practice and test modules
provide a personalized growth experience.
A “whole body” of knowledge. Students taking the
Interactive Objects course run by Israel’s Technion can certainly get totally
immersed in some exciting projects.
They reflect today's world of design, which must consider the ability to
create user interaction or to respond to changes in the environment.
Rescue device can also
detect tunneling.
Israel’s Elpam Electronics originally developed the geophone to find
people trapped under the debris of collapsed buildings. Now it is updating the device to locate the
sound of someone crawling up to 10 meters below the surface of the ground.
Israel plans center for agriculture
technology in Goa. Israel is setting up a “center
of excellence” in Goa, providing technological solutions to agricultural
issues. Israel’s consul general in
Mumbai, Davik Akov wants to add Goa (India’s smallest state by size) to the 20
other centers offering Israeli technology all over India.
How to design urban shade. The Design Museum in Holon
is running a unique international competition - to design and build a prototype
of a shaded open space. 17 teams from
Israel, USA, UK, six European countries, Chile and Turkey aim to advance the
transformation of public spaces in countries with similar climates to Israel.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israeli red algae powers new Clinique
serum.
(Thanks to Israel21c) Cosmetics giant Clinique has launched a new
skin-care product formulated from a species of algae grown in Israel.
Clinique’s new “Smart Custom-Repair Serum” has 37 patents and took 5 years of
research and development. Feedback
appreciated.
More investment in startups. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) To
encourage more seed stage investment, Israel’s finance and economy ministries
have proposed simpler criteria for tax incentives, such as deducting the amount
invested from taxes owed. The plan will
come into effect in 2015 if approved by the socio-economic cabinet.
MobilEye is Israel’s
most valuable company. In the most successful Initial Public Offering in Israeli
history, driving assistance technology company Mobileye raised $1.023 billion
on the New York Stock Exchange. Then on
the first day of trading, MobilEye’s share price rose 48%, valuing the Israeli
company at $7.86 billion.
The world loves Israeli companies. The BDS thugs will not like
this. Israel is the 4th most attractive
country for foreign direct investment.
Recent $multi-million deals include Gamida Cell (by Novatis), Simbionix
(by 3D Systems), ClarityRay (by Yahoo), Lamina (by China’s Catalyst CEL) and
VidMind (by Russia’s Trellas).
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
International Klezmer festival in
Jerusalem.
Klezmer musicians from around the world gathered for the first
International Klezmer Festival in Jerusalem.
The festival synthesizes classical klezmer music with the more modern
style, mixing traditional diaspora concept of klezmer with the latest
Israeli-style music.
Red Sea Jazz festival in Eilat. Running since 1987, this
year’s Red Sea Jazz festival's program offers daily shows at 3 Eilat venues,
featuring 20 international and local ensembles - altogether 40 shows over four
days. Every day at 7pm, a free show
brings to stage the best up-and-coming Israeli Jazz bands.
Israeli company wins
Emmy award.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s Jinni has won the 66th annual Emmy for
Technology & Engineering. The award is for the company’s contribution to
Personalized Recommendation Engines for Video Discovery. Jinni has set the
standard for technological excellence in the industry.
The first episode of “The Israel Story”. Israel’s version of “This
American Life” is now available in English.
What to do in the heat? Having just returned from a
cool UK to the Israeli summer, this site is very timely.
Israeli takes world wakeboard
championship.
Israel’s Lior Sofer won the men's division at the 8th Cable Wakeboard
World Championships held in Norway.
With around 200 competitors from 25 countries, Lior crashed on his first
run but scored 94 points on his second attempt - nine ahead of his nearest
rival.
The first-ever Israeli to win a European
sprint medal.
Donald Sanford made history when he became the first Israeli to win a
medal in a sprint event at the European Championships, finishing the 400-meter
final in third place in Zurich, Switzerland.
Sanford broke the Israeli record with 45.27 seconds.
Israel secures Eurobasketball
qualification.
Israel progressed to a 12th consecutive EuroBasket tournament in
impressive style, crushing the Netherlands 83-60 in Nicosia, Cyprus to win
qualifying Group B with a game to spare.
Israel finishes its qualifying campaign in first place for the first
time since 2001.
THE JEWISH STATE
Oldest metal object
found in Israel. Israeli archaeologists have
discovered a 7000-year-old copper awl in Northern Israel during excavations of
Tel Tsaf. It is the oldest known find
of a metal object made by humans.
Israel’s Indian friends march in their
thousands.
(Thanks to Hazel) In the
biggest pro-Israel, anti-terrorist rally in recent years, an estimated 20,000
gathered in Kolkata, India in a show of solidarity with Israel.
140817
In the 17th Aug 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
A new life-saving Israeli wound
treatment has been proven “in action”.
·
Israel’s revolutionary new
hip-replacement device will never need replacing.
·
The first Arab Bedouin co-operative is
launched – in Israel of course.
·
Israel wins the International
Mathematics Competition for the first time.
·
Two Israeli medical companies are
launching on NASDAQ.
·
Coins minted by the Jewish State 2000
years ago have been unearthed near Jerusalem.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Wound closure
technology saves Israeli soldiers. Soldiers wounded in Operation Protective
Edge are benefiting from a brand-new Israeli technology to close open wounds
quickly. TopClosure acts like a medical
zip to protect wounds immediately when they are inflicted, allowing them to be
fully treated later.
Israel pioneers the future of medicine. Electronic Medical Records
transformed Israel’s health system and convinced the USA to implement
them. Sensing technology is the next
big advance. Jerusalem’s symposium
“Connected Health and Vulnerable Populations” showed how Israel is a prototype
for global better health.
ALS sufferers live longer in Israel. In global terms, between 5
and 10 percent of ALS sufferers survive more than 10 years after being
diagnosed. But in Israel, 20 percent of ALS patients survive longer. The high survival rate is thought to be due
to family support systems, the Israeli health care system and early diagnosis.
Brainstorm completes stem cell
bioreactor.
Israel’s BrainStorm, together with Canadian company Octane Biotech, has
built a bioreactor for commercial production of the stem cells used as a basis
for the company's treatment for ALCS. The ability to multiply stem cells is
critical for the treatment's success.
Israeli scientist leads search for Ebola
cure.
Virologist Dr. Leslie Lobel from Ben Gurion University is developing a
vaccine to defeat the Ebola virus by studying the immune systems of the
disease’s survivors. He has spent 12
years studying the disease in Uganda.
New pancreatic cancer treatment is now
Israeli.
Normally, foreign investors acquire Israeli biotechs that develop cancer
treatments. But here, Israel’s Redhill
Biopharma has bought pancreatic cancer treatment RP101 from Germany’s
RESprotect GmbH. RP101 has passed Phase II trials and has vital orphan status.
Revolutionary device
for hip replacements. Israel’s MMATech Ltd develops components for total hip implants,
made of a revolutionary Polyimide material, MP1 developed originally for the
aerospace industry. They are self-lubricating, durable, and have a long lifespan. MMATech is raising funds for FDA approval.
GE selects heart-attack prevention
watch.
Israeli start-up Oxitone literally keeps a “watch” on blood-oxygen
levels affecting the heart. Two optical lasers are built into an oximeter that
sits on the wrist. GE Healthcare chose Oxitone from 400 companies and is the
only foreign company to join GE’s entrepreneur program.
Vaccine protects against all avian flu
strains.
Israeli biotech BiondVax has announced that its M-001 vaccine has been
validated against all H7 virus strains, thus protecting against all avian
(bird) flu variations.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Up to 90 days sick leave for parents. Israel’s Ministerial Law
Committee has approved a bill that grants up to 90 days sick leave annually for
the parents of an ill child. Just as there is a responsibility to care for ill
children, the state also has a responsibility to see to it that the child’s
parents can do what the situation demands.
The world’s first Arab
Bedouin cooperative. Israel’s Arab-Jewish Center
for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation has launched the Mara'i Sheep
Breeders Cooperative. Initially
comprising 10 Bedouin shepherd families, the cooperative is expected to become
a model for Arab livestock raisers and business owners.
Israel provides 10 generators to Gaza
hospitals.
(Thanks to Rodger) On Aug 6th, in a unique (mostly unreported)
deployment operation, the Israel Electric Company transferred 10 generators
with a total capacity of 4.3 megawatts via the cargo terminal at Kerem Shalom
for the benefit of hospitals in Gaza.
Study for a green MBA. Israel is one of
the world’s most advanced countries for the management of water and renewable
energy resources, and a leader in developing innovative and sustainable
technologies. Haifa University’s new MBA program focuses on the subject of
Sustainable Business Management.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
How earthquakes form. Da Vinci defined the
mechanics that drive earthquakes over 500 years ago, but he wasn’t
accurate. New research by scientists at
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has demonstrated that friction can only
occur when the connections between the surfaces are first ruptured in an
orderly process.
One-minute construction. You would expect that
engineers at Israel’s Technion could build quickly, but time-lapse photography
reduces the construction time for the new D. Dan and Betty Kahn Mechanical
Engineering building down to just sixty seconds!
New energy cyber security center. Israel’s energy cyber
security firm Nation-E plans to launch its energy cyber security center in
Hadera on September 15. Companies worldwide can evaluate microgrids, smart
meters, and all grid-connected devices, and determine how and why attackers are
able to infringe their networks.
Joint nano-research gets $675,000 grant. Scientists at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem and Yeshiva University of New York will together study
colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals - tiny synthetic particles containing
metal impurities with intriguing implications for the electronics, solar energy
and biological fields.
The fastest switch in the world. (Thanks to Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Mellanox has launched the world’s first 100Gb/s EDR InfiniBand switch. Switch-IB is the world’s fastest computer
switch with 36-ports of 100Gb/s to provide 7.2Tb/s of switching capacity - 250
percent higher than any alternative and ideal for data centers.
The first scalable credit-card-size
computer.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israeli-Arab start-up SolidRun has developed
another tiny computer. The credit-card-size Hummingboard HB-i1 has 512MB RAM,
two USB ports, a Fast Ethernet network port, Freescale's i.MX6 system on chip,
1GHz ARM A9 core and costs from $45.
Israeli team wins
international math competition. For the first time ever, an Israeli team won
the International Mathematics Competition, held this year in Bulgaria. The four
Tel Aviv University and two Technion students received 355 points -- 38 more
than the second-place group.
No limit to where free wireless can be
set-up.
Israel’s Communications Minister Gilad Erdan has signed an order that
removes limitations on the public use of Wi-fi hotspots. From now on, anyone
anywhere in Israel will be allowed to set up a hotspot - providing free
Internet outdoors as well as indoors.
Converting electricity from buildings. (Thanks to Israel21c)
Israeli start-up SolarOr has developed BIPV - building-integrated
photovoltaic. The BIPV panels convert
Direct Current trapped in a building into AC energy that can be used locally or
sold back to the electric company.
Scientists discover Israel’s deepest
cave.
Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have found the
deepest cave so far discovered in Israel. Located near Israel’s border with
Lebanon, the cave is 187 meters below ground - 30 meters deeper than the
previous Israeli record-holder, which was mapped 30 years ago.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Undertone acquires Upfront. (Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.org) Digital advertiser
Undertone, has bought Israeli brand-focused programmatic platform, Upfront
Digital Media. Following the acquisition, Undertone is to set up its first
development center in Israel.
Supersonic to expand in Asia. Israeli mobile advertising
technology company Supersonic has raised $15 million to further its growth and
expand its operations in Asia. Formerly
known as SupersonicAds, the company has developed an in-app monetization and
user acquisition platform.
OurCrowd has raised $60 million for 46
startups.
OurCrowd, the leading equity crowdfunding platform for accredited
investors, announced that it has successfully raised a total of $60 million, in
its 16 months of existence, for its 46 portfolio Israeli companies.
50 years of commercializing innovations. Founded in 1964 to protect
and commercialize the Hebrew University’s intellectual property, Yissum has
registered over 8,500 patents covering 2,450 inventions; licensed out 750
technologies and spun-off 90 companies. Its products generate over $2 billion
in annual sales.
http://www.afhu.org/yissum-jubilee-celebrating-50-years-of-commercializing-innovations/news/#.U89ZnED58kQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmBnFp5juMw
Display panels for Chinese factory. Israel’s Orbotech has
received orders worth $55 million for inspection, testing and repair equipment
at Nanjing CEC Panda LCD Technology Co., Ltd. - a China Electronics Corp.
company.
Israel attracts foreign investors while
confronting terrorism. An upbeat summary by Yoram Ettinger of recent Israeli economic
news.
Israeli water delegation impresses U.S.
Food & Beverage industry. Israeli water technology companies recently
met with large food & beverage companies in Chicago, Minneapolis,
Philadelphia, and Delaware. They had much to offer the F&B market in the
areas of safe water, water reuse, water ratio and better sustainability.
ReWalk to launch on
NASDAQ.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s ReWalk Robotics (previously Argo Medical)
has filed for an IPO on Nasdaq to raise $58 million. ReWalk’s flagship product is a robotic exoskeleton that provides
powered hip and knee motion to enable individuals with Spinal Cord Injury to
stand upright and walk.
Wound treatment
biotech to launch on NASDAQ. Israel’s Macrocure’s white blood cell injections
treat hard-to-heal and chronic wounds. It wants to raise $75 million from an
IPO on NASDAQ to finance its CureXcell a cell-based therapy that restores the
natural balance required for the wound healing process.
Intelligent Israeli companies. For years I have been using
the Israeli artificial intelligence system Genieo to find relevant news items
to feature in my newsletter. Now,
Genieo itself has become a news item.
It has been taken over by another Israeli software company –
Somoto.
Tax breaks to create 3,000 cyber jobs in
Negev.
(Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.org)
Israel is to give tax breaks and access to cooperative cyber programs to lure
leading domestic and multinational firms to a new national cyber park in the
Negev desert. Israel aims to create
3,000 cyber-related jobs over the next 10 years. http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140708/DEFREG04/307080024/Israel-Pledges-Tax-Breaks-Prospective-Cyber-Partners
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Great Israeli music. Kol Cambridge’s DJ
Antithesis on Tel Aviv’s Radio TLV1 pays tribute to the soldiers who keep us
safe and reflects on the emotions that have flooded our hearts with a selection
of Israeli singers and songwriters.
THE JEWISH STATE
What matters is our family. Lone soldiers leave their
Diaspora homes to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Most men become combat soldiers. Some women also fight in combat,
while most serve as instructors in army technology, or deal with the press and
plan missions that hopefully will never need to be carried out.
Israeli youth step up to the challenge. Israeli children are
foregoing their summer vacation plans in favor of helping children in the bomb
shelters in Ashdod, helping senior citizens, volunteering at hospitals,
contributing to public diplomacy and collecting care packages for the soldiers
on the front.
114 bronze Jewish
revolt coins found near Jerusalem. A hoard of coins from the fourth year of the
Jewish Revolt against Rome - minted months before the fall of Jerusalem in 70
CE – was unearthed during the expansion of Route 1, the major highway
connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Preparing for the Shmitta (7th) year. Observant Israeli farmers
may be making the desert bloom, but every 7 years they must let the land of
Israel rest. So in the months before
the Jewish New Year it is a very busy time. Here is what Shoshana and Yoni
Rappeport have been doing in their Argan tree plantation.
In the 27th Jul 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
US and European medical authorities
have approved a unique Israeli spine support implant.
·
Diabetics can use an Israeli mobile
app to request local help.
·
IDF medics have set up a field
hospital to treat wounded Gazans.
·
Israeli self-sustaining mini-farms can
help feed millions of hungry people.
·
Israel’s rise in employment is the
highest in the OECD.
·
Israel’s biggest natural gas field is
even larger than previous estimates.
·
David Blatt has become the first ever
Israeli to coach an NBA team.
·
An ancient mosaic featuring elephants
was found in a 1600-year-old Israeli synagogue.
·
Click here to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News and IsraelSeen.com.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Spine support cage
gets US & EU approval. Formal US and European clearances have been
granted to FLXfit, the world's first 3D expandable interbody cage, developed by
Israel’s Expanding Orthopedics. The
minimally invasive implant corrects spine deformities.
Safer cancer radiation therapy. Israeli startup Convergent
RNR has developed MercyBeam, to improve radiation therapy for patients. A patented lens collects most of the X-rays
from any standard X-ray generator and focuses them at the tumor. It increases
the therapeutic dose where it’s needed and not at surrounding tissue.
New process to diagnose blood clots in
pregnant women.
Researchers at Soroka University Medical Center and Ben-Gurion
University have developed a simple way to identify clotting problems early in
pregnant women. The team used a point
system to determine a baseline to diagnose clotting disorders.
Eating whey protein before a meal helps
control diabetes.
(Thanks to Michael H) Israeli researchers have discovered that consuming
whey protein before a regular breakfast reduces blood sugar spikes after meals
and also improves the body's insulin response. Thus whey protein could help diabetics
control blood sugar.
An app for diabetics
to get immediate help in a crowd. (Thanks to NoCamels.com) Israeli Shlomi
Aflalo developed HelpAround, a crowdsourcing application for people with
diabetes and other chronic diseases. It allows them to communicate and get
immediate help from people in the vicinity.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
$1.75 million donation to Israeli
disabled charities. The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust is giving $1
million to SHALVA, The Association for Mentally and Physically Challenged
Children in Israel. Also, $750,000 to
Beit Halochem-Tel Aviv, which provides services for disabled IDF veterans.
Israeli re-elected to UN committee on
women. (Thanks to Hazel) For the third year in a
row, Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari of Bar Ilan University has been elected as
a member of the United Nation's Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women.
Israel named Tier 1 nation in combating
human trafficking.
Israel has been awarded the highest ranking for its efforts to combat
human trafficking in the U.S. State Department's 2014 Trafficking in Persons
Report. It praises Israel's efforts to identify and rescue trafficking victims
and take punitive steps against traffickers.
Muslim Zionist and an IDF officer. Ala Wahib is the operations
officer at a key IDF ground forces training base and the highest-ranked Muslim
officer in the Israeli army. He said,
“I believe in the Muslim faith, and I will never abandon it, but I think that
Zionism is more than a religion.”
Please read his amazing story.
IDF field hospital for
injured Gazans.
The IDF has set up a field hospital at the Erez border crossing between
Israel and the Gaza Strip, mainly for women and children from Gaza. It will include a delivery room.
http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/IDF-sets-up-field-hospital-at-Erez-border-crossing-for-injured-Palestinians-363541 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ls3WpCmwk
Israel allows aid into Gaza. Despite ongoing rocket fire
at Israel from Gaza Strip, some trucks of goods including medicines, food and
basic products entered Gaza from Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem 22nd best
in the world.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has ranked 22nd among the world’s top
universities according to the Saudi Arabia-based Center for World University
Rankings. CWUR evaluates the top 1,000 universities using objective academic
and research indicators.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Green fabric printing. Israel’s Kornit Digital
Printing has developed water-based inks that are entirely organic, 100%
non-toxic, vegan friendly and compatible with all types of fabric. The company’s high-speed DTG printers are
“revolutionizing” the industry with single step fabric printing and no
additional finishing.
Student villages built from recycled shipping
containers.
The Ayalim Association has built a series of ‘student villages’
throughout Israel. The latest in the city of Lod, not far from Israel’s
international airport, has been constructed out of recycled shipping containers.
Mini-farms can feed a
hungry world.
(Thanks to Hazel) Israelis Moti Cohen and Mendi Pollak won the $20,000
top prize in the Pears Challenge. Their Livingbox “mini-farm” can grow
vegetables anywhere, with a self-sustaining “closed loop” of energy and
nutrition. The idea can help feed a billion needy people.
Saving water in agriculture. Israel’s Netafim has
completed a successful international pilot project of its uManage platform,
which helps farmers to monitor irrigation/fertilizer performance and yields.
The software analyzes wind direction, weather forecast, temperature, radiation,
soil moisture and fertilizer.
The world’s first photonic router. (Thanks to Nevet - www.broaderview.org) Scientists at
Israel’s Weizmann Institute have demonstrated for the first time a photonic
router – an atom-based device that enables routing of single photons. It is a
step towards building quantum computers that can process huge amounts of data.
Graduating in the greenest building in
the Middle East.
32 Tel Aviv University Environmental Masters graduates received their
MAs and MSc’s at a ceremony in the brand new Porter School of Environmental
Studies Building.
Israeli designs Singapore Airport’s
bio-dome.
(Thanks to NoCamels.com) Israeli architect Moshe Safdie is building a
huge bio-dome at Singapore’s Changi Airport. It will contain lavish gardens and
fluid waterfalls that will pour down from the dome’s roof. The dome will connect
Changi Airport’s terminals 1, 2 and 3.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel employment rate
rise is highest in the OECD. The Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) has reported that between 2010 and 2014, Israeli
employment rose 13% compared to the OECD average of 2%. The employment rate for Israeli women was
6.5% higher than the OECD average.
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange joins Europe. The General Assembly of the
Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE) unanimously approved the
application of Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) to become an Affiliate
member. FESE has 21 Full members, 20
Affiliates and two Observer members.
We’re at war, and the stock market is
up? Go figure!
Jon Medved, CEO of Israel’s OurCrowd is extremely bullish about the
financial resilience of Israel’s economy during the current fighting against
Hamas terrorists.
China boosts Israel ties. A Chinese delegation,
headed by Ren Zhiwu - deputy director-general of the High-Tech Industry
Department of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) - arrived
in Israel, the first time the high-level government team has come to Israel.
Vietnam’s trade with Israel surges 53
per cent.
Trade between Vietnam and Israel increased significantly during the
first half of this year, reaching US$426 million or increasing 53 per cent
year-on-year.
Unlimited coffee is now available in New
York.
Israeli start-up “Cups” is expanding its virtually unlimited coffee
supply to New York. Using Cups app, individuals pay a fixed rate of $45 dollars
a month to receive a coffee of their choice at participating shops every half
hour. Or $27 dollars a month buys one coffee per day.
http://cupsapp.com/ http://www.fastcompany.com/3009385/tech-forecast/cups-the-app-for-coffee-addicts
25 Israeli start-ups to watch. Forbes magazine has listed
25 Israeli startups to keep your eye on in 2014. It says that Kaltura is most likely to be “one of the next
billion-dollar exits” thanks to its wide-ranging video solutions platform. It
also likes Petbnb, which pairs traveling pet owners with caretakers for their
pets.
Google’s $100m Europe fund to invest in
Israeli startups.
Five years after launching its Google Ventures investment fund, the
Internet giant announced yesterday that it was launching a similar fund in
Europe. sources informed "Globes" that Google will also use the fund
to make investments in suitable Israeli start-ups.
Mobileye is a $3-5 billion company. Israeli collision avoidance
solutions developer Mobileye is looking to raise $150 in funding from its US
public listing. Mobileye has developed
a camera-based system mounted in vehicles that reads the road ahead and is
designed to help drivers avoid accidents.
Leviathan gas field is
larger than expected. The estimated size of Israel’s largest natural gas reserve was
raised by 16 percent. An updated analysis based on 3D seismic surveys has
calculated the field to hold 21.93 trillion cubic feet (620 billion cubic
meters.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli caves named UNESCO World
Heritage site.
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee added Israel’s 2,000-year-old Beit
Guvrin-Maresha caves to its prestigious list, during its annual meeting in
Qatar. The bell caves consist of
thousands of chambers and networks.
Israel now has a total of eight World Heritage sites.
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys to
perform in Israel. The Beach Boys are coming to
Israel in 2015. “America’s Rock Band” has produced a record thirty-six US Top
40 hits, selling over 100 million records worldwide. Rolling Stone Magazine
ranks the Beach Boys as the 12th greatest artist of all time.
Tony Bennett due in Israel in September. After a 60-year musical
career, Tony Bennett is finally coming to Israel. The 88-year-old American
singer, known for his deep baritone voice, will perform at Tel Aviv's Charles
Bronfman Auditorium on September 14.
David Blatt is the first Israeli to
coach in the NBA.
David Blatt has accepted an offer to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Blatt, who steered Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Euroleague basketball championship
this season, is the first Israeli head coach to make it to America’s NBA.
THE JEWISH STATE
Visit Nahal Teninim – Nature reserve and
Roman aquaduct.
Nachal Teninim (Aligator stream) is a wonderful national nature reserve
and is home to a Roman dam and aquaduct that brought fresh water to
Caesarea. Also features an ancient rock
quarry, a byzantine flour mill and waterfalls.
New mosaic discovered
in ancient synagogue. A mosaic depicting a non-biblical battle scene has been uncovered
in a 5th century CE synagogue in Northern Israel. It features a group of soldiers and elephants clad in armor. It might be a depiction of Alexander the
Great meeting Jewish high priest Jaddua (Simon the Just).
IDF rescue team honored 20 years after
AMIA bombing.
AMIA leaders came to Israel to mark AMIA’s 120th anniversary
and the 20th anniversary of the attack on AMIA’s center in Buenos Aires that
killed 85 and injured hundreds. Ariel
Cohen Sabban, AMIA treasurer, said, “We will never forget that Israel helped
us.”
Six new bus lines in Judea and Samaria. As residents of Judea and
Samaria express concern over the frequency of public transportation and the
resultant need to hitchhike, the Egged bus cooperative has launched six new
routes and announced improvements to several others.
Christian NGO brings Sderot Holocaust
survivors to Jerusalem. Israel Always, a US-based Christian NGO, is caring for a group of
20 Holocaust survivors who have been bombarded by rockets in Sderot. It has
taken them to Jerusalem, where it is providing free hotel accommodations, meals
and activities.
1.75 million friends of Israel. With nearly 1.75 million
members, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) calls itself the largest
pro-Israel organization in the United States.
At their annual summit in Washington, CUFI leader David Brog said, “we
have to speak out and be a voice for Israel”.
Open Hearts, Open Homes. (Thanks to Howard) As in
previous years, the Jewish Community Center, Bergen County, Washington, New
Jersey is running a program that provides respite and fun to Israeli teens that
live along the Gaza border. Please can
other communities in the USA offer this kind of mitzvah (good deed).
140720
Israel beat Germany
15-1.
Israel’s national team defeated Germany, 15-1, at the World Lacrosse
Championships in Colorado, USA, and advanced to the quarterfinals. Israel won its three preliminary-round and
two knockout-round games, eventually beating 4th seed Japan to secure world
number 7 ranking.
THE JEWISH STATE
Chabad
“Mitzva Tank” joins IDF troops on the front line. A group of Chabad activists traveled to the border with Gaza in
their "Mitzvah Tank" - a truck loaded not with weapons or ammunition,
but with holy items to provide spiritual and moral support to the soldiers who
at any minute could be called into battle.
400 French Jews
immigrate despite Gaza terrorists. Some 400 French Jews have just made Aliyah,
undeterred by the ongoing rocket fire and conflict with terrorist groups in
Gaza. Most of the immigrants are from
the Paris area. They include 195 minors and 18 babies. 900 Jews made Aliyah in
the past week.
Israeli children sing to counter fear of
rocket attacks.
This song was composed by a local teacher and has been taught to
hundreds of schoolchildren within firing range of Gaza's rockets to help them
deal with the fear and trauma of having 15 seconds to run for cover when the
Color Red siren sounds.
Summer camps and excursions for families
from the south. Guides from the KKL-JNF quit their
regular jobs to assist in activities for the children of Ashkelon in shelters
and protected spaces. KKL-JNF also organized a fun day in the forests of
Jerusalem for families from Gaza border communities.
140706
In the 6th Jul 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli researchers have discovered a
protein that triggers Alzheimer’s.
·
The Israeli Embassy in Kenya has
renovated a Nairobi hospital’s cancer ward.
·
It’s official – Israel is the world’s
top country for clean technology.
·
An Israeli scientist has developed a
packaging to keep fruit and vegetables fresh.
·
A turnaround? - Two Israeli hi-tech
companies have taken over US firms.
·
A Jewish family living in war-torn
Syria has been rescued and brought to Israel.
·
Last week’s JPost Israel Good News
descriptive summary. Click here for “The
Value of Life” (fast-loading version, no adverts). Also in San
Diego Jewish World, Jewish
Business News and IsraelSeen.
·
Click here to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News and IsraelSeen.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Non-invasive test for artery function. Israel’s Itamar Medical
manufactures the EndoPAT diagnostic device that measures how well your arteries
are working. Japan’s Nihon Kohden will
market EndoPAT to 100,000 doctors in Japan as its flagship product for
monitoring the heart and blood vessels.
Tiny propellers can steer to the
cells. Nano-sized
propellers have been developed by researchers at Haifa’s Technion-Israel
Institute of Technology and at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. They have the potential to deliver
cancer-killing chemicals directly to tumors without harming healthy cells.
Kidney cells can regenerate. Until recently, scientists
believed that the liver was the only internal organ that could regenerate. Now researchers at Sheba Medical Center, Tel
Aviv University and Stanford University have traced cell growth in the
kidney. By speeding up growth they may
in the future cure Chronic Kidney Disease.
Molecules responsible for depression. Weizmann scientists have
identified a microRNA molecule miR135 that controls the levels of serotonin in
the brain. Patients suffering from
depression have unusually low miR135 levels in their blood. A treatment and diagnostic test are to be
developed by miCure Therapeutics.
Positive results in Type 1 diabetes
treatment study.
Israel’s Redhill Biopharma announced preliminary positive data from a
pre-clinical study with RHB-104 for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. Trials of RHB-104 for treating Crohn’s
disease and Multiple Sclerosis are on going and are planned for Rheumatoid
Arthritis.
Researchers find major
clue toward Alzheimer’s cure. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have
discovered one of the reasons for the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. A
molecular mechanism involving amyloid precursor protein (APP) elevates brain
neuron function and “short-circuits” brain communications.
ReWalk gets US FDA approval. US health regulators have
approved the ReWalk exoskeleton system developed by Israel’s Argo Medical. ReWalk’s leg braces, motion sensors and
motorized joints respond to subtle changes in upper-body movement and shifts in
balance, allowing paraplegics to stand and walk.
Doctors remove 8 objects swallowed by
infant.
Specialists at Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikvah
extracted 8 various foreign bodies from the esophagus of a 14-month-old infant.
Gastroenterologists, nutritionists and otolaryngologists extracted pumpkin
seeds, orange pits, humous balls and various pebbles.
A clinic to help diabetics age better. The Center for Successful
Aging with Diabetes at the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer is a model for
how diabetes can be managed. Patients
get a five-hour physical and cognitive checkup plus a plan of how to manage diabetes
and avoid complications such as dementia.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israel is a gateway to the Arab world. Due to the Syrian conflict,
numbers of trucks crossing between Israel and Jordan has risen 300 percent
since 2011, to 10,589 trucks a year. Exports from Turkey via Israel for passage
on to other countries were 77,337 tonnes in 2013 (17,882 in 2010). There are
major plans for further expansion.
Israel renovates
cancer ward in Kenya. (Thanks to Uri) Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman
inaugurated a pediatric oncology ward at the Kenyatta National Hospital in
Nairobi, renovated by the Embassy of Israel in Kenya. Israel’s MASHAV will facilitate specialized training for the
medical personnel.
Israel finds Allies in the Balkans. An Albanian delegation
visited the Jewish State along with its Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati who
pointed out that relations with Israel began before the creation of the Jewish
State. Now Israel’s entrepreneurs,
natural gas and water management systems are cementing that friendship.
North American students get business
skills in Israeli companies. In the Birthright Israel Excel Business
Leadership Program program’s fourth year, 40 students from top universities in
the US and Canada, are interning in Israel with companies including Citi,
Amdocs, General Motors, Microsoft, Tnuva and Wix.
Israel is the number 1
CleanTech country.
Israel came top of the 2014 Global Cleantech Innovation Index of The
Cleantech Group and World Wildlife Fund. It stated Israel “generates the
culture, education and ‘chutzpah’ necessary to breed innovation, plus it has
the survival instincts to manage a resource-constrained geography.”
http://israelnewtech.com/2014/07/israel-best-place-planet-clean-tech-entrepreneurs-according-cleantech-group-wwf/ http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/cleantechrepsm.pdf
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Perion protects Lenovo browsers. Israel’s Perion has
developed the Lenovo Browser Guard that will be pre-installed on Lenovo
laptops, PCs and tablets. It stops
Internet sites from installing unwanted software on your computer. It also prevents unauthorized changes to the
computer’s default browser and settings.
Electronic nose can smell bombs. Tel Aviv-based Tracense
Systems has developed the world’s first nanotech-based “electronic nose” to
sniff out security threats like bombs, biological warfare agents, and toxic
liquids. The ‘laboratory-on-a-chip’
sensors even outperform “sniffer” dogs.
Another top-quality Israeli mobile
camera.
(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s LinX Imaging has developed miniature
multi-aperture cameras for mobile devices. Twin sensors provide far better
quality than standard single sensors.
Functionality includes 3D face recognition and ability to refocus even
after capture.
Israel’s first thermo-solar power plant. Israel is set to enter the
thermo-solar arena by constructing the first thermo-solar field in Israel, at
Ashelim in the Negev. The NIS 2.9 billion ($850 million) sun tower will
generate 121MW of electric power (sufficient for a medium size Israeli city),
which will be fed into the Israeli grid.
UK Guardian “discovers” Israeli chemical
scanner. I
always like to highlight when anti-Israel media feature an Israeli
innovation. It took the UK Guardian
newspaper 2 months to report on Consumer Physics’ SCIO sensor. I wonder what the sensor indicates when
Guardian reporters test it on their brains.
Nano-crystals to illuminate your
display.
(Thanks to Israel21c) Israel’s Qlight has won the Best Nanotech Company
of the Year award at Nanotech Israel 2014. Its nano-crystals enhance the
quality and colors of LCD TV screens and LED lights while reducing energy
consumption. Qlight is 50% owned by Merck.
Molecule that disrupts
bacteria in food packaging. Graduate student Michael
Brandwein from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has incorporated a new module
TZD into cardboard packaging for agricultural produce. TZD was synthesized at the HUJ, which is
working with Kibbutz Beit Guvrin to commercialize the process.
Develop your website with Webydo. Israel’s Webydo is one of
the fastest growing designer communities in the world and has raised $7 million
in investment for its website-creation cloud platform. With it, designers can create, manage, and
host innovative websites, without writing code or hiring developers.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
20 Israeli ICT companies showcase at
Communicasia 2014.
Twenty innovative Israeli Information and Communications Technology
companies exhibited under the Israel National Pavilion at Asia’s most
established ICT, broadcast and digital multimedia trade event. 50,000 people
attended the four-day event in Singapore.
Israel to fund applied engineering research. Israel’s Ministry of Science,
Technology and Space plans to establish a new NIS 150 million a year fund (NIS
500,000-750,000 per project) to support applied research in engineering. The initiative is designed to alleviate
Israel’s current shortage of engineers.
New agro-tech
factory for Georgia USA. Israel’s Haifa Group, manufacturer of fertilizers for agriculture
and chemicals for the food industry, is to build a new controlled-release
fertilizer manufacturing facility in Savanah, Georgia. The company will invest
a reported $12 million and create about twenty new jobs.
Perion grows by
acquiring Grow Mobile. Israel’s Perion is to buy US company Grow Mobile for its mobile
advertising platform. Perion’s advanced
technology and solutions monetize the application or content of online
publishers and app developers and expand their reach to larger audiences.
EZchip acquires
Tilera.
Another Israeli takeover of a US company. Israeli microchip maker EZchip Semiconductor is to buy USA’s
Tilera Corporation for $130 million. Tilera develops high-performance
multi-core processors and intelligent network interface cards. The purchase will double EZchip’s market.
The best-designed handbag of 2014. From over 1,500 applicants,
the 2014 Bernina Best Handmade Handbag award went to Tel Aviv-based, two-woman
design team, MeDusa. The Independent
Handbag Designer Awards were founded in 2007 to celebrate handbag design and
creativity from around the world.
TowerJazz opens sales & support
office in Japan.
Israeli integrated circuit manufacturer TowerJazz will open a new office
in Kyoto, Japan to support its venture with Panasonic. TowerJazz Panasonic Semiconductor Company
already has 3 factories in Japan.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Do you pass the Israel test? Non-Jew, George Gilder has
produced a 5-minute video summary of his classic book “The Israel Test”. How do you view success? Do you envy it because it somehow diminishes
you? Or do you admire it and try to
emulate it? The book is an excellent
educational and inspirational read.
Ester Rada chosen for World Music Expo. Israeli ethio-soul singer
Ester Rada has been chosen to feature at the highly prestigious WOMEX (World
Music Expo) festival in Spain in October.
Organizers received over 850 showcase proposals and Rada was among the
first 10 acts to be selected of the 60 to be spotlighted.
66 top things to do in Israel this
summer for FREE.
(Thanks to Israel21c) Traveling around Israel doesn't have to be pricey.
In fact you can experience, see, taste, tour and get a feel of Israel on a
tight budget!
The world’s largest social soccer news
website.
(Thanks to Nocamels.com) Founded in 2011 by four Israeli entrepreneurs,
the world’s largest fan-generated soccer website FTBpro has over 2,000
passionate “fan writers”. They write thousands of articles each month in nine
languages for an audience of more than 10 million readers.
THE JEWISH STATE
Someone must be looking out for him. Yaron Shadadi was walking
with his dog near a Sderot paint factory when it went up in flames after a
rocket attack from Gaza. Shadadi was
lightly wounded and treated in Ashkelon hospital. In Nov 2012, Shadadi’s home suffered a direct hit from a Gaza
rocket but he was unhurt.
Syrian-Jewish family
smuggled to Israel. A family, which reportedly includes both Muslim and Jewish
members has fled civil war-torn Syria and is now living in a government
absorption center near Tel Aviv. The
NGO Israel Flying Aid and an Israeli-American businessman orchestrated their
escape.
140720
In the 20th Jul 2014 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Two Israeli biotechs have developed
solutions to eliminate diabetes.
·
An Israeli system can train your brain
so that you can read without glasses.
·
Israeli hospitals are treating Gazan
children, UN peacekeepers and the President of Zambia.
·
An Israeli alarm system reminds
drivers not to leave their baby in a hot car.
·
Japan’s research & development
agreement with Israel is its first with any foreign country.
·
Israel beat Germany and Japan at the
Lacrosse World Cup to become world number 7.
·
Despite the rockets from Gaza, 900
Jews began new lives in Israel last week.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Transforming liver
cells to cure type 1 diabetes. (Thanks to Israel21c) Israel’s Orgenesis is
a pioneer in the field of “cellular trans-differentiation”, a process to
transform a type 1 diabetic patient’s own liver cells into new
insulin-producing cells. Orgenesis is
partnering with Belgium’s MaSTherCell to scale up development.
Minimally invasive
implant to cure diabetes. Globes “startup of the week” is Israel’s Endobetix with its
implanted device that traps bile fluids and diverts them to another part of the
intestine. The result is lower blood
sugar without drugs or major surgery; hence no more diabetes.
Hadassah professor wins Euro Cystic
Fibrosis award.
Professor Eitan Kerem, MD, Chief of Pediatrics at Israel’s Hadassah
University Medical Center, is the recipient of the prestigious 2014 European
Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS) Award, for his research and contribution towards
further understanding and treating the disease.
National Education award for
experimental hospital school. Hadassah’s Experimental School (HES) has
been awarded Israel’s Ministry of Education “National Education Award”. HES serves children of all ages and
backgrounds in the Jerusalem area, providing a unique taste of "healthy
life".
FDA approves EarlySense smart chair
sensor.
EarlySense, developer and marketer of a hospital bed-monitoring device,
has developed a chair to perform the same task. The chair monitors heart rate,
respiration, and activity level. The product has now received US medical
approval for marketing to hospitals in the USA.
Get rid of your
reading glasses.
(Thanks to NoCamels.com) Scientists at Israel’s GlassesOff have
developed a proprietary method for improving near vision sharpness, by
improving the image processing function in the visual cortex of the brain. A smartphone app can turn back the age clock
of your eyes by over 8.5 years.
Another Alzheimer’s breakthrough. Technion scientists have
discovered that mutant gene UBB+1 is responsible for preventing the protein
ubiquitin from marking other proteins for destruction. The proteins then are more likely to form
the deadly plaque associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Mapping autism in the brain. (Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.org) Ilan Dinstein, from
Israel’s Ben-Gurion University, is using MRIs, DTIs and EEGs to transform the
definition of autism from one that is behavioral to one that is biological.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Rescuing food virtually. Leket Israel, one of the
country’s largest food bank networks, is going high-tech with the introduction
of Leket’s Virtual Food Rescue site, where donors can fill up a digital
shopping bag with fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and other necessities,
sending them on their way to families in need.
Physical disability doesn’t have to be
fate. Staffers
at Jerusalem’s Alyn Hospital believe that it is the right of every child –
including those suffering from physical challenges – to have the best quality
of life possible. A child with one
functional toe can get a drink by himself. Even babies can drive robotic cars.
Helping the disabled during rocket
attacks.
Beit Issie Shapiro, Israel’s leading organization providing support for
families with disabilities, has initiated a hotline to help people with
disabilities and their families overcome emotional stress and to cope with
Israel’s difficult security situation.
Children are not our
enemies.
(Thanks to Israel21c) While her hometown is under constant missile
attack from Gaza, Irena Nosel from Ashdod cares for critically ill Gazan
childrens in Israel’s Wolfson Medical Center.
Irena is pediatric ICU head nurse for Israeli charity Save A Child’s
Heart. Plus another similar article.
Two UN peacekeepers
from Syria treated in Israel. Ziv Medical Center in Safed received on
Sunday two Filipino UN peacekeepers that were injured in Syria after a mortar
shell exploded next to their vehicle.
One of the peacekeepers sustained a shrapnel injury to his jaw.
Zambia president
receives medical treatment in Israel. (Thanks to Hazel) Zambian President Michael
Sata, 76, was receiving medical treatment in Israel. Sata suffered a heart attack in 2008.
NBA legend Mutombo helps Africa with
Israeli charity.
Israel’s Innovation: Africa is teaming up with Dikembe Mutombo and eight
other NBA All-Stars to bring solar power to Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in
his hometown Kinshasa. It will help
tens of thousands who currently don’t have access to decent medical care.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Israel signs Bio-med research agreement
with California.
Companies from Israel and California will enjoy financial assistance for
joint R&D projects. The agreement was signed at the Bio Conference in San
Diego. An Israeli delegation consisting of 17 Israel bio-med companies took
part in the Israeli pavilion at the conference.
Israeli helps California date farmers. Israel’s Hadiklaim Date
Growers’ Cooperative commissioned veteran Israeli date grower Moshe Kirat to
bring his date growth expertise to the La Quinta Date Farm in California. In
one year, Kirat has reduced water consumption by 43% and boosted productivity,
saving over $2.4 million.
US Patent for “quantum search” app. Israel’s NovoSpeech has
received a patent for its quantum computing search algorithm for speech
recognition. The algorithm will allow a mobile device to translate speech into
text as fast as a desktop or server.
The talking car. Those who remember the TV
series Knight Rider will be pleased to hear that the Israeli-Californian Robin
Labs has designed an intelligent voice recognition and communication system for
the driver. It can provide updates on traffic, routes, parking locations, gas
prices, weather, and more. It can even tell jokes.
Don’t leave baby in a
hot car. (Thanks to
Israel21c) Israeli start-up Bapeep is developing a car alarm that, when you
switch off your car engine, will remind you to take your baby out of the
car. On average, 37 US children die
every year after being forgotten in a hot car.
Bapeep’s Indiegogo Crowdfunding goal is $300,000.
Building a space elevator. Israel Technion’s 2014
TechnoBrain challenge was to build a device that can climb 25 meters at an
80-degree angle without using combustion or open flame energy sources. It must
slide down whilst lifting a space elevator carrying practical cargo. This is how teams solved the problem.
Iron Dome saves lives. Not a recent video, but a
timely one, in view of the current situation in Israel.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel’s best quarter for a decade. Israeli high-tech firms
raised $930 million from Apr to Jun 2014, the sector’s strongest three-month
period in more than ten years. Israeli high-tech firms raised $1.6 billion in
the first half of 2014, which is the strongest capital raising period on record
for Israel’s high-tech industry.
Record trade with Turkey. Israel's exports to Turkey
are currently surpassing 2013’s record level.
In the first fiscal quarter of 2014 there was a surge of nearly 25% to
$949.2 million, compared to the same period in 2013.
Israel could become the largest gas
exporter in the Middle East. Another report about the Arab countries that
are buying some of the 19 trillion cubic meters of gas from Israel’s Leviathan
field.
And Egypt says Israeli gas is vital for
their economy.
Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Sherif Ismail does
not mind allowing British BG Group to import gas from Israel. “Whatever is in Egypt’s interest must be
implemented immediately as we are dealing with an energy crisis,” the minister
said.
Israel signs
first-of-its-kind R&D agreement with Japan. Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and
Industry, Toshimitsu Motegi has signed an industrial research and development
collaboration agreement with Israel’s Minister of Economy Naftali Bennett.
Israel is the first country with which Japan has signed such an agreement.
Yahoo buys Israeli streaming startup
RayV. (Thanks to Israel21c) Yahoo has bought an
Israel-based startup specializing in streaming high-quality video to computers
and mobile devices. RayV will become
part of the Yahoo’s research and development team in Tel Aviv.
Wilocity exits for $300 million. Multinational Qualcomm has
bought Israeli startup chip designer Wilocity in order to bring a faster,
short-distance wireless technology to mobile devices. Wilocity pioneered Wireless Gigabit chips - known as WiGig, which
transmit data at speeds that can remove the need for physical cables.
Gartner buys Senexx. (Thanks to Israel21c)
Gartner, a leading provider of research and analysis on the global information
technology industry, has acquired Israel’s Senexx, a cloud-based questions and
answers platform that identifies and manages expertise within organizations.
Senexx will enhance Garner’s web search capability.
Another $9 million for joint US-Israeli
projects.
Following its January investment, the Binational Industrial Research and
Development (BIRD) foundation has invested a further $9 million in 11 more
Israeli-American cooperative projects. They cover 3D printing, agro-technology,
information security, and homeland security.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
A day will come. (Thanks to Jacob Richman)
The Ein Prat Fountainheads were top of the entertainment at the recent “Salute
to Olim” Festival in Jerusalem. The
featured video is “Yom Yavo” (a day will come).
Illustrating Israeli culture. (Thanks to Steve of www.IsraelSeen.com) The Migdal Gallery at
the Land of the Israel Museum in Tel Aviv has an exhibit of illustrations in a
wide spectrum of techniques created over the past five years by the best
Israeli illustrators.
Fifteen amazing photos of Tel Aviv. Beautiful - nothing further
necessary to say.
NFL players love Israeli sports shoes. Israel’s AposTherapy
manufactures shoes that change the gait to relieve those suffering from knee
and back pain. Former New York Jets
running back Bruce Harper and former New York Giants players Bart Oates and
Karl Nelson, tried the shoes, and couldn't believe the results.
Israel beat Germany
15-1.
Israel’s national team defeated Germany, 15-1, at the World Lacrosse
Championships in Colorado, USA, and advanced to the quarterfinals. Israel won its three preliminary-round and
two knockout-round games, eventually beating 4th seed Japan to secure world
number 7 ranking.
THE JEWISH STATE
Chabad
“Mitzva Tank” joins IDF troops on the front line. A group of Chabad activists traveled to the border with Gaza in
their "Mitzvah Tank" - a truck loaded not with weapons or ammunition,
but with holy items to provide spiritual and moral support to the soldiers who
at any minute could be called into battle.
400 French Jews
immigrate despite Gaza terrorists. Some 400 French Jews have just made Aliyah,
undeterred by the ongoing rocket fire and conflict with terrorist groups in
Gaza. Most of the immigrants are from
the Paris area. They include 195 minors and 18 babies. 900 Jews made Aliyah in
the past week.
Israeli children sing to counter fear of
rocket attacks.
This song was composed by a local teacher and has been taught to
hundreds of schoolchildren within firing range of Gaza's rockets to help them
deal with the fear and trauma of having 15 seconds to run for cover when the
Color Red siren sounds.
Summer camps and excursions for families
from the south. Guides from the KKL-JNF quit their
regular jobs to assist in activities for the children of Ashkelon in shelters
and protected spaces. KKL-JNF also organized a fun day in the forests of
Jerusalem for families from Gaza border communities.
