Little Israel makes a Big Impression


Little Israel makes a Big Impression

Israel’s enemies like to conceal the fact that the Jewish State is one of the smallest of nations - dwarfed by its massive Arab neighbors.  Israel’s tiny geographic size contrasts with the immense benefit it brings to the world. And from recent news articles it is noticeable that many of Israel’s greatest and potential successes started very small indeed.

Israel’s Kadimastem has been having much success with its revolutionary technology that uses microscopic stem cells to protect or repair brain function. Pharmaceutical giant Merck is to work with Kadimastem to conduct screening for new treatments into Multiple Sclerosis and other neuro-degenerative diseases. Another Israeli biotech, BrainStorm, has just built a bioreactor to multiply stem cells for advancing its treatment of ALS.  Still at the cellular level, Israel’s Macrocure is launching on NASDAQ to finance its CureXcell white blood cell therapy to treat hard-to-heal and chronic wounds.



Israel’s Hil Applied Medical has recently been granted a patent in Japan for its focused radiation cancer therapy. Hil’s lasers destroy tumors using a beam of protons – some of the smallest matter in the universe.  The Ebola virus may also be invisible to the naked eye, but it is causing havoc and panic across Africa.  Israeli biotech Protalix has offered its facilities to produce the experimental vaccine ZMapp that has been having some success in treating Ebola victims.  Separately, Israeli doctors are giving Cameroon medics training on how to fight the virus and Israeli biochemists are working hard to develop another vaccine.  Meanwhile Jerusalem-based Argaman Technologies employs high-powered ultrasound to impregnate textiles with accelerated Copper Oxide in order to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses such as Ebola.

Israel is a small country but certainly punches well above its weight on medical matters.  The exclusive International Society of Orthopedic Centers (ISOC) has expanded its membership to include just one hospital in the Middle East:  Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center.  ISOC members must perform a minimum of 5,000 orthopedic surgeries each year.  Then there is the example of the European Society of Anesthesiology (ESA), which has over 18,000 members in 40 countries.  It has just elected Israel’s Dr Zev Goldik as its new President.

Jewish ethical teachings state that saving the life of one person is like saving an entire world.  Israeli doctors apply this ethos equally to Jews and to non-Jews.  During the past few weeks this included a unique kidney transplant to save a 14-year-old Gaza boy with obstructed blood vessels; operating on a blind 12-year-old Syrian boy brought to Israel on a donkey by his brother; delivering the baby of a Syrian woman fleeing from Quneitra (the seventh Syrian baby born at Ziv medical center in Safed); treating the 366th Syrian civil war casualty brought into Ziv (a 47-year-old Syrian woman who had lost limbs) and heart surgery for a sick Yazidi child from Northern Iraq.  No wonder Israeli Arabs say that Israel is the safest place for an Arab in the Middle East.



Israel is one of the world’s leading countries in the field of nanotechnology – building products and materials at the molecular level.  Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem are researching colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals - tiny synthetic particles containing metal impurities that don’t exist in nature but could have exciting implications for electronics, solar power and medicine.  On a slightly larger scale, Israel’s OriginGPS has developed the world’s smallest GPS chip.  Named “The Micro Hornet GPS” it 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.  Staying with microelectronics, Israeli-Arab start-up SolidRun has developed the first scalable computer that is no bigger than a credit card.



Finally, here’s something for all those shortsighted media professionals who find it so difficult to see the huge benefits that Israel brings to the world.  Israeli start-up LOOK has developed a device for finding misplaced spectacles.  A tiny attachment to the spectacles connects wirelessly via an app to any mobile device.


Of course, there is a much simpler way for these people to see tiny Israel more clearly. 

They just need to try opening their eyes.

Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.
For a free subscription, email a request to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com

Supporting Israel is only Natural


I’m told that sometimes I write about Israeli hi-tech devices and innovations so complex that they are “over the heads” of some of my readers. This week, however, I’ve come down to earth, so to speak, to highlight some of Israel’s natural remedies and activities that benefit humanity by making best use of the natural environment.

Sufferers of some chronic conditions could receive some relief from recent Israeli discoveries.  Asthmatics should check their Vitamin D levels, as those deficient in the vitamin are 25 percent more likely to have an asthmatic attack than those with normal levels.  Israeli researchers have found that diabetics could benefit from drinking whey protein half-an-hour before breakfast to prevent blood sugar spikes and better manage the disease.  Meanwhile, scientists at Israel’s GlassesOff have developed a series of exercises for improving near vision sharpness, by enhancing the image processing function in the visual cortex of the brain.  After 2-3 months of training you should be able to send your old reading glasses for recycling.



Israeli agro-technology is working with nature to help feed a hungry world.  Farmers at Ein Yahav have cut pesticide use by 80% thanks to the natural insect predators supplied by Israel’s “Beauty of Vegetables”.  In the USA, Israeli agricultural innovation has been adopted in Virginia and California to boost productivity.  In Israel, Salt of the Earth has announced that it is the first Israeli globally-sustainable company – one of only 36 worldwide to pass the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) materiality matters check.

Here’s an intriguing variation of Israel’s kibbutz / moshav concept. The Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation has launched the Mara'i Sheep Breeders Cooperative - the world’s first Arab Bedouin cooperative.  Meanwhile, Israel’s food bank network Leket Israel has tripled its donations and reduced natural wastage by the introduction of its Virtual Food Rescue site. Donors can fill up a digital shopping bag with necessities that are then converted to physical baskets and sent to families in need.  Staying with the food chain, students at Israel’s Technion are developing the “Safie” – a biological system that detects very low concentrations of bacteria, unsafe chemicals, toxins, hormones and allergens in food and water.



Israel is working constantly to reduce the amount of fossil fuel used to produce electricity.   Israel’s largest solar energy field – the Timna Solar Park - has just gone out to tender.  Overseas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel’s Innovation: Africa is teaming up with NBA All-Stars to bring solar power to a hospital in Kinshasa.  It will help tens of thousands who currently don’t have access to decent medical care. One technical item - Israeli start-up SolarOr has developed Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels that convert Direct Current trapped in a building into AC energy that can be used locally or sold back to the electric company.



Appropriately, Israel is one of the few places in the world where you can study for a “green” MBA.  Haifa University’s new MBA program focuses on the subject of Sustainable Business Management.  However the advantage of Tel Aviv University’s Environmental Masters courses is that you will receive your MA or MSc at a ceremony in the brand new Porter School of Environmental Studies Building.

In comparison to most Middle Eastern countries, Israel protects its wildlife, whether in the air, sea or dry land. Israel has just celebrated “International Bat Night” by conducting lectures and tours about the 33 species of bats that reside in the Land.  Down on Israeli beaches, newborn sea turtles are starting to make their way "home," to the sea, along pathways cleared by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.  And for the first time in 20 years, Ramat Gan Safari has seen the birth of a female baby white rhino.  Once thought to be extinct, the baby rhino will now stay in Israel to hopefully become a mother to more baby rhinos.



Looking after the environment also includes helping it recover from disasters, whether natural or man-made.  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 the US State of Washington’s history.  Cleaning up the planet also includes space debris.  Israeli start-up Effective Space Solutions (ESS) is developing a 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. 

Finally, Israeli farmers may be making the desert bloom, but every 7 years is called a “Shmita” year, when the Land of Israel needs to rest.  So for orthodox farmers like Shoshana and Yoni Rappeport the period prior to the upcoming Jewish New Year is a very busy time at their Argan tree plantation.

Israel’s supporters can look forward to a better environment for everyone; or as the Fountainheads sang at the recent “Salute to Olim” Festival in Jerusalem “Yom Yavo” (a day will come).


Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.
For a free subscription, email a request to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com

 

BDS Means Boycott Everything


There is some really bad news for the lunatic anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) brigade.  Virtually every electronic device in the world is now produced using Israeli technology.  The systems manufactured by Yavne-based Orbotech are used globally to produce almost every printed circuit board on the planet.  So when you tell the BDS crazies to dispose of all their electronic equipment, here are some recent news reports relating to other everyday items that they also need to steer well clear of.

1. Doctors and medicine

BDS advocates must never approach hospitals or GP surgeries because Israeli discoveries, treatments and life-saving devices dominate the medical arena.  Latest advances include treatments for pancreatic cancer and bladder cancer; a vaccine against avian flu; improved methods for diagnosing ADHD and blood clots; a new durable material for hip replacements; an app for diabetics; a watch that prevents heart attacks and safer cancer radiation therapy.




2. Water, food and drink

There is seldom a day without an announcement from one of Israel’s prolific water treatment companies.  It may be Miya, saving billions of gallons of water in the Americas, South East Asia, South Africa and Australia; or RWL water, supplying water treatment systems to America’s nuclear energy industry.  And the BDS mob will soon need to avoid most well-known food and drink products as the top companies in the US food and beverage industry are adopting Israeli water solutions in their manufacturing processes.

3. Agricultural produce

Israeli companies, products and innovative methods have revolutionized the agricultural industry in many countries.  Israel has established twenty “centers of excellence” in India, providing technological solutions to agricultural issues.  Netafim started propagating Israeli technology in 1965 with its drip irrigation system - now popular even in Arab countries.  Netafim has just completed a successful international pilot project of its uManage platform, which helps farmers to monitor irrigation/fertilizer performance and yields.  Meanwhile, even apparently small-scale Israeli innovations can help feed billions of needy people.  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.



4. Being photographed

Israeli cameras have acquired such a high reputation that members of the BDS cult will almost certainly find that their images have been taken by Israeli-produced equipment and recorded on Israeli-developed storage.  There is nowhere for them to hide - NASA has even adopted Israeli cameras from Israel’s Medigus to conduct inspections in space.  And if they try to find a shady place to conceal themselves, it may have been constructed from one of the Israeli designs entered in the international urban shade competition at the Holon Design Museum.

5.  Human contact

BDS-ers should avoid contact with products and services from almost every country in the world (even Arab ones) because of their ties with Israel; but here are a few recent highlights.

China: - A delegation headed by Ren Zhiwu - deputy director-general of China’s 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.

India: - 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.

Vietnam: - Trade between Vietnam and Israel increased by 53 per cent year-on-year to $426 million during the first half of 2014.

And if in the not too distant future you should happen to spot any stupid BDS-ers trying to relax and enjoy the lavish gardens and waterfalls at the bio-dome being built at Singapore’s Changi Airport, please whisper in their ears, “Nice isn’t it?  “Designed by an Israeli!”

6. Colored fabric

The final red light for the “dyed-in-the-wool” BDS thugs is that 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.  Kornit’s high-speed DTG printers are “revolutionizing” the fashion industry with single step fabric printing and no additional finishing.



So you will be able to distinguish BDS “clowns” very easily.  They will be the sickly, parched, thin, sad and lonely ones, wearing bland clothing.

Losers! 

Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.
For a free subscription, email a request to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com