History of Israel’s Good News Jul to Sep
2015
150927
In the 27th
Sep 2015 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights
include:
·
A unique
Israeli search engine helps find the best hospital for a procedure.
·
An Israeli
brain device is to be used to treat ailing US Navy personnel.
·
A United
Nations exhibit publicizes child-education in Israeli hospitals.
·
An Israeli
company has developed a low-cost virtual reality system.
·
More
direct flights connect Tel Aviv to New York and Beijing.
·
A
3000-year-old stone seal was found in rubble from Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.
Page Down for details on these and more
good news stories from Israel. Thank You
Michelle and other readers for sending me links to many of these positive news
articles. Please use IsraelActive to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Oral proteins get US patent. The United States Patent and
Trademark Office has approved a patent from Israel’s Oramed for its invention,
titled “Methods and Compositions for Oral Administrations of Proteins.” The patent is the basis for Oramed’s
ORMD-0801 oral insulin for the early treatment of types 1 and 2 diabetes.
Find the best hospital for your procedure. Israeli entrepreneur Moni
Milchman has developed ArchimedicX, the world’s first search engine that rates
hospitals by procedure. Its criteria includes results and repeat treatment
statistics, budget, staff quality, reputation, beds per room, waiting time,
language, food quality and much more.
Groundbreaking fetal test. Genetics experts at
Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center have devised a patent-pending process
to screen a fetus for genetic diseases using a blood sample from the mother. It is the first that can detect genetic
mutations from both the father and mother’s DNA.
Monitoring for heart failure. Israel’s Kyma
Medical Technologies has developed a radio frequency-based technology device to
monitor fluids in the lungs – an early sign of congestive heart failure. Kyma has just been acquired by US medical
device company ZOLL for a minimum of $35 million.
US launch of stress-management
supplement. US-based
Jarrow Formulas has launched its supplement PS-PA Synergy, which is based on Lipogen
PSPA, developed by Israel’s Lipogen.
Lipogen PSPA has been clinically shown to alleviate stress response and
improve cognition.
New Jersey-Israel health foods alliance. Rutgers University in New
Jersey, Tel Hai College in Upper Galilee, and the Israeli Knesset signed a
memorandum of understanding to launch the New Jersey-Israel Healthy, Functional
and Medical Foods Alliance. It will
research and commercialize disease-preventing foods.
US Navy buys Israeli
brain therapy system. The UN Navy has ordered several Deep TMS
therapy helmets made by Israel’s Brainsway.
Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation will treat service personnel with
a range of psychological conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) and major depressive disorder.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Sobar Jerusalem’s future site. (TY Tracey) The Sobar Music
Center Project has just announced that its no-alcohol music center for
Jerusalem youth will be based in Shoshan Street. Sobar’s partners are the Jerusalem Municipality
and the Musrara Community Center. See facebook
for exciting events and fundraising activities.
Migrants’ first contact is with
Israelis. When
many Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan and Pakistani migrants arrive at the shores of the
Greek island of Lesbos they first meet IsraAID Doctor Tali Shaltiel from
Jerusalem and Nurse Majeda Kardosh from Nazareth. They treat them for hypothermia, dehydration,
wounds, illnesses and trauma.
Fighters for Life. (TY Hazel) Three ex-IDF commanders
decided to show the world the humanity of Israel’s soldiers. Their
organization, Fighters for Life, encourages young post-army Israelis to volunteer
in poverty-stricken areas worldwide. Some
7,000 Israelis have now signed up and the first 30 have just left for Mumbai.
UN exhibit of Israeli
education of hospitalized children. The United Nations in Geneva is displaying
the photo exhibition “Education Without Borders” about children’s education in
Israeli hospitals. Israel is the only Middle East country to provide education
for all hospitalized Israeli children, including Arabs and minorities.
Gas pipeline to Jordan approved. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel is to lay a 15.5km underground pipeline to transport natural gas from
its Sdom 2 gas station to the Jordanian border.
The pipeline is designed to make it possible to transport gas to Jordan
within a year, in accordance with the agreement signed between the two
countries.
Wheels
for US veterans. Wheelchair-bound US army veterans will be among the first to use the
revolutionary Acrobat Wheel created by Israel’s SoftWheel. Selective suspension mechanism kicks in when
going over uneven terrain, stairs etc.
Veterans can apply to the US Independence Fund or (soon) the Veterans
Association.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Why was DLD Tel Aviv so popular? (TY Michelle) Thousands of
international visitors at Digital Life Design (DLD) week in Tel Aviv gave their
reasons for attending the festival. Plus
a longer video on what they saw.
New Negev Railway line opens. Israel Railways has
inaugurated its new Negev line, taking passengers from Ashkelon to Beersheba in
just 50 minutes. The service will help
drive the expansion plans for the desert city.
The desalination fix. (TY Michelle) Israel’s
desalination is described here as a “water revolution”.
Annual Researchers Night. Israel’s Bar Ilan University
hosted the annual Researchers’ Night, this year dealing with topics related to
science of the brain. The event,
co-sponsored by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space and the European
Union, includes fun science-related activities for the entire family.
The kibbutz has gone hi-tech. (TY Michelle) Long gone are
the days where kibbutzim relied on selling their agricultural products. Now they include businesses from
cyber-security to satellite agronomy analysis.
Reversing combustion. More about Israel’s
NewCO2Fuels which can produce fuel from carbon dioxide gas. Weizmann Institute Earth Sciences Professor
Jacob Karni’s research has resulted in a profitable process that can reduce the
CO2 content of the atmosphere. It
extracts oxygen, leaving carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas.
The secret of fast battery charging. (TY Michelle) Dr Doron Myersdorf, CEO of Israel’s StoreDot,
reveals that the low resistance of his company’s organic “nanodots” allow 100
times more current than can be provided to traditional batteries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NUTnYjH6Cs
Virtual Reality on a chip. Israel’s GemSense has developed an instant
Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality (VR/AR) environment on a microchip. GemSense is working with Samsung and Google
to turn ordinary items into a 3D experience.
GemSense’s Cave Driver 3D game was a huge hit at Tel Aviv’s DLD
Innovation Conference. The innovation
also opens up major possibilities for medical treatments.
Teen invents GPS ID tag to prevent
kidnapping.
16-year-old Israeli Amit Saban, a member of the gifted students' program
at Tel Aviv University, has launched a startup that makes "smart" ID
tags with built-in GPS technology that can help soldiers and civilians in
distress, and even prevent abductions.
Israeli robots to protect USAF troops. (TY Michelle) Israel’s
Roboteam is to supply the US Air Force with 250 anti-IED Micro Tactical Ground
Robots (MTGRs). Each robot weighs less than 20 pounds, has 5 cameras, a microphone,
infrared laser pointers, travels at 2 mph, climbs stairs, and has a range of
more than 500 meters.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Average salary rises 7.9% in June. (TY Atid-EDI) The
average Israeli wage rose by a massive 7.9% in June to NIS 10,078 ($2562). 82,000 people joined the workforce in the
first quarter, making a total of 3.41 million.
The best governor – again. Bank of Israel Governor
Karnit Flug has made the Global Finance's list of best central bank governers
for the second year in a row. Flug was
one of eight to receive an A ranking. Full
list.
Direct flights to
China start in April. I reported in a previous newsletter (Feb 1
2015) that China’s largest private airline Hainan was to commence direct flights
between Tel Aviv and Beijing. A 3-flights-a-week
service commences on 28th April. By Aug,
2015 tourist numbers exceeded the 33,000 for the whole of 2014.
Delta adds 4 weekly
Tel Aviv flights.
Delta Air Lines is picking up traffic American Airlines will lose when
it halts its Philadelphia-Tel Aviv route in January. In May, Delta is adding
four flights a week to its JFK-Tel Aviv route in addition to the current daily
round-trip service, making it one of Delta’s largest trans-Atlantic services.
Inno-Negev accelerator launched. | Israel’s Ben-Gurion
University has officially opened Inno-Negev - the first technology accelerator
in the Negev region. Inno-Negev provides
a free program for early-stage startups matching one of its 6-month cycles (Cyber,
Homeland Security, ICT, Medical Devices, and more).
Funding university innovation. (TY Michelle) The President
of Tel Aviv University writes about how TAU raises funds to commercialize
innovations that arise from the 3,500 projects that students are working on.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
International guitar festival in
Netanya. The
festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot) means it is also time for Netanya’s tenth
annual International guitar festival and competition.
Other things to do during Sukkot. Activities include a concert
by Dudu Tassa, the Jerusalem Biennale, the
fourth International Circus Festival, the largest artisan fair in Israel and much more.
Sabra humus stars on Late Show. The BDS thugs were not happy
with Stephen Colbert’s debut hosting of the Late Show on CBS. Nearly seven million viewers watched as he
performed a highly entertaining skit to advertise its sponsor Sabra humus. Sabra is 50% owned by Israel’s Strauss and
50% by PepsiCo.
THE JEWISH STATE
Start-up Aliya. New video from Nefesh
b’Nefesh showing how Jews are coming back to the Land to fulfil the promise of
being a Light unto the Nations. Jon
Medved describes these amazing times.
Seal unearthed from
time of King David.
A 10-year-old Russian volunteer at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount Sifting
Project discovered a 3000-year-old stone seal.
The dating of the seal corresponds to the historical period of the
conquest of Jerusalem by King David and the construction of the Temple by his
son, King Solomon.
Injured soldiers out of danger. Yuval Appel and Yarin
Ashkenazi were critically injured in an Arab terrorist attack in August and
placed on ventilators. Ashkenazi gained
consciousness within a few days and Appel has just woken up after being over a
month in a coma. Both will require a
long rehabilitation program.
Respect for the Land. When a cyclist spotted the
trash dumped after a party in the Ben Shemen forest, he was so angry that he
posted photos on Facebook. His friends
then used Instagram and other networks to locate those responsible, and the
family was so embarrassed that they returned to clean up the mess.
150920
In the 20th Sep 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
South
Africa has chosen an Israeli system to screen blood for viruses.
·
An Israeli
aid organization is distributing donated baby slings to Syrian migrants.
·
Israel is
to provide Europe’s cyber security defense training center.
·
As Israeli
gas flows in at record levels, oil is discovered in the Golan Heights.
·
Israel
cuts taxes as Government debt and inflation rate fall dramatically.
·
An Israeli
company makes its tenth takeover of the year.
·
The BBC
features Tel Aviv as one of the best beach cities.
·
Happy New
Year video messages from the Jewish State.
Page Down for details on these and more
good news stories from Israel. Thank You
Michelle and other readers for sending me links to many of these positive news
articles. Please use IsraelActive to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Liver cancer treatment gets on the fast
track. The
FDA has granted fast track designation to the CF102 treatment from Israel’s
Can-Fite BioPharma for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of
liver cancer. A CF102 trial is about to start on 78 patients with Child-Pugh
Class B cirrhosis, who failed the only FDA approved treatment on the market -
Nexavar.
A smarter bed. Israel’s EarlySense is
launching its “smart bed” solution myEarlySense. The “under the mattress”
sensors record data on how you are sleeping, such as tossing, turning, waking,
sleeping, breathing and heart rates. It
can also turn on heaters and make the coffee.
South Africa buys
Israeli virus testing system. Israel’s Ilex Medical has won a tender issued
by the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) for its Panther blood
testing systems to detect and identify viruses.
IBM and Teva team up to find chronic
treatments.
IBM Israel has granted Israel’s Teva access to its Watson supercomputing
Health Cloud program. Teva plans to use
the global technology platform to design treatments for millions of people who
suffer from chronic conditions like asthma, migraine, and pain.
Opening up a new strategy for HIV. Technion scientists have
discovered that when the HIV virus encounters resistance, it looks for detours.
It then mutates and replicates itself, like a Trojan horse, exploiting
redundancy in the DNA of host cells. http://www.technion.ac.il/en/2015/08/new-strategy-for-hiv/
Detecting cancer using nanopores. Further to a previous (15
Mar 2015) newsletter, scientists from Israel’s Technion are the only team working
for European research consortium BeyondSeq on early diagnosis of cancer. They are using tiny silicon “nanopore”
scanners to detect molecular DNA biomarkers in cancer cells.
Genetic test for BRONJ. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Micromedic Technologies, has identified several new genetic markers
for predicting BRONJ (necrosis of the jawbone).
BRONJ is a side effect of intravenous treatments in cancer and
osteoporosis patients.
Microneedles deliver vital vaccines. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s NanoPass Technologies is supplying its MicronJet600 microneedle system
to US-based Immune Design who will use the system to deliver vaccines to cancer
immunotherapy patients.
Israel ranks 6th in Healthy Life
Expectancy.
(TY Atid-EDI)
The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks Israel 6th in the world, with the
average Israeli living without a terminal illness to age 71.5. Israeli men have the world’s fourth longest total
life expectancy of 80.2 years. For women,
Israel is ranked tenth with a total life expectancy of 84 years. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4696329,00.html
IBM Haifa’s diagnostic apps. More about the app developed
by IBM Haifa to diagnose ADHD sufferers (see
Sep 6 2015 newsletter). It won top prize at the Brain Inspired Technology
for Education (BITE) Hackathon at Israel’s Technion Institute. Also describes IBM Haifa’s dementia
early-detection app (Aug
9 2015 newsletter).
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
IDF rescues kidnapped deer. The IDF’s Judea Regional
Brigade a number of deer being held illegally and in harsh conditions in a
Palestinian Arab village in Judea. The
deer will be rehabilitated at nature reserves and later released back into the
wild. Last month the IDF rescued deer
whilst searching for weapons in Samaria.
Seminar for Palestinian Arab doctors. (TY Nevet) Israel’s Civil Administration
organized a seminar at the Emeq Afula hospital for 8 Palestinian Arab doctors
from the PA city of Jenin. The Jenin doctors
learnt the workings of the hospital departments such as surgery, trauma, internal
medicine and pediatric care.
Israel to host International Space legal
debate. The International
Astronautical Federation reports that three judges from the International Court
of Justice will preside at October’s Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court
Competition in Jerusalem. International
law students will argue the legal issues of a near-miss asteroid event.
Aiming to save 3 million lives. Chamutal Afek Eitam presented
her Three Million Club to 200 entrepreneurs and investors at the annual ID2
(Israeli Designed International Development) conference in Caesarea. Her plan
is to feed the poorest people in the world, not by donations, but by returning a
profit for investors.
Israeli PM meets UK PM. Three areas were discussed
when UK Prime Minister David Cameron met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu – Security, Peace and Technology.
Israel’s female ambassador to Jordan. Israel's new ambassador to
Jordan, Einat Shlain, presented her credentials to Jordan's King Abdullah II at
a ceremony at the Basman Palace in Amman.
Shlain is the first female ambassador to an Arab country.
Israelis donate baby
slings to migrants.
Israeli humanitarian organization IsraAID has been distributing aid to
Syrian refugees arriving on the Greek island of Lesbos and on the
Hungarian-Serbian border. IsraAID has also
begun distributing baby slings donated by Israeli families to mothers and
fathers.
Israel is a model for resettling
migrants.
Nice to see Israel getting credit for something connected to this global
upheaval, however I suspect that the situation is not quite as similar as the
Swedish official believes.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Scientists correctly predict El-Nino. (TY Nevet) In the fall of 2013, a team of
German and Israeli scientists published an early warning of the “El Niño”
weather phenomenon. In March 2015, the
US NOAA meteorological service confirmed that El Niño had arrived. Previously
only 6-month predictions were possible.
Israel can help resolve Brazil’s water
crisis. Beni
Lew, from Israel’s Volcani Center, has been advising hundreds of Brazil’s water
experts on how to deal with their water shortage. Speaking fluent Portuguese, Lew has encouraged
delegations to attend Tel Aviv’s WATEC 2015 in October.
The build-up to WATEC. More details here about this
major international event in Tel Aviv in October.
Training Europe’s
cyber defenders.
CyberGym is the Israel Electric Company’s cyber security training center
and equips employees to thwart attacks on Israel’s electricity
infrastructure. The IEC is now to export
CyberGym to the Czech Republic where it will be the center for cyber-security
training throughout Europe.
Creative Israeli toys. Keeping it simple, Israeli
inventors look at the world from a child’s point of view and create new, fun
toys that are produced and sold all over the world.
Your front door has just got smarter. The ENTR system from
Yavne-based (Swedish-owned) Mul-T-Lock raises the simple door-lock to a hi-tech
Bluetooth-enabled device. Using
algorithms from US-owned Freescale Israel, the “combination” of global
marketing and Israeli-ingenuity “opens up” huge possibilities.
Smarter irrigation. This article features
Israeli agro-tech features Galacon - manufacturer of smart monitoring and
control irrigation solutions, based on Kibbutz Kfar Blum. It previously won the European Irrigation
Association’s “Product of the Year”.
An app for contacting your Senator. Israeli NGO Shurat Hadin has
commissioned the development of a app that allows Android smartphone users to
contact their US Senator about the Iran nuclear deal.
Counting on the apple harvest. Scientists at Israel’s
Technion Institute have developed a program and algorithm for estimating the
fruit content of an apple tree. The program
searches nighttime photographs of illuminated apple trees, counting glints in
the foliage from light reflecting off the shiny fruit.
The smart City Summit. (TY Michelle) Tel Aviv
hosted the sixth annual City Summit as part of its DLD Innovation
Festival. The main debate was about how
city residents engaged with the municipality in the Technological Age. Tel Aviv won the World Smart Cities Award in
2014.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel is a manufacturing and R&D
powerhouse.
Ambassador Yoram Ettinger’s monthly summary highlights that business in
Israeli technology is booming despite the latest global economic slowdown.
US VC fund 500 Startups invests in
Israel. (TY Nevet) US venture capital fund 500
Startups is opening an Israel office. The fund, which operates one of the
world's five leading accelerators, will invest up to $5 million in 10-20 early
stage Israeli startups in the coming year.
Are you a potential angel? I’m not giving investment
advice, but some readers may be interested in a US company Sunrise Securities
Corp that has built a platform (ZionTech) for reviewing and seed-funding
promising Israeli startups. Sunrise’s
President, Nathan Low can provide more details.
What India can learn from Israeli
startups (TY
Michelle) Indian businessmen are eager for their Prime Minister to adopt some
of Israel’s policies that have led to the success of the Startup Nation. They include Government loans, universities
embracing entrepreneurs and the acceptance of failure.
Indian accelerator includes two Israeli
startups.
(TY Michelle) Israel’s global reach is highlighted by two of the
startups chosen to be included in India’s GenNext Innovation Hub, an
accelerator program managed by India’s Reliance Industries (RIL) and Microsoft Ventures. They are Israeli - In*Q*Sec and eLoan.
Another medical incubator is launched. (TY Michelle) Following the
launch of the John Hopkins / Luminox Israeli startup incubator (see
last week) US giant Meditronic and IBM have won a grant from the Israeli
government to open a digital medicine incubator to join an ever-growing
list.
Sell your own home. Israeli startup Fisbo
provides a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) facility for homeowners to sell their homes
without using estate agents. Following a
2-month pilot in Israel, Fisbo has opened an office in New York. Fisbo’s database verifies FSBO homes and
provides anything a buyer needs to know.
A fruitful New Year. Just a week before the start
of the Jewish New Year, Israel’s Frutarom made its tenth acquisition of the
year - Spain’s Nutrafur, specializing in natural plant extracts and
antioxidants for food and health products.
Frutarom has 31,000 products, sells in 145 countries and 2015 revenues
could reach $1 billion.
More security for automobiles. (TY Michelle) I mentioned
Israel’s Argus Cybersecurity last
month as being able to prevent remote carjacking. There has been much interest and Argus just
raised $26 million of funding.
Switzerland buys 6 Israeli drones. The Swiss Government has
approved the purchase of six Hermes 900 unmanned planes from Israel’s Elbit
Systems for $256 million. The Swiss Defense Minister said the aircraft would be
used for surveillance by border guards.
Mini-booster seat project is
fully-funded.
Israel’s mifold has now closed the crowdfunding project for its tiny
car-booster seat. Mifold aimed to raise
$40,000 but received a massive $690,762.
They received orders for 20,000 mifolds from 7,000 customers in 87
countries.
Mellanox wins Israel-America Chamber of
Commerce award.
(TY Sharon)
Israel’s Mellanox Technologies has won the 2015 Israel - America Chamber of
Commerce award in recognition of the company for "innovation and
technology excellence, and developing human capital."
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli beers for the festive season. (TY Yehudit) Doug Greener
has produced this excellent write-up of the highlights of the latest beer
festivals in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. In
it, he reviews some excellent local brews.
First Israel visit for fashion bloggers. (TY Nevet) Pro-Israel organization Stand
With Us brought 10 leading international fashion bloggers to see Israel at
first hand for the first time. Based at
the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC) in Herzliya, they visited Tel Aviv Jerusalem,
the Dead Sea and met leading Israeli designers.
The best beach city
for expats?
A rare extremely positive article about Tel Aviv from the BBC.
Israeli rhythmic gymnasts win ticket to
Rio. Israel’s
rhythmic gymnastics team secured its place at the Rio Olympics by finishing
sixth in the group all-around final at the World Championships in Stuttgart,
Germany. Neta Rivkin will represent
Israel in Rio after she finished seventh in the individual all-around final.
THE JEWISH STATE
Technion robots’ New
Year message.
Tradition and technology meet in a new video depicting robots, developed
at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, preparing for the upcoming
Jewish New Year.
And from the eternal
capital, Jerusalem.
Israel’s Prime Minister highlights that Israel stands out like a beacon
of progress and modernity, of democracy and human rights in a region of
fanaticism.
The treasures in Temple Mount rubble. Israeli archeologists have
been sifting through the rubble dumped by the Arab Waqf during their illegal
building work on Temple Mount. This
video reveals some of the treasures and how you can join in as volunteer
sifters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ByafwjlsTY
150913
In the 13th Sep 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
An Israeli
brain cancer treatment device is shown saving life on US TV news.
·
Large
numbers of Israeli-Arabs are making successful careers as pharmacists.
·
An Israeli
startup can detect a toxic water supply in five seconds.
·
The
world’s largest shipping company is to start using the port of Haifa.
·
Israel has
advanced to the European Basketball Championship last 16.
·
Immigration
to Israel increased by 13% during the past year.
Page Down for details on these and more
good news stories from Israel. Thank You
Michelle and other readers for sending me links to many of these positive news
articles. Please use IsraelActive to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Slowing down
aggressive brain cancer. Israel’s Novocure was featured recently on
ABC 10 News, which showed Novocure’s TTFields helmet being used to keep a San
Diego brain cancer sufferer alive.
Novocure is soon to trial TTFields on other solid cancers and has just filed
for an IPO to raise up to $300 million.
Israeli device warns of risk to liver. I featured the
“liver-on-a-chip” testing device invented by Hebrew University of Jerusalem
scientists in a previous (Aug
2015) newsletter. The device has now
shown that acetaminophen (a readily-available pain relief) can be toxic at far
lower doses than previously thought.
Huntington’s treatment gets go ahead. (TY Atid-EDI) The US
FDA has approved the application by Israel’s Teva for its SD-809
(deutetrabenazine) treatment for Huntington’s disease. SD-809 was part of Teva’s May acquisition of
Auspex and has completed two Phase-III studies.
Glaucoma treatment goes global. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s BioLight has announced the first sale of XLVision Sciences’ IOPtiMate
to a medical center in Peru. The
innovative CO2 laser system has previously been purchased by hospitals in Hong
Kong, Poland, Hungary and Romania. (See
Sep 2014 newsletter)
MDA training for Israeli-Arab
sector. Israel’s
emergency services Magen David Adom has completed its first training course for
15 young medics who will provide emergency response to Eastern Jerusalem. The medics are bilingual in Hebrew and
Arabic. The program was the initiative
of Ziad Jadla, MDA’s Arab liaison.
Exercise to cure fatty liver disease. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
(NASH) commonly known as “fatty liver disease” is the most common liver
condition in the Western world. A study
by Israeli doctors showed that 40 minutes resistance training, three times a
week for three months reduced liver-fat and cholesterol significantly.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Handicapped make music with their bodies. The Grabski Rehabilitation
Center in Migdal Haemek has installed a room with cameras and laser sensors,
connected to computers and screens. By cutting
the laser beams, the 40 patients can control sounds and create a computerized
melody.
Jeep trip for 150 cancer patients. Israel’s cancer charity Ezer
Mizion has just completed its 20th Summer Camp for children and adults with
cancer. Its jeep trip is always one of
the high points and this year 160 volunteer drivers took 150 cancer sufferers
in 14 groups on different trails across Northern Israel.
Israeli women joining workforce highest
in OECD. (From Haaretz)
Women joined the workforce in Israel faster than anywhere else in the OECD over
the last three decades, thanks to changes in the labor market, the tax regime
and available daycare. 79.7% at ages 25-34 is 24% up on 1985. 78.9% at ages
35-44, is 21% up.
Building an inclusive Israeli city. Just 45 minutes north of Tel
Aviv, Israel is expanding the sleepy 1000-residents town of Harish into a city
with up to 100,000 inhabitants. The
plans have been praised by its modern-orthodox and ultra-orthodox Jews, secular
Israelis, former Soviet and Ethiopian immigrants and Arabs.
Pharmacy brings Jews
and Arabs together.
The Taub Center for Social Policy Studies reports that Jewish and Arab
pharmacists are satisfied with their careers and that pharmacy has led to
increased levels of tolerance and acceptance on both sides. In 2015, 35% of
Israeli pharmacists are Arab – up from 20% in 2000.
Israeli BioGas for rural Arabs. The portable “anaerobic
digester” from Israeli start-up HomeBioGas turns kitchen waste and livestock
manure into cooking-gas. It has become
popular with Negev Arab Bedouins and rural Palestinian Arabs who previously
damaged their health by burning wood or goat manure for cooking.
Glide - the mainstream video messaging
app the deaf are signing up to. Film director Jules Dameron is deaf and uses
the Israeli video messaging app Glide to communicate using American Sign Language
both on and off the set. Glide has
really caught on amongst the deaf community, as the youtube videos in the
article visibly demonstrate. http://www.fromthegrapevine.com/innovation/glide-deaf-app
India launches course about Israeli
startups.
(TY Michelle) Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB) is to
start a three-credit course on ‘Developing technology partnerships between
entrepreneurial firms in India and Israel’.
Students will visit Israel and work in India with companies seeking
Israeli tech partnerships.
Beverley Hills partners with Israel. (TY Michelle) Beverly Hills
City Council and Israel have signed a formal partnership. It covers water conservation and management,
technology and cyber security, public health, emergency services, disaster
preparedness, public safety, counter terrorism and art and culture
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
10,000 attend Innovation Festival. Israel’s largest
international hi-tech event, the DLD (Digital Life Design) Innovation Festival
Sep 6-12, has attracted huge numbers of power players from the world’s leading
tech and finance firms, all eager to get a piece of the Startup Nation’s action. http://dldtelaviv.com/
Investing in food-tech. (TY NoCamels.com)
Israeli food conglomerate Tnuva is joining the investors of TechForGood’s Rally
accelerator. Tnuva hopes that the startups within the accelerator can increase
its exposure to breakthrough technologies in the food-tech sector.
Winning the water
quality test.
Israeli startup Lishtot just won the StartUp
Open Israel 2015 competition run by the Global Entrepreneurship Network. It will now represent Israel in November’s
global finals. Lishtot’s low-cost product
detects water pollutants in a 5-second test, based on the electromagnetic
properties of water.
Israel’s untold story of
“Hydro-diplomacy”.
(TY Ruth)
Here is a brief account by Seth M Siegel of the history of Israel’s work since
the 1950s to tackle the scourge of drought in the developing world. Mr Siegel’s new book “Let There Be Water:
Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World is published this week. (see
here)
SkySaver is launched. (TY Arlene) News of the Israeli-developed
Skysaver escape harness that allows you to evacuate safely from the window of a
high-rise building (see
Jan 2014). SkySaver has received
final certification from the Standards Institute of Israel and officially
launched on Aug 3rd.
Israel to train Japanese to combat cyber
hackers. Israel
Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed a contract to supply Dai Nippon Printing
(DNP) of Tokyo with a training program for those whose job it will be to
prevent cyber-attacks in the real world.
DNP will become a reseller in Japan of IAI’s TAME Range training system.
Two products of the year awards. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s SQream produces software to analyze huge amounts of data. Its SQL Database won bronze in the Best New
Enterprise Product category of the Best in Biz Awards 2015 International
program. And its GenomeStack won a
bronze “Stevie” award in the Best New Product of the Year – Big Data Software
Solution category in the 2015 International Business Awards.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israeli tech launches Chinese wine
industry.
(TY Michelle) Eight years ago, Chen Qide leased from the Yinchuan
government 100,000 acres of land in NW China and started planting grapes using
Israel's technology. Chen now plans to
establish 100 small wineries, with a 10 billion yuan ($1.57 billion) profit
target.
World’s largest
shipping company comes to Israel. (TY Janglo)
In October, Haifa Port will begin serving 2M - the world's largest shipping
alliance, comprising giants Maersk and MSC.
On Oct 15, The Gustav will be the largest ship ever to dock at an
Israeli port.
The Windward of change. Israel’s maritime data and
analytics company, Windward, has announced two new high-profile investors. Dan Senor, co-author of “Start-up Nation” and
ex-CIA Director General David Patraeus.
Google Chairman explains why he is
investing in Israel. (TY Nevet)
Google chairman Eric Schmidt praised Israel’s “culture of entrepreneurship”,
its impact on science and technology, innovation and willingness to challenge
authority. He also urged Israeli researchers to think big.
Japan loves Israeli shoes. (TY Nevet) Israeli shoe and sandal
manufacturing giant Teva Naot is to open its fourth retail branch in Tokyo. The Israeli chain produces specially designed
shoes for the Japanese market, including 20 different models that were tailored
according to local specifications and trends.
Israeli merger connects a billion
customers.
(TY Michelle) Israeli firms IronSource and Supersonic are to merge. Over 450 million use IronSource’s InstallCore
to download software to PCs and mobiles every month. Supersonic works with companies such as
Adidas, Intel and Coca Cola to deliver ads during installation.
Record levels of Private Equity
investment.
(TY Michelle) Israeli tech firms continued to benefit from increased
investment, both by local venture capital firms and international players.
Private equity investments hit an all-time high of $1.4 billion in the second
quarter of 2015.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Jerusalem is a top 10 destination. Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem,
was listed by the widely read Travel and Leisure (T&L) magazine as one of
the world’s 10 most “spectacular” cities.
Masada from above. (TY Avi) Great drone camera
video showing the Judean desert fortress of Masada.
Matisyahu “Jerusalem - if I forget you”. American Jewish rap singer
Matisyahu returned to Israel for the Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival. He will also perform a show at the capital's
Sultan's Pool on Oct 10.
Israel advances to
EuroBasket last 16.
Israel's national basketball team qualified on Wednesday for the final
sixteen stage at the EuroBasket tournament for the first time since 2007, with
a 75:73 victory over Poland.
THE JEWISH STATE
Tel Aviv Great Synagogue is 90 years
old. It was a
tremendous achievement to construct the magnificent Great Synagogue of Tel Aviv
in 1925. For its 90th birthday present
it received four new Torah scrolls.
Aliya increased by 13%
in 5775.
Approximately 29,500 Jews moved to Israel in the Jewish Year 5775, an
increase of 13% on the 26,000 who made Aliya the previous year. Jews arrived from 97 different countries including
7,350 from France (up 10%) and 6,900 from Ukraine (up 50%).
Help to solve Israel’s problems. (TY Nevet) This exciting website features
the latest Israeli news, facts, solutions, and humor. It aims to help political and business
leaders learn the good truth and the value of Israel, countering misinformation
and protecting Israel’s reputation. It is working hard to increase the support
of Israel.
Feeding the poor at the New Year. Colel Chabad, Israel's
longest continuously running social services organization, is delivering tons
of food for the New Year, to over 18,000 Israeli families, including 2,500
single-parent families. Each family will
receive boxes of dry goods, vegetables and vouchers for chicken.
150906
In the 6th Sept 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
IBM Israel
has developed an app that can identify sufferers of ADHD.
·
Israel is
providing an extra $230 million for Arab-Israeli integration.
·
IsraAID is
heading to Greece to help with the influx of migrants.
·
Intel’s
new Israeli-developed Skylake microchip goes public.
·
An
Israeli-app can keep track of your most important possessions.
·
The
largest exit ($900 million) for an Israeli medical device company.
·
An Israeli
Paralympic rower won gold at the World Championships.
Page Down for details on these and more
good news stories from Israel. Thank You
Michelle and other readers for sending me links to many of these positive news
articles. Please use IsraelActive to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
An app to detect ADHD.
(TY SDM)
Researchers at IBM Israel have developed a prototype app that can detect
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Subjects trace an
imaginary rectangle ten times and the app analyzes the hand movements. ADHD sufferers have difficulty with
continuous motor activity. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4694706,00.html
Link between Leukemia and HIV. Researchers at Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev (BGU) have discovered similarities between Leukemia and
HIV. Dr. Ran Taube is convinced that his
team’s discovery is key to finding a clinical solution that can prevent
infection with HIV and destroy the deadly virus.
High-pressure Oxygen to treat
fibromyalgia.
I reported previously on Israel’s Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment here
and here. Now a study by 13 Israeli researchers has
proved that the high-pressure Oxygen treatment reduces or eliminates medication
needed for sufferers of the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia.
Calming autistic children. Israel’s Association for
Children at Risk has developed an Autism and Resiliency Program aimed at
soothing frayed nerves of the 1,000 Israeli children with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD). The program relieved
trauma during Operation Protective Edge but is now being adapted to everyday
needs.
Two Israelis in prestigious MIT list. Two Israelis have made MIT's
prestigious "35 Innovators Under 35" list for 2015. Cigall Kadoch, 30, holds a doctorate from
Stanford where her expertise is cancer research. Gilad Evrony, 33, from Harvard Medical
School, made a major discovery advancing research into brain disorders.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israel’s first special needs integration
village. Israel’s
top building committee has approved land for a rural town integrating 50 Israeli
families with dozens of high-functioning special needs adults. The community will employ the special needs
adults alongside its regular workers in the local services, and in agricultural
tourism.
A record 2.191 million schoolkids. 2,191,004 students began
school on 1st Sept, almost 50,000 more than the 2,141,850 enrolled the previous
year. Improvements this year include
smaller classes in 1st grade; a second kindergarten assistant; new tools for
special needs children and a new advanced maths program.
Intel Israel increases bonus for
recruiting women.
Intel, Israel's biggest high-tech employer is doubling the bonus for
employees helping to recruit women employees.
Intel Israel VP human resources Judith Yampolsky said, "We believe
that diversity in employment is the company's engine for innovation and
creativity”.
$230 million aid for
Israeli-Arabs.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to give a one-time
budgetary supplement of 900 million shekels ($230 million) to Israeli-Arab
councils. It is designed to “integrate Israel's Arab citizens into Israeli
society as equals among equals”, said the PM.
Employment for Bedouin women. Israel’s Economy Ministry and
the Joint Distribution Committee-Israel (JDC) have opened 19 Arab-run Rayan
Employment Centers serving 63 municipalities in northern and southern
Israel. Since 2012 they have placed
9,100 Arabs, including many Bedouin women, in local jobs.
Israeli help for Gaza farmers. Farmers in Israel’s Nahal Oz
have been giving agricultural advice to Gaza farmers in Khan Younis. The Gazans are seeking new varieties of
potato suitable for food such as chips.
Israeli farmer Yankale Cohen said, “Maybe they’ll stop shooting at us because
of the potatoes?”
Help for refugees in
Europe. IsraAID Director Shachar Zahavi has announced
a campaign to help Greece with the thousands of refugees washed up on the
shores of Europe. IsraAID brings its
experience of its program to help the Bulgarian Red Cross last year with its
influx of Syrian refugees.
Water technology for Nigeria. Israel is to help Nigeria
manufacture irrigation equipment, manage water resources, monitor accessibility,
produce a water quality safety plan, and develop educational and management
techniques.
The fifth most influential fashion
school. (TY SDM)
Israel’s Shenkar College's Fashion Design Department in Ramat Gan is among the
five most influential fashion schools in the world and the 11th-best overall,
according to rankings released on Sunday by the influential Business of Fashion
publication.
Saving rare species. (TY Simon)
Israel hosted a global UN event last week when 200 scientists from 40 countries
came to Tel Aviv to attend the Animals Committee of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). A key issue discussed was illegal hunting.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Israel’s wild wheat can feed the world. Video to accompany my previous
article about how Israel’s NRGene mapped out the genome of wild Emmer wheat,
with its promise of new hardy and resistant strains. Emmer wheat – the ancestor of modern wheat -
was discovered in 1906 by Aaron Aaronsohn in pre-state Israel.
Skylake - Intel
Israel’s next generation chip. The Israeli-developed Intel Skylake is
another huge advance in microprocessor technology, with more than double the
performance, triple the battery life, and 30 times better graphics than most computers
in use today. It consumes just 3 watts
of power – current chips use 30-45 watts.
Doubling students of advanced math. Education Minister Naftali
Bennett, former President Shimon Peres and Israeli high-tech companies have launched
“Give 5” – a program to double to 18,000 the numbers studying for advanced
(5-point) math matriculation exams. It
includes more teachers, resources and hi-tech lecturers.
Smart garbage bins. Afula is the first Israeli
city to have sensors fitted to 150 of its public trash cans. Garbage collectors will be now alerted to the
receptacles that need emptying more urgently.
A spoon to measure sweetness. Israeli startup Valiber has
developed a spoon-like tool that measures the exact levels of sweetness found
in drinks and foods. “The swizzle” is a
spoon with a sensor that communicates with your smartphone using
Bluetooth. Valiber has also invented the
“Val” scale to quantify sweetness.
Express delivery - by drone. Israel’s Flytrex claims to
be the world’s first delivery drone that operates over the cloud. Its Messenger app lets operators use their
Sky drone to perform short-range deliveries of small parcels to friends and
family. It is also planning drone
deliveries of medicines to rural African villages.
Delivery on one wheel. Kobi Shikar, a student at
Shenkar School of Engineering and Design, has conceptually designed a
one-wheeled robotic delivery drone that uses GPS to navigate and facial
recognition software to identify recipients.
Each wheel features a self-balancing gyroscopic system.
Intel Israel 3D tech to power Google’s
Tango. (TY SDM)
Intel Israel is working with Google to develop a 3-D environment. Intel’s
RealSense technology, largely developed in Jerusalem and Haifa, is to be a key
input to Project Tango - a Google experiment using smartphones and tablets to
record an in-depth, 3-D environment.
I don’t like the sound of that. (TY Michelle) Israel’s
Augury has developed the Auguscope – a low-cost innovative device that
“listens” to machinery to diagnose problems.
Preventative maintenance can then save the huge costs of downtime and
replacement equipment. Augury has just
raised $7 million of initial funding.
Never lose anything
ever again.
(TY Yehudit) Israel’s GetPixie has developed the Location of Things
(LoT) platform and produced Pixie points that you stick to your valued objects
(keys, wallet, sunglasses etc.) Use your
smartphone to find them anytime. Pixie can even alert you if you leave the
house without them.
3D printed fashion collection. (TY Michelle) Danit Peleg
used a relatively cheap, home 3D printer to produce clothing for her final
project at Israel’s Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. Her video of the
“dishwasher-safe” fabrics has had over 100,000 views. Imagine - if you are cold, just print
yourself a sweater!
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
20,000 car booster seats. Israel’s Mifold has now had
20,000 orders for its innovative folding car booster seats. It also has released a video of a child
attaching his seat belt to the booster seat.
Israel’s Smartbus app launches in
California. SmartBus
already helps Israelis arrange 40,000 trips per month, whether a regular route
(such as a workplace shuttle) or a one-time ride to an event. In Israel, about
1,600 drivers participate in the scheme.
Now in four languages, the app is being rolled out California,
Tennessee delegation to Israel. (TY Michelle) Tennessee
Governor Bill Haslam is leading a 23-person plus delegation to Israel. They will meet Israeli researchers, venture
capitalists and government representatives. Industries involved include life
sciences, high-tech, biotech, and health care.
Old and new together in Jerusalem. (TY Michelle) This video
features Erez Yerushalmi, CEO of Israeli startup Sling, a mobile platform that
allows smartphone users to purchase without cash from micro merchants such as
street vendors. Here, though, Erez is
publicizing the Citi Mobile Challenge, Jerusalem.
Amazon calls up Israeli mobile ad firm. (TY Michelle) I featured
21-year-old Tomer Hen’s MobCo mobile ad company previously here. Tomer has just landed the biggest deal of his
life as Amazon has chosen MobCo to advertise the launch of its shopping app in
India.
A billion-dollar exit. In the biggest deal ever for
an Israeli medical device company, US-based HeartWare International is
acquiring Israeli biotech start-up Valtech Cardio. Valtech shareholders will receive HeartWare
stock worth over $900 million, depending on milestones. Valtech makes heart valve surgery devices.
Investing in Israel to boost Japanese
innovation.
(TY Michelle) Japan’s Samurai Incubate has invested in sixteen startups
from Israel, with a target of 100 portfolio companies in three years. The VC firm uniquely focuses on seed and
pre-seed startups, offering something no one else does – the opportunity to
enter Japan.
A multi-million company, almost by
accident.
(TY Michelle) When Israel’s Or Offer left the army, he began selling his
mother’s jewelry. Someone said the
jewelry resembled that of US designer David Yurman. Or then built a search engine to find similar
websites and the hugely popular SimilarWeb was spawned.
Dubai firm can rent you a car in Israel. (TY Hazel) On-line car
rental company travelauto.com, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is to
allow its users to book rental cars for pick-up in Israel. Reps from travelauto.com came to Israel to
sign agreements with Israeli rental providers.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
“Let there be water”. Seth M. Siegel has just
written a new book, entitled “Let there be water: Israel's Solution for a
Water-Starved World”. Mr. Siegel will be
a keynote speaker at each of the JNF Water Summits in 10 USA cities this fall (see
last newsletter).
Jerusalem Biennale 2015. The Jerusalem Biennale
explores the meeting of Contemporary Art and the Jewish World of Content. The
2nd Jerusalem Biennale for Contemporary Jewish Art will showcase the work of
nearly 200 Israeli and international professional artists in 10 exhibitions
hosted in seven city-center venues.
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. Legendary British rock band
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band is coming to Israel to perform at the Wohl
Amphitheater in Tel Aviv on Sept 21. Born in South Africa, Manfred Mann (originally
Manfred Leibovitz) is considered one of the greatest keyboardists in the rock
genre.
Israeli touchdown in Spain. (TY Sharon) Israel’s National American Football
Team beat Spain 28-20 on its international debut. The game was good-natured and both coaches
praised their opponents. The Israeli
team advanced to play in European Federation of American Football’s B-Group
next year.
World champion
Paralympic rower.
Moran Samuel won the gold medal in the arms-shoulders single scull
1,000-meter competition at the World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette,
France. She was over a second faster
than Great Britain’s Rachel Morris, with previous world champion Birgit
Skarstein of Norway third.
THE JEWISH STATE
A comfy seat in Jerusalem. (TY Janglo)
Only in Israel. Someone obviously was not happy about the stark metallic
benches that Jerusalem municipality installed in the nation’s capital. So they did something about it.
No more dummies. (TY Janglo)
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat joined sixty children as they inaugurated the city’s
first pacifier tree. The children hung their pacifiers on the tree, part of a
project to assist children in breaking away from their trusted friend. The tree
stands outside the well-baby clinic on Eliezer HaGadol Street.
Yalla – let’s go! NFL star Julian Edelman
shares his enthusiasm for the Jewish State in this video.
59 lone soldiers make Aliya. A Nefesh B'Nefesh chartered
flight with 232 olim from North America, including 59 lone soldiers, landed at
Ben Gurion airport. Many intend to serve
with elite IDF units. And thanks to Friends of the IDF for organizing a day out
for more than 5000 lone soldiers at Israel’s Shefayim Water Park.
2000-year-old podium found in Jerusalem. Archeologists have excavated
a podium on a 2,000-year-old Jerusalem street in the Old City, leading from the
Siloam Pool to the Temple Mount. Four
large stone rectangles form steps up to a platform, commonly used for public
announcements in biblical times.
Go forth and multiply. (TY SDM) Six-year-old
white rhinoceros Keren Peles has given birth to a female calf at the Ramat Gan
Safari. She is the 27th rhino born at
the safari, which belongs to an international consortium of zoos working to
pull the white rhino back from the verge of extinction.
I am an Israeli. (TY Janglo)
I echo everything that Roi says in this video.
150830
In the 30th Aug 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli
eye doctors restored the sight of 90 patients in Kyrgyzstan.
·
El Al has
enrolled its first Haredi woman onto its elite pilot training course.
·
Israeli
water experts are holding summits in ten US cities.
·
The
Philippines is adopting Israeli greenhouse technology to feed its population.
·
An Israeli
company is to build a huge water system for 131 Indian villages.
·
Maccabi
Tel Aviv beat FC Basle to qualify for the European Champions League.
·
Lifeguards,
police and a diving club rescued a dolphin stranded on rocks in Acre.
Page Down for details on these and more
good news stories from Israel. Thank You
Michelle and other readers for sending me links to many of these positive news
articles. Please use IsraelActive to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Treatment slows onset of Alzheimer’s. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Avraham Pharmaceuticals announced successful interim results in a
Phase 2b clinical trial of ladostigil, for the treatment of mild cognitive
impairment (MCI). Fewer MCI patients using ladostigil for 2 years progressed to
Alzheimer’s than those using the placebo.
Detecting lung cancer mutations in the
genes. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Rosetta Genomics has just had approval from the New Jersey Department
of Health, for its OncoGxSelect diagnostic test for lung cancer. The test detects genetic mutations
responsible for the tumors and help clinicians make relevant treatment
decisions.
A device to treat Peripheral Artery
Disease. (TY
Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Eximo has developed a patented hybrid catheter, which is connected to
a pulsed laser system, for the treatment of blocked arteries associated with Peripheral
Artery Disease (PAD). PAD affects 8-12
million Americans. Eximo has just
received $1.6 million of funding.
Restoring eyesight in
Kyrgyzstan. A group of Israeli doctors restored the eyesight of 90 adults and
children in Kyrgyzstan thanks to Israeli-Jewish Eye from Zion volunteer organization. The doctors performed cornea surgery, plastic
surgery and removed tumors and cataracts.
Many patients had been blind for years.
How to check if your baby is healthy. Israel Technion Professor
Eli Ben-Sasson and his wife Ayelet have developed an online community (CROINC
(CROwd-based INteractive Clustering)) where parents can share information about
their child’s development - and compare it to actual scientific and medical facts.
HIV is six times less in Israel. (TY Nevet) Due to circumcision, the annual
incidence of HIV infection in Israeli men is on average six times lower than
that of the Netherlands and France and for women it is ten times lower. The Health Ministry study was published in
the Israel Journal of Health Policy Research.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Women in Wireless in Israel. (TY SDM) The writer of this article, Stefanie Amini,
founded Women In Wireless Israel to help empower women. She concludes that the Start-up Nation
encapsulates the innovative spirit typical of Israelis, inspiring and helping
women incorporate Israeli culture into their work life.
Haredi woman on El Al
pilot course.
(TY Nevet) Nehama (full name withheld) is the first haredi woman to be
accepted into El Al's elite pilot training course. She earned her pilot’s license in the US and
had to travel back to America in order to accumulate sufficient flying hours to
take the course, which begins in November.
One of the best places to raise your
kids. Israel
has been ranked fourth in the world for expat families to bring up their
children, according to the Family Life Index carried out by the Inter Nations
institute. The index ranks countries in
categories such as quality, cost and availability of childcare and education.
20,000 tons of goods for Gaza – as
usual. I
don’t report it every week, but every day over 600 trucks bring over 20,000
tons of goods into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing. The items include medical supplies, food,
construction materials and electronic devices.
Each truck is inspected to prevent smuggling terrorist supplies.
The IDF’s humanitarian missions. This new video shows that beyond
protecting Israel’s citizens, its soldiers embrace another role: serving a
source of relief for people all over the world. From Japan to Haiti, from Nepal
to the Philippines, Israel’s soldiers have worked miracles and saved lives.
Italian and Israeli bio-meds
collaborate.
Dozens of Israeli bio-medical companies are to meet with their Italian
counterparts in Milan next fall.
Collaboration between the two countries in the life sciences has been
strong since Israel helped many Italian companies rebuild their R&D
facilities after the 2012 earthquakes.
Why Israel-India relations have grown
closer.
Efraim Inbar gives reasons for the improved ties between Israel and
India. They include the return to power
of the BJP party; bilateral interaction in defense, intelligence, agriculture,
health, science, and technology; increased Indian economic power and less
global Arab influence.
Water summits in the
USA. The JNF
is holding water summits in ten US cities to share Israel’s technological
advancements and amazing accomplishments in water resources. Israeli experts will speak in Albany, Austin,
Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego and Washington
DC.
Israel’s contributions to the world. Israel’s Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said at the Israeli pavilion at Expo 2015 in Milan that
millions around the world have personally benefited from Israel's advances. Israel shared its water and agricultural
technology, benefiting millions in India, China, Latin America and Africa.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The 2015 World Science Conference in
Israel. The
WSCI 2015 World Science Conference Israel in Jerusalem not only had 15 Nobel
Prize winners under one roof, it also featured Magic, Science, Technology and
lots of inspiration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtCwwQLdn_A
Israeli medical
startup wins global competition. Israel’s DiACardio has won the 2015 Shengjing
Global Innovation Award in Beijing China.
DiACardio has developed revolutionary software to decode
echocardiograms. Another Israeli
startup, Wayerz, came fifth. All 5
finalists receive $200,000 prize money.
Net Zero Energy communities. Ben Gurion University of the
Negev has received an EU Horizon 2020 grant to develop a “Zero Plus” system
that preserves energy in buildings. BGU
will then implement four projects across Europe to turn Net Zero Energy (NZE)
buildings into NZE communities.
Genes that are natural insecticides. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Evogene has used its BiomeMiner
computational discovery platform to identify microbial genes with insecticidal
properties. EvoGene will now validate
the genes’ insect control properties against some of the world’s worst
agricultural pests.
Missile protection for the world’s
aircraft.
(TY Atid-EDI)
Many readers will have seen the video of the C-MUSIC
directed infra-red countermeasures (DIRCM) system from Israel’s Elbit that
repels terrorist missiles launched at commercial airliners. Recent international demand for the system is
simply phenomenal.
Israel and US sign space collision
prevention pact.
(TY Nevet) Israel’s Defense
Ministry and US Strategic Command (USSTATCOM) have signed a new cooperation
arrangement to prevent satellites and other objects colliding in space. The Space
Situational Awareness (SSA) agreement will ensure safe spaceflight
operations.
Preventing evaporation and much more. I featured the Israeli
“Top-up” water-saving spheres previously in
Sep 2014. The company that makes
them has just renamed itself from “Top-It-Up” to “NeoTop” and is launching its
2nd generation of product, preventing algae, and even deterring birds from fish
farms and airports.
5 minutes to recharge an electric car. (TY Michelle & Nevet) Israel’s StoreDot has promised
that by May 2016 it will be able to recharge an electric vehicle from zero to
100% in 5 minutes. StoreDot is famous
for its 30-second cellphone recharging technology, which the company says will
be on the market in mid-2016.
Agro-tech for the
Philippines.
(TY Michelle) Davao City, the 4th largest city in the Philippines, is
planning a greenhouse model using Israeli technology to increase food
production. A 1,000sqm greenhouse using
Israeli technology can produce 25,000 kilos of tomatoes compared to 4,000 kilos
on the same size of open land.
Making fashion shopping less
frustrating.
(TY Michelle) Israel’s Liat Zakay has developed Donde - an app that uses
artificial intelligence to trawl over 6,000 major retailers, classifying fashion
images into color, length, neckline etc. Users select an item and filter by anything
from hemline and pattern to brands and price ranges.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
High-speed Jerusalem-Tel Aviv link gets
on track.
(TY Atid-EDI)
Israel Railways has begun laying the tracks of the high-speed railway line
between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv - the first in Israel to run on electricity. The 56km link will have five tunnels, eight
bridges and cost around NIS 7 billion (about $1.85 billion).
Work starts on Tel Aviv light railway. (TY Atid-EDI) Construction
of the Tel Aviv light rail system has officially begun. Workers started excavations near the Allenby
Street-Yehuda Halevi Street intersection, where one of the light rail stations
will be located. The project is expected
to take six years to complete.
Water for 131 Indian
villages.
(TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s TAHAL Group signed a $74 million agreement with the Government of
Karnataka State in India, for the design, construction and operation of a water
supply system for 131 villages in the state.
It includes 600km of pipeline, a treatment plant and eight reservoirs.
Israeli firm to open start-up center in
Korea. (TY
Michelle) Israeli venture capital firm Yozma is opening a campus for startups
in Pangyo Valley, Gyeonggi, Korea. It is
also forming a 200 billion won ($169.3 million) start-up fund called Korea
Yozma Fund.
India to emulate Israeli VC fund. (TY Michelle) The Indian
government has launched a venture capital (VC) fund. Dubbed the India
Aspiration Fund, the 20 billion rupee ($306 million) fund hopes to emulate
Israel’s Yozma program. Today Israel has
a thriving VC ecosystem.
Why China and Israel are doing great
trade. (TY
Michelle) Here are some of the reasons why China is likes Israel. They include China’s ambitious expansion
plans and the Israeli technology to help achieve them.
Hi-tech dental implants get US partner. (TY Michelle) Evolution
Dental Science in Buffalo New York is to house the U.S. sales and distribution
headquarters of Noris Medical, one of Israel’s largest manufacturers of
implants and dental devices. Noris
already has operations in China, India, Russia and Italy.
Multimillion dollar projects in Georgia. (TY Michelle) Tbilisi Mayor
Davit Narmania promoted Georgia to 101 businessmen at the Georgia-Israel business
forum. President of the Israel-Georgia
Chamber of Business Itsik Moshe confirmed several multimillion dollar projects
will be implemented in Georgia in the coming months. http://agenda.ge/news/40955/eng http://agenda.ge/news/41130/eng
Israeli start-up competition goes
global. (TY
Michelle) Startups have been competing in 21 countries to win one of the 21
available places on “Start Tel Aviv” - a 5-day intensive boot camp in Israel in
September. Here is the Danish winning
entry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRuK6s5De88
Changing unwanted foreign currency. (TY Michelle) More about
Israel’s TravelersBox – developers of the handy machines installed at airports
that stop you wasting your spare change.
Redeem it from brands such as Starbucks, H&M, Skype, Paypal, iTunes,
Google Play, GAP, and countless others.
Or donate it to charity.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Music to our ears. The 18th Jerusalem
International Chamber Music Festival takes place Sep 3 – 12 2015. Musicians
from all over the world will perform new compositions, rarely performed works, as
well as popular chamber music works. http://www.midnighteast.com/mag/?p=32181
Classic cars in a young state. Israeli members of the 5
Club, Israel’s largest antique car club, met in a parking lot in Ness Ziona,
south of Tel Aviv to show off their restored motor-vehicle marvels. They
included Jaguars, Corvettes, Oldsmobiles and a 1967 Ford Anglia, first produced
when the UK declared war on Hitler in 1939.
Israeli cycling team joins USA Pro
Challenge.
“Cycling Academy” is the first Israeli team to enter America’s top
cycling event - the USA Pro Challenge - America’s equivalent of the Tour de
France. In its first year, Cycling
Academy has won stages of the Tour d’Azerbaijan, the Tour de Berlin and the Visegrad
4.
Maccabi Tel Aviv reach
Euro Champions League. Israeli soccer champions Maccabi Tel Aviv have
won through to the Champion League group stage where they meet Chelsea, Porto
and Dynamo Kiev. Tel Aviv beat Swiss champions FC Basle in the 3rd qualifying
round; Eran Zahavi scored his 7th goal of the competition.
Israeli triple jumper wins silver in
World Championships. Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko became the first-ever
Israeli woman (and the second Israeli) to win a World Championships athletics
silver medal when she came second in the triple jump in China. Her second round jump of 14.78 meters broke
the Israeli record.
Israeli wins world judoka bronze. Israel’s Golan Pollack won
the bronze medal in the under 66kg category at the World Judo Championship in
Astana, Kazakhstan. The 23-year-old
(23rd in the world) beat Davaadorj of Mongolia by landing a yuko with just 5
seconds. See the video for Pollack’s
patriotic reaction at 6:15 mins.
THE JEWISH STATE
108 Ukrainian Jews fly to freedom. The International Fellowship
of Christians and Jews brought 108 Jews from war-torn Ukraine to make a new
start in the land of their spiritual forefathers. They were welcomed at Ben-Gurion Airport by
members of the IDF, with Israeli flags, balloons, and warm greetings.
Free summer camps for children of French
Olim. Bnei
Akiva, aided by the Immigrant Absorption Ministry and the AMI association for
French Olim, are holding free summer camps for the many recently arrived French
children. Funds were raised by the camp counselors through public events, car
washing and other initiatives.
Dolphin
rescued at Acre beach. An exhausted dolphin surprised swimmers at an
Acre beach when it was found on the rocks.
Lifeguards, the district veterinarian, naval police and the Shavei Zion diving
club all helped rescue the dolphin and transport it for medical treatment by the
Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
150823
In the 23rd Aug 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Doctors at
an Israeli hospital used innovative surgery to save two pregnant women.
·
Israel
donated vital equipment to treat Taiwan burns victims.
·
Israel
refueled Jordanian jets on route to joint exercises in the USA.
·
Israeli
mapping of the DNA of wheat promises stronger varieties.
·
An Israeli
company is building a wind farm in Ireland.
·
Israel’s
largest indoor market has opened in central Tel Aviv.
·
Three rare
baby sand cats were born at an Israeli safari park.
·
75 Torah scrolls
were dedicated at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
Thank You Michelle and other readers for sending me links to so many of
these positive news articles. Use IsraelActive to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Doctors revive mother
with amniotic embolism. (TY Phillip)
In a first of its kind event, a 43-year-old woman who was declared clinically
dead after suffering an amniotic embolism during a C-section has woken up. Doctors at Israel’s Beilinson Hospital
removed a massive blood clot from her lungs with the aid of innovative
technology. Her new baby daughter is
also doing well.
Doctors remove tumor
from womb of pregnant woman. A team of doctors at Petah Tikva's Beilinson
Hospital have succeeded in surgically removing a 15cm long tumor from a woman's
womb in the middle of her pregnancy without harming her or the baby. Danielle Skald later had a normal delivery of
a baby boy.
Israeli medial clowns at Chinese hospitals. Israeli medical clowns from
“Dream Doctors” visited seven hospitals and orphanages in Chengdu, southwestern
China. In colorful clown costumes and
with big red noses, they sang songs, played ukulele, performed magic tricks and
blew bubbles in the wards to cheer up the patients.
Bacteria or virus? Israel’s MeMed has
discovered a protein in blood called TRAIL that dramatically increases in
patients infected with viruses but decreases in bacterial infections. It has developed proprietary algorithms and a
blood test called ImmunoXpert that could save hundreds of thousands of lives in
Europe alone.
FDA approval for Rosacea treatment. I reported previously (Sept
2014) on the successful results of the acne treatment from Israel’s
Foamix. The company’s Rosacea treatment
- Finacea Foam - has just been approved by the US FDA. Rosacea is a skin condition of unattractive dilated
blood vessels, often on the face.
New Center for Autism in Jerusalem. The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem and the Hadassah Medical Center will establish the first
interdisciplinary university-based autism center in the Middle East. The Autism Center will bring together
cutting-edge research, clinical services, state of the art training and
education for professionals and parents in the community. http://new.huji.ac.il/en/article/27508
Liver-on-chip device to replace animal
testing.
Another liver cell innovation from scientists at the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem (see
Aug 2nd) who have partnered with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute to build a
a liver-on-chip device mimicking human physiology. Soon, toxicity tests no longer need
performing on animals.
Medical aid for Taipei
burns victims.
Israel is donating two skin graft meshers worth more than $10,000 each, to
Taiwanese hospitals. 498 people were
injured (202 in need of skin grafts) following a horrific water park explosion
accident in a Taipei water park.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israeli hospitals unite Israelis and
Arabs. A study
conducted at Schneider Children's Medical Center finds that parents from the
Arab sector whose children have been treated in Israeli hospitals feel a
stronger sense of solidarity with the State of Israel.
A truly moderate Palestinian Arab
politician.
(TY Elder
of Zion) Mohammed Dajani Daoudi heads Israel’s tiny Wasatia political party. He was educated to hate Israelis, but
completely changed when his father had his cancer treated in an Israeli
hospital. He accepts Jews having equal
rights to Arabs and fights holocaust denial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaUf9Mojr-c
Israeli hospital treats Hamas officer. Not sure if this is good
news, but it needs to be reported. Nayef
Rajoub, a senior member of Hamas and the brother of senior Palestinian
Authority figure Jibril Rajoub, is currently recuperating in a private hospital
in Tel Aviv, apparently after having undergone spine surgery.
Infant mortality in Gaza. (TY Stuart) A recent UNWRA report
criticizing Israel for the health of Gaza infants was simply another case of
“propaganda masquerading as science”.
Here are the true facts.
Defying
expectations.
(TY Michelle and Avi) Haisam
Hassanein, an exchange student from Egypt, received his Master’s degree and became
the valedictorian of Tel Aviv University. He delivered a remarkable speech - his
insights, both timeless and timely, illustrate the hope for there to be real
peace in our time.
Israeli Air Force
refuels Jordanian F-16s. An Israeli tanker plane supported a flight of
Jordanian F-16 Vipers which were on route with Israeli Air Force planes to
exercises in the US. The sight of
Israeli and Jordanian jets flying together was a unique experience.
Israeli professor joins Iranian
environmental journal. Hebrew University Professor Renata Reisfeld has
accepted the invitation of Maryam Pazoki, assistant professor at the Faculty of
Environment at the University of Tehran to join the editorial board of the
Tehran-based International Journal of Environment, Energy and Waste.
Ivory Coast Health Minister comes to
learn from Israel.
Ivory Coast’s Health Minister Dr. Raymonde Goudou Coffie is in Israel on
a “learning tour” of Israeli hospitals, especially regarding emergency
medicine.
Israel promotes science in Ghana. Israel has flown two
outstanding female science students from Ghana to the World Science Conference
in Israel. Lilian Abrafi Yeboah and Nana
Esi Nyarko were given free all-expensive return trips to join 400 young science
masterminds from over 70 countries and 15 Nobel laureates.
World class
universities.
Six of Israel’s eight universities are in the top 500 of the 2015
Academic Ranking of World Universities produced annually by the authoritative Shanghai
Jiao Tong University. The Hebrew
University of Jerusalem was ranked at 67 and Israel’s Technion in Haifa was
number 77 on the list.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Play on computer? Exercise first. Israeli Eylon Porat has built an accessory
for his daughter’s computer. It
comprises an exercise bike that she has to pedal in order to unlock games on
the computer for a certain time period. When she run out of credits the
computer locks again until she pedals enough “credits” to unlock it.
Haifa to be Israel’s first Clean Air
Zone City. For
the first time in Israel, a Clean Air Zone will be enacted, banning polluting
diesel-powered vehicles from areas of Haifa, as part of a five-year plan
announced by the Environmental Protection Ministry to reduce air pollution and
environmental hazards in the Haifa Bay area.
Wheat genome cracked. It took Israel’s NRGene just
3 months to map out the genome for wild Emmer wheat – a task that had eluded
dozens of scientists from 55 countries.
It will now be easier to develop varieties of wheat that will thrive in
drier, hotter climates and help relieve world hunger. And related article by Sharon.
3 Olympiad medals for Israeli high
school chemists.
Three members of Team Israel won bronze medals at the oldest (and perhaps
toughest) high school competition - the International Chemistry Olympiad, held
in Baku, Azerbaijan. Teams used
chemicals to synthesize material and identify unknown elements.
Tinned tuna in low sodium brine. (TY Liat) Israel’s Salt of the Earth has successfully
reduced the sodium content of canned tuna by 35% with its new Umami Essence
ingredient - a proprietary, natural liquid formula derived from vegetables and
sea salt. In trials, the taste was
indistinguishable from ordinary tuna in brine.
Polly can park your car. Tens of thousands of Israelis
have used the Israeli developed app Polly to park their cars in Tel Aviv. It is now being expanded to Jerusalem. Polly uses GPS, crowdsourcing, municipal
information and its own algorithm to guide drivers to streets where spaces are
more likely to be available.
Israeli wind farms in
Ireland. Enlight
Renewable Energy (part of Israel’s Eurocom Group) has just closed a deal worth
24 million Euros to build a 14MW windfarm in Ireland and more are planned. Ireland is aiming to generate 40pc of all its
electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
The ultimate
altruism app.
Only in Israel would a startup develop an app that connects people who
want help with those who wish to give help.
Angels Nearby uses a search engine to connect people based on the type
of help needed, “trust level” (everyone, Facebook friends only, friends of
friends), and location.
New stamp honors Nobel laureate. (TY Michelle) Israel
releases a new stamp on Oct 10 to celebrate the 2013 Nobel Prize for
Chemistry. Israel’s Arieh Warshel, one
of the joint laureates for Computational Chemistry, was the key researcher who
deciphered the role of the protein rhodopsin - the biological pigment in retina
cells.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
State of economy improves again. July’s rise in the composite
state of the economy was 0.3%. The main
reasons were increases in goods exports and services.
Turkey gas deal would be a win-win. Turkey’s Turcas Petrol CEO
Batu Aksoy says that importing Israeli gas is beneficial to both
countries. Turkey has no gas reserves
but generates 50% of its electricity from gas.
It pays high prices to gas suppliers, including Iran and Russia. A deal with Israel can also improve political
ties.
Israel’s largest
indoor market is open. The 8,700 square meter Sarona Market has
opened across from the Azrieli towers in the heart of Tel Aviv. It comprises 89 businesses and anticipates up
to 15,000 visitors per day.
Invest in companies that can change the
world.
Israel’s Terra Partners is an “impact investment fund, specializing in
startups with world-changing ambitions.
It is not looking at fast exits but rather building sustainable
companies. (See
also May 17 Newsletter)
Electricity prices to fall 7%. (TY Janglo) Electricity rates will fall 7% in
September. This is the second decrease
over the past 12 months and means that annual electricity prices would have
fallen by 16%. Reasons include increased
renewable energy sources that are supplying the national grid.
A strategic water alliance with China. Israel’s RWL Water has entered
into a strategic partnership with Chinese infrastructure giant China Gezhouba
Group Corporation (CGGC). CGGC implements major infrastructure projects in more
than 100 countries and regions.
How athlete and mother built a $10m
business.
(TY Michelle) Israel’s Chen Levanon is CEO of ClicksMob was a hurdler at
college. She now has 2 kids and runs a
fast-moving business that matches advertisers and publishers. Half her
management team are female. ClicksMob
generated $10 million of revenue last year.
A photo
finish? (TY
Michelle) Lightricks is the Israeli startup behind successful smartphone
photo-editing apps Facetune and Enlight.
Founded in 2013, Facetune has 4.5 million customers with another million
on Enlight. With a graphics engine and
mobile ad software, Lightricks is a likely target for Apple or Facebook.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Droning over Apollonia. Amateur drone pilot Jesse
Peters flew an aerial quadcopter over Israel’s Apollonia National Park near
Herzliya to capture a bird’s-eye perspective of its limestone cliffs. See the 13th-century
fortress, remains of a Roman villa, and a self-built “hobbit” home carved into
the cliff by artist Nissim Kahlon.
Rare baby sand cats
born in Israel.
Rotem, a sand cat at the Ramat Gan Safari, has given birth to three
kittens. The sand cat is the only
species of cat able to survive in total deserts but now exists mostly in
captivity.
Operation Isotope – the movie. A new film is to be released
shortly of the 1972 dramatic rescue, by Israel’s elite Israeli Sayeret Matkal
unit, of hostages on a high-jacked Sabena airlines plane. The unit included current Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former PM Ehud Barak. Both enjoyed the movie premier.
Golf in the Negev desert? Nisim Nir, of the Omer
Regional Council is planning a new 18-hole golf course in the Negev. It will provide a venue for tourism and for
company executives at the nearby Omer Industrial Park and Beer Sheva Technology
Park to conclude business deals. And
make the desert bloom even more.
THE JEWISH STATE
UK Parliamentarian’s admiration for the
Jewish State.
(TY Michelle) UK Member of Parliament Sir Eric Pickles writes that
Israel has held on to its central ethics while embracing modernity. Israel is a
country that boasts the history of Jerusalem’s Old City alongside its title as
a world leader in biotech and cyber-security. This tiny spit of land along the
Mediterranean is not just one of modern history’s most unlikely success
stories, but a vital partner and ally to the United Kingdom. And its humanitarian heart also beats strong.
Never too late to make Aliya. (TY Janglo)
Felix and Feige Bandos, 94 and 90 have just made Aliya. The two Holocaust survivors arrived in Israel
to a warm welcome from their family. "I'm
glad I'm here," Felix said upon arrival. "This is the right place to
be.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv3qhezBWBs
Progress of the desert Argan trees
during the Shmitta year. Shoshana and Yoni Rappeport have followed the
Torah commandment that requires them to perform only basic maintenance every
seventh (Shmitta) year on their Negev desert Argan tree plantation. But the trees keep on growing nevertheless.
A home for lone soldiers. (TY Elaine) The latest video
about HaBayit Shel Benji – the charity that provides accommodation for those
who have no family in Israel but who just want to help protect the Jewish
State.
75 Torah scrolls
dedicated to fallen Israelis. (TY Sharon)
Tens of thousands of Israelis crowded into the Kotel (Western Wall)
Plaza to watch the ceremony dedicating 75 new Torah scrolls – one for each
Israeli that fell in last summer’s Operation Protective Edge. This event
typifies Israelis’ positive response to tragedy - part of resilience that has
kept Jewish people through so many difficult times. And please read about the 76th scroll.
150816
In the 16th Aug 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Independent
study confirms that an innovative Israeli device relieves lower back pain.
·
Israeli
summer camps promote co-existence between Jews and Arabs.
·
Israeli
humanitarian aid has been delivered to flood victims in Myanmar.
·
A unique
Israeli device gives train drivers a 3km warning of objects on the track.
·
Israelis
are developing a radiation protection suit for safe travelling in outer space.
·
A new
record number of passengers using Ben Gurion airport.
·
A
91-year-old Israeli won the World Championship race for senior runners.
·
A cyclist
pedaled 2900 km from London to Israel to raise funds for charity.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
Thank You Michelle, Barbara, Hazel and other readers for sending me so
many links to these positive news articles.
Please use IsraelActive to search
the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Success for treatment
of back pain.
Israel’s Nervomatrix has reported success from independent controlled
trials of its hyper-stimulation pulse device for treating lower back pain. The study on 28 patients at Belgian’s Free
University of Brussels obtained significant pain relief after 4 treatments compared
to a control group.
Protection against future flu strains. Israel’s BiondVax has
published independent tests of trials showing that its M-001 Universal Flu
vaccinations given 3 years ago have protected patients from flu strains that
only came into existence well after the vaccine was administered.
Sealing up after surgery. Israel’s LifeBond has
developed LifeSeal (see
Aug 2011 newsletter) - a sealant to greatly reduce surgical leaks, which
are associated with potential infections and other serious complications,
risking the lives of hundreds of thousands every year. LifeBond has just raised $27 million of
funding.
2015 WEF Technology Pioneers. Three Israeli companies were
chosen by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in its 2015 list of 14 Technology
Pioneers in the Life Science and Health category. ElMindA’s Brain Network Activation identifies
brain damage. Consumer Physics’s SCIO is
a chemical analyzer. Novocure uses
electric fields to treat solid tumors.
Robotic needle steering. Israeli startup XACT
Robotics developed a robotic system for needle steering, for use in biopsies
and ablations, or to inject medications in specific areas of the body. The
first application of XACT’s technology will be for biopsies in lung tissue. XACT has just raised $5 million to fund US
trials.
Fast track for Muscular Dystrophy
treatment.
The US FDA has given fast track approval to Israel’s BioBlast for its
Cabaletta treatment for two rare and currently untreatable conditions -
oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) and spinocerebellar ataxia type 3
(SCA3).
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
NIS 18,000 for every Israeli child. (TY Janglo) The Israeli
government is to create a savings account for every Israeli child, regardless
of religion that will be worth up to 18,000 shekels (around £3000 or $4700) on
the child’s 18th birthday. http://www.jpost.com/landedpages/printarticle.aspx?id=410449
“I am a Zionist because I am an
Arab”.
Excellent article by Fred Maroun.
OECD praises Israel for improving
Israeli-Arab job situation. (TY Hazel) An OECD report praises Israel in
its efforts to deal with Israeli-Arab unemployment. Whilst recommending further improvements, it
noted the important role of Israeli employment centers in advancing employment
for the Arab and Beduin sectors.
The first Israeli Arab to coach an
Israeli soccer team. Israeli-Arab Salah Hasarma made history when
he took over as coach of Israeli soccer club Kiryat Shmona (K8) in the Europa
League qualifying game against Czech team Slovan Liberec. Although K8 lost, their Israeli-Arab striker
Ahmed Abed scored a vital away goal.
Israeli-Arab delivers baby of mother of
terror victim.
Magen David Adom paramedic Ziad Dawiyat has met Chana Braun twice. Firstly he transported her 3-month-old baby
Chaya to hospital, where she died from being run-over by an Arab
terrorist. The second, though, was when
he came to deliver Chana’s new baby.
Israeli police save Palestinian-Arab
girl. (TY
Hazel) A team of Border Police in Hebron responded to the emergency call from
the family of a young Palestinian-Arab girl suffering acute respiratory
distress. Corporal Shai Chen administered
oxygen to stabilize the girl’s breathing and bring her pulse down to a normal
rate.
Israeli summer
co-existence camps.
Three Israeli summer camps bring together Jewish, Israeli-Arab and
Palestinian Arab youth. ILAN, The
Israeli Association for Disabled Children; Rosh Tzurim, a religious kibbutz in Judea,
hosted disabled Arab-Israelis; Wings of Peace brings together Palestinian Arabs
and Israelis.
Photos of things only seen in Israel. (TY Lorraine) I hope you
enjoy this compilation from Ira Jacobson.
Israeli help for Syrian Druze. (TY Michelle) Rabbi Yechiel
Z. Eckstein, head of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, is
helping destitute Syrian Druze refugees sheltering in Jordan.
Sandstorm diverts Jordanian planes to
Tel Aviv.
(TY Hazel) A major sandstorm swept through most parts of Jordan. It
prevented multiple flights from landing at the country's main international
airport in the capital of Amman, Queen Alia Airport, sending two flights to
divert to Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport.
Tel Aviv on the Seine. Visitors to Paris will be
able to experience Tel Aviv beach as they wander down the River Seine. The Paris municipality is inaugurating the
Tel Aviv artificial beach, despite a BDS campaign.
Chinese science competition prize is a
trip to Israel.
19 Chinese teenagers who won a prestigious science competition are
scheduled to visit Israel as their prize. The winning group was given a choice
of travel destinations and opted to attend a special 10-day workshop hosted by
Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science.
Flood relief for
Myanmar.
Israel responded quickly to recent severe flooding in Myanmar.
Ambassador Daniel Zonshine personally delivered a truck of food, medicines,
mosquito nets and hygiene packs to the hard-hit Thayarwaddy delta area. Israel’s
MASHAV is preparing more supplies, including water purification tablets.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Tamar-Ashdod-Sorek gas pipeline
completed. A
new 22 kilometer extension to Sorek has been laid to the pipeline connecting
the Tamar natural gas field to Ashdod.
It will increase the gas supply to power stations in the South of
Israel. Eventually 160 km of pipelines
will transport gas all over Israel.
How ants carry heavy loads. Researchers at Israel’s
Weizmann Institute have analyzed the methods that ants employ to transport food
to their nests. Teams of ants are
organized into formation by a guiding ant.
Look, no hands. Middle school students of Israeli
startup Graffiti came 3rd in this year’s Junior Achievement Europe Company of
the Year competition. They designed the
Sit Up - a safety harness to carry children on one’s shoulders, leaving the
adult’s hands free. Sit Up is
manufactured by Israeli company Netiv, which employs people with special needs. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4689503,00.html
Stand and sit up straight. Israel’s Oded Cohen has
developed the UpRight wearable training device.
Embedded with dual sensors, it attaches to your lower back with
hypoallergenic adhesive strips and gently vibrates every time you slouch. Regular
use trains your muscles and mind to sit and stand upright.
System warns of
objects on the track. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Rail Safe is developing a
smart system for Israel Railways to detect objects on the tracks up to a
distance of 3 km. The system, the first in the world of its kind, uses a
thermal sensor that detects and classifies objects in real time, warning the driver
to prevent a collision.
Device allows ALS sufferers to
communicate.
Not everyone can afford the complex technology that ALS sufferer Stephen
Hawkins uses to communicate. Israel’s
EyeControl provides a much cheaper option using a laser device connected to
spectacles. It achieved its $30,000
funding target on Indiegogo in under 20 days.
World Science Conference Israel. Fifteen Nobel Laureates and
400 outstanding science students from 71 countries are attending the first
World Science Conference Israel (WSCI) in Jerusalem. The program includes Nobel Laureate master
class sessions, a science workshop competition and excursions around the
country.
Israelis dominate cyber security
competition finalists. Three Israeli cyber security start-ups are
among 11 chosen from around the world to compete in the finals of the Kaspersky
Lab Security Startup Challenge – its search for global “cyber-stars”. They are Re-Sec Technologies, Cyber
DriveWare and Security in Motion.
Radiation protection
for astronauts.
More details on the radiation protection suit being developed by
Israel’s StemRad that I mentioned here
in last week’s newsletter. StemRad is
working with US defense giant Lockheed-Martin to develop a version of its
gamma-ray shielding vest for use in deep-space missions.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israeli economy gets S&P A+ rating. Standard & Poor's has affirmed
Israel's international credit ratings as positive, giving it an A+ score. The
agency's economic forecast for Israel was positive as well, defining the
economy as "stable" and projecting it would grow by 3% between 2015
and 2018.
Israeli cyber security merger. Israeli NASDAQ cyber
security company CyberArk Software has acquired Israeli cyber detection company
Cybertinel for an estimated $20 million.
The merger enhances CyberArk’s ability to detect early security
threats. CyberArk’s $36 .4 million 2nd
quarter revenue was 70% up on Q2 2014.
15 new Dreamliners for El Al. El Al has announced the
largest-ever procurement of new aircraft in the company’s history. It is buying and leasing 15 Boeing 787
(“Dreamliners”) jets costing $800-900 million.
The planes will replace El Al’s 747-400 and 767 fleet on medium to long
haul routes.
New flights from UK to Israel. UK’s Monarch Airlines is to
commence Sunday, Monday and Thursday flights between London Luton and Tel Aviv
Ben Gurion from Jan 2016. Prices start
at £49 TLV-LTN and £89 LTN-TLV. Monarch
will also operate Thursday flights between Luton and Ovda Eilat. Tickets on sale now.
Record number of
passengers at Ben Gurion. On Aug 13 a record 80,000 passengers passed
through Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport. The
Israel Airport Authority assesses that some 2 million passengers will pass
through the airport in August – the largest number of passengers to come and go
in a single month.
SAP leverages the Startup Nation. (TY Michelle) Orna Kleinmann, MD of SAP Labs Israel, says
that Israel’s innovation spirit derives from necessity: Israel is a small
country, with no substantial natural resources, and must fight for its
existence. This breeds creativity and is the foundation for the local
innovation ecosystem.
62 electric locomotives for Israel
Railways.
Israel Railway’s electrification project has advanced with a deal to buy
62 locomotives from Canada’s Bombardier for NIS 1 billion. The NIS 13.7 billion project involves
converting 420 kilometers of track over to electric operation.
Tel Aviv’s hottest startups. (TY Michelle) Wired
describes 10 of Israel’s startups with most potential in its magazine featuring
the 100 hottest European startups. They
include Consumer Physics, Playbuzz, StoreDot, Winward, Moovit, SimilarWeb,
Zebra Medical, AppsFlyer, Adallom and FeeX.
Australia resumes “VISITS”. (TY Michelle) The government
of Victoria State, Australia has agreed to restart the Victoria–Israel Science
Innovation and Technology Scheme (VISITS) after an 8-month closure. The $AUS 2 million innovation partnership supports
jobs, innovation and bi-lateral trade.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
European debating champions. Stav Singer and Iddan Golomb
from Tel Aviv University, won the gold trophy in the English as a second
language category at the European Universities Debating Championship in Vienna. Six Israeli teams successfully fought through
to join 700 competitors in the knockout rounds.
Jerusalem Beer Festival. (TY SDM) Enthusiasts of the amber nectar should make
their way to Independence Park in Jerusalem on Aug 26 to sample over 150
different beers at the Jerusalem Beer Festival.
There will also be food and entertainment from live bands including
Hadag Nahash.
Kanye West to perform in Israel. Rapper Kanye West will
perform in Israel on Sept. 30 in Ramat Gan's stadium. Three months ago, Kanye visited the Jewish
state with his wife, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, and their daughter North,
who was baptized at an Armenian church in Jerusalem.
62 medals at Special Olympics. Israeli athletes this week won
62 medals at the Special Olympics in Los Angeles. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
congratulated all the athletes, saying “Even those who did not win, to reach
the games and compete, this says that you have something special”.
91-year-old Israeli
wins senior world championship. (TY Hazel) Three months after being named
European champion, 91-year-old Israeli long-distance runner Semion Simkin won
the world championship for senior runners in Lyon, France. Simkin finished the 6.2 miles in 1:20:01,
over 21 minutes ahead of the runner up.
THE JEWISH STATE
The Facebook wedding. The death of the bride’s
father led many invited guests to believe that the wedding was canceled and
only 10 relatives turned up. One of them
used Facebook to request strangers to fulfill the mitzvah of making the bride
and groom happy. Over 1,000 people came
out to celebrate.
From England to
Israel, by bicycle.
(TY Hazel) Kevan Green, a member of my local Netanya synagogue, cycled the
2,900 km from Romford, Essex to Laniado Hospital in Netanya, Israel in four
weeks, beginning on his 30th wedding anniversary. He raised £17,000 for the hospital and was
featured on Israel’s Channel 1 News.
Archaeologists discover Goliath’s
birthplace. Israeli
archaeologists at Bar-Ilan University have discovered an entrance gate and
other remnants of the Philistine city of Gath, which was mentioned in the bible
as the home of the giant Goliath, who fought and lost against the man who later
became King David.
The best place to view the Heavens. (TY Nevet) Thousands of Israelis stayed up
all night to watch the skies and enjoy a magnificent, unobstructed view of the
Aug 12th Perseids meteor shower. Six
thousand gathered at the Mitzpe Ramon crater in the Negev where there was no
interference from urban lights or pollution.
150809
In the 9th Aug 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli
researchers have discovered the trigger for deadly skin cancer.
·
An
Israeli-developed polymer protects against infections.
·
An Arab
Druze school obtained Israel’s top matriculation results.
·
An Israeli
algae-derived “superfood” can prevent malnutrition in Africa.
·
Israeli security
can shield your car from cyber attack.
·
A popular
Israeli app provides companies with attractive loyalty incentives.
·
2000-year-old
Jewish inscriptions have been discovered in a Jerusalem cave.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel.
Thank You Michelle and other readers for sending me links to so many of
these positive news articles. Use IsraelActive to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Discovery of the
melanoma trigger.
A team of researchers from Tel Aviv University, Israel’s Technion, the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Sheba Medical Center have discovered what
causes melanoma cells to turn into aggressive tumors. The scientists are convinced that it will
soon lead to a breakthrough treatment.
Diagnosing malaria in only 3 minutes. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Sight
Diagnostics (SightDx) uses computer vision technology to scan “stained” blood
samples under a fluorescent microscope and detect the presence of anomalies in
blood cells due to malaria. The 3 minute test contrasts with current tests that
take one or two days.
Dancing can treat Parkinson’s. When Professor Rafi Eldor
was told that he had Parkinson’s disease, seven years ago, he felt that the sky
had fallen on him. Two years later he
took up dancing and now watch him dance to the theme tune of the movie
“Skyfall”.
Pluristem stem cells control the immune
system. A
new study on stem cells developed by Israeli biotech Pluristem shows they can
be used to regulate the immune system, speeding it up or slowing it down as
needed. They release a cocktail of
therapeutic proteins in response to a host of inflammatory and ischemic
diseases.
Voice monitoring to diagnose brain
disease. (TY
Michelle) IBM Israel researchers are working on a project to detect brain diseases
such as dementia, much earlier. It involves monitoring the patient’s voice
remotely and detecting changes, so that activities and medication could slow
down the advance of the disease.
Protection against
microbial infections. (TY Atid-EDI) Professor Ervin Weiss, founder
of Israel’s NanoLock, has invented a nano-polymer additive that protects
against microbial infections – one of the most urgent medical problems. NanoLock has just acquired licenses and
patents for the technology.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Speed mentoring for women entrepreneurs. (TY Sharon) Top women in the fields of mobile, tech and
startups attended “Speed Mentoring Night with Women who Inspire and Mentor in
the Startup Nation” at the Google Campus in Tel Aviv. 120 hopeful female entrepreneurs benefited
from 5-minute mentoring sessions.
And (TY Michelle) Israel has the world’s
7th most women startup leaders.
Women excel in the smart nation. Israel’s Central Bureau of
Statistics reported that the number of Israeli graduates has increased five-fold
since 1990. In the last academic year,
one and a half times as many women as men were awarded an undergraduate or
Masters’ degree.
Jerusalem light railway is popular with
Arabs. (TY
Hazel) The BBC failed to mention in its Panorama program that the Jerusalem
light railway also makes it easier for Arab residents of Jerusalem to travel
around the city to hospitals, shopping malls or other areas that Arabs freely
access alongside their Jewish neighbors.
Druze village tops
Israeli matriculation. (TY Hazel) The Druze village of Beit Jann
achieved Israel's highest rate of matriculation certificate eligibility among
high school students in the 2013-14 school year, having come in at third and
second places in the last two years.
Scholarships and pride for Druze
students.
(TY Hazel) Thanks to International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
(IFCJ), many Druse students received University scholarships in memory of former
Druse IDF officer and Majdal Shams mayor Maj. Salim Shufi. The current mayor said the event gave the
students a sense of pride.
A Heart for Peace. Since it began in 2005, A
Heart for Peace’s Israeli and Palestinian Arab doctors at Jerusalem’s Hadassah
hospital have treated 607 children with congenital heart diseases from Gaza and
the PA territories. No child has been
prevented from receiving care. All costs
are funded by the hospital and AHFP.
Haifa doctors save two Palestinian Arabs
in Jerusalem.
18 year-old Muhammad Jabri nearly died in a Hebron car crash but was
saved by doctors from Haifa’s Rambam hospital who were at Augusta Victoria hospital
in Jerusalem treating another Palestinian Arab when Jabri was brought in.
Israel donates helicopters to Jordan. (TY Hazel) Israel has given
around 16 retired U.S.-supplied Cobra combat helicopters to Jordan to help fend
off insurgent threats on Jordan’s Syrian and Iraqi borders.
Jersey City emergency volunteers learn
from Israel.
(TY Michelle) Jersey City is training a team of citizen volunteers that
utilizes GPS mobile app-based technology to respond to emergency incidents
ahead of ambulances. The program is modeled on United Hatzalah, an Israeli
community-based emergency organization.
Superfood for Rwanda.
(TY Nevet) Five young
agronomists from Rwanda have spent a year studying Israeli agriculture. The most significant project was how to grow
spirulina algae, a superfood that contains all the essential nutrients a human
body requires. It could save millions of
Rwandan children from malnutrition.
Training 150 Indian police. (TY Michelle) Last week I
reported about the Israeli-trained Indian anti-terror SWAT team. This week, Israel’s ambassador to Israel
announced that Israel will give anti-terror training to 150 Indian policemen at
the new state-of-the-art national police academy in Beit Shemesh, near
Jerusalem.
Israel Africa hub is launched. (TY Michelle) Israeli
startup Fundz has launched the online community Israel Africa Hub. It will leverage technology to support the
fast growing technology ecosystems across Africa, allowing entrepreneurs and
investors to interact, co-invest or expand existing enterprises.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Preventing carjacking.
Israeli startup Argus currently has the world’s only effective system to
detect and prevent the kind of electronic attack launched recently on a Jeep
Cherokee in St Louis. Argus analyzes
data transmitted to a vehicle’s IP address and only accepts genuine commands.
Lunar landing. The second man to ever walk
on the moon, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, 85, is scheduled to make his first
touchdown in Israel when he attends the International Astronautical Congress in
Jerusalem in October. Aldrin’s 1969 Apollo
11 mission commander Neil Armstrong visited Israel several years ago.
All for one and one for all. If you need to use Israeli
app Musketeer to call for help in an emergency, you should get a very fast
response. The nearest Musketeers
(professionals and do-gooders) will come to your aid and stay with you until
the official emergency services arrive.
Another caring app from the Jewish State.
An on-line makeover. Busy women entrepreneurs who
haven’t time to spend trying on cosmetics can now use the app TryItOn from
Israel’s EZ Face. It connects to a
database of 25,000 beauty products. Take
a selfie in the store and then scan the Universal Product Code (UPC) of any
cosmetic to see what it would look like.
Joint space projects with Florida. (TY Atid-EDI) The Space Florida-Israel
Innovation Partnership Program has awarded second round funding to four
innovative joint space-related projects.
The Israeli beneficiaries are Micro-gRx, Israel Aerospace Industries,
STEMRAD and Elbit Systems Land.
Security for ARM chips. Microprocessor manufacturing
giant ARM has bought Israel’s Sansa Security for at least $85 million. Sansa has developed embedded security for
microchips – which will be very useful for ARM as the market for
Internet-connected devices increases.
Sansa will become ARM’s Israeli R&D center.
Israeli drones to protect Australian
sheep. (TY
Michelle) Israel’s Ninox Robotics and Bluebird Aerosystems are employing
Israeli drones with thermal imaging to guard farms from pests such as kangaroos
and wild dogs. It saves farmers hundreds
of thousands of dollars’ worth of sheep, plus hours spent defending them.
Elbit’s new cyber security unit. (TY Michelle) Israel’s Elbit
has launched a new cyber security unit called Cyberbit. It has two separate departments - one,
focusing on law enforcement unit and the other being the Cybershield
department, for detecting and defending against cyber attacks.
Technion produces the 8th most Nobel
laureates.
(TY Michelle) The Technion Israel Institute of Technology topped the
list of institutions outside the US with the most Nobel prizewinners this
century.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Tech investment at record high. A record $1.12 billion poured
into Israel’s high-tech ecosystem in the second quarter of 2015, according to
the Israel Venture Capital (IVC) Research Center. Also, the increased volume of funds from
foreign private equity investors is a sign of maturity for the Israeli tech
economy.
Tourism is on the up. (TY Hazel) Tourist arrivals
in Israel over the past 10 years have tripled to 3.3 million.
Christians accounted for 56% of last year's
tourist arrivals, up from 33% a decade ago.
Currency reserves up again. Israel’s foreign currency
reserves hit another all-time record in July of $88.424 billion, including
$7.41 billion in the reserve due to the natural gas purchase program.
An app to find the best duty free
prices.
Israeli app Shopnfly informs travelers on where to get the lowest prices
on duty free shopping. At the airport,
on the plane or duty paid in the local supermarket. Shopnfly is in use in nearly 50 airports and
has just partnered with El Al.
Calling all Hebrew U alumni. The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem has launched HUJiconnect.com. It
provides more than 30,000 HUJ alumni with their own exclusive place to
professionally and socially connect with one another in order to find training
and employment opportunities. 4,000 alumni have already signed up
The Global Entrepreneurship Summit. Ran Korber, co-founder and
CEO of Israeli startup Breezometer represented Israeli innovation at the Global
Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.
The event was attended by about 1000 people from 120 countries,
including US President Barack Obama.
A $50 million deal. (TY Michelle) Israel’s
Taboola has signed a 3-year deal worth $45 - $55 million with USA Today’s
parent company Gannett. Taboola’s
content recommendations will be seamlessly integrated across Gannett’s vast
network of digital publishing assets in more than 110 markets.
Keeping customers
loyal. (TY
Atid-EDI) Israeli startup Keeprz has developed a sophisticated app that offers
customers a variety of loyalty incentives.
Keeprz’s customers include Burger King, Coca Cola, BMW and Cafe Joe. Keeprz has just been acquired by another
Israeli company – Como – for around $50 million.
888 buys Bwin.party for $1.4 billion. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s 888 Holding plc, which operates the world’s
largest online casino and poker operation, is acquiring the British-Austrian
Bwin.party Digital Entertainment for $1.4 billion. The merger will make 888 one of the most
dominant players in the online gambling industry.
The first kibbutz startup accelerator. (TY Atid-EDI) Kibbutz
Revivim in Israel’s Ramat Hanegev is set to become Israel's first kibbutz to
launch a startup accelerator. “Hamadgera” (incubator) will uniquely offer three
months free accommodation on the kibbutz for Internet and mobile startups
participating in the program.
Colossal failure is now much fitter. (TY Michelle) Israeli Benny
Shaviv lost $4 million of venture capital on his first startup and had to sell
his house to pay his debts. But his new
startup Fitness22 is making huge profits without any funding, selling Benny’s
innovative fitness apps. One - 5K Runner
has over 4 million downloads.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
This is Israel in 60 seconds. A fast-paced view of a
fast-paced nation that also knows how to relax and have fun. Beautiful
landscapes, energizing events, cutting-edge technologies and exciting people.
From parties to prayers, beaches to bicycles … and great food. Visitors can
look forward to an unforgettable experience.
The first Israeli in MLB draft. Israel senior national team
member Dean Kremer became the first Israeli to ever be selected in the US Major
League Baseball draft, being chosen by the San Diego Padres.
THE JEWISH STATE
UK Prime Minister’s speech to the
Knesset. I
know it was 12 Mar 2014, but I missed British Prime Minister David Cameron’s
speech to the Israeli Parliament then. He revealed that Israeli
technology was protecting British troops in Afghanistan. I just wanted to make sure that you hadn’t
missed the speech too.
Putting Hebrew texts on-line. The National Library of
Israel and the British Library in London are to digitize all of the 3,200 rare
Hebrew manuscripts at The British Library.
50,000 Christian Zionists for a united
Jerusalem. Israel365,
an Israeli NGO that promotes the biblical significance of the Jewish state to
Evangelical Christian Zionists, presented Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein with a
“Jerusalem Covenant” proclamation signed by more than 50,000 people affirming
the unity of Jerusalem.
2000-year-old Jewish inscriptions
in Jerusalem.
Archeologists have excavated a ritual bath (mikve) dating to the time of
the Second Temple (first century CE) inside an underground cave in
Jerusalem. The walls were adorned with
paintings and Aramaic inscriptions in cursive Hebrew script.
150802
In the 2nd Aug 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli
scientists have turned stem cells into large quantities of liver cells.
·
An Israeli
device can be used by non-medics to check a patient’s heart and lungs.
·
Indian
police successfully ended a terror siege thanks to Israeli training.
·
Tel Aviv
is to build an environmental park on the roof of its main highway.
·
Israel’s
largest solar field goes live as another three times bigger is started.
·
Teva takes
over Allergan in the biggest business deal in Israel’s history.
·
Israeli
veterinarian surgeons saved the life of Samuni the lion.
Page Down for details on these and more
good news stories from Israel. Thank You
Michelle, Barbara and other readers for sending me links to many of these
positive news articles. Please use IsraelActive
to search the archives.
Unfortunately a recent report published in
the Jerusalem Post about a pro-Israel Saudi Prince was later found to be a
hoax. Apologies to VGNI readers – I have
since removed the article from my website and archive.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Liver cells produced
from stem cells.
Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have successfully
engineered large amounts of functioning liver cells from stem cells. It is a major breakthrough as currently,
biotechs testing new liver treatments have to rely on donated or purchased
organs.
Simple test for smoke inhalation damage. Researchers at Beersheba’s
Soroka Medical Center have devised a simple blood test to determine the extent
of damage done to the lungs of smoke inhalation victims. High levels of free DNA in the blood
indicates greater damage and will determine resuscitation and treatment
requirements.
Award for 3D denture scanning. Israel’s HoloDent produces a
3D holographic image of the mouth, reducing the time taken to produce dentures
to just 30 minutes. (see
Sep 2013 newsletter) The students on
the BioDesign program that designed HoloDent at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem have won Startup Open Israel award.
Successful trials for novel treatment. Israeli biotech Peritech
announced successful results in its pivotal trials for PP-110 – an advanced
treatment for hemorrhoids. Worth reading
here about how PP-110 works.
One device to check
them all - anywhere. (TY Michelle) Israeli startup Tytocare is developing
a handheld diagnostic device that enables a local nurse to check a patient’s
ears, throat, heart and lungs, skin, temperature etc. and then send data and
photos electronically to a medical specialist. Tytocare has just raised $11
million.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israel’s Palestinian Arab diplomat. (TY Michelle) George Deek is
a Christian Arab whose family fled to Lebanon in 1948 but returned to the
Jewish State. George is an Israeli
diplomat and an amazing speaker.
Israeli-American Conference. The Israeli American Council
is holding its second annual conference in Washington in October. It will bring together over 1,000
Israeli-American leaders from throughout the US.
India’s President to visit Israel. (TY Michelle) It is reported
that India’s President Pranab Mukherjee will make the first historic visit of
an Indian statesman to Israel in October.
Israeli-trained Indian
SWAT team ends terror siege. A 28-commando Indian SWAT team trained by
Israel in 2010 ended an apparent terrorist siege at a police station in the
Punjab, near the Pakistan border. An
Indian intelligence officer stated “This was their first operation since they
were trained. And they have done well.”
The 23rd best university in the world. The Saudi Arabia-based
Center for World University Rankings has ranked the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem at number 23 on its list of the best 1,000 universities in the
world. The Hebrew U is one of the very
top universities outside of the United States.
Tel Aviv is the world’s top non-US
startup hub.
(TY Michelle) The Compass Global Startup Ecosystem has placed Tel Aviv
as the best startup center outside of the US.
It commended Tel Aviv’s uniquely high-quality talent and ability to
develop startups and attract global capital.
Israel funds startups to solve world
problems.
The Israeli Government is offering funding of up to NIS 500,000
($130,000) in the 2nd round of “Grand Challenges Israel” for up to 10 companies
with innovative technology that could solve problems in Africa, Asia, South
America, and poverty-stricken areas in the West.
Nigeria’s speaker praises Israel. (TY Michelle) Nigeria now
has a Muslim President, but the Speaker of its House of Representatives, Dogara
Yakabu, was most impressed during the first Nigerian youth pilgrimage to
Israel. He urged pilgrims to open their
intellect and learn agricultural skills from the innovative spirit of Israel.
Israel supports Nairobi Innovation Week. (TY Michelle) Israel’s
Ambassador to Kenya Yahel Vilan is helping the University of Nairobi, Kenya
with its Innovation Week beginning on Aug 3rd.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
A green park on top of
Tel Aviv’s highway.
Tel Aviv’s congested Ayalon highway is to be transformed into an oasis
of greenery. The Ayalon Roofing Project will
create a 593-acre public space for recreation, while enabling traffic to
continue flowing below. It will be
Israel’s largest municipal project, costing over NIS 2bn.
Keeping your computer healthy. Israeli startup Fixico has
been chosen by IBM to export its remote Endpoint Management product to the
private market. Now you can download
Fixico to check your computer’s functions, disk and programs upon startup. Fixico
has free basic features or paid-for advanced service.
Ashdod fishing rig will increase fish
stocks. A
6,000 hectare aquaculture project to be constructed off the coast of Ashdod
in Israel includes a fishing rig, which will serve as a logistics center
management of fish farms. Hi-tech cages
six miles from the shore will lower in stormy weather to protect the fish.
Hebrew version of Office for iPad. Microsoft has just released
a new version of its Office365 suite for iPad users. This one comes with Hebrew language support. The reviews were quite positive.
Port handling by robots. Israel Aerospace Industries
(IAI) is introducing the Robotic Container Management & Storage System
(RCMS). The system uses robotic carts
and elevators to automatically load and unload containers efficiently in less
time and requiring 50% less port storage space.
It can revolutionize port handling.
Cyber help for airline industry. The International Air
Transport Association (IATA) has signed an agreement with Tel Aviv University that
will setup a new joint center for innovation in aviation. It will develop
technologies to protect airline reservations and financial systems and run
airlines more efficiently.
The first global remote control. Israel’s WiseSec has
developed the Genii Internet hub that can control up to 800,000 Bluetooth
devices anywhere on the planet. By end
2015 you could have long-distance smartphone (IOS or Android) control of your
house lights, televisions, air conditioners, ovens etc. for just $90 on
Indigogo.
$1bn solar power plant
for Israeli desert.
Israel’s Shikun & Binui and Spain’s Abengoa are to build a massive
121MW solar power plant, costing NIS 4bn ($1.05 bn), in the Negev desert. It is the second of 3 local solar schemes
that together will eventually provide up to two percent of Israel’s total
electricity needs.
The water will flow from Jerusalem. A delegation from California
governor Jerry Brown came to Jerusalem Institute’s Milken Financial Innovations
Lab to learn how best to alleviate California’s severe drought. They heard from
Israeli water companies Arad, Ayyeka, Emefcy, Miya, Netafim, RealiteQ, and
Takadu and others.
From our roof, to your table. Several Tel Aviv restaurants
are serving very fresh, locally-sourced vegetables. In fact they are grown on the roof of the
nearby Dizengoff Center. They are
supplied by Mendi Falk, the director of Green in the City, a hydroponics
project in the center of downtown Tel Aviv.
New safe efficient Graphene production. Researchers from Israel’s
Ben Gurion University and the University of Western Australia have developed a
new optical process to generate Graphene - a chemical vital for medicine,
electronics and energy. It is faster
than existing methods and avoids current toxic substances.
Australian delegation to Israeli
innovation.
(TY Michelle) The Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce and Spacecubed
have organized its Entrepreneurs ‘Start Up Nation’ Innovation Delegation to
Israel Oct 29 - Nov 5. It will explore
Israel’s business and investment opportunities and entrepreneurial and
innovation eco-system.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel’s Chief Scientist is the key to
the Startup nation.
(TY Michelle) Avi Hasson explains what his role is as Israel’s Chief
Scientist and how his office uses the public-private partnership to fuel
Israeli innovation.
A marketing phenomenon. 21-year-old Israeli Tomer
Hen started mobile advertising when still at school. When he graduated from high school he had
already made $250,000. His communication
skills helped him to launch the Tomer Hen Mobile Marketing College. Now he is
CEO of MobCo Media, with 10 employees.
Jerusalem’s Freedom Pyramid. Approval has been given for
the building of a 105-meter high building in downtown Jerusalem. The “Freedom Pyramid” will house a hotel,
apartments and businesses. Its architect is Daniel Libeskind, who designed the
Berlin Jewish Museum and NYC’s World Trade Center Memorial.
Award for solar panel cleaning robot. Israeli start-up Ecoppia was
selected to Red Herring’s Top 100 Europe List. Red Herring selects start-ups they predict
will “grow at an explosive rate”. Also,
solar industry publication PV Magazine ranked Ecoppia 15th in their list of “50
Array-Changing Technologies.”
Sharing gas facilities with Cyprus. (TY Michelle) In order to
exploit the full potential of the offshore natural gas reserves of each country,
Cyprus and Israel have agreed to expand cooperation, including pipeline and
grid sharing as a means of reaching the European market.
The largest deal in
Israel’s history.
(TY Michael H) In the largest deal in country’s history, Israel’s Teva
has acquired Dublin-based Allergan for $40.5 billion. Teva stated “This strategic acquisition
brings together two leading generics businesses with complementary strengths,
brands and cultures, providing patients with more affordable access to quality
medicines, and creating significant financial benefits for Teva stockholders.”
Merck buys Israeli cancer biotech. (TY Michelle) Germany’s
Merck will acquire cCAM Biotherapeutics, the Israeli developer of cancer
immunotherapies, for an estimated $600 million.
cCAM is developing CM-24, for the treatment of melanoma and certain
lung, bladder, gastric, colorectal and ovarian cancers.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
The Jerusalem Season of Culture. (TY Janglo) The Jerusalem
Season of Culture July 27 - September 4 is inspired by Jerusalem’s unique
aspects - its history, aesthetics, social & political arena, and religious
significance. It not only entertains but also reflects upon this complex
environment.
Indie music scene thriving in Israel. Tel Aviv is a hub for indie
bands and solo musicians. Sun Kil Moon,
alt-J, Toro Y Moi, the Antlers, Ben Frost and more are scheduled to play Tel
Aviv, Rishon, and other cities. Also, TY
Size Doesn’t Matter and The Culture Trip for the top 18 non-touristy things to
do in Tel Aviv.
Maccabi games in Berlin. It has been called the
triumph over evil. 70 years after the Holocaust,
a record 2300 Jewish athletes from Israel and all over the world gathered for the
Maccabi Games, known as the ‘Jewish Olympics’ in Berlin, at the site where
Hitler opened the 1936 ‘Nazi Games’, which barred Jewish participants.
THE JEWISH STATE
Restored Galilee home is a sea of
sunlight.
Israeli architects have converted a centuries-old building in spiritual Safed
into a beautiful modern home, whilst conserving and revealing the ancient stone
masonry walls. Previously hidden under
plaster, the ancient stones now star as main feature of the restored building.
Free bridal gowns to orphan brides. (TY IsraelSeen) Israeli
charity Chessed Ve’Emet has acquired 60 bridal gowns which will be loaned free
of charge to orphan Jewish brides marrying and setting up their home in Israel.
Omri Casspi lays tefillin every day. Israeli-born NBA Sacramento
Kings forward Omri Casspi told a fan on twitter that he is committed to the
Orthodox-Jewish practice of wrapping the small Scripture-filled boxes called
tefillin in Hebrew around his arm and forehead during morning prayers.
Israeli vets save
Samuni the lion.
The lion story that didn’t make international headlines this week is
that Israeli veterinarian surgeons removed a tumor from the stomach of Sumani –
an 8-year-old lion at Ramat Gan safari.
The two-hour operation was successful and biopsies will determine
Sumani’s future treatment and care.
150726
In the 26th Jul 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli
scientists have developed a “smart” anti-inflammatory treatment.
·
Israeli
volunteer surgeons saved the lives of ten children in Tanzania.
·
The first
Ethiopian-born Associate Professor of an Israeli University.
·
An
Israeli-developed tracking device keeps “special” children safe.
·
An Israeli
fraud-prevention system has won an international award.
·
Mariah
Carey is to make her first Israeli performance on August 18.
·
A Jewish
community in ancient Israel was the first to breed chickens for food.
Page Down for details on these and more
good news stories from Israel. Thank You
Michelle and other readers for sending me links to many of these positive news
articles. Please use IsraelActive to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
New smart
anti-inflammatory protein. (TY Michael H) Two researchers from Ben
Gurion University and one from Colorado University have engineered an
anti-inflammatory protein that only activates when it finds inflammation. Current anti-inflammatory treatments suppress
the immune system and risk causing infections.
Patent for lung disease treatment. (TY Atid-EDI) Europe, Russia
and Australia approved a patent for Israeli biotech Kamada’s nebulizer that
delivers its Alpha1-Proteinase Inhibitor–Human (AAT) treatment for lung
disease. AAT also treats Type 1 diabetes
and immune system diseases. Its USA
brand name is Glassia.
Grant for brain cancer treatment. US biotech Lauren Sciences has
received a grant from Voices Against Brain Cancer (VABC) to support developing
V-Smart delivery of a treatment for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most
aggressive malignant primary brain tumor.
Lauren Sciences’ research team and labs are located at Ben-Gurion
University, where V-Smart technology was invented before it was licensed to
Lauren.
Why some people age faster. The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem’s Dr. Salomon Israel was part of an international team that found a way
to measure the aging process in young adults. The results may eventually lead
to the prevention of age-related diseases by slowing down the aging process
itself.
Heart surgery saves 10
children in Tanzania. (TY Size Doesn’t Matter) An Israeli
delegation of 20 doctors, nurses and medical technicians from Israel’s Save A
Child’s Heart (SACH) has performed lifesaving heart surgery on more than 10
local children in Tanzania and examined hundreds more with congenital heart
defects.
Leading the way in mobile health. The mHealth conference, at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, brought investors, entrepreneurs, health
professional and hospital executives to see the latest technology produced in
Israel for mobile health. The article
features Israel’s Medivizor, Doctors 2.0 Startup Winner (see
also here).
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Government to subsidize employment of
disabled.
The Israeli Government is implementing a NIS 5 million plus program to
provide up to NIS 200,000 a year to any nonprofits and other “social
enterprises” with at least five disabled workers. It will fund up to 50% of their
first year salaries and 40% in the 2nd year.
Ethiopian-born Israeli
becomes Associate Professor. Dr. Anbessa Teferra, an expert in Semitic
linguistics at Tel Aviv University, is the first Ethiopian Israeli to be
appointed a senior lecturer at an Israeli university. Dr Teferra immigrated to Israel in 1990 after
completing his master’s degree in linguistics in Addis Ababa.
Huge cycle path network for Central
Israel.
Israel’s Ministry of Transport is to build 150km of cycle paths in the
next 4 years. They will cover Tel
Aviv-Jaffa, Ramat Gan, Holon, Bat Yam, Petah Tikva, Givat Shmuel, Givatayim,
Azur, Ramat Hasharon, Rishon Lezion, Ra'anana, Kfar Saba, Herzliya, Ramle, and
Or Yehuda.
The Zionist, Arab Muslim mother and
Masterchef contestant. All I can say is, “please watch this video”.
Syrians treated in Israel: Two recent reports (TY
Michelle) on the Ziv Medical Center in Tzefat (Safed) Galilee, over two years
since it started treating Syrians wounded in their civil war.
The 3rd most innovative country. (TY Michelle) An article by
a World Economic Forum writers on the most Innovative countries. Israel comes 3rd as it spends more on R&D
than any other country. (See
Feb newsletter)
150,000 help Tel Aviv research. 150,000 members of IBM World
Community Grid donated processing power to help researchers at Tel Aviv
University figure out how water interacts with nanotubes. The results can help lower the cost of water
purification and develop better ways of delivering medicines into the
bloodstream.
Sharing data on cyber criminals. (TY Michelle) US Department
of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited Israel and
signed an agreement with Dr. Eviatar Matania, Head of the Israel National Cyber
Bureau, to deepen the exchange of data on digital intruders and digital defense
tactics.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cleaning solar panels. The Indian-Israeli company
NaanDanJain has developed smart sprinklers for cleaning both commercial and
residential solar panels. One type
distributes water over the whole roof, and the other is a micro sprinkler for
each individual panel. Both types can
use recycled water.
Funding for biogas project. The US-Israel Bi-national
Agricultural Research and Development (BARD) Fund has awarded a grant to Ben-Gurion
University and University of Florida researchers for the design of new anaerobic
digesters (biogas systems). The goal is
a feedstock enrichment for current manure-only systems.
A better tractor. An Israel Technion team won
two categories of the International Quarter-Scale (IQS) Tractor Student Design
Competition, the world’s biggest engineering and design contest for farm
vehicles. The judges said “Never has a
team in its first appearance in the competition shown such professionalism and
originality.”
Keeping autistic kids
safe. The
Israeli tracker device AngelSense contains a GPS chip, a cellular phone network
connection, a camera and a microphone, which can be attached to any child that
is at risk of wandering. Parents receive
notifications on their smartphones telling them exactly where their child is at
any time.
New wastewater recycling system. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s MIGAL
Research Institute and Israel Chemicals have completed a year-long pilot of
their innovative method and unique component to help lower pollution levels of
wastewater so that the water may be reused for irrigation.
New UK-Israel water science programs. (TY Michelle) The new British
ambassador to Israel, David Quarrey has launched 3 new UK-Israel water tech
programs. The Fund to Support Innovative Water Research; the UK-Israel
Researcher Links Fellowships; and UK-Israel Science and Innovation Lectureship
Grants.
Five Israeli medals at Physics Olympiad. Israeli teens won three
silver and two bronze medals in one of the toughest high school international
science competitions – the International Physics Olympiad in Mumbai, India.
The next hi-tech revolution. (TY Michelle) An interview
with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Beer Sheba where Ben Gurion
University, the IDF, cyber security and a new business park are propelling
Israel to an even higher technological level.
Plus another article on the new cyber capital growing in Israel’s
desert.
Catching on-line thieves. Some 25% of on-line users
have had their usernames and passwords stolen at some time. Israel’s LogDog detects when someone tries to
use your credentials illegally and then notifies you. LogDog has hundreds of thousands of users and
has just raised $3.5 million to grow further.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Expanded free trade with Canada. A new free-trade agreement
between Canada and Israel expands market access opportunities for agricultural,
fish and seafood products through the reduction or elimination of tariffs on a
large number of products. It will
further strengthen Canada’s bilateral relationship with Israel.
Deregulating the Energy industry. Israel’s government has
granted licenses for three energy companies to supply electricity to
businesses. The 20-year licenses will
generate competition and hold down prices.
Average hi-tech exit soars. (TY Atid-EDI) The number of Israeli hi-tech companies being taken
over in first half of 2015 was roughly the same rate as in 2014. However, the average value of each
acquisition increased by 51%. 54 deals
in 2015 raised $5.29 billion whereas 107 deals in 2014 raised $6.98 billion.
Israeli fraud
prevention wins business award. I reported previously (see
Nov 2014) on Israeli startup fraud prevention company Forter. Its technology is used by merchants to
approve online transactions. Forter
refunds the value of any wrong decision it makes and has just won a silver
“Stevie” from American Business Awards.
Speedy funding for car booster seat. Israeli startup Mifold
wanted to raise $40,000 on Indigogo to help fund the rollout of its innovative
tiny car booster seat for children. It
reached the target in just 3 hours of starting the campaign and with 20 days
remaining, has had pledges for over $270,000.
Chelsea boss invests in AnyClip. The owner of UK soccer club
Chelsea, Roman Abramovich is part of a $21 million investment in Israel’s
AnyClip Media. AnyClip is responsible
for the distribution of almost two percent of the world’s video advertisements
and is in the top 10 list of sites with the most number of unique viewers.
Microsoft’s 10th Israeli startup. (TY Michael H) Microsoft is to
acquire Israeli start-up Adallom for about $320m, Microsoft’s tenth and most
expensive Israeli purchase. Adallom currently
has around 60 employees and will expand to become Microsoft’s cyber-security
development headquarters in Israel.
Clicksoftware exits for $438 million. (TY Atid-EDI and Globes) I
reported on Israeli disaster recovery scheduling startup ClickSoftware
previously (in
Feb 2014). It has just been acquired
by US Francisco Partners for $438 million (45% above its NASDAQ average value)
and becomes a private company again.
Judea’s new startup hub. (TY Sharon) Over 70 people
from Tel Aviv, Modi’in, Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem as well as throughout Gush
Etzion, came to network at Hub Etzion in the new Gush Etzion Industrial Park.
The hub is due to open on Oct 15 and be the regional center for start-ups,
entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists.
Why Israeli trade with the UK is
booming. (TY
Michelle) Britain’s trade with Israel reached a record high of £5.1billion last
year after doubling during the last decade.
Some of the reasons for this are the innovative Israeli products,
UK-Israeli partnerships, and the quality and all-year-round availability of
Israeli produce.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
The Spirit of Entebbe. Visitors to a new exhibit on
Operation Entebbe, at the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv, will be able to
view photographs, documents and items from the daring hostage rescue that until
now were shut away in the halls of Mossad headquarters.
Mariah Carey to
perform in Israel in August. Mariah Carey, one of the best-selling pop
artists of all time, announced that she will perform in Rishon LeZion's Live
Park on August 18. Mariah Carey made her
first-ever visit to Israel last month. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4682246,00.html
Three windsurfing gold medalists. At the RS:X Youth World
Windsurfing Championships in Gdynia Poland, 15-year-old Israeli Nov Drihan won
a double gold – in the RS:X U17 and RS:X Youth Women categories. Israel’s Yoav Omer, won the RS:X Youth Men
category while Israel’s Kfir Azulay won the RS:X U17.
THE JEWISH STATE
Bringing cheer to the brave. Every morning, IDF volunteer
Ritasue Charlestein takes her guitar and drives to one of Israel's hospitals,
wherever there are wounded or sick soldiers.
She sings to them and tells them how much we all love and appreciate
them. Her message is, "I am here a
few minutes for you as a tiny token of my appreciation to you for being here
24/7 for me and for all Am Yisrael".
http://www.ritasuemusic.com/
1500-year-old Torah scroll deciphered. 45 years ago a burnt remnant
of a Torah scroll was discovered in a ruined synagogue in Ein Gedi (near the
Dead Sea). Carbon dating places the
scroll as from the 5th century CE. Latest CT-scan technology has identified the
contents of the scroll as from the book of Leviticus (Vayikra).
Chicken and eggs were
here first.
Archeologists excavating in the southern Judean plain have found that
chicken and eggs, were raised and consumed in the town of Maresha, around 300
BCE, well before any other antiquity sites.
Once the Romans reached Maresha, chickens became a culinary craze
throughout the Empire.
Excavating Bible mosaics. (TY Michelle) Latest news
about the exciting discoveries at the ancient Jewish village of Huqoq in the
Galilee. One mosaic is of Samson and another may depict Alexander the Great.
Birthright dedicates ancient synagogue
to Max. Taglit-Birthright
Israel has dedicated the partially restored ruins of 1,800-year-old synagogue
in Arbel National Park in memory of fallen soldier Max Steinberg. Birthright participants
celebrating an event will have meaningful experiences, while honoring someone
just like them.
Did farming start in Israel? Researchers from Tel Aviv
University, Harvard University, Bar-Ilan University, and Haifa University have
concluded that plant cultivation may have started in the Galilee some 23,000
years ago. Ohalo II, 9km south of
Tiberias is the earliest example of small-scale cultivation anywhere in the
world.
150719
In the 19th July 2015 edition of
Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israel’s
United Hatzalah presented its emergency response innovations in Dubai.
·
A new IDF
medical unit is dedicated exclusively to caring for Palestinian Arabs.
·
Israeli
bees have been dispatched to help save Japan’s agriculture.
·
Israel’s
Iron Dome technology is to detect electric power problems in New York.
·
A blind
Israeli teenager updates smartphone apps for use by the visually impaired.
·
The first
non-stop service between Tel Aviv and Tokyo has been agreed.
·
The
English National Theatre of Israel has successfully completed its first year.
·
A Yeshiva
teaches cyber security to religious students prior to IDF service.
Page Down for more details on these and
other good news stories from Israel. Thank
You Michelle and other readers for sending me links to so many of these
positive news articles. Use IsraelActive
to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Stem cells may repair damaged lungs. A study by Weizmann
Institute scientists has shown that embryonic stem cells may be able to repair
damaged lung tissue and help alleviate chronic respiratory disease. Mice with
damaged lungs were injected with these cells and in six weeks their breathing
had improved. (Nature
medicine)
Good early results in Universal flu
vaccine tests.
Preliminary results from the Phase 2 clinical trials of Universal Flu
vaccine M-001 from Israel’s BiondVax have shown the treatment to be effective
and safe. Recipients showed an immune
response against strains not included in the standard flu vaccine.
Israeli medics at
Dubai conference.
Israel’s emergency response organization United Hatzalah attended a
first-ever conference in the Arab Emirate, Dubai on improving medical and
emergency care around the world.
Hatzalah explained how Israeli hi-tech, volunteers and motorcycle
ambulances dramatically cut response times.
Israeli cancer research charity gets top
rating. (TY
Atid-EDI) The Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) received a top 4-Star rating
from Charity Navigator, the world’s premier charity evaluator. ICRF has given 2,115 grants worth over $52
million to Israeli cancer researchers, leading to significant breakthroughs.
Analyzing disease at the single-cell
level.
Israeli scientists are working with those at the Broad Institute of
Harvard and MIT to help eradicate diseases at the cellular level. One Israeli scientist at Broad has published
a paper of which of the 20,000 genes is essential to particular cancer cells,
and therefore weak spots to target.
A medical wonderland for healing kids. (TY Michelle) Jerusalem’s
Shaare Zedek Medical Center has just opened its Wilf Children’s Hospital. It has several facilities to calm young
patients, including an animal house, music school, arts and craft therapy,
books and games libraries and Israel’s specialty - medical clowns.
Israeli vets save tooth of US
peacekeeping dog.
Veterinary surgeons at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem operated on
Belgian Shepherd dog Dano to repair a canine tooth broken during service with
the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai. Dano broke the same tooth during previous
service in Afghanistan.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
El Al
stewardess uses sign language. (TY Hazel) El Al’s Larisa Speyer studies sign
language and discovered that a deaf athletic team was flying out to
Taiwan. So she managed to get assigned
to the flight. The deaf passengers were delighted. And if you are flying from Luton UK, look out
for EasyJet’s Israeli flight attendant.
An iPad keyboard for disabled kids. (TY Michelle) Four employees
of SAP Labs Israel have developed an interactive keyboard that disabled
children at Beit Issie Shapiro can use in order to learn to type.
IDF medical unit for
Palestinian Arabs.
(TY Hazel) A newly designated IDF reserves company will focus entirely
on providing medical care and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian Arab population.
They also will work closely with Palestinian Authority medical institutions to
help develop PA medical infrastructure.
Israel Inside: Netafim. Worth watching this video
from Jerusalem U featuring Israel’s Netafim and its drip irrigation
system. Internationally, transforming
unproductive land into flourishing agricultural centers.
Israeli bees save
Japan’s crops.
(TY United with Israel) Israeli bumblebees are being sent to Japan to
help make up for a lack of bees caused by increased use of pesticides in the
rice fields. Israel’s Bio Bee firm, at
Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, ships the bees in spacious hives, each with an impregnated
queen bee and 50 worker bees.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
AVG launches R&D center in Israel. Online security company AVG is
establishing its global Center of Excellence for mobile technology in Tel Aviv.
AVG previously bought Israel’s DroidSecurity which developed AVG’s AntiVirus
for Android with over 100 million downloads.
Snap it, find it, and buy it. The on-line shoe business is
worth $10 billion per year and Israel’s SnapGet’s Android or iOS app makes it
even better for customers. Just take a
photo of a shoe that you want to buy and SnapGet will search 50,000 styles and
18,000 merchants to find it (or something very similar) at the best price.
Ensuring the purity of our drinking
water.
Israel’s national water company Mekorot is implementing remote water monitoring
kits from Israeli startup Ayyeka. The
kits work with all types of sensor to measure the level of chlorine and
turbidity (murkiness). Mekorot plans to
roll out the kits throughout Israel.
Iron dome tech to maintain New York power supply. Israel’s mPrest will use a
$900,000 grant from the Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and
Development (BIRD) Foundation to change its missile-deflecting technology so it
can detect malfunctioning power transformers operated by the New York Power
Authority.
Yet another “doggy” app. PlayDate can now be added to
the list
of dog-friendly Israeli apps. The
app is a one-stop service that allows dog owners to connect in a completely new
way. Dog owners can swipe through profiles of canines in the area, and set up
doggy dates through instant messaging.
Solving world hunger with –
grasshoppers.
Israeli startup Steak Tzar Tzar (Hebrew for “cricket”) is farming
grasshoppers to solve the world’s protein shortage. The insect is 70% protein and marketable to
at least the 2.5 billion people who already consume insects. And they are even kosher – to the traditions
of Yemenite Jews.
A smart helmet for formula racing. The entry of Israel’s
Technion for the 2015 Formula SAE competition in Italy in September features a
helmet with a head-up display, so the driver can read the car’s systems whilst
keeping eyes on the road. The car has also been vastly improved. The students
won prizes in 2013 and 2014.
Technobrain 2015. Watch the students of
Israel’s Technion compete to race elastic-band powered boats (built in advance)
to travel eight meters, anchor by means of a magnet, and fire a jet of water
into a funnel from a distance of three meters – all this is in the shortest
possible time and with smallest number of rubber bands.
Eco-friendly pesticide for nematodes. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Adama
has received Israeli approval to market NIMITZ, a novel, non-fumigant
nematicide with unprecedented user safety and simplified application
features. The innovative product controls
nematodes, one of the most destructive and problematic pests in agriculture.
Gett updates app for blind passengers. (TY Michelle) Israel’s Gett,
the black cab app, has made its smartphone app more accessible to visually-impaired
passengers. 17-year-old Israeli
developer Adi Kushnir, who has been blind since birth, worked with Gett to
integrate Apple’s “VoiceOver” and Google’s “TalkBack”.
A
driverless car on Israel’s roads! (TY Michelle) The Bloomberg reporter takes
off his shoes and puts his feet on the dashboard as he takes a car fitted with
Israel’s MobileEye on Route 1 - Israel’s busiest highway.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
New record currency reserves. Israel’s foreign currency
reserves as at June 2015 rose to a new all-time record level of $88.186
billion. It includes a $7.15 billion
fund from the natural gas program.
Chinese giant buys Israeli bio-fungicide
developer.
Israel’s Stockton Group, a world leader in the bio-pesticide business,
is being acquired by China’s Hebang Group for $90 million. Stockton’s Timorex Gold bio-fungicide is sold
in 20 countries to treat rice, coffee, grapes, tomatoes, bananas, and other
fruits and vegetables.
Facebook buys
Israeli hand-tracking startup. Facebook’s Virtual Reality subsidiary Oculus
has spent around $60 million to acquire Israel’s Pebbles Interfaces, which
specializes in technology that can track hand movements. Pebbles says it uses micro-optics
and computer vision to help take virtual reality to the next level.
Non-stop to Tokyo. Representatives from
Israel’s airline El Al and Japan’s biggest airline, All Nippon, have signed a
deal to offer 14 direct flights each week between Tel Aviv and Tokyo. 13,000 people travelled from Japan to Israel
in 2014 but had to make connections via Hong Kong or Seoul.
Israeli
business students visit China. (TY Michelle) Graduate students in real
estate and business administration at the Netanya Academic College have had
first-hand encounters with corporate leaders in China. They learnt how to deal
with the challenges that foreigners face when seeking to operate in China.
Intel launches accelerator for Israeli
startups. Intel
Israel has announced its Ingenuity Partner Program (IPP), an accelerator
program that will provide assistance, mentoring, and connections to Israeli
startups. Nine companies are already
enrolled into the first six-month program.
SAP’s
Israeli R&D center. (TY Michelle) SAP’s innovation center in
Ra’anana is profiting strongly from its relationships within the Israeli
startup ecosystem. SAP Israel has partnered
with “The Junction,” Israel’s most successful accelerator for young startups.
SAP Labs Israel will support by selecting and mentoring the teams.
11 graduates of Microsoft’s 6th startup
program.
Another 11 Israeli startups have completed Microsoft’s accelerator
program, bringing to 70 successful Israeli startups launched by the
program. The latest include employment
apps GetJob and Highr; DOV-E and Bontact support shopping; Taranis is an
agro-tech startup.
An incubator for food tech startups. A new incubator in Ashdod,
The Kitchen, hosts Israeli food technology startups. In partnership with the Strauss Group,
the program was awarded a government franchise for eight years. It will tackle
alternative sources of protein, spoilage of food, quality and food safety, and
robotics.
Germany
opens startup initiative in Tel Aviv. (TY Michelle) Israel is the first country to
participate in Germany’s EXIST program, which has been supporting students,
graduates, and scientists from universities and research institutes as they
work to get highly innovative start-up projects off the ground.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
The English National
Theatre of Israel.
Launched in June 2014, the English National Theatre of Israel produces,
promotes and provides a platform for professional theatre and musicals in
English. They have just finished staging
five performances of "You won't succeed on Broadway, if you don't have any
Jews".
Keeping cool in the summer heat. Tourists walking in
Jerusalem’s pedestrianized Yoel Moshe Solomon Street will be able to get a
little shade this summer thanks to 1000 colored umbrellas suspended across the
artsy lane. The Umbrellas Street Project
has free shows by local street artists and musicians until 5th Oct. And TY Size Doesn’t Matter and The Culture
Trip for 5 other ways to cool down in Jerusalem.
For music, head for the Port. (TY Janglo)
Rock & Port is a series of outdoor concerts with top Israeli musicians and
bands at the Port of Tel Aviv – all free!
The sandbox on the north deck will turn into an outdoor concert venue
during July and August. E.g. Aug 23 -
Avraham Tal, Tuesday, August 25 - Hadag Nachash
Lacrosse in Israel. (TY Joseph) My wife recently
met a US intern working with the Israel Premier Lacrosse League (IPLL). He had been coaching children at an Israeli
summer camp. El Al sponsored a
Taglit-Birthright trip for more than 40 US lacrosse athletes who have donated
equipment and are teaching Israelis to play.
THE JEWISH STATE
2000 Olim from North America this
summer.
Nefesh b’Nefesh reports that 2,000 Jews from the USA and Canada are to
begin new lives in the Jewish State this summer. Last week 221 (32 families and 53 singles)
arrived on a charter flight. 25% are in
the “Go North” and Go South” programs to settle in the periphery. In the
Youtube, 90-year-old Olah Sue Friedman is coming home. (TY Jacob Richman for photos of the arrival
flight)
Yeshiva opens IDF
cyber defense program. For the first time ever, Hareidi religious
boys are learning cyber defense in a four-year Beit Midrash program, whilst
preparing for IDF service. After the
first year at Beit Midrash Derech Chaim, 80% of the boys passed the cyber test
in which 35% is considered a high achievement.
Israeli-Christian
group produces anti-BDS guide. The Christian Empowerment Council, an Israeli
Christian group headed by Father Gabriel Naddaf, has released a new guide
entitled “Test the spirits: A Christian Guide to the Anti-Israel Boycott
Movement”. The guide challenges
Christian anti-Zionism at the ideological level.
The
“Israelification” of Jerusalem’s Arabs. (TY Hazel)
Almost all Arabs living in Jerusalem used to opt for permanent resident status
in order to identify with other Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria. Now, hundreds apply for Israeli citizenship
every year. They are abandoning politics
for a better quality of life.
150712
In the 12th Jul 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
An
Israeli-US project will ensure that you never forget to take your meds.
·
Israeli
pensioners are the workforce of a new environment public awareness program.
·
Israeli
technology is providing free Wi-Fi on buses in South Africa.
·
An Israeli
sensor advises farmers on how to improve the health of their crops.
·
Parents
will love the portability of a new tiny Israeli car booster seat.
·
Read about
the Israeli connections to the world’s 50 smartest companies.
·
An ancient
Jewish necropolis is Israel’s 9th UNESCO World Heritage site.
·
Book for
an outstanding tour of Eastern Jerusalem.
·
My Mum’s
90th birthday today.
Page Down for details on these and more
good news stories from Israel. Thank You
Michelle and other readers for sending me links to many of these positive news
articles. Please use IsraelActive
to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Implant to give meds
automatically.
(TY Michelle) Israel’s Teva is partnering with US firm Microchips
Biotech use its implanted microchip to deliver Teva-made treatments direct to
patients. The technology avoids having
to measure out meds or to even to remember to take them - perfect for the
elderly and forgetful.
Light-stimulated genes may replace
pacemakers.
Scientists at Israel’s Technion have injected the heart with
light-stimulated genes and used pulses of light to regulate the heart, just
like a mechanical pacemaker.
Electrical pulses are better than Botox. Botox (botulin toxin) is not
the only way to get smoother, less-damaged skin. In the laboratory Tel Aviv University
researchers have shown that very short, high-tension electric pulses can reduce
wrinkling and damage to the skin from disease without causing scars or heating.
Test your dog for diseases in minutes. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Biogal
Galed Labs has now developed seven veterinary test kits for diagnosing
infectious diseases in pets. The PCRun
molecular detection test kits save tens of thousands of dollars of equipment
and produce results in 75 minutes instead of previously several days.
Successful trial of Parkinson’s
treatment.
Israeli biotech Pharma Two B has announced positive results in its Phase
IIb pivotal clinical study of P2B001 for the treatment of early stage
Parkinson’s disease. The tests combined
two low dose chemicals that separately had limited effect and were dangerous in
high dosages.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Investing in the weakest members of
society. Jerusalem
Venture Partners founded Bakehila (In the Community) in 2002. Since then, it has
helped more than 25,000 poor Jerusalem residents (Jews and Arabs) to be
self-sustaining contributors to their communities.
Pensioners to become
environmental activists. Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection
(MoEP) is working with the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to initiate a
program called "Environmentally Active Retirees." Elderly Israelis will raise public awareness
about reducing and separating waste.
The woman who founded iAngels. (TY Michelle) Israel’s Mor Assia explains why she moved
back from New York to Israel where she founded the social investment company
iAngels. She knew personally many of the
entrepreneurs that launched over 1000 startups per year, and she wanted to be
part of this Israeli ecosystem.
Yahoo sends top employees to Israel. (TY Herb) Yahoo’s senior
Product Development Director brought ten participants of the Yahoo Associate
Product Manager (APM) program to Israel.
They visited the Technion and Jerusalem and had lectures in Yahoo’s
Haifa and Tel Aviv R&D centers.
Greek Foreign Minister visits Israel. Interesting that despite the
Greek economic crisis, Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias came to Israel
for a 3-day visit. Perhaps he wanted to
learn how Israel transformed itself in the 1980s from financial chaos into an
economic success.
Free Wi-Fi on South
African buses.
Israel’s Radwin has deployed its FiberinMotion wireless mobility to
provide free Wi-Fi onboard buses in the South African city of Tshwane which
includes the capital Pretoria. Over
200,000 unique users have accessed the free Wi-Fi service since it was
installed in Dec 2014.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Good press
coverage for Israeli water. In advance of October’s WATEC Israel 2015,
Israel’s Ministry of Economy took 21 international journalists on a tour of
Israel’s water installations and companies.
Adi Yefet of Israel NewTech said, “I feel like we’re riding a great wave
of positive publicity.”
Measuring a plant’s
health.
Israel’s Phytech is bringing the Internet of Things to the plant world. Plantbeat’s sensors measure how healthy a
plant is and what to do to improve it.
Phytech is to sell its PlantBeat alert system to farmers in North and
South America.
Samsung launch Israel startup incubator. Samsung is founding a startup accelerator in its Israel development
center. Samsung is looking for 6-10
startups in mobile communications, information security, wearable computers,
big data, cloud computing, biometric identification, wireless charging, and
autonomous vehicles.
Wearable and IoT conference. Over 100 Israeli and
international startups participated in Israel’s first major global Internet of
Things (IoT) conference in Tel Aviv - the Wearable Tech & IoT Israel. They’re aim was to discuss how wearables are
evolving and becoming an integral part of our life.
Not just coffee – it’s art. Israeli startup SteamCC has
invented the Ripples coffee “foam printer” that produces a personalized design
in the foam on the top of your coffee.
Choose one of the hundreds of designs available on the Ripple Maker’s
touchscreen, which is printed out through the tiny openings in the machine’s nozzle.
A better booster seat. Israeli entrepreneur Jon
Sumroy has developed mifold, a booster seat that is 10 times smaller than the
typical booster seat. It holds the seat
and shoulder belts down to match the child’s height and body contours, so as to
fit securely. It is easily folded up - ideal for carpools, taxi rides, and even
bus rides,
Israeli tricorder is ready to beam up. The SCIO molecular scanner
from Israel’s Consumer Physics is ready to ship to its first customers. The SCIO has been 4 years in development and
raised $2.76 million on Kickstarter (1381% more than it asked for). So prepare to hear cries of “It’s life, Jim,
but not as we know it!”
National Authority for Technology and
Innovation.
(TY Atid-EDI) The Israeli
government approved the establishment of a National Authority for Technology
and Innovation (NATI). The authority aims
to help strengthen Israel's international economic relations and maintain its position
as a technological powerhouse.
Turning plastic waste into fuel. (TY Atid-EDI) The Israeli government’s Environmental
Services Company Ltd is to begin operating a new facility recycling plastic waste
and turning it into fuel (600kg oil per ton of waste). The facility will process 3,000 metric tons
of plastic waste every year.
The fastest open switch in the world. Israel’s Mellanox has
launched “Spectrum” - the world’s first 100 Gigabit open Ethernet-based switch. It allows businesses to increase the
bandwidth of their data centers without having to upgrade all their other
equipment. (A bit nerdy, but vital to
computer managers!)
Detecting dangers on Facebook. Israel Technion student Eden
Saig has developed a system that classifies sentiment in texts on social
media. The system can identify potential
terrorist threats or suicide risks.
Eden’s system won Amdocs’ Best Project contest.
LCD screens using organic molecules. Israel’s StoreDot (famous
for its technology that re-charges a dead phone battery in one minute) has now
developed a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) made of a single layer of organic
molecules. The LCD displays vivid colors
for TVs, phones, tablets and (future) roll-up screens.
Google launches Waze ride-sharing app. (TY Michelle) Google has launched
a pilot carpooling service for Tel Aviv commuters. It is being offered through Israeli navigation
app Waze, which Google bought in 2013 for about $1 billion, and through
RideWith - a new app for passengers who are not Waze users.
Powering Mobile development. (TY Michelle) Excellent
article about Israel’s success in mobile technology. It includes company features on Israel’s
Moovit, Clear Sky Apps, IronSource and Zikit.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Tel Aviv has some prime property. (TY Michelle) A report on
Tel Aviv real estate focuses on the iconic 39-floor Meier on Rothschild
Tower. Three-bed apartments cost from
£1.5 million and are popular with both Israeli and British buyers. One 8-bed penthouse, however, will set you
back a cool £28.5 million.
“Breakthrough” deal with IDB in Latin
America. (TY
Michelle) Israel’s Ministry of Economy
hailed as a “breakthrough”, a deal stipulating cooperation with the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
IDB is the largest investment body in Latin America and the Caribbean.
It funds $12 billion of projects annually.
Israel National Day at Expo 2015. (TY Michelle) Israel
celebrated its Expo National Day at Milan’s world fair. At the celebrations Israel’s
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely praised the Expo’s theme 'Feeding the
Planet, Energy for Life'. The Israeli pavilion is one of the top 4 most popular
of the 145 exhibiting countries.
Tens of thousands of jobs for Jerusalem. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat
has approved the construction of nine new office towers in Givat Shaul that
will provide space for a range of businesses from high-tech to medical. It will
create tens of thousands of new jobs and employment opportunities.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israel’s 9th UNESCO
Heritage site.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has
declared a 2nd century CE Jewish burial complex at Beit She’arim in northern
Israel a World Heritage Site. The
necropolis contains the tomb of Judah the Prince, who documented the Mishna,
the Jewish Oral Law.
Israeli mind-reader on America’s Got
Talent. (TY
Nevet – www.broaderview.org) Israeli
“mentalist” Oz Pearlman drove the jurors “out of their minds” with excitement
on the “America’s Got Talent” TV show.
Netanya hosts Israeli beach soccer. (TY Janglo) On July 17 and
31, from 1pm to 6pm Poleg beach, Netanya is hosting the Israel Beach Soccer
Games. http://www.netanya.muni.il/liga
Israeli reaches Wimbledon tennis
semi-finals.
38-year-old Israeli Jonathan Ehrlich and his German tennis doubles
partner Phillipp Petzschner won through from the UK Wimbledon tennis
championships qualifying competition to the semi-finals before eventually being
beaten by the 13th seeds Jamie Murray and John Peers.
THE JEWISH STATE
Israel thanks Philippines for WW2
rescue. (TY
Michelle) Israel held a ceremony to thank the Philippines for facilitating the
1935-41 escape from Nazi Germany and Austria of 1,301 Jews. It was held at the Holocaust
Memorial Park in Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv. (I gave feedback on one
mistake in the article)
The only Roman garrison in the Middle
East.
Archeologists have discovered at Megiddo the remains of the garrison of
the Roman Sixth Legion that kept order following the Jewish Revolt of 66-70 CE
and the Bar Kochba Revolt of 132 to 135 CE.
The Jews then lost sovereignty until 1948 and the modern Jewish State.
Eastern Jerusalem as
you’ve never seen it. I highly recommend www.keepjerusalem.org for an
eye-opening tour of Eastern Jerusalem.
Did you know that some 300,000 Jews and 250,000 Arabs now live in the
area of Jerusalem that Jordan occupied from 1948 to 1967?
Israel’s haredi whiz-kids. (TY Michelle) CNN reports
that devout Jews are joining Israel’s next wave of hi-tech programmers. With no prior computer knowledge, just one
year later they can build web and mobile apps.
Years of strict religious study is also good training to help think
outside of the box or deeper about a problem.
More immigrants employed than sabras. Good news for those needing
to work after making Aliya. An OECD
study shows that Israeli immigrants have a lower unemployment rate than
native-born Israelis. This is the
reverse of the situation in similar high immigrant countries such as Australia,
New Zealand and Canada.
150705
In the 5th Jul 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli
scientists are able to transplant corneas without using stitches.
·
Israeli
researchers have developed a sniffing test to identify children with autism.
·
A
religious Muslim woman is an Israeli bus driver.
·
An Israeli
app running on an old smartphone caught a thief.
·
Israeli
scientists can identify anyone by their unique aroma.
·
An Israeli
company uses radio waves to make hydrogen fuel from aluminum and sea water.
·
German
giant Merck has opened an Israeli R&D center.
·
The JNF
has received a record $100 million donation to establish an advocacy center.
Page Down for details on these and more
good news stories from Israel. Thank You
Michelle and other readers for sending me links to many of these positive news
articles. Please use IsraelActive
to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
No-stitch corneal
transplants.
Scientists from Tel Aviv University and Israeli medical centers have
developed a groundbreaking method for sealing the incisions in the eye
following cornea transplant surgery.
They used silver halide optical fibers to deliver an infrared laser beam
at the precise temperature needed to bond the tissue.
Eilat coral can help cancer research. A team of international
scientists, including researchers from Tel Aviv University and Israel’s
Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences (IUI), have discovered that fluorescent
pigments in Eilat’s rainbow coral are ideal for use as biomedical markers for
tracking cancer cells.
4th lowest deaths from heart disease in
OECD. A report by the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development ranked Israel's mortality rate for cardiovascular
disease (less than 200 per 100,000 population) the fourth-lowest among OECD
nations. Japan was the lowest, followed by France and South Korea.
MyMDBand in action. I reported previously (Jun
7) on Israel’s MyMDBand - a wristband with a QR code that gives paramedics
access to vital patient data. Here now
are two latest videos about the exciting product.
Fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Tel Aviv University
Professor Udi Qimron has published in PNAS his
research about bacterial viruses (phages) that attack bacteria. The phages transfer "edited" DNA
into resistant bacteria to kill off resistant strains and make others more
sensitive to antibiotics. Clinical tests will begin soon.
A sniff test for
autism. (TY
Hilton) A rare positive report on Israel by the BBC (and
in The Independent). Weizmann
scientists have discovered that whereas normal children spend longer inhaling
the aroma of roses than that of rotten fish, autistic children don’t
differentiate between pleasant and unpleasant odors.
Canada funds $35 million for
neuroscience & biomedicine. (TY Michelle) Canada’s Finance Minister Joe
Oliver announced a seven-year, $35-million program will fund up to 30 joint
Canadian-Israeli research projects. The first projects will focus on
neuroscience, with up to six $1 million grants per year for up to three years.
Researching pancreatic cancer with
Canada. Top scientists
from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), the Hebrew University in
Jerusalem and Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer are working together on the
Alex U. Soyka Pancreatic Cancer Research Project. The OICR is giving $4.6 million to the
project.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Cyber education for Israeli
schoolchildren.
Israel’s Science and Technology Ministry has signed a deal with Lockheed
Martin to produce educational curricula in science and technology, with an
emphasis on teaching the principles of cyber-security. Minister Danny Danon said, “Ensuring that all
children have an opportunity to learn science and technology is essential to
the future of Israel.”
Israel’s female Muslim
bus driver.
You may not have heard about this before, but Soheila Fedila, a
44-year-old mother of four, has been a public bus driver for three years. Soheila
is a religious Muslim - she always dresses modestly and wears a hijab during
work hours. She currently drives a “Metropolin” bus in Kfar-Saba.
Dr Qanta Ahmed awarded Technion
fellowship.
(TY Michelle) On her seventh visit to the Israel, Dr. Qanta Ahmed received
an Honorary Fellowship from Israel’s Technion, for her tireless and courageous
battle for human rights in the Muslim world, her vigorous opposition to radical
Islam and her friendship with Israel.
Save “at risk” ecology – buy the land. Israeli environmentalist
Professor Uri Shanas of Haifa University is raising $25,000 to launch “This is
my Earth” - a crowd-sourced website that buys up land at risk of ecological
disaster. If successful, “This is my
Earth” members would vote on which biodiverse areas should be purchased.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Catch a thief with
your old smartphone. Israel’s Salient Eye uses the camera on your
old and unwanted smartphone as a motion-sensor, taking photos of intruders as
they walk past the phone. The app then sends these photos and a loud alert to
warn the homeowner of the intrusion. Here’s a thief it caught last week.
20,000 visit Technology 2015. More than 20,000 people came
to the recent Technology 2015 exhibition in Tel Aviv to see the latest Israeli developments
and innovations in computers and software, automated command and control
systems, hydraulics, robotics, calibration tools, industrial printing and
dozens of other fields.
Making the most from sesame. Dr. Zvi Peleg, of the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem, has found a way to develop a new elite sesame variety
with enhanced yield and seed quality suitable for modern agricultural practice. Dr Peleg screened over 100,000 seed variants
to produce the basis of an important Israeli export crop.
Seeing Israeli agri-tech up close. JNF Toronto brought to
Israel a business mission of North American young professionals to experience
Israeli agri-tech. They visited
companies such as Kaiima, Forrest Innovations, Evogene, Phenome Networks,
Saturas, Rootility, GroundWork Bio, miRobot, Taranis and AlphaStrauss.
Smell based
fingerprints.
Practically every human being has his or her own unique smell. Israel’s Weizmann
Institute researchers have developed an “olfactory fingerprint” that tests 34
different odors and could be used to identify any of the 7.3 billion people on
Earth. It could also help match organ donors and even detect diseases.
Better security in churches. Israeli start-up Churchix
uses facial recognition technology to identify dangerous criminals who try to
infiltrate into church congregations.
Unlike synagogues and mosques, church security is traditionally at a
minimal level, yet needs to prevent atrocities such as that recently in
Charleston.
Imagination just got even easier. Israel’s Cimagine (featured
here in March) has just upgraded its augmented reality software. Now you can “virtually furnish” a whole room,
displaying the results on your smartphone.
Support your club – brand your keyboard. Israel’s Kibo keyboard app
not only checks your spelling but it turns your smartphone or tablet keyboard
into the logo and colors of one of six top international soccer clubs. Apple has just approved the app for its
iPhone and iPad. The Android version
already has 6 million users.
Europe buys Israeli smart vest. Israel’s Elbit has won a
$150 million contract from the Dutch Ministry of Defense to supply advanced
protective systems for infantry soldiers in the Netherlands, Belgium and
Luxemburg. The Smart Vest program
includes advanced audio and data radio systems and specialized displays.
Radio waves to release
hydrogen from water. H2energy Now is the first Israeli startup to
be invited to the European Union-sponsored Alpine High-tech Venture Forum. H2energy’s technology uses radio waves to
break the hydrogen-oxygen bond in salt water.
The hydrogen produced is a source of clean energy.
400,000-year-old
teeth reveal their contents. (TY Size Doesn’t Matter) A 400,000-year-old
set of teeth, discovered in Qesem cave outside of Tel Aviv, has revealed minute
traces of food, charcoal and possibly the remains of a rudimentary toothbrush
in the teeth’s plaque.
The world is
your touchscreen.
A new video from Israel21c featuring the Bird - the finger-controlled
device from Israel’s MUV Interactive – that turns any surface (walls, tables
etc.) into a virtual touchscreen.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Another $8 million for Israeli-US projects. The Israel-U.S. Binational
Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation has approved $8 million
in funding for ten new projects between U.S. and Israeli companies. The
projects will also access an additional $11 million of private sector funding.
Apple opens in 20 Israeli cities. Apple is opening 20 sales
booths in almost all major Israeli cities.
Apple’s products will be marketed by Partner employees who have been
trained via the Apple “Masters” program.
Mapal Green to launch on London AIM. Israeli wastewater
technology company Mapal Green Energy is seeking to raise £2-3 million by
listing on London’s Alternative Index Market.
Mapal’s systems significantly reduce the energy costs of sewage
purification plants at
the water utilities serving half of English households.
Frutarom gets even fruitier. Israeli flavors and
ingredients company Frutarom has just acquired its eighth company in 12
months. It has paid $4 million for US
flavors company Foote & Jenks.
F&J specializes in flavors that mask the aftertaste of
medicines. The purchase helps Frutarom
expand its US activity.
US giant buys Israeli fire-detection
company.
Israel’s Spectronix, developer of sensors and fire and gas detection
systems, has been bought by Emerson Electric (part of the $37.8 billion US
Emerson Group) for $99 million. After the acquisition, Spectronix will continue
to operate its business in Sderot.
Merck’s Israeli
R&D center.
(TY Michelle) The German giant Merck joined the growing number of
multinationals with Israeli Research & Development centers by purchasing
Jerusalem’s Qlight Nanotech. Qlight’s
innovative nanocrystal technology is ideal for low energy LCD screens and LED
lighting. Merck’s other Israeli ventures
include biotech Serono which has developed Rebif (MS) and Erbitux (cancer)
treatments.
Direct flights to Boston. (TY Michelle) El Al have
just begun their non-stop service from Tel Aviv to Boston Logan airport, the fastest route to the USA. Last year 67,000 passengers flew from Boston
to Tel Aviv via other cities. There are strong Israeli business links, with
over 200 Israeli companies operating in Massachusetts.
Get your Andy Ram watch. Israeli tennis star Andy Ram
has reached the $75,000 crowdfunding target for his new “Pulse Play” sports
watch. It is a first of its kind,
displaying a table of results during the game, a games history, and social and
global rankings. The first version sells
for $50 and is due for delivery in October.
Business ties with Taiwan. Ernest Lin, from the Taiwan
External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), attended Israel’s Technology 2015
Exhibition. He suggested Taiwan could be
a good testing ground for Israeli technology, with advanced tech installed in
factories to ensure that they work properly on large scales.”
Trade with Vietnam soars. (TY Michelle) Trade between
Vietnam and Israel exceeded $1 billion in 2014 and increased over 80 percent in
the first quarter of 2015. A Vietnamese
delegation was in Israel, and discussed plans to increase bilateral trade and
investment as well as cooperation in technology, agriculture and security.
India and Israel: A good partnership. (TY Michelle) A summary from
India on the status of Indian and Israeli bi-lateral co-operation. It covers agriculture, water, energy,
defense, IT, technology and medicine.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
International opera workshops in Tel
Aviv. The Israel
Vocal Arts Institute (IVAI) will hold its international opera workshop in Tel
Aviv between July 9 and 29. The public
are able to watch students learn from some of the best teachers in the
world. It includes the staging of Verdi’s
Rigoletto.
Help make an Israeli film. Israeli film director and
producer Barak Shavit is raising funds on Indiegogo for his new short film iSyndrome,
a sci-fi story about understanding consciousness. His goal is to raise $14,800.
Mariah Carey visits Israel. (TY Hazel) Pop diva Mariah
Carey told her Israeli fans of her excitement at finally realizing her dream of
visiting Israel. “I waited many years to
come here, and I am very moved,” she said. Miss Carey sang Israel’s national
anthem Hatikvah in Adam Sandler’s 2006 film “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”.
Jerusalem Biking Festival. Biking up and down across
Jerusalem's hills, while enjoying the iconic walls of the old city and the many
green parks is a unique experience. This year, over 5,000 bikers took part in
the Tour Jerusalem annual biking event, which was held for the third
consecutive year.
THE JEWISH STATE
Zionism 101. I highly recommend readers to visit this site
and set up a free account to view exciting 3-minute video clips of important
historical events associated with the establishment of the State of Israel.
Ritual bath found under living room
floor. The
Shimshoni family called in archeologists to investigate and secure a perfectly-preserved
2,000-year-old ritual bath (mikvah) under their living room.
India’s young Jews eye Israel. A Group of 22 Indian Jews,
mostly from the Mumbai area, have completed a 10-day free Taglit-Birthright
Israel educational trip to explore the Jewish state. They saw Tiberias, the Golan Heights, Tel
Aviv, Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, and an Indian spice shop in the Ramla market.
$100 million for
Zionist advocacy center. The Jewish National Fund has established a
new center for Israel education and advocacy, thanks to a $100 million donation
from the estate of John and Dora Boruchin.
The JNF Boruchin Israel Education Advocacy Center aims to strengthen
Americans’ connection to the Jewish State.
The Most Daring Hostage Rescue in
Israel’s History.
July 4 was the anniversary of the amazing 1976 Israeli commando raid on
Uganda’s Entebbe airport to rescue 106 passengers of a hi-jacked Air France
plane. This 4-minute animated film
captures the events.
