151227
In the 27th Dec 2015 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
151220
In the 27th Dec 2015 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli researchers
have developed a new molecule to fight cancer.
·
The Israeli
government is to establish the first Arab college in Israel.
·
Israel has
opened an office in the United Arab Emirates.
·
Israeli
scientists have developed a material that can repair itself.
·
Israel is
subsidizing the introduction of natural gas-fueled buses.
·
Comedian
Jerry Seinfeld had a hilarious Israeli standup debut.
·
Thanks to
ReWalk, a paralyzed bridegroom walked on his wedding day.
·
Click here
to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News, IsraelSeen,
Ruthfully
Yours, Janglo,
IsraPundit and United
With Israel with extra features on Health,
Inclusiveness, Technology and Sport.
Page Down for details on these and more
good news stories from Israel. Thank You
to all who have sent me links to many of these positive news articles. Please use IsraelActive to search the archives.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
New molecule kills
cancer cells.
(TY Nevet) Researchers at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a molecule known as NT157 which
targets metastatic human melanoma and colon cancer. The molecule has been licensed to Israeli
startup TyrNovo for medical trials.
https://www.afhu.org/internationally-acclaimed-researchers-discover-a-double-anti-cancer-agent/news/
Software to stop that stutter. Israel’s Novotalk is the
only app that includes a therapy aspect for stuttering intervention. Novotalk’s
fluency shaping therapy has a 90% success rate. Approximately 1% of the world’s
adult population stutters – approximately 70 million people.
http://novotalk.com/
http://novotalk.com/
Don’t let your blood sugar levels spike. Scientists at Israel’s
Weizmann Institute have published a study showing the danger to health from
eating foods that cause the blood sugar level to rise quickly. These foods vary for each individual and
Weizmann wants more Israelis to join its Personalized Nutrition Project.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/will-ice-cream-make-you-gain-weight-it-depends-on-your-gut-study-finds/
Treatment for diabetics in China. Israel’s Oramed has signed a
deal worth $50 million that gives China’s Hefei Life Science & Technology
(HLST) the rights to Oramed’s oral insulin capsule ORMD-0801 in China, Hong
Kong and Macau. ORMD-0801 will help
treat the large and growing numbers of diabetics in China.
Sleep is key to success of bone marrow
transplants.
A clinical study by Professor Asya Rolls of Israel’s Technion has shown
that the donor needs to sleep well in the four hours prior to donating their
stem cells. If not, the success of the
transplant decreases by 50%.
Non-invasive procedure wins $10,000
prize. Three
students from Israel’s Technion, won the $10,000 first prize at the BizTEC
Entrepreneurship Competition held at Microsoft’s Herzliya R&D center. Their product solves the major problem of
collecting urine samples from millions of babies each year.
Keep your hair. A team of students from
Israel’s Technion have developed a treatment for hair loss, without
side-effects. It won them “Best New
Application” at the 2015 international iGEM synthetic biology competition in
Massachusetts.
Tech for first responders. The Israel-US Binational
Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation has granted $12 million
over the next 3 years to Israeli-American projects that develop advanced technologies
for first responders. The “NextGen” collaboration
is expected to produce many lifesaving solutions.
Highest birthrate, lowest C-section
rate. The
childbirth rate of Israeli women is the highest among the 34 OECD countries,
while its rate of cesarean sections is the lowest. The Israeli birthrate of 3.0 compares to the
OECD average of 1.7. The Israeli cesarean
rate is 154.3 per 1,000 births whilst the OECD figure is 258.7.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Turning old buses into hi-tech
classrooms.
Israeli non-profit organization Ofanim has retrofitted six old buses
into mobile study labs in order to run educational enrichment programs for
children in the North and South of Israel.
http://nocamels.com/2015/12/ofanim-buses-high-tech-classrooms/
Enabling charities to “go mobile”. (TY Rachel) Israeli startup
Communer began by developing an app that helps Jewish communities to
communicate better with their members. Communer has now evolved into providing
a wide and advanced solution for all nonprofits and beyond.
KKL-JNF gives trees to
Israeli-Christians.
(TY Hazel) KKL-JNF is again distributing free Christmas trees to Israeli
churches, monasteries, convents and embassies and individuals. The general
public can also buy trees at a nominal cost.
http://drybonesblog.blogspot.co.il/2015/12/merry-christmas.html
Israel’s first Arab
college. Education Minister and Jewish Home Chairperson
Naftali Bennett announced, "For the first time in the annals of the state
of Israel we are establishing a general academic college in an Arab town,"
said Bennett. "This is history for the Arab sector and this is history for
the state of Israel."
Israel and Jordan issue tender to save
Dead Sea.
Israel and Jordan have jointly published an $800 million tender to build
a water-carrying canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. The project will
rehabilitate the shrinking Dead Sea and supply drinking water to Israeli,
Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.
Friendship with Albania. The Prime Ministers of
Israel and Albania signed a joint declaration of friendship in honor of 25th
years of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Other documents signed included a medical
research cooperation agreement between hospitals.
Bringing Israel to the masses via
popular bloggers.
Vibe Israel seeks out the world’s top bloggers – people with the most
power online and in social media - and brings them to the Startup Nation, to
learn what innovations Israel has created in their field. The current project focuses on Informal
Education.
Snails empower Ghanaian women. (TY Nevet) The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem is sponsoring a project by two Ghanaian students who have been
setting up snail farms in rural Ghana.
The project provides employment for Ghanaian women as well as vital
protein for local families.
An Israeli office in
the UAE.
Israel is to open a diplomatic-level mission to the International
Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi, its first openly established
representative office in the United Arab Emirates. Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold
visited Abu Dhabi earlier in December, the first time an Israeli government
official of his diplomatic rank has publicly made the trip.
Israeli resolution gets UN approval. An Israeli resolution on
utilizing agricultural technology for sustainable development passed at the
United Nations with 124 countries voting in favor and 37 (Arab block) abstentions. Ambassador Danny Danon called it a “victory
for Israeli innovation.”
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Israelis win most European research
grants. (TY
Eli) The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded 24 of its 291 early-career
starting grants to 24 Israeli researchers - making Israel first place for the
number of research grants per capita. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4737045,00.html
Marine research station in Haifa. Texas A&M University, in
collaboration with the University of Haifa, is launching a $6 million marine
research center in February, to help mitigate risks associated with offshore oil
exploration. http://www.timesofisrael.com/texas-am-to-open-6-million-research-center-in-israel/
Protecting the Internet of Things. Israeli start-up Dojo Labs
has developed a stylish pebble-like device, to monitor all data sent by
anything connected to the Internet – smart TVs, smartphones, smart tablets,
smart refrigerators, even smart water faucets – to determine if they have been
hijacked by hackers.
Israel is a leader in the Internet of
Things.
Innovation Endeavors, the Venture Capital firm of Google chairman Eric
Schmidt, has issued its 2015 Israeli Internet of Things (IoT) Landscape. It concludes that Israeli IoT is booming,
especially in Israel’s strength areas of healthcare, life science, ag-tech and
cyber security.
Anti-AIDS company wins Tech “Oscar”. Israel’s Circ MedTech,
developers of PrePex, won the Sutter Health award (part of Applied Materials’
Tech Awards - considered “the Oscars of Silicon Valley”) honoring individuals
and companies that use new or existing technology to improve health conditions
around the world. The Israeli company is
donating the $50,000 cash prize to help fund HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa.
Watch kitchen waste turn into cooking
gas. A new
video showing how the HomeBioGas system works.
Saving power for mobile phones. Israel’s Lucidlogix based in
Netanya is the developer of PowerXtend - power-saving technology that extends
the battery life of smartphones (see Feb 2014
newsletter). Lucidlogix has recently licensed PowerXtend to Meizu, one of the
top ten smartphone brands in China.
Smartphone – heal
thyself. A
team of Israel Technion researchers including Professor Hossam Haick (famous
for the cancer breath test) has developed a synthetic polymer that mimics human
skin and can be integrated into flexible devices so that future smartphones will
be able to “heal” any scratches or damage.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Free Trade Agreement with Panama. As predicted in my Apr
2015 newsletter, Israel and Panama have now signed a Free Trade Agreement to
include access to markets, customs, services, investments and intellectual
property. It is the first FTA that
Panama has signed with a Middle Eastern country.
Tech deal with Australia’s largest bank. Israel’s Economy Ministry’s
Chief Scientist Avi Hasson has signed an agreement with the Commonwealth Bank
of Australia for joint R&D projects.
The bank joins Israel’s Multinational Corporations program, which
develops new products and technologies in Israel for global use.
Increased trade prospects with Australia. Interesting extract of a session
in the Australian parliament.
Record food exports to the US. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s
food exports to North America are at a record level. Israel exported $135
million of processed food and beverages in the first half of 2015, a growth of
5% from 2014. Exports of fresh fruits
and vegetables in the same period were $33million, a growth of 13.6% from 2014.
Israel subsidizes
natural gas buses.
(TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Transportation Ministry is offering grants of 150,000 shekels (about
$39,000) to public transportation companies that purchase natural gas-powered
buses for their fleets. Vehicles powered
by natural gas are expected to save energy and reduce air pollution.
Israeli startup wins, then refuses
$250,000 prize.
Israeli startup GetGems declined the minimum $250,000 it won in the 43
North startup competition, as it required relocation to Buffalo and a 5% equity
donation. GetGems, a member of Citi’s
TLV Innovation Lab, has invented PayKey, enabling secure payments to be made
within social networks’ chats, including Facebook’s Messenger, WhatsApp,
SnapChat, Twitter etc.
$100 million investment in renewables
energy. Two
Israeli companies, Enlight and Migdal have teamed up to invest $100 million in
renewable energy projects outside Israel.
Enlight specializes in initiating, developing, and operating projects
that generate electricity from solar and wind power in Israel and Europe.
Keeping control of your lab supplies. Technion graduate Alex
Domeshek developed LabSuit to help his wife Helen manage a chemistry lab. It is now in use in 200 Israeli
laboratories. LabSuit manages the lab’s
inventory by connecting to other labs in a “virtual community”, exchanging
excess stock to reduce waste.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Open a door to Israel. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs has launched a new, multi-sensory installation at the Tel Aviv
Port. “Open a Door to Israel” comprises nine
giant screens, shaped as doors, which visitors open to learn about Israel’s
heritage, music scene, family life, education and innovation. See it before the exhibit moves to Rome in
January, followed by Germany, France, Russia, South Korea, Japan, China and the
US.
Playing it by the book. Thanks to Scott Richman of
AJC Live for these two interviews. The
first is with Seth M Siegel, author of “Let There Be Water - Israel's solution
for a water-starved world” and the second is with Dr. Alon Gratch, author of "The
Israeli Mind - How the Israeli National Character Shapes Our World."
Gas station restaurants. (TY SDM)
Israeli gas stations have had a facelift recently. Many have added restaurants, serving
high-quality food. Kosher ones include
Nero Express (Gan Hatsafon), Minato (Caesarea), Ella Patisserie (Nahal
Alexander) and Just Hummus (Katzrin).
50 million downloads of Pirate Kings. (TY Michelle) The Pirate
Kings mobile game from Israel’s Jelly Button Games has generated more than 50
million downloads since 2012, even though it hasn’t been aggressively marketed
on a global basis yet.
Seinfeld makes Tel
Aviv laugh. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld kicked off the first
of four sold-out performances in Tel Aviv in front of more than 11,000 fans at
a packed basketball stadium. One of his
lines was that “Israelis have two answers to any question: “no problem” or
“that’s impossible”.
Israeli swimmers win medals at Euro
championships in Israel. Israelis won three medals at the 2015 European
Short Course Swimming Championships at the Wingate Institute in Netanya. Yakov Toumarkin came second in both the 200m
backstroke and 100m medley. Gal Nevo
came 3rd in the 400m medley.
THE JEWISH STATE
10,000-year-old beans found in Israel. Further evidence that the
Land of Israel was the birthplace of agriculture. Researchers at the Weizmann Institute and the
Israel Antiquities Authority recently discovered the oldest known domesticated
fava beans - about 10,200 years old - in the Galilee.
Rebuilding Jewish life in Tel Aviv. The Am Yisrael Foundation
aims to bring Jewish education and Jewish faith to the center of Tel Aviv. Together with the North Central Synagogue of
Tel Aviv it is dedicating a brand new Sefer Torah in honor of the 72 soldiers
killed during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.
Mayor Barkat to the rescue again. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat
always seems to be at the right place at the right time. When the wife of
Interior Minister Silvan Shalom fainted in Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market,
Barkat was on the scene to revive her.
See the mayor’s previous “superhero” activities here
and here.
More Biblical wines are brought back to
life. (TY
Michelle) A previous (8 Nov
2015) newsletter featured a wine (Marawi 2014) produced from indigenous
Israeli grapes. You should also look out
for Dabouki 2014 and 2015. And at Ariel
University, Eliyashiv Drori has made tiny batches from about 30 different grape
varieties.
Israel celebrates “Accessibility
Shabbat”. An
“Accessibility Shabbat” was held in communities across Israel on 5 Dec 2015, to
highlight the need for greater respect for the handicapped and disabled within
the religious community, and in Israeli society in general. Events were led by the Tzohar Committee on
Jewish Ethics.
Paralyzed groom walks
down the aisle.
Dudu Shevy was paralyzed in a car accident 12 years ago. Thanks to Amit Goffer, founder of Israel’s
ReWalk, Dudu surprised his family by walking down the aisle to his bride wearing
a ReWalk exoskeleton loaned to him for his wedding day.
151220
In the 20th Dec 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
An Israeli
arthritis treatment also reduces high blood pressure.
·
An Israeli
breakthrough in insulin-producing cells for diabetics.
·
The UN has
designated Israel as the 18th most developed country.
·
You can
now order an Israeli biogas system to recycle kitchen waste.
·
Israeli
technology is providing WiFi to Ivory Coast.
·
Spanish
star Enrique Iglesias performed to a sell-out crowd in Tel Aviv.
·
A Jewish
woman is reunited with her Israeli family after 68 years in Syria.
·
Click here
to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News, IsraelSeen,
Ruthfully
Yours, Janglo
and United
With Israel with extra features on Health,
Global
impact, Technology
and Entertainment.
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
Success in trials of
arthritis treatment. Israeli biotech Kitov has announced that its KIT-302
treatment for osteoarthritis successfully reduced arthritic pain in UK trials
on 152 patients, without risk of heart problems. In fact KIT-302 is the only
treatment for both osteoarthritis and hypertension (high blood pressure).
Functional human liver cells grown in
the Lab.
More news of the work of Hebrew University of Jerusalem Professor Yaakov
Nahmias (see here, here, here and here). Now he has been able to use the chemical
Oncostatin to double the speed of liver cell production outside the body. http://new.huji.ac.il/en/article/28143
Japan turns to Israeli tech to treat
radiation disease.
Japan’s Fukushima Medical University and Israel’s Pluristem Therapeutics
are to develop Pluristem’s PLX-R18 cells to treat acute radiation syndrome
(ARS). Radiation continues to spread
following the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.
Prize-winning voice technology. Israel’s VoiceITT (see Mar
2014 newsletter) won the 2015 Medica medical app competition in Dusseldorf
with its Talkitt platform that translates the speech of people with
communication disabilities. Medica is
the world’s largest medical trade fair, attracting nearly 5,000 exhibitors from
70 nations.
http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2015/12/10/4-israeli-startups-sweep-international-medical-app-contest/
First implantation of groundbreaking
heart device.
Israel’s Enopace (see
Mar 2013 newsletter) has seen the first operation to implant its new catheter-based
neuro-stimulator to treat patients with congestive heart failure. The procedure was performed by Professor
Davor Milicic, head of Cardiology at Zagreb Medical University.
Breakthrough status for Tardive
Dyskinesia treatment. (TY Atid-EDI) The
US FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation status to Israel’s Teva for
its SD-809 (deutetrabenazine) treatment of patients with tardive dyskinesia, a
hyperkinetic movement disorder affecting about 500,000 people in the USA.
Weizmann in joint research for brain
therapies. Israel’s
Weizmann Institute has entered into a research agreement with India’s Sun
Pharma and Spain’s Health Research Institute of Santiago to develop products
for treating neurological diseases such as brain stroke and brain cancer. (See
also Apr 2015 newsletter)
Micro-pancreas can
cure diabetes.
(TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Betalin has significantly increased the lifetime of pancreatic beta
cells transplanted into diabetics in order to produce insulin. This has been achieved by simultaneously transplanting
an Engineered Micro Pancreas (EMP) to sustain the cells.
$20 million donation to medical
research. Robert
Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, is donating $20 million to fund
research in personalized medicine. The
Kraft Endowment will allow scientists and physicians to use a patient’s genetic
history to understand a disease, then diagnose and develop tailored treatments.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Respite for parents of autistic kids. Ezer Mizion’s Hakalah
Respite Program provides parents of special-needs children the opportunity to
celebrate events with their families whilst knowing that their child is well
looked after. http://www.ezermizion.org/blog/impossible-dilemma-solved/
Jerusalem opens a special café. 70% of the employees of
Jerusalem café Bistro Harutzim have various special needs. The café, opened by
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, is operated under the auspices of SHEKEL, which
enables people with disabilities to enjoy a better quality of life and
integrate naturally into the community.
Baseball for all. Fifteen 12-year-olds from
the Jewish town of Modi’in and 15 sixth graders from a Christian Orthodox
school in the mixed Arab-Jewish city of Ramle met for the third time to play
baseball at the Baptist Village field in Petah Tikva. The program for sixth graders is called
Baseball for All.
A great year for the IAC. In 2015 the Israeli-American
Council hosted five Celebrate Israel festivals that reached over 43,000
community members. It has established
regional centers in nine US cities plus three community centers. Its annual conference attracted 1,300
delegates.
Israel 18th highest on
UN human development list. Israel was ranked 18th out of 188 countries
on the 2015 UN Human Development Index (HDI) which analyzes economic strength,
education, and health. Israel scored higher than Japan, Belgium, France, Spain,
Italy, all of eastern European, plus African and Arab countries.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Technology teaches kids to cross the
street. (TY
Michelle) An initiative of Ben Gurion University and Holon Institute of
Technology equips children with Virtual Reality devices to train them in road
safety. 40 minutes of hazard-detection
training on 18 simulated Israeli streets gave the kids the same crossing skills
as adults.
One of the hottest startups of 2015. (TY Michelle) CNBC has
included Israel’s Lishtot in its list of 20 of the world's hottest start-ups of
2015. Lishtot (see
Sep 15 newsletter) detects water pollutants from the changes they make to
the electromagnetic properties of drinking water.
Fast optical communication for the
Internet.
Israel’s ColorChip produces optical chips that transmit Internet data on
optical wavelengths, providing faster speeds and carrying more data. ColorChip has just raised another $25 million
of funds.
Transforming Indian cities. (TY Michelle) Tel Aviv’s municipality
has partnered with the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Jaffa to assist in turning the
Indian cities of Pune, Nagpur and Nashik in the northwestern state of
Maharashtra into “smart cities”.
Israelis will mentor Indian city officials in technological urban
transformation.
BioGas for your home. (TY Michelle) Now you can
order a portable digester and turn kitchen waste into cooking gas and
fertilizer. Israel’s HomeBioGas
(featured in my newsletter here
and here)
has launched a crowdfunding project on Indiegogo where you can purchase a
system for under $1000.
Researching biofuels with Canada. (TY Michelle) The
Israel-Canada Workshop on Advanced Biofuels in Rehovot, brought together
scientists from both countries looking at ways to convert left-over harvest
wheat into liquid fuel. Also the shrinking
paper market means Canada’s forestry industry is looking for a new outlet.
Israelis developing Amazon drone
delivery.
(TY Michelle) Amazon plans to launch its Prime Air delivery service in
the not-too-distant future. Your
purchase will be delivered by an unmanned air vehicle (UAV / drone), thanks to
Israeli technology.
The world’s first jet-powered, 3D
printed UAV.
(TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Stratasys has teamed with Aurora Flight Sciences to deliver, what is
believed to be, the largest, fastest, and most complex 3D printed unmanned
aerial vehicle (UAV) ever produced. The 150 mph drone was unveiled at the Dubai
Airshow.
Make your own reality. (TY Atid-EDI) With
the ENTiTi platform from Israeli startup WakingApp anyone can develop dynamic
3D content for an Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality application. Content is instantly available online for any
mobile device or smart glasses.
WakingApp has just raised $4.3 million of funding.
Smart glasses for cyclists. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Elbit Systems has launched the consumer wearables company
Everysight. Its first product is the
Raptor smart glasses for cyclists, which aims to be available in 2016. The glasses utilize Everysight’s Beam
technology that overlays data directly in the wearer’s line of sight.
Buy online clothes in the correct size. (TY Atid-EDI) Israeli
startup MySizeID has developed an algorithm SizeUp that measures your body with
the sensors of your smartphone. MySizeID
then works with the retailer to ensure that the clothing sizes match the
measurements. MySizeID has just raised
$4 million of funding.
Check your grammar. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Whitesmoke has released "WhiteSmoke Expert" - a new version
of its grammar-checking software. WhiteSmoke
has already corrected over two billion grammar errors since 2002. Earlier this
year, WhiteSmoke released a mobile app, available on Android and iOS.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/whitesmoke-releases-new-grammar-checking-software-546658582.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amaUiMrNxLk
So cool inside Google’s cloud. Google has formed a first of
its kind partnership, paying Israel’s CloudEndure to migrate potential Google
customers into Google’s Cloud Platform. CloudEndure
has been selected as one of CRN’s 10 Coolest Cloud Startups of 2015.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
How Israeli desalination was funded. (TY Michelle) Israel’s $0.5
billion Sorek desalination plant is the world’s biggest such facility and was named
one of MIT Technology Review’s breakthroughs of 2015. It is the result of
government funding of both large-scale infrastructure and the underlying technological
innovations.
Japan welcomes Israeli delegation. (TY Michelle) Trade links
between Japan and Israel have been boosted by a new Israel trade office in
Osaka. Also a delegation of Israeli
automotive supply companies is meeting executives from Toyota, Honda, Suzuki and
Daihatsu. Plus, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is
a big opportunity.
50 years of relations with Singapore. (TY Michelle) In 1965 when Singapore’s
Lee Kuan Yew approached several nations asking for advice, only Israel
responded positively. Today, bilateral
trade is $2 billion p.a. and the Singapore-Israel Industrial Research and
Development Foundation approves hundreds of joint projects.
Top multinationals meet Israeli
startups. More
than 25 of the world’s largest multinational corporations, including Ford, IBM,
GE, Tyco, GM, Singtel, PayPal and Yahoo gathered at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange
for the Axis Tel Aviv Corporate Edition event, connecting international companies
with promising Israeli startups.
WiFi for Ivory Coast. (TY Atid-EDI) VIPNET,
a major ISP in the Ivory Coast, has chosen Israel’s Radwin to completely
replace its existing WiMAX network. The new RADWIN 5000 JET Beamforming
corporate access network spans the major cities in the Ivory Coast, connecting key
institutions including banks, Government offices, mining and gas & oil
companies. http://www.radwin.com/news/press-room/vipnet-deploys-jet
Teva and Takeda partnership. (TY Michelle) Israel’s Teva
and Japan’s Takeda are partnering to market Teva’s generic treatments and
off-patent medicines in Japan. Japan’s
aging population requires increased health care and Teva’s generic products can
provide this at less cost.
$50 million to market Israeli oral
insulin. (TY
Michelle) China's Hefei has bought the rights to market the oral insulin
capsules developed by Israel’s Oramed on completion of Phase III trials. In a deal worth over $50 million, Hefei gets
exclusive rights to market the diabetes treatment in China, Hong Kong and Macau.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli will bring mini-world to Times
Square. (TY
Michelle) A tiny version of the world is coming to Times Square in 2017. The exhibition, dubbed "Gulliver's
Gate" is owned by Eiran Gazit, an Israeli entrepreneur who commissioned
the very popular Mini Israel Park in Israel’s Ayalon Valley.
Enrique is a sell-out. Spanish pop star Enrique
Iglesias’s concert at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on 16 Dec was sold
out almost immediately tickets went on sale.
So he is to perform a second time on 22 Dec
Israeli bodybuilder is crowned “Mr
Universe”.
23-year-old Dani Kaganovich of Be’er Sheva is the first Israeli to win
the Mr. Universe competition - one of the bodybuilding world's biggest titles. He had previously won the Mr. Universe youth
category three years in a row.
Israel to host Euro basketball
championships.
Israel will be one of four countries to host the FIBA EuroBasket 2017
tournament. It will be the first time that Israel will be hosting a European
basketball championship. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204806#.Vmzy0OLn-Ug
THE JEWISH STATE
Jewish
great-grandmother returns from Syria. Rachel Elkayam last saw her family 68 years
ago when she left Haifa for Syria with the Arab family that she had married
into. She always wanted to return but it
wasn’t until her grandson contacted the Israeli embassy in London that she was
able to leave Syria.
An Israeli-Jew on Mars? Israel’s Barak Stoltz spent
Chanukah in the Utah desert, in a few cramped capsules that make up the Mars
Desert Research Station (MDRS). He lit his menorah, sang some songs, and even
tried his hand at making latkes—all while practicing for a manned mission to
Mars.
Me too! Sisters Chen and Irit Cohen registered with
on Ezer Mizion’s bone marrow registry.
Then Chen’s DNA matched a cancer patient and her stem cells saved a
life. Not long after, Chen’s father received another phone call from Ezer
Mizion. Said the voice on the line.
“Your daughter, Irit, has been found to be…”
Orphan invites all of Israel to her
wedding.
Bride-to-be Sarah-Tehiya Litman, 21, whose father and brother were
murdered by terrorists, has invited the entire nation of Israel. The invitation
includes the phrase – "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, for I have fallen
but I have gotten up" (Micah 7:8).
151213
In the 13th Dec 2015 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
Israeli scientists
have discovered the reason why many elderly become deaf.
·
An Israeli
system can identify why an individual suffers from insomnia.
·
Watch the
IDF rescue wounded Syrians.
·
The UN
used Israeli technology to protect the Paris climate conference.
·
Israeli-developed
cups make plain water taste like juice-flavored drinks.
·
Israeli
insects give hope to farmers in Colombia.
·
An Israeli
violinist has received America’s highest civilian honor.
·
A
2800-year-old seal impression of King Hezekiah has been found in Jerusalem.
·
Israel is
bringing home the last remnant of Ethiopia’s Jews.
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
Missing protein causes
hearing loss in elderly. (TY Nevet)
Joint Israeli-US research has discovered that the absence of protein RFX in
many elderly people causes hearing loss.
The protein is responsible for maintaining tiny hairs (cilia) in the
inner ear. When these hairs die off, the
person becomes deaf. The team believe
their discovery will help develop treatments to restore hearing in patients. http://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Health-and-Science/Breakthrough-find-may-lead-to-restoring-hearing-in-elderly-431761
Self-healing artificial skin. Israeli researchers at Israel’s
Technion have created a new, flexible material that is sensitive to touch and
can heal itself automatically if there is damage within 10-30 minutes,
according to research published in the Advanced Materials journal.
Protein link to aggression. Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute investigating the
protein tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) found in the brains of humans and animals,
have discovered that low TH levels increase aggression in males. High TH levels reduce aggression in males but
increase motherly instincts in females.
US approves leukemia treatment. The US FDA has approved
BENDEKA, (bendamustine hydrochloride) injection from Israel’s Teva for the treatment
of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and for indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin
lymphoma (NHL). BENDEKA is expected to
be commercially available by 1st Quarter 2016.
Smart enzymes. Israel’s SmartZyme is
developing new proteins and enzymes for medical and industrial uses. One enzyme has improved bio-electrochemical
glucose catalysis, to be used on glucose test strips for the Self Monitoring
Blood Glucose (SMBG) market. SmartZyme has just received $4 million of funding.
Infrared imaging checks quality of
sealed treatments.
Israel’s DIR Technologies has invented a system that checks every package
of medicine using thermal imaging. Operators can then find and fix problems
causing faulty seals whenever they occur, without destroying a sample or
holding up the production line.
Kids kicking cancer in Israel. Kids Kicking Cancer, founded
by Detroit Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg, has now expanded to five Israeli hospitals. Children who have life-threatening diseases
are taught martial arts in order to help them cope with the aftermath of the
disease. The pool of instructors
includes both Jews and Arabs.
Identifying your
“Sleep DNA”.
Israeli crowdsourcing platform Sleep ASAP (see
Jun 2015 newsletter) offers insomniacs a solution to their sleeping
problems. In a recent study, Sleep ASAP
analyzed personality traits and sleep habits of 2500 participants. It successfully
determined the reason for the insomnia in 99% of cases.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Public transport costs down, child
benefit up. 2.5
million Israeli travelers will benefit from expanded public transportation
discounts or free travel. They include 2 million children aged between 5 and 18,
280,000 disabled people; the blind and those accompanying them. Child benefit will increase by up to 34%,
backdated to May.
The Ethiopian festival of Sigd. (TY Sharon)
The Sigd holiday, 50 days after Yom Kippur, is now celebrated annually in
Jerusalem. Kessim (leaders of the
Ethiopian Jewish community) in traditional garb sat under colorful
umbrellas. Buses brought tens of
thousands of Israeli Ethiopians from all over Israel to participate.
Glide awarded for work with
hearing-impaired.
US national advocacy group for the deaf and hard of hearing, TDI (Telecommunications
for the Deaf and hard of Hearing) has awarded the Andrew Saks Engineering Award
to Israeli startup Glide for making its video messaging app accessible to the
hearing-impaired. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204576#.Vmbzf-Ln-Vc
New bridge to connect Israel and Jordan. A new bridge is to be built across
the Jordan River to connect Israel and Jordan.
The bridge is a key part of the Jordan Gateway project - a joint
industrial and business area spanning the river that is a natural border
between the two countries.
3,000 come to honor fallen Druze hero. 3,000 people, from all over
Israel, attended the memorial of Druze policeman Zidan Saif, killed whilst
responding to a terrorist attack at a Jerusalem synagogue one year ago.
IDF’s dramatic rescue
of wounded Syrians.
The UK Daily Mail has published video footage of an IDF mission to
evacuate seriously wounded Syrian Sunni rebels and treat them in Israel. The mission also returned treated patients to
Syria. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204631#.Vmf2OOLn-Vc
Water for Ethiopian kids. Israel’s Technion Institute
chapter of Engineers Without Borders has built a safe drinking supply water
system in a village school at Meskele Cristos, in northern Ethiopia. The system
collects and stores rainwater from rooftops during the rainy season giving fresh
water to over 600 schoolchildren.
Israeli-trained medics treat Paris
trauma victims.
15 French clinicians, trained by Israeli experts, provided psycho-trauma
treatment to victims of the Nov 13 Paris terror attacks. The Israel Trauma Coalition trained 80 French
mental-health professionals following the terror attack on a Paris kosher
supermarket last January.
6 million seeds for Indian farmers. (TY Michelle) The Indo-Israel
vegetable center of excellence in Haryana state, India has boosted the annual
number of seedlings grown by state farmers from half a million in 2011 to six
million in 2015. Farmers from Punjab,
Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are also using the facility.
World Bank brings Brazil delegation to Israel. A delegation of 4 World Bank
representatives and 20 from nine Brazilian states came to Israel in November to
view water and agriculture technologies that can be implemented in the
extensive World Bank and other projects planned in Brazil.
UN Euro conference
protected by Israeli technology. The Skystar 180 tactical aerostat surveillance
balloon system developed by Israel’s RT Ita Systems was used to protect world
leaders at the recent United Nations climate summit in Paris. And a nice cartoon by Dry Bones to illustrate
the significance.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Millions use Israeli app after Paris
attacks. During
the 24 hours after the Paris terror attacks, 4.1 million people checked in with
friends and relatives using Facebook Safety Check, a technology developed by
Facebook Israel’s research and development department. The app then sent
messages to 360 million people to inform them that their loved ones were
safe.
Germany and Israel sign space agreement.
(TY NoCamels)
Representatives of the German and Israel Space Agencies signed an agreement in
Tel Aviv for cooperation on technological R&D to benefit mankind. Among the topics will be space missions,
observations of Earth, communications, navigation and deep space.
Research with the UK to double. (TY Michelle) The Israeli
Ministry of Science, Technology and Space will partner with the UK Government’s
Science and Innovation Network on a new set of Researcher Exchange Programs,
doubling the number of research scientists for the next four years.
TA University and China. Tel Aviv University has
forged links with over 30 leading universities and major Chinese cities - the
latest with Nanjing and Yunnan. TAU also
signed a memorandum of understanding with Peking University to establish a
joint agricultural research institute in Weifang, China. Research will focus on
climate, improving crop yield, and creating food strains with enhanced
nutritional properties.
http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2015/11/26/china-expansion-tau-launches-initiatives-in-three-major-chinese-cities/
http://news.nocamels.com/2015/11/18/tel-aviv-and-peking-universities-partner-on-agtech/
4 Israelis in MIT’s top 35 innovators
under 35.
Four Israelis are among 35 honored this year by MIT with its annual list
of young researchers who have had a huge impact on the world – and are expected
to go on to do much more. They are Dr Gilad Evrony (brain cells), Professor Cigall
Kadoch (neuro-technology devices), Dr Rikky Muller (cancer research) and Ben
Rubin (Meerkat video app).
A whole new tire design. Israeli start-up Galileo
Wheel has invented a new design of tires for agricultural vehicles. It provides better control, a wider
footprint, more stability, and the ability to transform between tire and track
mode, depending on what terrain the vehicle is riding on.
Detecting the smallest of leaks. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Aquarius Spectrum (see
Oct 2013 newsletter) can detect water leaks from holes only 1.5mm
diameter. The startup has just received
$2.2 million of funding.
http://aquarius-spectrum.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Aquarius-Hutchison-Invest-eng-PR-Final-For-media-Oct15-002.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkPMx7KijFE
Juice-flavored water
cups. Israeli
startup The Right Cup has developed a fruit-scented cup that tricks the brain
into thinking it is drinking juice instead of plain water. CEO Isaac Lavi created the product after
contracting diabetes and forced to avoid sugary drinks. He has raised $90,000
more than his $50,000 target.
A much better tour. Israeli start-up Manage Your
Trip collects, collates and analyzes data to determine the pluses and minuses
of a tour, a guide, a venue, a restaurant, a bus company, and many other
factors. The system is geared not only
to provide tourists with a better experience – but tour organizers with bigger
profits.
Get a better job, faster. Israeli startup Highr
recently completed Microsoft’s accelerator program (see
July newsletter) and is now matching qualified people to technical job
vacancies with a success rate of 78%.
Protecting mobile apps. (TY Michelle) Israeli
startup AppDome protects any mobile application. It allows users to download a secure version
of an app within minutes and distribute it via the App Store or Google Play. AppDome was named 2015 Gartner Cool Vendor in
Mobile Security and has just raised $13 million of funding.
https://appdome.com/appdome-closes-13-million-in-series-a-funding-to-offer-disruptive-mobile-app-security-saas-technology/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mUCIcKXz4c
3D printing in metal. Israeli startup Xjet has
developed technology to print 3D objects made of metal (current 3D printing is
based on plastic). It could
revolutionize the production of custom-made metal objects, which currently
require an expensive mold to take liquid metal that then solidifies.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Economy strengthens as exports surge. Israel’s economy grew by an
annualized 2.5 percent in the third quarter of 2015. Private spending (Israel’s main growth driver)
rose 2.4% and exports grew by 4.4%.
Lower water charges. (TY Atid-EDI) Water
charges will fall by 3% in Israel from Jan 1. Charges have been cut by a cumulative 20% in
the past three years. The current cut is thanks to a 16% annual fall in the
price of electricity - the main cost in water desalination that produces much
of the water consumed in Israel.
No VAT on public transportation. The Israeli cabinet has approved
the exempting of public transportation from VAT. From Jan 1 2016, the cost of public
transportation for all Israelis will fall by 17%.
600 million mites to
Colombia. Bio-Bee,
of Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu is providing up to 600 million predatory mites to
Colombian farmers. The mites naturally eliminate harmful species of mites
decimating Columbia, allowing farmers to reduce the use of pesticides and meet
ecological requirements for overseas exports.
44% more Indian tourists. The number of tourists to
Israel in October from India increased by 44% over the same month last
year. Overall, Oct 2015 saw a 5%
increase in tourists compared with Oct 2014
Tel Aviv’s first tech IPO in 2015. Israeli security startup Safe-T
has launched on the Tel Aviv stock exchange (TASE) - the first tech company to
do so in 2015. Safe-T expects to raise
$5.6 million from the IPO.
http://snip.ly/u24A#http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/11/17/safe-t-israel-ipo-idINL8N13C23320151117
A better rate for your currency? Foreign exchange platform
CurrencyTransfer has announced that it will be extending its services to
holders of Israeli shekels. The UK firm has just opened new offices in Tel Aviv
and offers rates within 0.5% of market rates with no fees or charges. Banks
vary between 2-5% of market rates.
Israeli-US clean-energy. (TY Michelle) Six joint
US-Israeli projects received a total of $5.1 million from the 2015 Binational
Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy program. Israeli companies involved are 3GSolar,
Ayyeka, Haogenplast, Pentalum, Solaris-Synergy and Yissum. See video of US
Secretary of Energy.
http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2015/11/24/bird-energy-to-invest-5-1-million-in-cooperative-israeli-u-s-clean-energy-projects/
http://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-six-clean-energy-projects-through-partnership-israel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LDWPMK9VRQ
The 4th best airport in the world. Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport was
ranked as the world’s fourth best international airport in a survey conducted
by Condé Nast Traveler readers. With a
rating of 7/10, Ben Gurion Airport was praised for easy access from downtown
Tel Aviv, and as “one of the world’s most secure airports.
Invest in the Startup Nation. (TY Atid-EDI) Now
you can purchase, on NASDAQ, units of the ITEQ ETF, a new Exchange Traded Fund
that exclusively hold shares of public Israeli and Israel-linked technology
companies by tracking the TASE-BlueStar Israel Global Technology Index
(TA-BIGITech).
Amazon selects Payoneer for Cross-Border
Payment Options.
(TY Nevet) Internet giant
Amazon has chosen Israeli-developed Payoneer to expand cross-border payment
options to sellers from 24 countries.
Low-salt vegetable mix launched. Israel’s Salt of the Earth
has launched Umamix (see
Aug 2015 newsletter), its new sodium reduction ingredient for hamburgers
and processed meat at Fi Europe, Paris. Umamix
is derived from tomato, shiitake mushroom, kombu seaweed and pure Red Sea salt.
Frutarom’s 11th & 12th acquisitions
of the year.
Israeli flavors and specialty fine ingredients company Frutarom
Industries has acquired 75% of Polish savory flavor solutions company AMCO Sp
for $20.7 million. Frutarom then purchased China’s flavor developer Inventive
for $17 million.
http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/12/09/793982/0/en/The-12th-Acquisition-by-Frutarom-This-Year.html
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-frutarom-acquires-polish-savory-flavors-co-amco-1001080101
Lipogen builds new R&D center. Israeli biotech Lipogen is
building a new phospholipids Research & Development center in Haifa in
response to a 50% jump in sales of brain and stress health solutions in 2015.
UK utility buys Israeli sensor company. (TY Michelle) Energy company
Direct Energy (a subsidiary of UK’s Centrica) has paid $60 million for Israeli
startup Panoramic Power, which uses sensors and software to monitor the energy
use of businesses. http://fortune.com/2015/11/12/utility-buys-sensor-startup/
Citi spotlights Tel Aviv. (TY Michelle) Financial
giant Citi has hailed the success of its Israel Innovation Lab - an accelerator
program which since 2013 has helped 43 Israeli startups. The lab was responsible for developing the mobile
version of Citi Velocity – the bank’s trading platform for institutional
clients.
Trendit to launch on LSE. (TY Michelle) Israeli
startup Trendit grabs data from mobile phone signals to build real-time
information about pedestrian traffic.
The information will become increasingly useful to service developers in
“Smart” cities. Trendit wants to raise £3m
from listing on the London Stock Exchange.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
The Israel museum at night. On one night of the year Jerusalem’s
Israel Museum stays open until 3am.
Itzhak Perlman
receives US Medal of Freedom. The famous violinist, 70-year-old Itzhak
Perlman, is the fourth Israeli to be awarded the US Medal of Freedom -
America's highest civilian honor. The White House statement praised Perlman’s
teaching of young musicians and his work on behalf of persons with
disabilities.
Kol Cambridge Hanukkah special. DJ Antithesis celebrates the
miracle of Hanukkah with the miracle of some fantastic Israeli music. http://tlv1.fm/music/kol-cambridge/2015/12/03/kol-cambridge-hanukkah-special/
FIDF gala raises $31 million. Friends of the IDF raised over $31 million at their annual gala in
Los Angeles. Over 1200 guests were
entertained by celebrities including the Beach Boys, Jason Alexander, Antonio
Banderas, David Foster and Gene Simmons.
Elton John is coming to Israel. Superstar Elton John has
announced that he is returning to Israel in May 2016 to perform a concert in
Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park.
Sean Paul to perform in Israel. Grammy award-winning rapper
Sean Paul is to perform in Israel on 23 Jan 2016 at the Menora Mivtachim Arena
in Tel Aviv. He performed previously in
Israel in 2007.
THE JEWISH STATE
King Hezekiah’s seal impression
dug up in Jerusalem. During recent excavations next to the Old
City of Jerusalem, archaeologists discovered a unique seal impression (bulla)
bearing the name of the 8th century BCE biblical King Hezekiah. The inscription reads: "Belonging to
Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz, King of Judah."
1300-year-old olive press found at
Shilo. An
ancient olive press was unearthed at the Shilo archaeological park in the
Binyamin region of Judea and Samaria. It is proof that aside from being the
capital of ancient Israel for 369 years and housing the Ark of the Covenant,
Shilo was also the region’s main manufacturer of olive oil.
Students unearth Hasmonean coins. A team of students from the
Handasaim Herzliya High School found three coins from the Hasmonean dynasty era
while on an archeological dig in the ruins at Adulam Park near Bet
Shemesh. The coins were minted during
the rule of King Alexander Jannaeus in the first century BCE.
PM lights chanukiah made from Hamas
rockets.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a special request to
grassroots pro-Israel organization United With Israel. He asked for one of UWI’s chanukiahs made
from the metal remnants of Hamas rockets.
The PM then lit the chanukiah at an IDF Chanukah ceremony.
Christian leader
supports Jewish State. Father
Gabriel Nadaf, spiritual leader of the Aramaean Christian community in Israel,
toured Samaria and met senior rabbis near Shechem. He stated that the Land of
Israel, including Samaria, belongs to the Jewish people forever, based on the
Bible. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204587#.VmcR9-Ln-Vc
My tzitzit saved my life. Yair Ben Ezra had no clean
tzitzit (fringed garment) to wear and was reluctant to put on the new one that
he bought for his sister’s wedding the next day. In the end he put on the new tzitzit, which
was lucky, for a terrorist stabbed him five times and medics used the tzitzit
as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
Brazilian Jews moving to Israel in
record numbers.
Immigration to Israel, or aliyah, from Brazil has more than doubled in
the past four years, from 191 in 2011 to over 400 so far this year. Recession and violence in Brazil are key
reasons. But so is the better quality of
Israeli life in educational, social and religious fields.
Bring them home. The Israeli government
approved unanimously a decision to allow the Falash Mura who are still in
transit camps in Ethiopia to be flown to Israel. Israeli-Ethiopian MK Avraham Negusa said,
“This is a great day for the Jewish people. For thousands of years, Ethiopian
Jewry prayed to return to Israel and waited for nearly a decade torn from their
families. Today their prayers were answered.”
151115
In the 15th Nov 2015 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
A new Israeli
treatment brings hope to relapsed leukemia sufferers.
·
An Israeli
medical device could help up to 2 million dialysis patients.
·
A delegation
of Druze Arabs is promoting Israel in the US.
·
Israeli
smart sensors are to be installed on London refuge trucks.
·
Ryanair
begins flights to Israel.
·
A new investment
fund for Israeli agricultural innovations is launched.
·
An amazing
discovery saves an Israeli stabbing victim.
·
Click here
to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News, IsraelSeen,
Ruthfully
Yours, Janglo
and United
With Israel with extra features on health,
global
impact, technology,
and entertainment.
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
Success in Leukemia
treatment trials.
Israel’s BiolineRx has reported positive results from Phase II trials of
its BL-8040 treatment in relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (r/r
AML). It had a triple positive effect on
the leukemic cells only two days after a single cycle of therapy.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-biolinerx-reports-positive-leukemia-drug-trial-results-1001079289
Genetic mutation explains how ovaries
develop.
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have uncovered a key gene
responsible for ovary development. Four
members of the same family had mutated Nup107 genes causing infertility. The discovery has widespread implications for
research in cell biology.
US can now access Israeli stem cell
research.
(TY Atid-EDI)
For over 30 years Israel’s Biological Industries has been providing cell
culture media development, molecular and diagnostics tools, and stem cell
research products in more than 50 countries. It now has set-up its first USA
division in Cromwell Connecticut.
US approval for unique
Israeli dialysis device. The US FDA has approved the Chameleon from
Israel’s AV Medical Technologies.
Chameleon is the world’s first and only angioplasty balloon catheter
that allows for simultaneous balloon inflation and intravascular injection of
fluids while maintaining guidewire access.
Over two million angioplasty balloon catheters are used annually worldwide
to maintain dialysis access.
Prize for discovering link from brain to
immune system.
On the anniversary of Chaim Weizmann’s death, KKL-JNF awarded the
Blumberg Outstanding Medical Research Scientist Prize to Weizmann Professor
Michal Schwartz for her groundbreaking research into the connection between the
brain and the immune system.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israeli doctors saving Palestinian Arab
babies. (TY UWI)
A video to accompany my August’s
newsletter article from Israel21c about Hadassah Hospital’s “Heart for Peace”
that has saved the lives of over 600 Palestinian Arab children. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ7ekZ0fAHg
Druze Arabs promote
Israel in US.
A delegation of young Druze leaders from medicine, law enforcement and the
IDF is visiting Boston, Los Angeles and New York, to spread awareness of their
community’s unique place in Israel’s multicultural society. There are 104,000
Druze in Israel. 86% serve in the IDF.
Israel has saved the lives of many US
servicemen.
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter praised the Israeli solution to
improvised explosive devices (IEDs). “The Israelis were really quite ingenious
in this area and we got a lot from them. There’s no question that lives were
saved as a consequence of their (help)”.
Israeli elephant donates money for Thai
elephants. The
Jerusalem Biblical Zoo donated $1,500 for an elephant hospital in Lampang. The
check was delivered to the Thai Ambassador to Israel by a Biblical Zoo elephant
named Tamar, who presented it to the Ambassador in her trunk.
Training Latin American water experts. 24 water experts from 10
Latin America countries took part in a water resources management course run by
Israel’s Center for International Agricultural Development Cooperation and
MASHAV. http://www.israel21c.org/latin-americans-turn-to-israel-for-water-rehabilitation/
The best veggie food in the world. (TY Nevet) Tel Aviv has the world’s best
vegetarian restaurants, according to Conde Nast Traveler magazine. It recommends several, including a Georgian vegan
restaurant and an Ethiopian vegan cafe. Israel
has some 300,000 vegans, the highest per capita anywhere in the world.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1 gigabit Internet speed. (TY Michelle) Israeli chip
design startup Sckipio is working with Intel to deliver 1 gigabit per second
Internet access across existing copper phone lines.
Experience flying on a paper airplane. I featured Israeli startup
PowerUp’s remote controlled paper airplane previously in
Jun 2014. Following its success,
PowerUp has now installed a live streaming camera on the plane so you can
experience being on-board the plane.
PowerUp will be crowdfunding on KickStarter soon.
Pollution emissions down significantly. Israel’s Pollution register
of 500 companies shows that pollution has decreased between 18% - 53% since
2012. Key factors include the use of
better technology, reduced discharges and vapor recovery systems.
Catching the Rain in Kenya. Israel’s Ambassador to Kenya
launched the first of 45 “Catch the Rain” Projects in Kenya’s Kisii County. Each includes a 30,000-liter rainwater
harvesting kit, a fish pond, a greenhouse and drip irrigation units. Israeli-run
Amiran Kenya supplied much of the equipment for the project.
Revolutionizing the delivery business. Israeli start-up Wave is
bringing the digital revolution to the merchandise shipping industry. It is using innovative technology to share
the “bill of lading” securely between all interested parties. The idea has many
other applications, and even the United Nations is interested.
Israel’s largest solar field. Israel has inaugurated its
largest photovoltaic energy field with a capacity of 55 megawatts. Built by Enlight Renewable Energy the field
covers 800 dunam (200 acres) in the Western Negev, and contains 180,000 solar
collectors.
A disposable smartphone charger. Israeli startup mobeego is
launching its mobeego disposable charger, which can provide up to 4 hours of charge
to any smartphone battery. The charging
unit weighs 24gms and will be on sale for $2.50 each at kiosks, stations,
airports, stores, sports and entertainment venues.
Open the bottle to make a wish. (TY Michelle) Coca-Cola Israel
worked with Gefen Team and Qdigital, to produce special bottles that, on
opening, sends a Wi-Fi signal to a mini drone (unmanned plane) that then flies
to 1,000 feet and releases a firework, to resemble a shooting star. It just shows what technology can do.
Israeli eyes for
London trucks.
(TY Michelle) London Mayor Boris Johnson revealed during his Israel
visit that London is purchasing 200 multi-vision smart sensors from Israel’s
Mobileye. They will give drivers of London’s
refuge trucks “a third eye” to help them avoid collisions with cyclists,
motorcyclists and pedestrians.
Testing mobile apps. (TY NoCamels)
Over 1500 customers, including about 50% of the Fortune 100 companies, use
Israel’s Perfecto Mobile to test their mobile apps. Perfecto has just raised another $35 million
of funding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdHe4ZehtEI
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Fortune changes at irrigation company. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s
Rivulis Irrigation was losing $50 million a year when in 2014 it was acquired
by Venture Capitalists FIMI for $60 million.
New management and partnering India’s Dhanna Engineering now values
Rivulis at $170 million.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-indias-del-buys-stake-in-israeli-irrigation-co-rivulis-1001072828
Starting up with the right team. The most successful
businesses are run by the best teams. So
Israel’s Maverick Ventures organized the Co-Founders Speed Dating and Pitching
Event in Tel Aviv to allow entrepreneurs, programmers and marketing experts to
build teams that could launch the next Waze.
Digital marketer opens Israeli
innovation lab.
Israeli-founded Origami Logic is based in Silicon Valley, California,
but global expansion means it needs to open a tech innovation lab in Israel. Origami produces digital marketing analysis
for companies such as Visa, Cisco, Intel and Pernod Ricard.
http://www.origamilogic.com/blog/new-innovation-lab-and-cro
http://www.origamilogic.com/tel-aviv-office
Taking the drudge out of sales work. Israel’s Pepperi
successfully markets its cloud-based sales software suite in 60 countries to
1000 businesses such as cards and gifts maker Hallmark. Pepperi handles the filing, typing, order
tracking etc., allowing the sales person simply to sell.
Gett launches courier service. Israel’s Gett (formally Gett
Taxis) is launching a courier service that will pick up a parcel within ten
minutes of a call and deliver it for a charge of NIS 25-55 depending on area.
The service will initially operate in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Givatayim.
RyanAir starts flights
to Eilat. Low
cost airline Ryanair has begun its new service from Israel’s Ovda Airport, near
Eilat, to Budapest, Krakow and Kaunas (Kovno) for as low as €10 one way. Passengers also receive a gift basket that
includes Ahava hand cream and chocolate.
More Aeroflot flights. Russia’s Aeroflot airline is
adding more flights on its routes from Moscow and St Petersburgh to Tel Aviv. Aeroflot only began services to Israel five
years ago and soon will be operating 37 flights a week. The change reflects increased trade between
Russia and Israel’s Russian immigrants.
A Chinese Zionist venture capitalist. (TY Michelle) Benjamin Peng
attended the Go4Israel conference in Tel Aviv wearing a kippah (scull-cap). Three years ago he founded Chinese investment
firm Yafo Capital ("Yafo" is the Hebrew name of the city of Jaffa)
along with two Chinese partners. He even proposed to his girlfriend at the
Western Wall in Jerusalem. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4721181,00.html
Boris sells London to Israeli start-ups. (TY Michelle) London Mayor
Boris Johnson came to Israel to get more Israeli technology companies to expand
to London and IPO on its stock markets. London has 141 Israeli tech firms of
which 16 are listed on the London Stock Exchange, with a combined market value
of £3.7 billion.
Michigan’s common bond with Israel. (TY Michelle) A delegation
of 20 CEOs from the US State of Michigan came to Israel to see what makes the
entrepreneurial ethos of “Start-Up Nation” tick. They were most surprised to
learn from Israel about inner-city security and the automotive industry.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/columnists/daniel-howes/2015/11/09/howes-tech-savvy-israelis-carve-niche-global-auto-space/75493346/ http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/columnists/daniel-howes/2015/11/05/howes-israels-business-reality-challenges-perception/75194468/
Encouraging customers to respond. (TY Michelle)
Israel’s Apester encourages business customers to respond to polls, quizzes and
other types of interactive content.
New fund for
Agriculture innovation. (TY Atid-EDI) Yissum
Research – the technology-transfer company of the Hebrew University, has set up
Agrinnovation, an investment fund focused on agricultural inventions. One of its first projects is an innovative
protective coating for extending the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Deer returned to Carmel forest. (TY Janglo)
Fallow deer have just been released into the wild of the Carmel Park. It is an encouraging sign of the restoration
of the forest, nearly five years after the largest fire in Israeli history
swept through the area, destroying much of the natural habitat.
One of the most hipster neighborhoods. (TY SDM)
Gan Hahashmal ('Electric Garden' in Hebrew) is home to a growing community of
young indie fashion designers and other artist types in southern Tel Aviv. The
quarter is spread over the streets Allenby, Yehuda Halevy, Barzilay and
Hahashmal and offers a host of boutiques, restaurants, cafes and creative
spaces. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/11667790/The-worlds-most-hipster-neighbourhoods.html?frame=3342854
Jerusalem’s giant interactive flowers. (TY SDM)
Israeli design group HQ Architects has brought Jerusalem’s city center to life
with fantastical flower sculptures that blossom and move, as people walk
by.
Foreigner to perform in Caesarea. (TY Janglo)
British-American hard rock band Foreigner will perform at the Caesarea
Amphitheater on June 14 (the same night as the Simply Red concert) and June
15. Foreigner’s hits include “Cold as
Ice”, “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and “I Want to Know What Love Is”.
Two Israeli concerts for Chris Cornell. (TY SDM)
Chris Cornell will be giving two concerts in Israel in May 2016 – in Tel Aviv
and Caesarea. He was lead vocalist both Soundgarden
and Audioslave and was ranked 4th in “Heavy Metal’s All-Time Top 100 Vocalists”. He played the theme tune on the James Bond remake
of Casino Royale. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnzgdBAKyJo
“Together against the Odds” (TY Grant) A chance to see this two-person comedy musical about
falling in love, converting and making Aliya.
In Zichron Yaakov on 17 Nov and Ra’anana on 23 Nov. See the youtube.
THE JEWISH STATE
Terrorist stabbing
saves Jewish man’s life. In Rishon LeTzion an Arab terrorist stabbed
kashrut supervisor Daniel Cohen in the shoulder, chest and stomach. Amazingly, no vital organs were damaged. Surgeons then discovered and removed a
dangerous tumor in his colon. If Daniel
had not been stabbed, he could have died.
Israel Forever. (TY Jamie) Great site for
positive Israel information, including these inspirational messages.
What were Friday night meals like,
before Judaism?
(TY SDM)
Researchers at Tel Aviv University analyzing prehistoric human teeth found in
Qesem cave, in central Israel, say the signs of wear and tear reveal much about
the diet and table manners of our ancestors, down to the very gestures they
used when they gathered around the fire to share food. http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/archaeology/.premium-1.685189
Great Zionism history videos. Please register (for free)
to watch these excellent 5-minute movies about the history of the Jewish
State. To get a preview, the latest one
can be watched without registering.
Life continues. Israeli Moran Zur’s father
passed away in 2002 and missed Moran’s wedding.
It gave Moran the idea for giving absent relatives the ability to leave
video messages to their loved ones. In
2012, Moran’s wife was diagnosed with advanced brain cancer, prompting Moran to
develop SafeBeyond.
151108
In the 8th Nov 2015 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
·
An Israeli
method for early-detection of secondary cancer can save many lives.
·
Israeli
doctors are in Romania, treating victims of a huge nightclub fire.
·
The joint
China-Israel “water city” project has been launched.
·
Israel has
both the best hotel and the best bar in the Middle East.
·
Simply Red
are to perform in Tel Aviv.
·
A fortress
from 2nd Temple times has been excavated in Jerusalem.
·
Click here
to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News (plus medical
and tech),
IsraelSeen,
Ruthfully
Yours, Janglo,
IsraPundit and United
With Israel with extra features on health,
inclusiveness,
technology
and 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
Early warning for
secondary cancer.
(TY NoCamels)
Israel Technion’s Assistant Professor Dr. Daphne Weihs has developed a unique
biomechanical method for the early detection of metastatic (secondary) cancer -
a cancer that has already spread. It can
also identify where the cancer has spread to and enable early treatment.
New imaging method for gallbladder removal. BioDesign students at Hadassah
Medical Center / Hebrew University of Jerusalem, led by Arab surgeon Dr.
Muhammad Adileh, have developed “CholeVision” - a fiber-optic illumination system
to reduce injuries caused during laparoscopic (keyhole) procedures to remove
gallbladders.
Successful trial of foot ulcer
treatment. (TY Atid-EDI)
Biotech Izun successfully completed a Phase II trial of its Israeli-developed IZN-6D4
to treat diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) in 82 patients at seven centers in Israel. DFU is responsible for 84% of diabetes-related
lower-leg amputations. http://izunpharma.com/izun-pharmaceuticals-announces-positive-results-phase-2-randomized-trial-diabetic-foot-ulcers/
How proteins grow. (TY Michelle) A team of
Israeli and US researchers has mapped out the fundamental dynamic that explains
the production and distribution of proteins in a cell. http://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2015/10/29/researchers-find-universality-in-protein-locality.html
The world’s 6th healthiest country. Israel is the
sixth-healthiest country in the world and is the only Middle Eastern country in
the top 10, according to recent world health rankings by media outlet Bloomberg. Singapore was first, followed by Italy, Australia,
Switzerland and Japan. The UK is 21st and the US 33rd.
25% of blood donations are from IDF
soldiers. A total
of 68,500 units of blood - 25 percent of the total donated to Magen David Adom
last year - were given by soldiers. Whilst handing out certificates, MDA blood
services director Eilat Shinar said “You officers and soldiers are an example
for pure and significant giving”.
FDA approves focused ultrasound
treatment. (TY Atid-EDI)
The US FDA has approved the next generation Exablate system from Israel’s InSightec
to treat symptomatic uterine fibroids.
Exablate uses focused ultrasound plus MRI, which is used to guide the
ultrasound waves to the specific target tissue.
Also (TY UWI)
a video of Israeli doctors using InSightec’s Exablate Neuro ultrasound to cure
Essential Tremor.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Teaching top math skills to deprived
kids.
Israel’s Tovanot B’Chinuch program enrolls volunteers from hi-tech, the IDF,
and business to help kids learn math and develop study habits. The program focuses on children from poorer
families, even providing sandwiches to ensure they have sufficient nutrition to
concentrate.
Abbas’s brother-in-law gets life-saving
heart surgery in Israel. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud
Abbas’s brother-in-law underwent life-saving heart surgery at the Assuta
Medical Center in northern Tel Aviv’s Ramat Hachayal neighborhood. The surgery
was successful and he was said to be recovering in intensive care.
Jordanian plane makes emergency landing
in Tel Aviv.
A Royal Jordanian Airbus 320 from Dubai in the UAE to Amman made an
emergency landing at Ben-Gurion Airport due to poor weather and low fuel. The UAE has no diplomatic relations with
Israel. Airport staff gave passengers
snacks while they waited to take off.
Israeli medics help
Romania treat fire victims. Specialist Israeli doctors are in Romania to
help treat some of the 140 victims of burns sustained in a Bucharest nightclub
fire that killed at least 27 others. The
Israeli team brought a product called NexoBrid, which replaces surgery in severe
burn cases.
Tel Aviv and Berlin sign game-changing
agreement. (TY
SDM) The
cities of Tel Aviv and Berlin have launched a startup exchange program. They will be offering free co-working spaces,
advice on visas, regulations and legal issues as well as one-on-one mentoring
assistance for interested startups.
Israe21c launches in Spanish. ISRAEL21c has launched its new
Spanish-language site, ISRAEL21c Español.
Some 400 million people speak Spanish, and it’s important that they also
hear about Israel’s extraordinary accomplishments. Please pass this site onto any
Spanish-speaking friends, relatives and colleagues.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
New lightweight satellites. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel
Aerospace Industries has built a new communications satellite, weighing only
1.5-2 tons - less than half a regular communications satellite. AMOS E will
provide communications services including TV broadcasts and broadband Internet.
IAI is also building 400kg EROS C.
Catching fraudulent behavior. Another article about
Israel’s BioCatch (featured here)
which can detect someone trying to hack into your on-line bank account even
when they use the right password.
An app to learn to play piano. (TY SDM)
Here is another innovative
app from Israel’s JoyTunes. Place your
iPhone or iPad on the piano and the Simply Piano app will teach you how to play
it. It’s like going to a music teacher. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4714688,00.html
Israel’s first hi-tech kindergarten. Israel’s first Science
Kindergarten opened in Beersheba, equipped with advanced computer equipment,
Lego sets to develop motor skills, robotics activities, and activities to
stimulate interest in space matters.
Skills that the 5-year-olds will learn include physics, astronomy, and
math.
Nano Bible donated to Smithsonian. (TY Michelle) Peretz Lavie,
President of Israel’s Technion, has presented the world’s smallest Bible to the
Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Technion scientists engraved the Nano Bible’s
1.2 million letters on a gold-plated silicon chip the size of a sugar grain.
China-Israel water
city project begins. Israel and China have signed an agreement
with China’s Greatwall Enterprise Institute (GEI) for the $200,000 planning
phase of the Shouguang, China Water City project. GEI will consult with Israeli partners Tefen
and work involving Israeli water companies could commence mid-2016.
http://israelnewtech.com/2015/10/chinese-israeli-water-city-kicks-off/ http://www.tefen.com/partners.html
R&D agreement with Colorado. Israel has signed a deal with the US state of Colorado to further
increase R&D cooperation. Under the agreement, start-ups and veteran firms
will receive funding from either or both governments for research and
development projects in areas including energy, agriculture and cybersecurity.
Seeing is believing. (TY Michelle) This reporter from The Hindu visited Israel
and saw Oranges and Jojoba plants growing straight out of desert sand.
Israel: The Water Exporters. (TY Nevet) Recent video of how India can
learn from Israeli water recycling and desalination expertise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoX6Bm18dBU
If Israel can do it, why can’t
California?
(TY Michelle) California is still facing a huge water crisis. The NBC Bay
Area Investigative Unit conducted a 3-month investigation on Israel, a country
that faced its own water crisis about a decade ago. Now Israel has more fresh
water than it can use.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel’s budget deficit lowers again. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s
aggregate budget deficit in the past 12 months (October 2014-September 2015)
amounted to 2% of GDP. The deficit from
Jan to Sep 2015 was NIS 3.8 billion compared to NIS 10.9 billion in the same
period of 2014.
Israel’s impressive economy. (TY Michelle) I just had
to include this link to a very positive review of Israel’s economy. http://www.insidesources.com/israels-impressive-economy/
An Israeli rival to iTunes and Google
Play Music.
Israel’s TriPlay has acquired eMusic - one of the first digital music
services - and its 25 catalog of songs.
eMusic can be accessed on over 14 platforms via the web and apps. http://www.timesofisrael.com/itunes-google-play-music-face-a-surprise-rival-an-israeli-start-up/
The best bar in the
Middle East (again). (TY Atid-EDI) The
Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar, on Tel Aviv’s HaYarkon Street won the title of
best bar in the Mideast and Africa for the second year running, beating out
Zuma in Dubai. Also, Tel Aviv’s Tasting
Room won the Middle East & Africa Bar category at the Restaurant & Bar
Design Awards. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4709337,00.html
The best hotel in the
Middle East.
Jerusalem’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel took the top spot in the Middle East
and seventh place worldwide in Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Readers’ Choice
Awards.
Tel Aviv fashion week successful. (TY SDM
and Michelle) Over 1200 people attended each of the eight fashion shows on
every day of Tel Aviv fashion week. Even
shows by relatively unknown young Israeli designers were fully booked. There was also publicity for Israeli fashion
tech startups such as Julbox, WiShi, Donde and Nettelo. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4715357,00.html
MassChallenge to set up in Jerusalem. MassChallenge, the world’s largest start-up accelerator, is setting
up shop in Jerusalem – the only other foreign location other than London chosen
for the honor. “Israel is an outstanding
and growing hub for entrepreneurship,” said MassChallenge founder and CEO John
Harthorne.
Invest in a drone. Israeli startup Pixtier
offers an opportunity for owners of drones (UAVs) to upload 2D photographs
taken, to the Cloud where Pixtier’s software will turn them into 3D maps. These are then available to real estate
agents, city planners, researchers, etc. who pay a fee that Pixtier share with
drone owners.
“Silicon Valley in the Sky”. (TY Michelle) El Al’s
“Cockpit” startup incubator has just been voted “Best Achievement in Passenger
Experience 2015” by the Airline Passengers Experience Association (APEX). Some
of the ideas and partnerships generated by the program include the SmartCover
blanket and Shopnfly.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israel hosts “pianist of the century”. At 28, Russian-German
pianist Igor Levit has been described as “the pianist of the century”. He won BBC Music Magazine and Royal
Philharmonic Society awards in 2014. He has
just been in Israel for five concerts in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with the
Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.
Israel visit helped make Helen Mirren. Academy Award, Tony Award and Emmy Award-winning actress Helen
Mirren was honored with the Career Achievement Award at the 29th Israel Film
Festival. She said her time working at
an Israeli kibbutz shortly after the 1967 Six Day War helped make her the
actress she is.
Israeli animation at its best. Israeli animators, comics,
artists and cartoonists gathered recently at the 15th annual Animix Festival in
Tel Aviv. Israeli animation and artwork is
popular all around the world.
Israel’s first street-art gallery. (TY SDM)
Israel has opened the Street Art Gallery in the heart of Tel Aviv’s Florentine
back-alley graffiti scene. Its first
exhibition entitled “Temporary Crew” showcased 13 artists with names such as
Know Hope, Wonky and Signor Gi. The
gallery plans to offer street art tours of the area.
Jerusalem street party. A reminder of the
cosmopolitan nature of Israel’s capital city. This video was recorded just a few weeks ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqRzXXzTpTU
Simply Red are coming
to Tel Aviv.
Simply Red last performed in Israel in 1992 in front of 50,000 fans. They
are returning on Jun 14 2016 to perform at the Menora Mivtachim (formerly
Nokia) Arena in Tel Aviv as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations.
Rare songbird arrives in Israel. 50 years after their last autumn
appearance in Israel, a flock of 30-40 blue-cheeked bee-eaters, including
fledglings, flew over a group of ornithologists at the Yerucham Lake Park in
the Negev. The bird experts played
recordings of bee-eaters to attract the birds and managed to ring six of them.
Israeli amputee runs NYC marathon. Israel’s Adi Deutch lost
his leg from a Lebanon landmine blast in 1979.
In 2012 the US Friends of the IDF enrolled Adi in the Strides program
and gave him an athletic prosthetic leg. Adi now runs triathlons, cycles, plays
soccer, volleyball and just ran the New York Marathon.
THE JEWISH STATE
6000 “Likes” for Good News blog. Thanks to United With Israel
for publishing my blog “What is Going On Between Arabs and Israelis?” It has received almost 6000 “Likes” on their
site.
2200-year-old fortress
found in Jerusalem.
Israeli archeologists have discovered the site of the Acra, an ancient
Greek citadel, built by Seleucid Emperor Antiochus IV Epiphanes (215-164 BC) to
control Jerusalem and the Jewish temple there during the Syrian-Greek rule over
the Jews of Israel. The Acra is
mentioned in both the Jewish Book of the Maccabees and by 1st Century AD historian
Flavius Josephus. The site will open to
the public prior to the Jewish festival of Chanukah, which celebrates the Jewish
victory over Antiochus.
Her father slain, but policewoman saves
terrorist.
(TY Hazel) Arabs murdered Israeli policewoman Maya Stolero’s father,
Alexander Levlovitz, just over a month ago. But it didn’t stop Stolero giving
medical help to a Palestinian Arab who had attempted to stab an Israeli border
policeman and was shot while being apprehended.
IDF used plasma to save terrorist. Israeli army medics used
revolutionary (and expensive) battlefield plasma to save the life of a
Palestinian Arab who had just stabbed a border policeman. The Arab had been shot, was suffering from
multiple system failure and had already lost a lot of blood.
Totally Israeli wine. Researchers from Israel’s Ariel
University have created a white wine made from grapes indigenous to Israel. They located a living sample of the Hamdani /
Marawi grape species. Israel’s Recanati
Winery in Emek Hefer then grew the grapes, and has now produced nearly 2,500
bottles of Marawi 2014. The wine was presented at the International Milan EXPO
on October 18. http://www.timesofisrael.com/experts-create-an-utterly-israeli-wine/
http://winesisrael.com/en/2989/meet-marawi/
Egypt voted for Israel for the first
time ever.
(TY Michelle) In
last week’s newsletter, I forgot to mention last week that Egypt voted for
Israel to join the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. It was the first time that Egypt has voted in
favor of Israel at the UN since the Jewish State was founded.
151101
In the 1st Nov 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
An Israeli
cancer treatment causes tumors to self-destruct.
·
Israel was
elected to the membership of a UN Space Committee.
·
Ethiopia
is to install an Israeli solar power plant.
·
An innovative
all-terrain Israeli suitcase is successfully funded.
·
A
delegation of 50 Australian entrepreneurs is currently visiting Israel.
·
Two
Israelis won medals at a judo competition in Abu Dhabi.
·
Thousands
flock to pro-Israel rallies in New York, Rome, Paris, Madrid and Kiev.
·
Last
week’s Israel Good News “special” article.
Click here for “What
is going on between Arabs and Israelis?” (fast-loading version, no
adverts). Also published on the Jerusalem
Post, IsraelSeen,
San
Diego Jewish World and United
With Israel websites.
·
Click here
to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News, IsraelSeen,
Janglo,
IsraPundit and United
With Israel with extra features on Health,
Global
impact and Technology.
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
Fooling cancer cells. Israel’s BioSight has
developed the amino acid astrabine which acts as a “Trojan Horse” chemotherapy
treatment that kills leukemia cells without harming healthy tissue. Astrabine closely resembles a protein called
aspargine that leukemia cells depend on and the cancer cells are fooled into
self-destruction.
Muscular dystrophy treatment success. Israel’s BioBlast announced
promising interim results from its Phase II study of its Cabaletta treatment for
oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD). Due to the success BioBlast seeks to
fast track a Phase III study in 2016, leading to a 2017 launch date.
Elephant clue to cancer treatment. A US study says elephants
have low rates of cancer because they have 20 copies of the P53
tumor-suppressing gene, whereas humans have only two. Now Professor Avi Schroeder from Israel’s Technion
is to use nanotechnology to send the P53 gene to fight tumors in the human
body.
The source of major depression. Researchers at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem have discovered that abnormalities in the immune (“microglia”)
cells of the brain could be a key cause of depression. The theory opens the door to development of a
new generation of anti-depressant medications.
http://new.huji.ac.il/en/article/27987 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166223615001769
A groundbreaking partnership in
nanomedicine.
Ohio USA’s Cleveland Clinic and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem are
to develop a virtual global center that will harness the power of nanoscience
and nanotechnology to deliver therapies for cardiovascular disease,
neurological disease and cancer.
Cancer removal technology in action. (TY Michelle) Texas surgeon Dr.
Nancy Marquez describes using Israel’s MarginProbe to ensure that all cancerous
cells have been removed during surgery to remove tumors.
Negev’s desert’s health innovation
engine. Ben-Gurion
University’s Negev Center for Digital Innovation is partnering AllScripts
Healthcare of the US to create the CDI-Allscripts Lab. The lab aims to become Israel’s center for
developing apps for electronic health records, networking, information-sharing,
and compliance.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Ethiopian becomes Israeli commander. Mekonen Abeba immigrated to
Israel from an Ethiopian village after the death of his father. He then overcame
many challenges to become a paratrooper and then an officer in the IDF. Please help complete the inspiring film “Mekonen:
The Journey of an Ethiopian Jew”.
Increase in Arabs at Israeli
universities.
(TY Hazel) This year, Arabs comprise 14.4% of bachelor’s degree students
in Israel, up from 9.8% in 1999-2000. Arab master's students increased from 3.6%
to 10.5% and Arab Ph.D. students increased from 2.8% to 5.9%. Female Arab
students increased from 61.7% to 67.2%.
Israeli doctors heal attackers and victims. The Washington Post works very
hard to make this into a bad news story. Still worth reading though, so long as you
unpick all the anti-Israel bias.
Hadassah treats both attacker and
target. This
is what the Washington Post reporter should have written.
Riding around with armed Arabs. Don’t worry – this is an
article about Arabs who are serving in the IDF.
A co-existence discount. The restaurant Hummus Bar at
the M Mall in Kfar Vitkin near Netanya is offering a free refill of each plate
of the chickpea paste at tables seating Jews and Arabs together. The restaurant is kosher, meaning that
observant Jews and Muslims can also take advantage of the offer.
Israel joins UN space
committee. Israel
has been accepted as a full member of the United Nations Committee on the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
117 committee members voted in favor of Israel. Qatar abstained and only
Namibia voted against.
Medicine for migrants. Israel has sent 1.5 tons of medical
aid to Greece to help the flood of migrants landing on the Greek Islands. The medicines were sent by air to the Greek
Ministry of Health, which will disburse them at the various refugee aid
centers. Israeli NGO IsraAid is also providing
medical assistance to the refugees.
Israel honored at Chinese innovation
forum.
Israel is the 2015 country of honor at the Pujiang Innovation Forum,
China’s leading economic symposium, in Shanghai. Approximately 1,500 international economic and
marketing leaders attend the annual symposium. Israeli Interior Minister Silvan
Shalom is the guest of honor.
Helping Nigeria to diversify from oil. The Nigerian Association of
Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) is working with
Israeli businessmen to diversify its oil-based economy and improve trade
relations between the two countries.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Solar power for
Ethiopia.
Israel’s Aora Solar is to install a “Tulip” solar energy field in
Ethiopia - helping the African country to achieve its aim of being carbon-neutral
by 2025. The modular system collects
reflected sunlight on a solar concentrator tower shaped like a yellow tulip
that generates electricity for day or night use.
Israel’s clean-tech competition entries. At the 2015 Cleantech Open
Global Ideas Competition in Silicon Valley, Aseptoray’s pasteurization system
saves 73 percent in energy costs, killing even heat-resistant bacteria; Chakratec‘s
low-cost, eco-friendly kinetic battery stores electricity from solar fields,
wind farms etc.
Ilan Ramon fund inspires Israeli space
pioneers.
The Ilan Ramon Scholarship fund, honoring Israel’s first astronaut, has
allowed dozens of post-graduate Israelis to attend International Space
University’s Space Studies Program (SSP) - an intensive nine week program for
pioneers in the burgeoning space business.
Cybersecurity agreement with New York. The New York Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) and Jerusalem’s Hagihon water provider have
signed an agreement to develop new cybersecurity defenses for their water
systems. It will also help Israeli
cybersecurity firms to deploy their technology in the United States.
Mapping genomes to breed better crops. Agrochemical giant Syngenta
has deployed Israel’s NRGene to map the genomes of 12 diverse crops to help
develop hardier, higher yield varieties of seed. NRGene’s proprietary algorithms have also
been used independently to map varieties of wheat, maize, soybean and trout.
Aquanos “cleans up” at Cleanvest. Israeli wastewater startup
Aquanos won the trophy at this year’s Cleanvest Summit in front of around 150 participants
including international investors.
Aquanos uses algae to produce clean water, biogas fuel and
agriculturally-useful bi-products.
Annotate the Internet. The new Israeli “Peanut”
browser allows Android mobile users to make notes and comments on web pages,
sharing them with other Peanut users.
Peanut already has thousands of users in Israel and is becoming rapidly more
popular.
A 3D printer for dental labs. Israeli 3D printing company
Stratasys has launched the Objet500 Dental Selection 3D Printer for larger
dental and orthodontic labs that require volume production of highly precise, life-like
models. It can create a variety of
dental-specific palettes in a single run.
The all-terrain suitcase. Remember Israel’s FUGU
luggage that transforms from hand-luggage size to a full-size case? Well another Israeli startup has invented the
G-RO suitcase, which can traverse every kind of terrain as well as charging
phones and computers. It has raised
nearly $1 million ($125,000 goal) on Kickstarter.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4712019,00.html
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/netta/g-ro-revolutionary-carry-on-luggage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV8te6B2t1M
Sky taxis for Tel Aviv. (TY Michelle) Israelis are
eagerly awaiting the world launch of the electromagnetic levitating taxis built
by US skyTran together with Israel Aerospace Industries. The pilot is now targeted for early 2016. http://www.timesofisrael.com/skytran-demo-not-quite-ready-for-prime-time/
Israel hosts global teen startup
contest. The
Israeli Pavilion at Milan Expo will host the finals of the first international
competition for start-ups dedicated to children and adolescents under the age
of seventeen. The finalists include Muslim
students from the Israel-Arab village of Iblin.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Unemployment falls again. The unemployment rate in
Israel fell from 5.2% in August to only 5.1% in September. http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-unemployment-in-israel-falls-01-1001077349
Water costs less. Israeli water charges will
fall by 3% in Israel from 1st Jan. The latest cut is due to a 16% fall over the
past year in the price of the electricity used to desalinate drinking water. Water
in 2016 will be 20% cheaper than three years ago. http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-water-charges-in-israel-to-fall-3-1001075848
Impact Investing. Chemi Peres (son of ex-President
Shimon) is an advisor for Impact First Investments (IFI). IFI supports ethical investments into
world-benefiting Israeli innovations.
They include Catalyst
AgTech’s B12 which stops damage from pesticides; also the bed sensors from EarlySense that monitor
patients and the elderly.
Ahead of the game. (TY Michelle) Israel’s 200
game companies are expected to generate $1 billion in mobile and social gaming
revenue in 2015, up 25 percent from 2014.
It explains why the Casual Connect game show was held in Israel for the
first time, with over 1,800 registered attendees - twice as many as originally
expected.
Inspiring Australian
startups.
(TY Michelle) Australia’s assistant minister for innovation, Wyatt Roy, is
leading a group of around 50 entrepreneurs, industry representatives and
government envoys on a week-long expedition of the startup nation. He will meet Israel’s Chief Scientist and
visit startup incubators.
Global demand for Israeli health tech. (TY Michelle) Multinationals
have recently been investing heavily in Israeli life science companies. They include Boston Scientific into MValve
(heart valves), Novatis into Gamida Cell (stem cell therapies) and
eHealthVentures into Intendu (brain dysfunction treatment).
Deutsche Telekom’s Israeli partners. (TY Michelle) Deutsche
Telekom may only have five employees based in Tel Aviv, but they have already
initiated partnerships with Israel’s Magisto (video clips) and KIDOZ
(child-friendly mobile device interface).
The company has also invested in Israeli cybersecurity company MorphiSec.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israel Museum shares 50 years. (TY Sharon) During the 50th
year of Jerusalem’s Israel Museum it is also recognizing 50 years of diplomatic
relations between Israel and Germany.
Its “Twilight Over Berlin” exhibit is a collection of 50 artworks that
were considered “degenerate art” and banned by the Nazis.
The show must go on. This week’s Kol Cambridge
playlist from DJ Antithesis on Tel Aviv’s Radio TLV1 contains some stimulating Israeli
music. It includes new releases from Lior Narkis, Moshik Afia, The Revivo
Project, Idan Raichel, and Zion Golan.
“Almighty” visits Western Wall. Actor Morgan Freeman, who
had the “supreme” role in the movie “Bruce Almighty” visited the Western Wall in
Jerusalem and met with the Kotel Rabbi, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz. Also, actor Sean Penn is arriving in November
as the guest of the Israeli humanitarian aid organization IsraAID.
Eilat hosts European beach tennis
championships.
Contestants and spectators enjoyed uninterrupted sunshine during the first-ever
European Beach Tennis Championships to be held in Eilat. 15 international teams competed. The video shows the Dutch team enjoying the
tournament, venue and nightlife.
Israel wins two Judo
medals in Abu Dhabi. At the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, Israelis Yarden
Gerbi and Sagi Muki won bronze medals.
They were the first Israelis to be allowed to compete in the
competition, but had to appear under the World Judo Federation flag as the Arab
country banned the display of the Israeli flag.
THE JEWISH STATE
1500-year-old winery discovered. The rainstorm last month was
responsible for exposing remains of an enormous press near the Eyal interchange
on Route 6. Numerous wine presses have been exposed in Israel’s Sharon region,
where the wine industry once thrived and the first roots of modern Israeli wine
were planted.
6 Years in Jerusalem: Then, Now, Next. (TY Sharon) Six years ago,
Sharon used her camera to show that Jerusalemites were not cowering
behind closed doors in fear, like the media was suggesting. That was her very first post on her website
“The Real Jerusalem Streets”. And now,
she repeats the exercise.
Thousands stand with
Israel. Thousands
of people in New York took part in a massive pro-Israel rally in Times Square. Rome, Paris, Madrid and Kiev had similar
rallies, where senior members of the ruling political parties joined in the
call of support for the Jewish state.
Descendants of forced converts support
Israel. Many
Spanish and Portuguese Jews were forcibly converted to Christianity in the late
16th century. Their descendants have
been holding marches and rallies of solidarity with Israel in Recife, Brazil
and El Paso, Texas.
Ex-Kuwaiti Muslim is advocate for
Israel.
Mumtaz Halawa’s journey from Kuwaiti Muslim to Israeli Jew featured in
my Jan
2015 newsletter. Together with
StandWithUs, Mumtaz (now Mark) has since developed an Arabic-language YouTube
video series. It aims to dispel spurious anti-Semitic notions among the Arabs
in the Middle East and start conversations about a free and democratic Israel. Also on
facebook.
151025
In the 25th Oct 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
An Israeli
cancer detector has won a global medical competition.
·
An Israeli
smartphone app can help reduce your blood pressure.
·
The first
ever visit to Israel by an Indian Head of State.
·
NASA signs
agreement to increase space ties with Israel.
·
New
flights will connect Silicon Valley to the Startup Nation.
·
US star
Jerry Seinfeld is to perform in Israel.
·
Israeli yachtsmen
saved 11 Syrian and Iraqi migrants from drowning.
·
Click here
to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News, IsraelSeen,
Janglo,
and United
With Israel with extra features on health,
global
impact and technology.
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
Patent for prostate cancer treatment. Israel’s Rosetta Genomics
has received a US patent for the treatment of prostate cancer through the
administration of anti-hsa-miR-210. High levels of hsa-miR-210 indicate the
presence of prostate cancer and treatments to reduce it may cure the disease.
Red wine improves good cholesterol of
diabetics. A
two-year controlled study of 224 type-2 diabetics by Ben-Gurion University
scientists has revealed that a daily 5-ounce glass of red wine with dinner
increased “good” cholesterol (HDL) by 10 per cent and significantly decreased the
ratio of total cholesterol to HDL.
Cancer detector wins
global innovation contest. Israel’s MobileODT, which uses mobile phones
to detect cancer and other diseases, is the winner of the 2015 MedTech
Innovator competition in San Diego. The Israeli startup beat 300 international med-tech
startups to win $200,000. Israel’s
MedAware was also a runner-up.
Boost for blood clot protection device. Top US cardiologist Dr.
James Jenkins performed his first catheterization procedure using the WIRION
system from Israel’s Allium Medical.
WIRION protects against blood clots and emboli produced during
catheterization procedures for opening blocked blood vessels.
First robotic surgery systems for New
York City.
(TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Mazor Robotics has just sold two of its innovative Renaissance systems
for the first time to hospitals in the New York Metropolitan area. One of the hospitals is one of the largest
hospitals in the US. The Renaissance
systems treat either brain or spine.
An artificial lung to study pollution. Scientists at Israel’s
Technion have made a life-sized, artificial human lung. It is the first
diagnostic tool for understanding in real time how particles behave in the deepest
part of the human lungs. It will help research into airborne pollution, and into
treatments for the respiratory system.
An app to prevent
heart attacks.
(TY Michelle) Analysis of 4000 users of Israel’s Hello Heart iPhone,
Apple Watch and Android phone app reveals that, after six weeks use, 25% had
reduced their blood pressure by 10 points or more, with an average drop of 24
points. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLqtH1yMEG0
New hospital for SACH. Israeli humanitarian
organization “Save a Child’s Heart” (SACH) has laid the cornerstone of its new
International Pediatric Cardiac Center at the Wolfson Medical Center. The $35
million IPCC will allow SACH surgeons to continue life-saving heart operations,
currently running at 250 per year.
US-Israel legislation to help cure brain
diseases. The
United States-Israel Global Neuroscience Partnership Act has just been
announced, to fund joint US-Israeli research and technology into treatments for
brain diseases. Lead sponsor, US
Congressmen Chaka Fattah, said that Israel is way ahead of everyone else in
neuroscience.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
More female speakers. Hana Rado, Tel Aviv COO of
global ad agency McCann, has developed a database called “Persona” of 700 women
who are qualified to speak on conference panels. Rado has also launched a national campaign to
increase the representation of women speakers to 50%.
Learn sign-language on-line. The Institute for the Advancement
of Deaf Persons in Israel has launched the first online sign language 3000-word
lexicon. Users enter a word in Hebrew, English, Arabic, or Russian, and
immediately, a 5-second video clip opens in which a presenter demonstrates the
word in Israeli Sign Language.
Israel reported VW testing problem to EU
in 2013. Israel's
Environment Ministry told European regulators two years ago that local testers
had been unable to test Volkswagen diesel vehicles at higher speeds because of
a component placed in engines by the company.
The EU committee said then that no changes were needed.
First ever visit by
Indian President.
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee addressed the Israeli Knesset (Parliament)
during his historic 3-day trip. Talks
with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu focused on bilateral ties in security,
technology, innovation, and agriculture.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem also awarded President Mukherjee an
honorary doctorate. http://new.huji.ac.il/en/article/27941
10 agreements signed with India. (TY Michelle) During President
Mukherjee's state visit to Israel, India and Israel signed ten Memoranda of Understanding.
They covered fairer taxation, cultural exchange and stronger university
ties. http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/india-israel-signed-10-mous-to-enhance-bilateral-cooperation-1444992359-1
Buzz Aldrin touches down in Israel. As promised, (see Aug
newsletter) the second man to ever walk on the moon, astronaut Buzz Aldrin,
85, talked to an enthusiastic audience at the International Astronautical
Conference in Jerusalem. Buzz recounted
his personal history and technical issues in space.
Jews and Arabs rescue injured pelican. Amir, Sunny and Muhammad
Riad Hamed from the Arab-Israeli village of Muqeible found a pelican with a
broken wing and other injuries in their yard.
They contacted the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and
the bird is now receiving treatment at its wildlife hospital.
Arab and Israeli neuroscientists work
together. Ahmed
El Hady is a 31-year-old Egyptian postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University’s
Neuroscience Institute. His decision to co-chair the NeuroBridges 2015
Conference - a scientific meeting of the minds between Arabs and Israelis - was
a no-brainer.
Gulf States want Iron Dome. UK TV station Sky News
reports that the Gulf Cooperation Council, made up of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the
United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Oman, wishes to buy Israel’s Iron Dome system
for its six members. The purchase will
be through Raytheon, the US partner of Israeli developer Rafael.
40 mayors converge on Jerusalem. (TY Michelle) Mayors from nearly
40 cities around the world have converged on Jerusalem for the 30th annual
Mayors Conference. The delegation will
get a taste of the "Start-Up Nation" when they meet with Jewish and
Arab leaders of successful Israeli tech hubs.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Why females are more motherly and males
more aggressive.
Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have discovered the triggers
in the brain that influences motherly instincts and aggressiveness. Nurturing and hostility are instinctively
gender-based behaviors controlled by cells, proteins and neurons in the
hypothalamus.
Robots for China. As anticipated in a previous
(Feb
2013) newsletter, China is working with Israel to develop smarter and
better robots. It has just established a Sino-Israeli Robotics Institute at its
$2 billion industrial park in the Guangzhou region of China.
Israel’s lunar module. Israel’s SpaceIL unveiled
its prototype lunar lander at a ceremony in Jerusalem. The 50 guests included Israeli President
Reuven Rivlin, Science and Technology minister Ofir Akunis, plus Chanda
Gonzales and Bob Weiss, who head up the $20 million Google Lunar XPrize
competition.
NASA and Israel sign
space cooperation agreement. (TY Michelle) NASA and the Israel Space
Agency have signed an agreement to expand cooperation in civil space
activities. NASA administrator Charles
Bolden said the agreement would enable the US space agency to tap Israeli
innovation and technology.
Israel-California Green-Tech
Partnership.
170 Israeli and Californian business executives, investors and
policymakers gathered at Google Israel’s Tel Aviv headquarters to launch the
Israel-California Green-Tech Partnership, a new initiative using Israeli and
American expertise to combat California’s drought crisis.
A geothermal partnership. Israeli geothermal energy
developer Ormat Technologies is teaming up with Toshiba Power Systems to build
geothermal power plants. Ormat’s
generators combined with Toshiba’s steam turbines will help launch many new ventures,
beginning with the Menengai geothermal project in Kenya.
The best place to surf. Roni Eshel, winner of the
2011 Israeli Women’s Surfing Championships, has designed goFlow – a
crowdsourcing app to identify the best surfing locations. Users report beach conditions and the app
automatically updates the goFlow server to inform friends or the whole surfing
community.
What’s new at WATEC. Israel’s international water
conference and exhibition kicked off by focusing on new technologies from
Israeli startups. These included
Emefcy’s unique SABRE (Spiral Aerobic Biofilm Reactor) solution for wastewater
treatment and the leak detection innovations from both Aqua-Rimat and
Triple+.
New center for agriculture research. The Israeli Agriculture
Ministry’s Volcani Institute has inaugurated the Center for Arid Area
Agriculture for the study of desert agriculture and the impact of
desertification. The NIS 13 million center will host 14 teams, researching crop
protection, plant pests, irrigation and fertilization.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Growing nicely. (TY Michelle) Moody's
Investors Service reported that Israel's resilient growth model, effective
governance and steadily improving debt metrics underpin its A1 government bond
rating and stable outlook. https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-Israels-resilient-growth-and-improving-debt-metrics-underpin-its--PR_336069
Record funds raised by hi-tech firms. In the nine months to Sep
2015, a total of 506 Israeli high-tech companies raised a phenomenal $3.2
billion. This compares to $2.3 billion raised by 504 Israeli companies over the
same period in 2014.
30 years of US-Israeli free trade. (TY Michelle) The 30th
anniversary session of the U.S. - Israel Joint Economic Development Group in
Washington also highlighted the 30th anniversary of the U.S.-Israel Free Trade
Agreement - the first free trade agreement signed by the United States.
New Tel Aviv to San
Francisco flights.
United Airlines is to start a 3-times-a-week service between Tel Aviv
and San Francisco. The new route will
strengthen ties between the Startup Nation and Silicon Valley and was praised
by the US Ambassador Dan Shapiro. http://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/United-Airlines-to-launch-non-stop-Tel-Aviv-San-Francisco-route-421337
New Chinese fund for Israeli
investments.
CreditEase China, one of the biggest microcredit and wealth management
firms in the world, has established the CreditEase Israel Innovation Fund
(CEIIF), its first Israel-focused venture-capital/private equity fund. The fund has raised $30 million for
investment in Israeli hi-tech.
CyberArk makes US purchase. CyberArk is another Israeli
firm growing by acquisition. Following its NASDAQ launch and purchase of
Israel’s CyberIntel, it has now bought up Massachusetts-based Viewfinity for
$30 million. Viewfinity will help CyberArk’s Privileged Account Security
Solution to prevent cyber-attacks.
Israelis to drill for North Sea oil. Israel’s Delek Group is to
become the biggest shareholder in UK North Sea oil and gas firm Ithaca Energy
following a £43million investment. Ithaca
is currently focused on the construction of a new production hub in the Greater
Stella area of the central North Sea.
SanDisk sold for $19 billion. Memory chip maker SanDisk,
founded by Israel’s Eli Harari, has been sold to US hard disk manufacturer
Western Digital for $19 billion. In
2014, Harari received the US National Medal of Technology and Innovation for
revolutionizing the flash storage industry. SanDisk has 3 Israeli R&D
centers.
Microsoft buys another Israeli
cybersecurity firm.
Microsoft is buying Israeli cyber security company Secure Islands for
$100-150 million. It will be Microsoft's fifth Israeli acquisition this year
and its 3rd Israeli cyber security company in the past 12 months.
Marketing intelligence is worth
millions. US
firm Gilbarco has bought Israeli marketing intelligence company Odysii
Technologies for $30 - 40 million.
Odysii’s Impulse platform informs customers of the retailer’s in-house
promotions at the Point of Sale - thus potentially generating more business.
$50 million funding for Cybereason. (TY Michelle) Japanese telecom
conglomerate Softbank has invested $50 million in Israeli cybersecurity startup
Cybereason. The firm’s software gathers
usage data across a computer network to discover suspicious activity. http://fortune.com/2015/10/13/cybereason-softbank-raise/
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Billy Joel’s Israeli backing violinist. Renowned Israeli violinist
Itzhak Perlman has revealed that he is the incognito musician playing on Billy
Joel’s album “Storm Front”. Perlman also
makes occasional surprise appearances at Joel’s stage shows. Joel also supports the Perlman Music
Institute.
Israeli orchestra performs at Bundestag. During October, Beersheba’s Sinfonietta
orchestra joins with Germany’s Philharmonic of Nations to play at Germany’s
Bundestag Parliament building in a series of concerts to mark 50 years of
diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel.
Jerry Seinfeld to
debut in Israel.
Superstar comedian Jerry Seinfeld is to make his first standup performance
at Tel Aviv’s Menora Mitvachim on Dec 19.
Seinfeld last visited Israel in 2007 when he was promoting “The Bee
Movie.” As a teenager, he did a stint as a kibbutz volunteer.
Israeli medical miracles on US TV. (TY Michelle) A new
documentary is to be shown on PBS stations across the United States beginning
early 2016. “Medical Miracles from
Israel” will tell the remarkable story of the medical device industry in Israel
today and will list the life-saving tools that Israel has provided the world.
Top 10 finish in Formula SAE. (TY Nevet)
Ben-Gurion University’s student Formula One racing team, is the first
ever Israeli team to place in the top 10 at the Formula SAE (Society of
Automotive Engineers) competition.
Students worldwide compete in Formula SAE to design and build the best
racecar.
THE JEWISH STATE
A conference to heal the world. (TY Michelle) A sold-out
inaugural Wharton Israel Conference in Pennsylvania focused on one small
country - Israel - as it pushed for a global effort to make the world a better
place. The event featured international speakers who shared how Israelis work
to improve the world.
Israelis rescue Syrian
migrants. Israelis
aboard an Israeli yacht rescued 11 Syrian and Iraqi migrants whose boat
capsized overnight near the Greek island of Kastellorizo. The yacht, from Ashdod, was on a routine
training activity in the area when its occupants noticed boat wreckage. Please read what else the Israelis did.
What to do with your Etrog. (TY Janglo) Five suggestions
for the citron from Sukkot’s four species are: Havdalah spice, Etrog jam, Mr
Etrog Head, Etrog candy bites and Etrog vodka.
151011
In the 11th Oct 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
An Israeli
charity’s bone marrow registry saved 25 lives in one month.
·
An Israeli
satellite will bring the Internet to remote parts of Africa.
·
Israel’s
moon landing project is “go” for a 2017 launch date.
·
MasterCard
and Barclays are running initiatives to develop Israeli startups.
·
At his
first-ever Israeli concert Bon Jovi dedicates hit song to Tel Aviv.
·
After
prayers for rain in Israel begin, the first rains of the season commence.
·
Click here
to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News, IsraelSeen,
Ruthfully
Yours and United
With Israel.
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
25 lifesaving
transplants.
In August, Israeli charity Ezer Mizion’s Bone Marrow Donor Registry
facilitated 25 lifesaving transplants.
They included stem cell donations by five IDF soldiers that saved the
lives of five desperately ill patients. http://www.ezermizion.org/blog/because-of-you-16/#more-3176
Boost your immune system for better
health. The
research of Weizmann Institute’s Professor Michal Schwartz was featured in Good
Housekeeping magazine. The article
explains how the brain and the immune system communicate. http://www.weizmann-usa.org/media/2015/09/21/why-boosting-your-immune-system-is-important-for-your-brain's-health
And Weizmann’s Professor Yair Reisner links
the immune system to obesity.
Digitizing the brain. Professor Idan Segev of the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem is a member of the Blue Brain Project - an
international team of scientists that is creating a digital reconstruction of
the brain. It has just completed a first
draft computer reconstruction of a piece of the neocortex and simulated its
electrical behavior.
Helping women to live longer and
healthier.
Israel’s Weizmann Institute is supporting the Revlon “LOVE IS ON”
Million Dollar Challenge with early prevention, improved diagnosis, and better
treatments of medical problems for women everywhere. https://www.crowdrise.com/acwis-revlon
Philips’ Israeli center for digital
medicine. I
mentioned the new Philips-Teva medical incubator previously
in my June newsletter. Here (TY
Michelle) Philips’ CEO states that Israel will become one of its main centers
for developing digital medical innovations to improve the health of patients
and keep them out of hospital.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israeli satellite to
bring Africa online. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has
announced that an Israeli-made AMOS-6 satellite will be launched in 2016 to
bring the Internet to the poorest parts of the world. Facebook and Eutelsat will lease the
satellite from Israeli global satellite services provider Spacecom.
How Israel is solving the global water
crisis. This
must be the most comprehensive analysis of Israeli water technology ever
written. It also includes reference to
Seth M Segal’s new book “Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a
Water-Starved World.”
Hong Kong delegation visits Israel. (TY Michelle) Hong Kong's
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is leading a delegation of industry leaders and
academics to Israel. They will visit political leaders, innovation and
technology enterprises, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Weizmann
Institute, Tel Aviv University, the Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce and the
desalination plant in Sorek.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
A bigger force in the cloud. Israel’s Silicom has bought
US-based ADI Engineering for $10 million.
ADI’s high-performance Intel equipment will allow Silicom to expand its
products for providers of cloud (over the Internet) and network services.
Rapid Internet performance. Israel’s Teridion makes
Internet access up to 20 times faster, for users of its advanced Global Cloud
Network. Teridion has just raised $20
million to expand in the US and internationally.
Turning polluted water into beer. Israeli-founded water
purification company Desalitech has teamed up with Boston-based Harpoon Brewery
to channel the once-famously polluted Charles River into a new beer. Desalitech is using its patented technology
to provide water for Harpoon’s Charles River Pale Ale.
Avoid the queue. Israeli startup Tapingo has
launched a free app that allows students to order food from their favorite
places via their smartphones, so that when they arrive they can just pick it up
from the counter without having to wait in line. http://www.cjnews.com/business/israeli-startup-tapingo-most-popular-app-campus
An app to help you dress right. The Israeli app “Take A
Look” allows you to send a “selfie” for the attention of top Israeli fashion
designers Liat Ashuri, Doreen Attias, and Gadi Elimelech. For a $25 fee, one of the three will critique
your outfit. They say that they can even give real-time advice whilst still in
the store!
Israeli lunar team
secures launch.
(TY Michelle) Israel’s SpaceIL is a stage nearer its goal of becoming the
first privately funded mission to the Moon and winning the $20 million Google
Lunar XPRIZE. SpaceIL has booked a place
on a SpaceX rocket due for launch in the second half of 2017. 16 teams remain from the original 34. http://www.israel21c.org/spaceil-is-1st-google-lunar-xprize-team-to-book-ride-to-moon/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Lunar_X_Prize
http://time.com/4063420/moon-israel-google-xprize/
Ford hackathon for Israeli developers. US car manufacturer Ford is
holding its own hackathon, the Ford AppLink Challenge, for Israel’s tech
community to develop new technologies for Ford Sync Systems in the company’s
new models. Winners get cash or a new Ford Fiesta. Toyota and Hyundai ran similar recent events. Ford is also to install Israel’s HearMeOut in
its vehicles. HearMeOut posts audio clips on social networks.
Why Israel leads financial tech
innovation.
(TY Michelle) Good analysis of why Israeli financial technology is
growing so impressively. Chief reasons
include quality technology, previous successes, international knowhow,
multinational R&D, global investment and encouragement for start-ups.
The largest desalination facility in
North America.
(TY Michelle) In a few weeks, San Diego will open the Carlsbad
desalination plant, piping around 50 million gallons of water a day to
households across the San Diego area. It
was designed by Israel’s IDE and one of 400 desalination facilities it has
designed in 40 countries.
Israel and its tribe of risk-taking
entrepreneurs.
(TY Kay) Luke Johnson, chairman of Risk Capital Partners and the Centre
for Entrepreneurs, wrote recently for the UK Sunday Times that Israel is an
astonishing country, buzzing with energy and confidence, a magnet for talent
and investment - a cauldron of innovation.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Teva spends billions on Mexican biotech. Israeli bio giant Teva has
purchased Mexico’s Representaciones e Investigaciones Médicas, S.A. de C.V.
(Rimsa) for $2.3 billion. Teva expects
the deal will yield substantial and achievable synergies and offer a platform
for growth in the region.
Mexico buys Israeli super-drone. The Mexican government has
purchased an advanced intelligence-gathering drone made by Israel’s Aeronautics. The Dominator XP is based on a DA-42 twin
star commercial plane, and is designed to provide intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance flight missions.
Mellanox merges with EZchip. Israeli IT giant Mellanox
has bought Israeli microprocessor manufacturer EZchip for around $811 million. The combined businesses currently have 2,400
employees, and generated combined revenue of $668 million for the year ended
Jun 2015. Both firms are located in
Yokneam near Haifa.
The Startup Nation foundation. A new non-profit
organization Start-up Nation Central has been launched to connect companies and
countries to the people and technologies in Israel that can solve their most
pressing challenges. Founded by US hedge
fund billionaire Paul Singer with Dan Senor, co-author of “Startup Nation”.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/201496#.VhQH-Gvn-Vc
http://www.startupnationcentral.org/
MasterCard prize for
Israeli innovation.
For the 4th year, MasterCard is offering a $25,000 prize for an Israeli
startup to help the international giant improve its electronic payments and
financial services. The winner can also
join the MasterCard Start Path global program, the company’s financial
technology accelerator.
Barclays launches Tel
Aviv start-up accelerator. Global bank Barclays is opening an
accelerator in Tel Aviv for startups in financial-tech and cyber security. Barclays
Derek White said “We’re excited about the prospect of tapping into Tel Aviv’s
hot-bed of innovation, connecting some of the world’s most active innovators.”
Golan Heights oil discovery is “huge”. I reported previously (see
Sep 20 2015) the discovery by Israeli company Afek of oil in the Golan
Heights. Afek Oil and Gas chief geologist
Dr. Yuval Bartov now says that the oil strata is 350 meters thick - over ten
times the average discovery, and potentially billions of barrels.
Tennessee wooing Israeli business. (TY Michelle) Tennessee
Governor Bill Haslam has returned from taking an 18-person delegation to Israel. He said there already have been second and third
connections since the business venture.
Tennessee provides a low-cost location compared to New York, San
Francisco and L.A.
How to turn a city into a start-up hub. (TY Michelle) Hila Oren is
CEO of Tel Aviv Global (TAG) a city-run company whose goal is to turn Tel Aviv
into a global hot spot for innovation. Here
are some of the key initiatives TAG has implemented to cultivate the ecosystem
and encourage innovation to take root.
Another record for Israel’s reserves. Israel’s foreign currency
reserves stood at a record $89.335 billion at the end of September 2015, an
increase of $337 million from their level at the end of August.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Bon Jovi dedicates
song to Israel.
Jon Bon Jovi kicked off his band’s first-ever performance in Israel by
telling 50,000 cheering Israelis “I’ve waited a long time for this!” He said that his new hit “We Don’t Run”, “should
be the fight song for Tel Aviv.” Its
lyrics include “Fire in the sky and thunder on the mountain”. Bon Jovi finished the 18-song set with
“Living on a Prayer”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzo4T77I8Xo
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/10/bon-jovi-jerusalem-violence-stabbing-tension-west-bank.html# http://www.timesofisrael.com/empathetic-jon-bon-jovi-dedicates-song-we-dont-run-to-israel/
Israeli wins international philatelic
grand prix. Israelis
won 4 Gold medals at the 7th Bi Annual One Frame ‘Sedmo Okno’ Stamp Exhibition
in Slovenia. In addition, Jerusalem dentist and Israeli Philatelic Commissioner
Les Glassman was awarded the Grand Prix Prize for his Jerusalem Pre –
Philatelic Exhibit.
THE JEWISH STATE
The first Sukkathon. For the first time,
entrepreneurs gathered in a Jerusalem sukkah to develop apps related to
temporary content. The developers were
hosted by video messaging specialists Glide.
In the spirit of the sukkah – a temporary habitation - so Internet data
needs to be cleared away when no longer relevant.
Israeli Jews answer
with love. And I just love this article by
Lebanese-born, Canadian Arab Fred Maroun.
He writes “Why do the overwhelming majority of Israelis respond to hate
with love? I believe that Judaism
teaches love because love is effective while hate is not.”
Prayers
for rain are answered – in buckets! Jews in Israel said the prayer
for rain on Monday lunchtime during the festival of Shemini Atzeret. The next day, the country receives the
heaviest October rainfall in six years. Flash floods, roads closed and flights
grounded. But it brought a welcome smile
to most Israelis.
151004
In the 4th Oct 2015 edition of Israel’s
good news, the highlights include:
·
The USA
will use an Israeli burns treatment in mass-casualty incidents.
·
Five times
as many Israelis graduated in 2014 compared to 1990.
·
Israel is
helping Kenya with its vital national irrigation project.
·
An Israeli
app allows reporting of illegal and dangerous driving.
·
Another
leading UK retailer is to use Israeli visualization software.
·
Kayne West
performed in front of 25,000 Tel Aviv fans.
·
Tens of
thousands visited Jerusalem for the festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles)
·
Click here
to see the newsletter on Jewish
Business News, IsraelSeen,
Janglo
and United
With Israel with extra features on Health
and Global
Impact.
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
CE Mark for heart valve repair system. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israel’s Valtech Cardio has received European approval for its Cardioband
implantable mitral reconstruction device.
Trials showed that that Cardioband is a highly effective first-line
treatment option for reducing mitral regurgitation (MR) and improving quality
of life.
Hope for bipolar depression sufferers. Israel’s NeuroRx has demonstrated
a 50% reduction in symptoms of depression and a 75% reduction in suicidal feelings
in a small trial of its Cyclurad treatment in combination with ketamine on treatment-resistant
patients with bipolar disorder.
Improving cognitive function. A successful clinical study
confirms previously demonstrated benefits of Neuravena on acute improvement of
cognitive function, showing efficacy for an 800 mg dose. Neuravena is a bioactivity
tested, patented wild green oat extract, produced and marketed by Israel’s Frutarom.
http://www.nutritioninsight.com/news/New-Clinical-Study-Confirms-Green-Oat-Ingredient-Efficacy-on-Cognitive-Performance.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjp-pUWkaMo
US dept buys Israeli
burns treatment.
The Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority (BARDA) –
part of the US Department of Health – has awarded a $112 million contract to
Israel’s Mediwound. BARDA will use
Mediwound’s NexoBrid product in major incidents, to remove dead tissues from
medium to severe burns. It will also
help Mediwound finance its FDA approval for NexoBrid.
Cancer therapy project wins
International award. A team from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev won the Best Heath
and Medicine Project category in the 12th annual Giant Jamboree iGEM (International
Genetically Engineered Machine) competition in Boston with their cutting-edge
biological cancer therapy called “Boomerang.”
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/aabu-ct092915.php
A digital medicine incubator. IBM, Medtronic, Pitango and
Rambam Medical Center have together won a grant from Israel’s Chief Scientist to
open a digital medicine incubator at the Life Sciences Park being built in Haifa. The incubator will select companies working
in big data, predictive analytics, telemedicine, wearable and implantable
diagnostic sensors, advanced diagnostics, personalized medicine and more.
https://www.rambam.org.il/EnglishSite/AboutRambam/Publications/NewsandEvents/Pages/The-Future-of-Global-Digital-Medicine-Will-Be-Determined-in-Haifa.aspx http://www.haifalsp.com/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
New center for Jewish and Arab hearing
impaired children.
The Jerusalem Foundation has opened a home in Abu Tor, for Jewish and
Arab children with hearing impairments. The
MICHA (Society for Deaf Children in Israel) center contains 4 pre-school
classes and an audiology institute with clinics and advanced technology.
http://www.jerusalemfoundation.org/news-updates/news-from-jerusalem/2015/inauguration-of-new-home-for-micha-jerusalem.aspx http://www.jerusalemfoundation.org/news-updates/news-from-jerusalem/2015/feeling-at-home-at-the-new-micha-jerusalem.aspx
Israel's Bedouin tennis champions. 9-year-old Karin,
12-year-old Samar and 15-year-old Shadi al-Touri train at the Yad Eliyahu
Tennis Center in Tel Aviv. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4705141,00.html
Academic degrees
increase 500% since 1990. (TY Steven) The number of university-level
degrees handed out in Israel has multiplied by five over the past 25 years. At the end of the 2013/2014 school year,
75,100 degrees were awarded to Israelis students. The increase is particularly high amongst
Israeli women and Arabs.
Study Israel in Washington DC. George Washington University
is establishing an Israel Studies program, including an endowed professorship,
in the latest example of universities developing closer ties with Israel.
Educational ties with India. (TY Michelle) Leading Indian
educational institutes are strengthening the Indo-Israeli alliance. In the latest, Welingkar Institute of
Management Development and Research (WeSchool) of Mumbai signed agreements with
Tel Aviv University, Ben Gurion University and the IDC Herzliya.
Zambia re-opens embassy in Israel. (TY Hazel) Zambia’s Foreign
Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba re-opened the country's embassy in Israel saying,
“We view Israel as a true friend in the Middle East.” Mr Kalaba also said
Zambia expects "cooperation and the strengthening of ties" over a
wide range of fields, including economic, security, agriculture, and tourism. http://allafrica.com/stories/201509170187.html
18-country delegation to fight BDS. A delegation of 22
parliamentarians from 18 different countries is in Israel as part of the Israel
Allies Foundation's annual Jerusalem Chairman’s Conference. They will sign a resolution declaring support
for Israel and vowing to take a stance against anti-Israel movements such as
BDS.
Supporting Kenyan
irrigation project.
(TY Hazel) Israel is giving technical support to Kenya’s six-year Galana
/ Kulalu irrigation project. The
project will provide water for sustainable farming through development and
modernization of irrigation and drainage, to enhance food security, reduce
poverty, and generate jobs.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cutting greenhouse gas emissions. (TY Atid-EDI) The
Israeli cabinet approved plans to slash emissions of greenhouse gases by 25% by
2030. The NIS 800 million cost would
eventually save the economy NIS 100 billion in fuel savings and reduced disease
from pollution.
Better microchips. (TY Atid-EDI)
Israeli startup Optimal(plus) analyzes the production processes of
semiconductor manufacturers. By
processing “big data” Optimal(plus) can make big cost savings. Optimal(plus) has just raised $42 million to
fund its rapid growth plans. http://www.optimalplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Optimal+-Raises-42-Million-Growth-Round-Led-By-KKR.pdf
Automating the freight business. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s
Freightos automates freight sales for some of the world’s largest logistics
providers. It allows companies to give
instant quotes to ship goods in any currency.
Freightos has just raised $14 million of funding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I0eBzeZbwY
Tighter EU regulation requires Israeli
encryption technology. Top international lawyer Dr. Patrick Van
Eecke has stated that new stricter European Union regulations on data security in
the wake of leaks at Target, Sony and the IRS, requires companies to seek
advanced encryption software such as supplied by Israeli cyber-security firms. http://www.timesofisrael.com/super-strict-eu-data-security-a-boon-for-israel-says-expert/
The brains behind fast-charging
batteries.
(TY Michelle) This article complements last
week’s technical one about Israel’s StoreDot – developers of fast-charging
batteries. StoreDot employs 20 PhDs - organic
chemists. quantum physicists, electrical engineers and device engineers – all
working together to build new molecules.
What’s happening at WATEC. (TY Michelle) Foreign
government ministers from dozens of countries will attend Israel’s
International water conference WATEC 2015 starting Oct 13. There are joint sessions with California,
China, Europe and the OECD. The event is
preceded by Cleanvest - a full day investors’ summit.
Keeping West Point cadets in shape. West Point Military Academy and
numerous NBA teams in the US are turning to Israeli start-up PhysiMax, which,
using 3D cameras, provides cloud-based analytics of how players are performing. One of the main aims of the system is to
prevent injuries from inefficient movement.
Exporting innovation. (TY Michelle) First it was
Microsoft, which rolled out its Israeli accelerator model to seven other
locations around the world. In 3 years, Microsoft accelerators have graduated
410 startups. Now IBM plan to export its
Haifa Alphazone Accelerator where startups make use of IBM’s Watson
supercomputer.
GE launches Israel accelerator. US giant General Electric
(GE) is to start an accelerator in Israel. It will focus on cloud computing and
big data, with an emphasis on industrial Internet. The first group of four
software startups will begin in July, and a second cycle in December. GE has
already invested in a series of Israeli firms.
App to report bad
drivers.
Just the ticket! The iPhone
dash-cam app from Israel’s Nexar records and reports traffic violations and
reckless driving. Israeli drivers,
please join the Nexar community to make the roads safer.
Israeli firm to refurbish Santa Barbara
de-sal plant.
Israel’s IDE Americas is to refurbish, operate and maintain the
recommissioned Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant in Santa Barbara, California.
IDE was chosen for its proven experience, modular approach, and ability to meet
the city’s short timeframe.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Record trade with the UK. (TY Michelle) Exports of Israeli products and services to
the UK increased by 3.7% during Jan and July 2015. Bilateral trade during the same period
reached a record £2.4 billion.
John Lewis uses
Israeli tech for virtual showroom. UK’s leading retailer John Lewis is to use
the augmented reality software from Israel’s Cimagine to help customers
visualize new ways to personalize and design their home. Cimagine is already
in use at UK’s online retail giant Shop Direct.
Google chairman’s 4th Israeli investment. (TY Michelle) Israel startup
Taykey has developed a trend-tracking system that has earned it over $10
million in revenue this year. One of its
main investors is Innovation Endeavors, owned by Google’s Eric Schmidt. (See here for Schmidt’s other Israeli
investments)
No investment necessary. (TY Michelle) Some Israeli
startups have become successful without seeking external funding. Using their own funds (known as
“Bootstrapping”) the entrepreneurs that founded Optimove and Fitness22 have
retained control of their businesses and are now enjoying the rewards.
A change in the energy mix. (TY Michelle) Yuval
Steinitz, Israel’s Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water, discusses
the current situation of the country’s energy mix and the transformation which
is set to occur following the natural gas discoveries in the Leviathan and
Tamar gas fields.
Israeli universities produce top
entrepreneurs.
Tel Aviv University was 9th in the PitchBook report for undergrad
programs that produced the most start-up founders. TAU was the only non-US university in
the top 10. Israel’s Technion came 20th
and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem came 39th.
Teva buys respiratory disease monitoring
company.
Israel’s Teva continues its expansion into digital medicine by
purchasing US-based Gecko Health Innovations.
Gecko has developed CareTR, a cloud-based solution that simplifies
chronic respiratory disease management by connecting patients and caregivers
through remote monitoring and real-time adherence tools.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
1500-year-old mosaic unveiled. (TY Michelle) At Kiryat
Gat’s “Factories from Within” festival, Israeli archaeologists will reveal an
ancient mosaic discovered during local excavations. The mosaic depicts scenes of ancient Egypt. http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Rare-1500-year-old-old-mosaic-discovered-depicting-streets-buildings-of-ancient-Egypt-419384
Hummus beer – whatever next? Israel’s Meadan Brewery has
a particularly niche operation, producing beer that is both gluten-free and
made with chickpeas, dates and buckwheat.
Chickpeas are also the main ingredient of hummus and falafel - well-known
traditional Middle-Eastern foods.
Kayne West raps Tel
Aviv. US rap
star Kanye West (“Yeezy”) kept 25,000 people on their feet for 90 minutes at
Ramat Gan Stadium with a long set of power ballads. It was his second visit to Israel this
year. In April, he and his wife Kim
Kardashian baptized their daughter in Jerusalem.
Hollywood stars investing in Israel. (TY Michelle) Celebrities
the world over are looking to get in on the Startup Nation action. From Jay-Z
to Ellen Degeneres and Leonardo Dicaprio, here are 10 celebs who know that
Israel is the hottest place for innovation.
Eilat to host 2016 world tennis event. Israel’s hopes of returning
to the Fed Cup World Group II tennis playoffs were handed a boost on Saturday
after Eilat was announced as the host of next year’s Europe/Africa Zone Group I
matches. Eilat also hosted the
tournament between 2011 and 2013.
THE JEWISH STATE
President decorates a sukkah. President Reuven Rivlin
decorates a tabernacle with children at the President’s residence in Jerusalem
for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
7000 sq feet sukkah at Tel Aviv port. Beit Tefilah Israeli and the
Tel Aviv Port have opened a giant sukkah (booth), covering more than 7000
square feet on the iconic Tel Aviv Port boardwalk. The sukkah will be open to
the public from 9am-10pm daily throughout Sukkot (Tabernacles), with free
activities for the entire family.
Jerusalem March is 60
years old.
The Jerusalem March marks the 60th year the event has been held – making
it the biggest and oldest parade in Israel.
Marchers came from 35 countries and at least 60,000 people either took
part or came to watch. They included
dozens who helped liberate East Jerusalem in 1967.
“They will all come to
celebrate Tabernacles in Jerusalem”. Thousands of evangelical Christians from more
than 80 countries descended upon Jerusalem this week to show their support for
the Jewish State.
Jewish Indians visit Israel. (TY Michelle) Interesting video
of a group of 22 young Indian Jews who have come to Israel on a
Taglit-Birthright tour.
