In the 27th Jun 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· UK National Health Service to trial Israeli cancer treatment test.
· Israeli grandmother is honored for fostering 217 babies.
· Israeli anti-malaria system wins top IBM AI prize.
· Israeli software powers Intel’s 5G microprocessors.
· Israeli sensors can detect when plants are unhappy.
· Three more billion-dollar Israeli companies in one week.
· Israel’s team of 81 Olympic athletes is the largest ever.
· Honduras is the fourth country to open an embassy in Jerusalem.
· Click here to see the 20th Jun newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, San Diego Jewish World, and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and (TY Stuart Pa) here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here and (TY Stuart Pa) here. Please pass on those links to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page. Many thanks to Myer for the advert in the June issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 12).
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
UK trials for Israeli cancer treatment test. The UK National Health Service (NHS) is to trial the blood test from Israel’s OncoHost (see here previously) that predicts how well cancer patients will respond to immunotherapy treatment. Trials will focus on patients with advanced melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer.
Israeli vaccinations good till 2022. Israelis can now download new coronavirus vaccination or recovery certificates valid until the end of the year. Despite an uptick in new cases, and a return to wearing masks indoors, the Pfizer vaccine continues to show some 90% protection against even the Delta variant.
Contact-free patient monitoring. Israel’s Clair Labs is developing 24x7 contactless patient monitoring technology. Its biomarker sensors only need partial line of sight to the blood vessels on the patients’ facial skin to measure physiological markers, e.g., heartrate, respiration, airflow, body temperature and oxygen saturation.
Ariel University dedicates its Medical School. The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson School of Medicine at Israel’s Ariel University has now been officially dedicated. 40 graduating students received doctoral degrees during the event and President Reuven Rivlin and Dr. Miriam Adelson were awarded honorary doctorates.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/miriam-adelson-rivlin-get-honorary-doctorates-at-ariel-university-med-school-opening/ https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308592
Saving a life on the way to son’s graduation. Just as United Hatzalah volunteer medic Haim set off for his son's 8th-grade graduation ceremony, he was called to save the life of an unconscious 72-year-old man. CPR and several defibrillator shocks revived the pulseless man, allowing Haim to continue to his son’s graduation.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308584
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Angel’s family. To mark World Foster Day on May 31, Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin honored Angel Alon from Netivot. Besides her eight children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Angel and husband Shlomo cared for 217 babies during 29 years as an emergency foster family for Jerusalem-based Summit Institute.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-honors-emergency-foster-mom-who-cared-for-217-babies/
A special employee at the Knesset. (TY WIN & Kan TV) Meet Amitai Itzhari, who takes care of the inventory at the Knesset - Israeli parliament. He is also a selfie fanatic and a friend of every MK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmUz9Q8pJ-c
Israel’s new female pilots. (TY UWI & JNS) 62 women have graduated from the IAF pilots’ course (4 last week). Most became navigators, helicopter pilots, transport pilots or flight deck operators. Four became combat pilots and now there’s a fifth. (Graduation video TY Yachad L’ma’an HaChayal English branch 0544 267389)
https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/06/22/new-pilots-course-grad-becomes-5th-woman-to-serve-as-iaf-fighter-pilot/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmBG5YmfLi8
Promoting Kibbutz women leaders. The Israeli Kibbutz Movement has established a training course called “The Academy for future CEOs.” Its goal is to help women reach key positions and influence in the kibbutz movement and kibbutz industries, and to promote their integration into key positions in Israeli society at large.
https://www.israel21c.org/giving-women-an-extra-leadership-edge-on-the-kibbutz/
Former Druze MK is US emissary. (TY WIN) Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh, formerly the first female Druze MK (member of Israel’s parliament) is the Jewish Agency’s new senior shlicha (Israeli emissary). She will represent Israel in Washington, help train and provide support to Israel advocates on campus, plus much more.
https://www.jns.org/former-druze-mk-appointed-emissary-to-washington-north-american-campuses/
Hospital gift room for the elderly. Sheba Medical Center has opened Israel’s first hospital gift room for long-term elderly patients. Those celebrating a birthday can visit the brightly decorated room, accompanied by volunteers or family members, who help them choose anything from books and puzzles to hats and blankets.
https://www.jns.org/sheba-medical-center-opens-gift-room-for-long-term-elderly-patients/
Israeli clean energy innovation at the UN. Israel’s Mission to the UN and Israel's Ministry of Energy held a global, virtual event on the subject of Israeli innovation in energy. It took place ahead of September’s UN General Assembly energy summit on clean and achievable energy - the first since 1981.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308563
Eliminating malaria in Africa. Israel’s ZzappMalaria (see here previously) uses AI to combat malaria. It has won first place and $3 million in the IBM Watson AI XPRIZE Competition. ZzappMalaria also won the People’s Choice Award as the “Most Inspiring Team.” It is running trials in Ghana, Tanzania, and Zanzibar.
https://nocamels.com/2021/06/israeli-zzapp-malaria-wins-ibm-watson-ai-xprize/
Israel helps Miami. In the wake of the Florida building collapse, Israel has sent a delegation of IDF, trauma experts, Foreign Ministry aid and ZAKA volunteers to assist at the disaster site. The Israeli Consulate in Miami has already provided assistance with clothing, medicine, food, emergency lighting and more.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308766
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Powering Intel’s 5G chips. Israel’s Cellwize (see here previously) has been chosen by Intel to provide AI-capable software to power its chipsets for 5G networks. Cellwize is also selling its software to 30 companies including Dell, Verizon, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom and Israel’s Partner.
Digital transformation conferences. The IDF held its first international digital transformation conference. Over 100 participants from 30 countries learned about the knowledge gained by the Israeli military. Calcalist’s Digital Transformation conference featured Gil Rosen of Israel’s Amdocs who spoke about the 5G revolution.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/idf-holds-first-annual-conference-on-digital-transformation-671087
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910605,00.html
Sniffing out bacteria. Scientists from Israel’s Ben Gurion University have developed technology to analyze bacteria. Carbon nanoparticles detect electrical differences in metabolites emitted by different bacteria. Potential uses include to detect spoiled food, protect hospitals and the environment, and diagnose diseases.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-scientists-invent-artificial-nose-to-sniff-out-bacteria/
Talking to your plants. Israel’s InnerPlant is a pioneer of living crop sensors. Plants have inherent defense mechanisms that generate signals when thirsty, low in nutrients or attacked by pests or disease. InnerPlant adds a safe protein to the plant so that these signals can be seen visually on smartphones and even by satellites.
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/06/18/shely-aronov-completes-a-5-65-million-pre-seed-round-for-innerplant/ https://innerplant.com/
Resistant crops from Dead Sea soil. (TY INN & I24 News) Israel’s Plantarcbio (see here Nov 2018) is using RNA technology similar to coronavirus vaccines to target the Palm weevil pest. It also uses genes from Dead Sea soil to produce drought-resistant crops. Plantarcbio recently launched on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvzUxDMtd3Q https://plantarcbio.com/
The answer is not blowing in the wind. Israel’s Edete (see here previously) is expanding its technology that artificially pollinates crops, to include not just insect-pollinated plants but wind-pollinated crops as well. It will focus first on the pollination of pistachios, one of the world’s fastest-growing crops.
Saving honeybees from extinction. (TY Stuart Pl) Excellent article by newsletter supporter Diana Bletter about the Beehome robotic beehive from Israel’s Beewise. Great final quote from Beewise’s CEO - “Just think that five Israelis from a small Israeli kibbutz have the chutzpah to change the world”.
Successful tests of anti-drone laser. (TY WIN & UWI) The Israeli Air Force successfully intercepted several UAVs (Unmanned Air Vehicles) using an airborne high-power laser. The Elbit-developed system has a range of over 1km, at high altitudes regardless of weather conditions and has the capacity to defend vast areas of Israel.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308469
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESnYtXEndAE
Protecting US planes. (TY Nevet) Aircraft manufacturer Boeing is to integrate an anti-jamming system developed by Israel’s Elbit Systems into a fleet of F-15 jets. Elbit's Immune Satellite Navigation System fully protects multiple GPS channels against numerous interfering signals, ensuring uninterrupted operation.
Satellite to the moon. Aerospace Engineering students at Israel’s Technion Institute together with the Space Division at Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are to develop and launch a nanosatellite that will enter low-altitude orbit around the moon and collect data. The project will start in October and last several years.
https://www.jns.org/technion-israel-aerospace-industries-launch-project-to-develop-nanosatellites/
Human-centered AI. Israeli-founded, US-headquartered Vianai Systems has its R&D center in Israel. Its aim is to help businesses realize the full potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by using it to impact human lives and human society. AI’s success depends on how humans and AI work together.
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/06/17/vianai-systems-raises-140-million-for-ai/ https://www.vian.ai/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWYGOzMX7Vc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-m-gZpc14w
Fiber network rollout imminent. Israel's Bezeq said it is boosting fiber optic network speeds to up to 2.5 gigabit per second (Gbps) from 1 Gbps to win customers. Bezeq competitors Cellcom and Partner have begun their own fiber rollouts to hundreds of thousands of households, and said they plan to offer faster speeds.
Protecting Israel’s water infrastructure. Israel’s IXDen (see here previously) uses ‘behavioral biometrics’ to protect critical infrastructure. Israel’s national water carrier Mekorot has partnered IXDen to guard interconnected water devices against malfunction, whether caused by cyberattack or routine wear and tear.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/startup-steps-up-to-defend-israels-water-network-against-iranian-cyberattackers/ https://www.ourcrowd.com/companies/ixden
Drink in the city atmosphere. Tel Aviv University scientists have proved that water extracted from the air in an urban area of Tel Aviv, using Watergen’s GENius technology, is in compliance with the regulatory standards of the World Health Organization. The results are important for drought areas that cannot desalinate seawater.
https://www.ynetnews.com/environment/article/rkKcVSy200 https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/10/2940
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969721030114
Toyota goes tactile. (TY Hazel) Union Motors, Toyota’s official Israeli importer, is installing sensing and data technology from Israel’s Tactile Mobility (see here previously) into hundreds of Toyota vehicles. It will help Israeli road authorities conduct responsive and preventative road maintenance, ultimately ensuring safer roads.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israeli companies on Wall Street worth $300 billion. There are now 85 Israeli companies traded on the Nasdaq and NY Stock Exchange. Their combined worth is over $300 billion – up 50% since Jan 2021.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910186,00.html
A healthy tech ecosystem. Israel has increased its score in StartupBlink’s 2021 Startup Ecosystem Index Report (see 2020 here). It remains at number 3 ahead of Canada and Germany but is close behind the UK in second place. The US is still number one. The list compares Quality, Quantity and Business Environment.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910412,00.html
Israel leads in B2D. The Israeli Business to Developer (B2D) sector is growing as companies develop products that automate and simplify the jobs of highly sought-after hi-tech developers. Examples include Lumigo, Orca Security, OwnBackup, Redis Labs, Snyk and JFrog. (All but Lumigo featured here previously).
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910171,00.html https://lumigo.io/
A digital Shekel? The Bank of Israel has issued digital currency for a first internal pilot program prior to the possible issue of a digital Shekel. Israel’s Central Bank Deputy Governor Andrew Abir has been tasked with examining the need for a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and its implications for the financial sector.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-bank-of-israel-issues-digital-shekel-1001375320
Startup City Galil. Entrepreneur and JVP chairman Erel Margalit has launched Startup City.Galil – a unique studio for startups in the fields of foodtech and agritech in the Galilee. It will provide members with a range of laboratory infrastructure, and dozens of researchers in the fields of environmental food and agriculture.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910180,00.html
Helping Israeli startups market to the US. Deloitte Israel and Deloitte US are to mentor a second group of seven Israeli startups that wish to grow their business in the US after the pandemic. The Launchpad program will advise on strategy, relocation, sales infrastructure, and access to top tier venture capital funds in the U.S.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910430,00.html
Mnuchin & Friedman to invest in Israeli tech. Former US Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman have made plans to set up a Tel Aviv office for their Liberty Strategic fund. The fund expects to receive billions of dollars including from the sovereign wealth funds of Gulf States.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/steven-mnuchin-david-friedman-visit-tel-aviv-to-check-out-startups/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910579,00.html
Clean engines in the UAE. Israel’s Aquarius Engines (see here previously) and UK’s Kampac International (KIP) are forming the Middle East Aquarius Automotive company to produce automotive products based on Aquarius technology in the United Arab Emirates. KIP will invest up to $1.2 billion in the UAE facility.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-joint-clean-tech-ventures-accelerate-in-uae/
Time off is an asset. Paid Time Off (PTO) is often unusable until an employee terminates their job. Israel’s Sorbet has developed a platform that allows employees to convert unusable PTO into cash. Sorbet buys out PTO and gives employees virtual prepaid cards for travel experiences, flight upgrades, training courses etc.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910853,00.html https://www.getsorbet.com/
Two new Tel Aviv Hiltons. The Hilton hotel chain is looking forward to the end of the pandemic. It announced plans to build two new hotels on Tel Aviv seafront. In total there will be 577 rooms in the two hotels, which will be housed in one building north of the existing Tel Aviv Hilton. The hotels will open in 2026.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-hilton-to-build-two-new-tel-aviv-hotels-1001375645
JoyTunes - this week’s first Unicorn. Music education startup JoyTunes (see here previously) has just completed a $50 million funding round at a $1 billion valuation, giving it the financial status of a “Unicorn”.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910571,00.html
Record investment for new Unicorn. Israel’s Transmit Security (see here previously) leaped in value to become another Israeli startup to gain the status of a “Unicorn”, with the largest Series A investment in the history of cybersecurity. The $543 million of new funds gives Transmit Security a valuation of $2.2 billion.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910675,00.html
And Hailo to the 3rd Unicorn of the week. Israeli AI chipmaker Hailo (see here previously) completed a $110 million funding round at a valuation of $1.1 billion, making it the latest Israeli company to join the “Unicorn” list. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910807,00.html
Investment in Israeli startups: Transmit Security raised $543 million; Lendbuzz raised $360 million; Vianai Systems raised $140 million; Firebolt raised $127 million; Hailo raised $110 million; Unit raised $51 million; JoyTunes raised $50 million; Tonkean raised $50 million; KAHR Medical raised $46.5 million; DataRails raised $25 million; Mitiga raised $25 million; Sorbet raised $21 million; Equinom raised $20 million; env0 raised $17 million; Lightspin raised $16 million; Clair Labs raised $9 million; Better Juice raised $8 million; InnerPlant raised $5.65 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Summer on the Streets of Jerusalem. (TY Sharon) Jerusalem’s summer festivals are returning. They include the Israel Festival (21 -25 Jun), Mekudeshet Festival in Abu Tor (Weds until 7 July) and Runaway Circus (1 – 8 July). The Jazz festival and the Wine & Beer festival will also be coming back soon.
http://rjstreets.com/2021/06/20/jerusalem-time-and-travel/
New pre-historic humanoid discovered. Israeli archaeologists have discovered fossils of an ancient humanoid previously unknown to science. The Nesher Ramla site dates to about 120,000-140,000 years ago and indicates that the land that is now Israel has always been an area of major significance.
https://phys.org/news/2021-06-nesher-ramla-homo-fossil-discovery.html
Israel’s Olympic athletes are right on target. (TY Sharon) President Reuben Rivlin met the 81 Israeli athletes from 17 different sports that have qualified to compete in the Tokyo Olympics - the largest Olympic team Israel has ever fielded. It includes Itay Shanny, the first Israeli archer to qualify for the Olympic games.
https://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=37&ARTICLE_ID=145363
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/1624458550-president-rivlin-meets-with-israeli-olympic-team-ahead-of-games https://unitedwithisrael.org/bullseye-for-israel-with-first-archer-to-compete-in-olympics/
The first Maccabiah competitor from the Gulf. Dubai-based athlete Yves Friedman has made history by becoming the first athlete from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to qualify for the Maccabiah games. Yves is a Belgian citizen who has been living in Dubai since he was a young child.
THE JEWISH STATE
96-years young. Mazel tov to Tammy Goldenhirsch, who made aliyah from St. Louis at the age of 96, proving that it is never too late to make one's dream of moving to Israel a reality. Tammy was greeted at Ben-Gurion International Airport by three generations of family.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/06/18/mazal-tov-96-year-old-american-woman-makes-aliyah/
Gilad Shalit gets married. Gilad Shalit, who was held in captivity by Hamas in Gaza for five years, has married his long-time girlfriend Nitzan Shabat. One of the wedding guests was Gilad’s friend Shai Gross, who was rescued by Israeli commandos during Operation Entebbe in Uganda in 1976.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308622
https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/HycMK11bnu
Uninvited wedding guest saves a life. At a wedding in Modi’in Illit, the groom's grandfather suddenly collapsed. United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Neoray arrived at the scene in under 90 seconds. After several minutes of CPR and two defibrillator shocks, the grandfather’s pulse returned - to the joy of bride and groom.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308191
Honduras opens its embassy in Jerusalem. (TY UWI) Honduras has relocated its embassy to Jerusalem, joining the US, Guatemala and Kosovo. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said, “I am here today with our delegation to inaugurate the Embassy of Honduras in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel.”
https://www.jns.org/honduran-president-visits-israel-to-celebrate-embassy-opening-in-jerusalem/
https://worldisraelnews.com/honduras-relocates-embassy-to-jerusalem/
210620
In the 20th Jun 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Three important Israeli Covid discoveries.
· A new Israeli device to revolutionize microsurgery.
· Israeli aid is saving thousands of Covid patients in India.
· Three Israeli Universities make nanotechnology breakthroughs.
· Five Israeli companies in top 100 list of technology pioneers.
· Three new Israeli billion-dollar companies in a single week.
· 30th anniversary of Operation Solomon – the world’s largest humanitarian airlift.
· Click here to see the 13th Jun newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, San Diego Jewish World, IsraPundit and United With Israel with extra feature on Economy & Business. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here and here. Please pass on those links to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page. Many thanks to Myer for the advert in the June issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 12).
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
· Click here to keyword SEARCH almost any topic in the IsraelActive archives (18,600+ news articles).
· If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
The masks are off. Israelis are now able to show their faces again indoors after Israel’s Health Ministry lifted the indoor facemask requirement. Some 61% of the population has been fully vaccinated and new Covid cases are minimal. Facemasks are only required for the unvaccinated, quarantined, care homes and air travelers.
https://www.jns.org/israel-lifts-indoor-mask-requirement-as-covid-19-recedes/
https://www.israel21c.org/israel-says-goodbye-and-good-riddance-to-covid-masks/
Dialing down the immune response. Researchers at Israel’s Technion Institute have identified the specific part of a protein within a T-cell that tells it to attack a virus or pathogen. The discovery of this “regulatory trigger” may lead to medications to prevent cytokine storms in coronavirus patients or to cure autoimmune diseases.
https://www.jimmunol.org/content/206/10/2322
How to make vaccines go further. Researchers at Israel’s Ben Gurion University have evidence that under-30s develop 80% protection after their first SARS-Cov-2 vaccination. They recommend sending the second dose to countries with limited vaccine supplies but high COVID rates.
Preventing cornea rejection. Israeli doctors have discovered that 3% of cornea transplant patients experienced blurry vision following their second Pfizer coronavirus vaccination. The doctors diagnosed that the cornea grafts were being rejected by the awakened immune response and prescribed steroids to quickly stop rejection.
Protein linked to brain cancer & aging. Scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University have found that protein YY1 activates the gene TP73-AS1 which is known to protect glioblastoma brain cancer from chemo treatments. The same protein and gene are present in aging brains and the knowledge advances cancer research.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/aging_brain%20cancer.aspx https://www.aging-us.com/article/203182/text
Lower cholesterol and reduce anxiety. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have been testing beta-sitosterol - a cholesterol lowering substance found in avocados and nuts. They believe it can also reduce anxiety without the side-effects that current anti-depressant medications have. The results support further trials.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-natural-supplement-to-lower-cholesterol-may-ease-anxiety/
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(21)00109-9
Micro-surgery breakthrough. Israel’s Lydus Medical has developed Vesseal - a device to help perform the most complex of surgical procedures - connecting ultra-small blood vessels - automatically. It will revolutionize organ transplants, by-pass surgery etc. and will make millions of life-saving surgeries much safer and quicker.
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/06/08/lydus-medical-is-new-israeli-medtech-startup/
https://www.lydus-medical.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4SBTcVUbb0
More patient data organized. Israel’s new WEF tech pioneer MDClone (see here previously) has added CIUSSS West-Central Montreal to its previous Canadian hospital (Ottawa) now using its ADAMS patient data management system. ADAMS has just been named MedTech’s Best Healthcare Big Data Platform of the year.
https://thecjn.ca/montreal-hospital-partners-with-israeli-digital-health-company/
https://www.mdclone.com/news-press/articles/mdclone-named-best-healthcare-big-data-platform-in-2021-medtech-breakthrough-awards-program https://medtechbreakthrough.com/2021-winners/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israeli women agritech pioneers. (TY WIN & I24 News) Last week’s newsletter featured Biotipac - winner of ACT Foodtech’s “Women of AgriFood Nation” competition. This video highlights the other female-led contestants – Yo-egg, IncrediBowl, Fermata, Maolac and BugEra. All are new to this newsletter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuK-VU64k5I&t=18s
Israeli woman heads US quantum computing startup. Israel’s Shahar Keinan is CEO of US-based Polaris Quantum Biotech which is using super-fast quantum computers to speed up years-long search for new treatments. Polarisqb is currently searching a cure for endometriosis, affecting about 10% of women globally.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/israeli-ceo-seeks-quantum-of-solace-for-womens-diseases/
Israel’s first deaf MK. Shirley Pinto (Yamina) is Israel’s first deaf member of Knesset (Parliament). The daughter of deaf parents, Pinto lectured at Bar-Ilan University’s Sign Language Interpreting program. She joins Energy Minister Karin Elharrar - the first Israeli minister with disabilities.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/first-deaf-mk-sworn-in-to-knesset-13-new-legislators-join-parliament-671158 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308188
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwCAs1lIRC4
Mother of 7 is a lifesaver. Pre-school director Hila, a mother of 7 children jumped at the chance to become an EMT for United Hatzalah. Her husband, Dovie, was so moved by the important work that his wife was doing, that he too became a United Hatzalah volunteer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyJQzbMuPVw
Second shock saves electrocuted Arab. Kibbutz Gat manager Ehud is also a volunteer medic for Israel’s United Hatzalah. He recently saved an Arab kibbutz worker who had electrocuted himself by simultaneous contact with electricity and water. Ehud and a colleague used a defibrillator shock to bring the Arab back to life.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308137
I love it here. (TY WIN & I24) Mansoor Mohammad bin Shamekh al-Mazooqi was delighted to be the first Emirati to study in Israel. 19-year-old Mansoor from Dubai is studying for a bachelor's degree in government at the IDC (Interdisciplinary Center) in Herzliya. The UAE flag became the 91st national flag flying at the IDC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeC3PkALlq8
Saving thousands of lives in India. Israel has sent 1,300 oxygen concentrators and 400 respirators to India to combat Covid (see here previously). Israel’s private sector has raised $85,000 for equipment. Israeli technology is diagnosing cases in Indian hospitals and daily new cases have come down from 350,000 to around 60,000.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Israelis develops the IPU. Intel has unveiled the infrastructure processing unit, or IPU – development led by Israel’s Ilan Avital, Data Center Platforms Group VP and Head of the Engineering Division. The new chip is designed to relieve the load from processors (CPUs) and significantly improve the performance of web services.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909977,00.html
Breakthrough in nano-optics. Scientists at Israel’s Technion have successfully “trapped” light in material just a few atoms thick. They then observed it with their own quantum microscope. It shows that ultra-high-speed fiber optic cables could be made as thin as one nanometer – a thousand times smaller than current cables.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ooULAbwmLE https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6547/1181
Must-see nano transformation. Scientists at Tel Aviv University have transformed transparent calcite nanoparticles into visible gold-like particles. It can provide major benefits to optical & MRI imaging, sensing, photothermal therapy, photoacoustic tomography, bioimaging, and delivery of targeted cancer therapy.
Nanochip for studying cancer receptors. (TY UWI) Scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University have developed a silicone nanochip that mimics an artificial cancer cell and its receptors. They can now study immune cells (e.g. lymphocytes) as they attempt to destroy the artificial cell. It reveals some surprising results.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/chip_cancer.aspx
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/24/eabc1640
Eradicating mosquitos. Israel’s Senecio uses sterile male mosquitos (see here previously) to control the disease-spreading insect. Now, Israel’s diptera.ai has developed a subscription-based “Sterile Insect Technique (SIT-as-a-service)”. Diptera.ai’s customers receive shipments of sterile male mosquitos ready for release.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909668,00.html https://diptera.ai/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIFpmTYKk2Y
Going to the movies is a breath of fresh air. Israeli cinema audiences will be able to enjoy a unique post-corona atmosphere. Israel’s Tadiran’s Air Care 02 system is being installed in all 127 of Israel’s Cinema City’s movie theaters. The system removes around 90% of all pollutants including mold, viruses and bacteria.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909632,00.html
Dispensing gloves efficiently. Israeli-founded, US-based Texas Medical Technology has developed the iNitrile disposable glove dispenser machine. Not only does it dispense and fit gloves automatically, but it also uses AI software to track and predict glove usage. It is advertised to reduce wastage by 12-15%.
https://texasmedicaltechnology.com/ http://initrile.com/about.html
Upcycled fashion. Three Israeli women use recycled materials for their sustainable fashion businesses. Bahdra Goldshmit reuses fabrics to make wedding dressses. Elinor Nathaniel of Remeant turns plastic from packaging materials into textile for fashion accessories. And Noa Sharon uses leftover precious metals to make jewelry.
https://www.israel21c.org/3-israeli-designers-do-a-stunning-spin-on-sustainability/
Want a job in hi-tech? Read this. Even without a technical background it is possible to join Israel’s diverse and imaginative hi-tech ecosystem. This article features animators, musicians and artists who are working in places they could have never imagined. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909661,00.html
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel opens to tourists. From 1st July, individual tourists will be able to enter Israel subject to providing a SARS-CoV-2 vaccination certificate and various pre & post arrival tests.
https://www.touristisrael.com/when-will-travel-to-israel-resume/31963/
WEF Pioneers for 2021. The latest World Economic Forum list of 100 Technology Pioneers includes five Israeli companies. They are CropX, MDClone, Cheq, MyndYou, and Phinergy. The WEF predicts they are “poised to have a significant impact on business and society.” All have been featured in this newsletter.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/five-israeli-startups-make-world-economic-forum-tech-pioneers-list/
https://www.israel21c.org/5-israeli-firms-named-world-economic-forum-tech-pioneers/
Autonomous irrigation for Indian farmers. Israel’s SupPlant (see here previously) grew its smart irrigation business by 1,200% in 2020. Already widely used in Mexico, South Africa, Argentina, Australia and Kenya, SupPlant aims for over 2 million smallholders in Africa and India to be utilizing its technology in 2022.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909782,00.html https://supplant.me/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnvRPJokYQg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WznNggunANY
McFalafel in McPita. After a decade’s absence, Israeli McDonald's (which includes kosher branches) is relaunching falafel in pita breads. Customers will be able to purchase a McFalafel, McKebab or crispy chicken in a mini pita with tehina (tahini), lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles. It will have plenty of competition though.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/mcpita-mcdonalds-bringing-back-mcfalafel-after-decade-670650
3D printing Robot Chef begins trials. (TY UWI) Israel’s SavorEat (see here previously) is commencing restaurant trials of its Robot Chef that 3D-prints and cooks vegan burgers in six minutes with no human contact. Burger options are “sporty” (high protein), chef’s choice or “juicy”, and cooked rare, medium or well done.
https://www.israel21c.org/vegan-burgers-printed-by-robot-vegan-eggs-coming-next/
Real tea in Israel! The “where can you get a decent cup of tea in Israel?” joke is over. Israel’s Ceremonie Tea produces a wide array of quality teas and herbal infusions. They include English Breakfast, Green tea, lavender Earl Grey, alongside the more classic Israeli versions. They come loose, in bags, pyramids and cube sachets.
https://www.israel21c.org/israelis-discover-premium-tea-and-its-delicious/ https://www.ceremonie-tea.co.il/
Broadcasting South African sports. Israel’s Pixellot (see here previously) has signed an agreement with pay-TV sports provider Supersport to establish a high-school sports network to serve athletes, coaches, and scouts across Africa. Pixellot automatically streams games and their highlights to any device, live or on-demand.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909787,00.html
Bringg – the next Unicorn. Israel’s Bringg (see here previously), which offers a delivery logistics platform for the enterprise market, has just raised $100 million of funding. The investment values the company at $1 billion, the financial status of a Unicorn. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910082,00.html
NextSilicon - another Unicorn. Israel’s NextSilicon has developed innovative technology which uses software algorithms to speed up silicon-based computing platforms. It could lead to breakthroughs in supercomputer applications. NextSilicon recently raised $120 million to value the company at $1.5 billion (Unicorn status).
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909860,00.html https://www.nextsilicon.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeJ8MTD4arU
Claroty – yet another Unicorn. Israeli cybersecurity company Claroty (see here previously) has just raised $140 million to make it Israel’s third Unicorn (billion-dollar company) in one week.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3910161,00.html
AppsFlyer to hire 300. Israel’s AppsFlyer (see here previously) is recruiting 300 new employees in Israel by the end of 2021, taking its local workforce to around 1,000 people and 1,400 across the world. AppsFlyer is mainly expanding its R&D departments, developing marketing measurement software for its clients.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909892,00.html
Investment in Israeli startups: WalkMe raised $287 million (IPO); Claroty raised $140 million; NextSilicon raised $120 million; Bringg raised $100 million; Glassbox raised $100 million (IPO); Gloat raised $57 million; Duda raised $50 million; Pulsenmore raised $40 million (IPO); Komodor raised $21 million; Carbyne raised $20 million; Silentium raised $20 million; SupPlant raised $10 million; nSure.ai raised $6.8 million; 8fig raised $6.5 million; Diptera.ai raised $3 million; Lydus Medical raised $2.7 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
What to expect in post-Covid Israel. Here is a fun article on some changes and not so differences that visitors to Israel might experience when they next visit Covid-free Israel. They include sunshine, crowds, vaccination stories, post-pandemic pride, no room at the restaurant, takeaway addiction, alfresco dining and wine experts.
https://www.israel21c.org/10-things-to-expect-when-visiting-post-covid-israel/
Euro medals for Linoy. Israel’s Linoy Ashram won gold in the clubs event at the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Varna, Bulgaria. It was the first Euro gold won by an Israeli gymnast in a single exercise. She also won silver medals in the ball and the hoop categories and placed fourth in her ribbon routine.
https://www.jns.org/linoy-ashram-wins-gold-silver-in-european-gymnastics-championship/
Orthodox Jewish mother & marathon runner. An interview of Beatie Deutsch, an observant Jewish mother who doesn't stop running. She ran one marathon seven months pregnant and after another stood at the top of the podium holding both her prize and a baby. Proof that success doesn’t have to compromise your principles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FPfUmeRq2g
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308210
THE JEWISH STATE
A global Jewish education network. The Israeli government is partnering with Herzog College to create a Jewish education network that will liaise with all 1,500 Jewish schools around the world. The $12 million initiative will connect Jewish children and establish international frameworks for dialogue between educators.
https://www.jns.org/israel-to-fund-global-jewish-education-network-led-by-herzog-college/
Support in Urdu. (TY Nancy) Shaheen Chishti is a Muslim activist who educates about the Shoah and Israel in Urdu – a language spoken by 600 million Muslims in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and elsewhere. He stresses the need to think of Israel in terms of building partnerships for business and for education.
https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/meet-the-muslim-activist-who-educates-about-the-shoah-and-israel-in-urdu/ https://welcometoisraelurdu.com/
On the wings of eagles. 30 years ago, on Jun 24 - 25 1991, Israel rescued 14,325 Jews from war-torn Ethiopia in Operation Solomon - the world’s largest humanitarian airlift. They were flown from Addis Ababa to Tel Aviv on 35 Israeli aircraft. The Ethiopians’ 2,500-year-old dream came true in just 36 hours.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/05/25/israel-marks-30-years-since-operation-solomon/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9ye9wEn7VI
500 new immigrants from 20 countries. (TY WIN & ILTV) In what has been hailed as “Aliyah super week” by the Jewish Agency for Israel, 500 new immigrants from over 20 countries arrived in Israel in just 7 days. And immigration from North America has reached 1,100 this year with dozens more groups arriving in August.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2mAXvnysPA
https://www.jns.org/north-american-immigration-to-israel-spikes-after-year-of-covid/
Am Yisrael Chai. (TY UWI, Avi & Sharon) The annual Jerusalem Day parade took place this week. Some 5,000 Israelis danced with flags to celebrate the anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification in 1967.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308148
https://www.israelunwired.com/israelis-triumphantly-celebrate-traditional-jerusalem-day-parade-over-hamas-threats/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_pAsqovERQ
http://rjstreets.com/2021/06/17/jerusalem-flag-dance-and-parade-real-story/
See the history of Israel. (TY Jacob Richman) Jacob has added 12 videos to his site describing the history of the State of Israel. https://jr.co.il/videos/history-of-israel-videos.htm
Unearthing the origin of Judaism. Dr. Yonatan Adler of Ariel University is director of the Origins of Judaism Archaeological Project. It is documenting the archaeologic evidence relating to the practice of Judaism in Israel earlier than the first century BCE. The findings of the project will be published in a book next year.
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/what-does-archaeology-tell-us-about-the-origins-of-judaism-670542
http://www.originsofjudaism.com/
Can you dig it? Archaeologists have found evidence at Sde Boker in the Negev that migrating Neanderthals and homo-sapiens met and interbred in only one tiny area of the world about 50,000 years ago. That area was the Land of Israel – amazing! Please watch the exciting ILTV video below.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/prehistoric-man-lived-with-and-loved-neanderthals-in-the-negev-50000-years-ago/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXGHXXo3W1k
210613
In the 13th Jun 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israel has now had several days with no new coronavirus cases.
· An Israeli eye-scanning device performs blood tests without blood.
· Israel was overwhelmingly voted onto the UN Economic and Social Council.
· Israelis use bacteria to keep crops fresh - in the ground and on the shelf.
· 2021 investment in Israeli startups has already exceeded the total for all of 2020.
· Divers can explore Israel’s new unique underwater nature park.
· Evidence that the land of Israel was an ancient trade center.
· Click here to see the 6th Jun newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours with great intro, San Diego Jewish World, IsraPundit and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here and here. Please pass on those links to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page. Many thanks again to Myer for placing an advert for the newsletter in the June issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 12).
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
· Click here to keyword SEARCH almost any topic in the IsraelActive archives (18,600+ news articles).
· If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
No new Covid infections. Last Shabbat (5th June) Israel registered zero new local COVID-19 infections for the first time in more than a year. There are now only some 200 coronavirus infected patients in the whole country and inoculation of children aged 12-15 has begun. On 15 Jun, Israelis can stop wearing facemasks indoors.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/06/06/israel-records-zero-new-local-covid-19-cases-for-first-time-in-more-than-a-year/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/kids-line-up-for-covid-shots-saying-they-want-to-protect-family-go-on-vacation/
Healthcare appreciation ceremony. (TY Sharon & ILTV) Israel has honored its health system personnel and partner agencies for their work in defeating Covid-19 in Israel. Speakers at the Jerusalem Theater event included Israel’s Prime Minister, Health Minister, Austria’s Prime Minister and the CEO of Pfizer.
https://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=37&ARTICLE_ID=144873
https://www.jns.org/israel-honors-health-care-workers-in-battle-against-covid-19/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unIOgfwH830
Cancer patients benefit from Covid vaccine. Doctors at Israel’s Beilinson Hospital monitored 102 cancer patients after inoculation with two shots of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. Only 10 failed to generate an antibody response. It should calm the fears of patients who have been self-isolating even after vaccination.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/covid-vaccine-effective-for-90-of-cancer-patients-israeli-study-finds/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2780584
Using good viruses to kill bad bacteria. For 6 years Tel Aviv University scientists have studied how certain viruses (bacteriophages) take control of dangerous antibiotic resistant bacteria (see here). They found that a virus protein uses a DNA-repair protein in the bacteria to "cunningly" cut the bacteria's DNA during repairs.
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/tau-scientists-discover-process-to-get-good-viruses-to-destroy-bad-bacteria/2021/06/06/ https://www.pnas.org/content/118/23/e2026354118
Eye scan to replace blood tests. Doctors at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center have developed a blood test without removing any blood. A handheld device scans the blood vessels in the eye - ideal for those who dislike needles, and no laboratory involvement is necessary. It will be tested in zero-gravity by Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/new-israeli-prickless-blood-test-heading-to-space/
Saving the sight of AMD patients at home. The ForeseeHome ophthalmic home diagnostic service from Israel’s Notal Vision (see here previously) detects when dry AMD turns to wet AMD and can be treated. It is Medicare accredited and Notal Vision has just raised $60 million to monitor other retinal diseases.
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/06/07/israels-notal-vision-raises-60-million-for-its-ophthalmic-home-monitoring-services/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP7DnYDNbco https://www.foreseehome.com/
Cancer diagnostic tech is a breakthrough. Having just received European CE mark certification for its Galen AI cancer diagnostic software (see here), Israel’s Ibex Medical has now been awarded “Breakthrough” designation by the US FDA. This will help fast-track clinical review and regulatory approval of its technology.
PillCam and the UK NHS. A couple of weeks ago I publicized Technion UK’s online event featuring the Israeli-invented PillCam colon imaging capsule. 11,000 UK National Health Service patients are to be studied using the capsules. Here is a recording of that event for those interested but who missed the live presentation.
https://technionuk.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqN24JJeltk
We can fix you. (TY Nevet) Social worker Tali used to support staff at Hadassah’s Jerusalem Medical Center. Now her colleagues administer Hadassah’s CAR-T therapy (in Phase 1 trials see here) to hopefully cure Tali’s multiple myeloma. Hadassah hopes to develop cellular therapy for any type of cancer – affordable to everyone.
https://www.hadassah.org/story/hadassah-develops-its-own-car-t-therapy-to-treat-multiple-myeloma
More swords become plowshares. During the coronavirus pandemic, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) used their missile factory to produce ventilators (see here). Now IAI subsidiary Elta and Soroka hospital are setting up an innovation center where doctors and defense engineers can jointly develop medical tech solutions.
Bystanders can save lives. (TY UWI) The award-winning SALI video medical system from Israel’s Inovytec (see here previously) enables the public to perform non-invasive airway management, automated oxygen therapy, vitals monitoring, and defibrillation. SALI has been implemented in Germany, Romania and Israel.
https://www.israel21c.org/automated-first-aid-system-wins-smart-cities-connect-award/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbKqQzjJRWY https://www.inovytec.com/sali/
Now everyone can express themselves. Back in Dec 2020, Israel’s Voiceitt (see here) announced that its real time automatic speech recognition app will allow people with speech impairments to access and interact with Amazon’s Alexa. Now anyone can download the Voiceitt app for free from Apple’s App Store.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909558,00.html
35-second response time. When United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Ron Cohen was called to a choking baby, he rushed from his apartment, jumped onto his ambucycle, drove down his street and ran up 4 floors. 35-seconds after receiving the call he expelled the blockage in the infant’s throat, and she was able to breathe again.
https://israelrescue.org/blog/emt-arrives-in-35-seconds-to-save-a-neighbours-choking-baby/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Stereotype-breaking photo exhibit. Passengers travelling through Ben Gurion airport will see a new exhibit of 34 photos representing the different shades of Israeli society. They depict religious, secular, ultra-Orthodox and Arab Israelis, outside of the stereotypical way in which they are often portrayed in the media.
https://www.israel21c.org/34-stereotype-breaking-photos-of-israelis-inspire-unity/
Biotipac wins Women of AgriFood Nation 2021. Ifat Hammer, CEO of Israel’s Biotipac (see below) won the Women of AgriFood Nation competition designed to increase exposure to women-led technological ventures in AgriFood. Hammer receives a $200,000 investment from Israel’s COPIA Agriculture and Food Technologies.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909561,00.html
The Arab dentist who builds bridges. Muslim Arab Khalil Bakly has a dental practice in Netanya and Nof Hagalil. His local organization Habustan (the Orchard) brings together Nof Hagalil’s Arabs and Jews. They have just initiated a social media campaign called “Arabs and Jews in Nof Hagalil against violence”.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-arab-dentist-drilling-coexistence-into-his-hometown/
Toys for Arabs and Jews. The Toy Movement of Canada and Israel’s Peres Center for Peace and Innovation (based in Jaffa) have been distributing toys to Arab and Jewish children at four nursery schools in Jaffa.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/307698
The benefits of peace with Israel. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the United Arab Emirates – made the case for peace between Arabs and Israelis plain and simple. He stated that, ironically, the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the peace process.
https://www.jns.org/uae-leader-to-ajc-forum-abraham-accords-show-benefits-of-peace-with-israel/
Israel joins UN’s ECOSOC. (TY TPS & UWI) For the first time, over two thirds of UN members voted Israel onto the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan said it was a “… recognition of our innovation and creativity, which serves to benefit all nations of the world …”
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-elected-to-uns-prestigious-economic-and-social-council/
Israel hosts OECD security forum. (TY Sharon) Israel’s National Cyber Directorate hosted the 2021 Global Forum on Digital Security for Prosperity, an online conference of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The 3-day virtual event began on June 7 with some 40 speakers from 60 countries.
https://www.baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=1&ARTICLE_ID=144953
https://nocamels.com/2021/06/israel-oecd-global-forum-digital-security/
First country to ban sale of fur. (TY Nevet / Arthur) In Oct (as reported here), Israel announced it would ban the sale of fur to the fashion industry – the first country in the world to do so. Israel’s Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel has now formally signed the amendment into law, and it goes into effect in six months.
https://www.peta.org/blog/israel-bans-fur/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Emerging Explorer. The National Geographic Society has named Haifa University marine conservationist Aviad Scheinin one of 2021’s 15 “Emerging Explorers”. These are individuals who are changing the world “one idea at a time.” He joins the ranks of dedicated scientists that included Jacques Cousteau.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-researcher-named-national-geographic-society-emerging-explorer/
Tel Aviv skyscraper wins international design award. The Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat chose Tel Aviv’s ToHa skyscraper as the overall winner in the office building category of its 18th annual awards program. The 2019 28-story tower by Israeli architect Ron Arad is shaped like an iceberg.
https://www.israel21c.org/tel-aviv-skyscraper-wins-international-design-award/
https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/toha-tower-1/27420 https://tallinnovation.com/2021-winner/
To boldly go (and return). (TY UWI and I24 News) Here is an interview featuring Jonathan Geiffman – co-founder and CEO of Israel’s Helios (see here previously) explaining his company’s process for extracting oxygen from the surface of the Moon and Mars. Space exploration could be dependent on this technology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2t0KcujYqQ
Watch your crops from space. Israel’s PlanetWatchers analyses the condition of crops using AI and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) from satellites’ microwave radiation. The information is useful to farmers, financers and insurance companies. Reports can be produced quickly, remotely, and in any weather conditions.
https://www.planetwatchers.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goj3fP1JCnk
Keeping it naturally fresh. Israel’s Biotipac has developed technology to keep agricultural produce fresh in the field, on the shelf and in food products. It prevents spoilage by encouraging beneficial bacteria while eliminating pathogens. It means less fungicides, longer shelf life, reduced packaging and less food wastage.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909561,00.html https://www.biotipac.com/the-product
Real milk, no cows. Israel’s Imagindairy (see here previously) uses proprietary precision fermentation to produce nature-identical, animal-free versions of whey and casein proteins for the dairy products industry. The startup, founded by Tel Aviv University researchers, has raised $1.5 million in seed funding.
https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/israeli-precision-fermentation-startup-imagindairy-milking-new-technology-to-leave-cows-out/ https://imagindairy.com/
A cellular network for emergencies. Israel Aerospace Industries and Israeli-founded Carbyne have jointly developed a new emergency communications network. 911 Ultra-EN is an instant alternative private cloud-based cellular network to reconnect users in disaster zones with emergency services.
https://www.jns.org/israel-aerospace-industries-and-carbyne-unveil-cellular-network-for-emergencies/
https://www.iai.co.il/iai-and-carbyne-introduce-911-ultra-en
No more passwords. Israel’s Transmit Security has developed BindID which uses biometric sensors built into every new smartphone to log you in securely and seamlessly. No more complex combinations of numbers, letters and symbols to memorize. All you need is a fingerprint or a scan of your face.
https://www.israel21c.org/say-goodbye-to-annoying-passwords-with-bindid/ https://www.transmitsecurity.com/
O for the wings of a dove. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and in Oregan USA have discovered that birds are able to fly because they genetically lack the molecule ephrin-B3. The molecule allows mammals and reptiles to walk with a stepping motion but unable to flap wings (if they had them) and fly.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.29.428748v3
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
More investment than all of 2020. Anti-BDS news - investment in Israeli startups so far in 2021 has beaten the total for the whole of last year. Investment up to 8th Jun totaled $10.5 billion compared to $10 billion for all of 2020 (also a great year). It includes 30 investment rounds of over $100 million (only 21 in all of 2020).
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909578,00.html
20 projects for US-Israel joint funding. The US-Israel Bi-national Agricultural Research and Development (BARD) Fund (see here previously) is investing $6.7 million in 20 joint US-Israel projects. They focus on irrigation, harvesting, disease control, plant nutrition, production efficiency, food & water quality and safety.
A sustainable future. Having established ICL Innovation in 2012, Israel’s ICL (see here previously) has now launched ICL Planet Startup Hub. It says its mission is to propel food-tech and ag-tech startups to the marketplace. It seeks to empower pilot-ready startups to work with ICL and implement their technologies.
https://www.icl-group.com/innovation/planet-startup-hub/ https://www.icl-group.com/our-mission/
CyberArk’s new Beersheva R&D center. Israeli cybersecurity giant CyberArk has inaugurated its new R&D center at the Gav-Yam Negev Tech Park in Beersheva. It will be close to Israel’s Cyber Directorate’s CERT center, IDF’s C4I unit, Ben Gurion University and more than 70 development centers and startups.
https://www.jns.org/cyberark-inaugurates-a-new-rd-center-in-beersheva/
UK buys Israeli night vision goggles. Israel’s Elbit Systems UK has won an £11.5 million ($16 million) contract from the UK Ministry of Defence to provide the UK Armed Forces with XACT Night Vision Goggles (NVG). Elbit’s XACT systems are used in several NATO countries, including Germany and the Netherlands.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-elbit-systems-wins-night-vision-system-contract-in-uk-1001373680
On-line retail with a difference. Israel’s Avo supplies products to New Yorkers and Tel Avivians. It has contracts with large companies and owners of large buildings. When employees or tenants order products, Avo consolidates the orders and delivers them to the company or building location, with no shipping fees.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909330,00.html
https://www.avonow.com/companies https://www.avo.co.il/companies
Face-painting failure inspires fintech success. Great article about Israel’s Adam Kima who founded PayMe after his previous business crashed due to the lack of payment facilities. Now PayMe’s platform provides own-branded fintech services to companies of all sizes. It is now expanding its services to European clients.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909250,00.html
Traveltech prepares for tourist boom. Israel’s TripActions (see here previously) is preparing for the return of global tourism by expanding its Israeli R&D center to employ 200 developers. As soon as coronavirus vaccines were available, TripActions received a massive investment of funds and launched new travel products.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909487,00.html
$120 million VC fund for Israeli tech. Israel’s Sweetwood Ventures has launched its second venture capital Fund-of-Funds, targeting $120 million in investments in leading early and growth-stage Israeli technology companies. The fund “aims to provide investors with access to the most promising Israeli technology startups”.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909498,00.html
Israel’s latest Unicorn. Israel’s Verbit (see here previously) has just raised $157 million, giving it a valuation of more than $1 billion and the financial status of a “Unicorn”. Verbit’s transcription and captioning services are used by more than 1,500 customers including CNBC, CNN, FOX, Harvard and Stanford Universities.
Monday has a very good day. Israeli project management firm monday.com (see here previously) completed its Nasdaq IPO, raising $574 million at a valuation of some 7 billion - one of Israel’s largest tech listings. With offices in 8 major global cities, monday.com reports having 120,000 customers in more than 190 countries.
https://nocamels.com/2021/06/largest-listings-monday-com-ipo-6-8b-valuation/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/monday-com-raises-155-million-in-nasdaq-ipo-at-6-8-billion-valuation/
Investment in Israeli startups: Monday.com raised $574 million; Verbit raised $157 million; Notal Vision raised $60 million; TailorMed raised $20 million; Stoke raised $15.5 million; Monogoto raised $11 million; PlanetWatchers raised $3.5 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Crime novel is a love poem to Tel Aviv. Michael Fertik’s latest book, HIP SET, is a page-turning crime mystery based in Tel Aviv that introduces the reader to some of Israel’s cultural diversity.
https://worldisraelnews.com/hip-set-gripping-crime-novel-is-a-love-poem-to-tel-aviv/
Israel opens first underwater National Park. Israel’s first marine national park off the coast of Caesarea, is now open to snorkelers and scuba divers. The waters of the park hold ancient Roman ruins including vessels, and coin treasures. Aquatic tourists can also explore many species of fish, stingrays, octopuses and corals.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-opens-first-underwater-national-park-amidst-ancient-roman-ruins/
Rihanna has another baby. 11-year-old white rhino Rihanna gave birth to her third calf (see here previously) at Ramat Gan Safari near Tel Aviv. It is the 33rd rhino to be born at the safari – the world’s leading rhino breeder. After a poll, the baby was named “Ruvi” – the nickname of outgoing Israeli President Reuben Rivlin.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/307566
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxOzVHaEZeA
THE JEWISH STATE
Hatikva wows judges – in Uruguay. Lucia Abealar advanced to the next round of “Got Talent Uruguay” after impressing all four judges with her performance of Hatikva - Israel’s national anthem. Lucia translated the lyrics and one of the judges said, “‘To be a free nation in our land’ - That is something that touches each of us.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/singer-belts-out-hatikva-at-got-talent-uruguay-audition/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSujeWQ_WfQ
Jerusalem in transition. (TY Sharon) The buildings and streets of Jerusalem are in a state of flux. Reasons include preparing for a new President, the Israel Festival, summer activities for children, building a new business park, wedding ceremonies, preparing for tourists and pomegranates forming on trees along the streets.
http://rjstreets.com/2021/06/06/jerusalem-a-week-of-transitions/
Christian “birthright” tours to resume. American NGO Passages has restarted its tours that connect Christian students with modern State of Israel. The program plans to bring 1,000-plus American students to Israel by the end of 2021, and 3,000 by the summer of 2022. Since 2016 Passages has brought 8,000 US students to Israel.
Which came first? An intact chicken egg dating back 1,000 years has been discovered by Israeli archaeologists at a site in Yavne. Whole chicken eggs are rare and this one was cracked during its extraction. Experts say poultry farming was introduced in Israel 2,300 years ago, during the Hellenistic and Early Roman periods.
https://www.jns.org/intact-1000-year-old-chicken-egg-unearthed-in-central-israel/
The oldest legal instruments. Archeological finds at Tel Tsaf in Israel’s Beit She’an Valley included 150 clay seal impressions (bulla). Analysis of the bulla and other items at the site provided unique evidence of long-distance trade in the Southern Levant over 7,000 years ago - predating the development of written language.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/307823
210606
In the 6th Jun 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· An Israeli Covid-19 treatment cures 10 severely ill patients in one day.
· An Israeli study proves that being positive can increase longevity.
· An Israeli airline is commencing flights to Marrakesh.
· Israelis have developed synthetic spider silk and “no-bee” honey.
· Foreign tourist group tours to Israel have restarted.
· The first Israeli woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
· Take a hi-tech look inside Jerusalem’s refurbished Tower of David Museum.
· Click here to see the 30th May newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, San Diego Jewish World, and United With Israel with extra feature on Coexistence. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here. Please pass on those links to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page. Many thanks again to Myer for placing an advert for the newsletter in the June issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 12).
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
· Click here to keyword SEARCH almost any topic in the IsraelActive archives (18,500+ news articles).
· If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Severe Covid patients cured in a day. (TY UWI) Israel’s Bonus BioGroup (see here previously) tested its MesenCure MSC treatment on 10 severely ill, high risk Covid-19 patients at Haifa’s Rambam hospital. All ten improved sufficiently to be discharged just one day after treatment. MesenCure now advances to Phase 2 trials.
https://www.jpost.com/health-science/10-serious-covid-patients-given-israeli-drug-leave-hospital-in-one-day-669564 https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-biotech-company-aces-phase-i-covid-cure-trial/
Cancer treatment trial extended. The Phase 1 / 2 trial of DSP107 from Israel’s KAHR Medical (see here previously) has commenced and will now be expanded to include blood cancer patients in addition to solid tumors. KAHR has received an additional investment of $5 million to fund the enlarged trial.
Baking soda helps kill cancer cells. (TY Nevet) Israeli-Arab Technion PhD graduate Hanan Abumanhal has discovered sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) increases the potency of chemotherapy. For her doctorate, she developed nano particles to reduce the acidity of tumors, allowing reduced quantities of chemo to penetrate.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30615983/
Balancing gene expression to prevent cancer. Researchers at Ben Gurion University have discovered a new biological event that can control an excessive production of genes involved in cancer cell formation. Discovery of “the methylation of BRD4” advances scientific understanding of human cancer progression and its treatment.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/breast_cancer.aspx
The immune cells that accelerate liver disease. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have discovered that the dendritic immune cell cDC1 increases the severity of fatty liver disease and NASH, suffered by 90% of obese individuals. The discovery may lead to treatments that could benefit millions of patients.
https://www.jpost.com/health-science/israeli-scientists-find-cell-involved-in-fatty-liver-disease-progression-668743 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01344-3
Software to help correct genetic defects. The development of CRISPR technology to prevent genetic diseases is hampered by off-target (unintended) changes to the genes. New software called CRISPECTOR from Israel’s IDC and Bar-Ilan University can prevent the consequences from transplanting erroneously modified cells.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306746
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22417-4
In touch with the senses. Israel’s CorrActions is developing technology to detect deterioration in human cognitive state from drowsiness, fatigue, exhaustion, intoxication, age, and health issues. A sensor monitors slight, unique, changes in human touch or motion. It could prevent accidents or work errors by professionals.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908719,00.html https://www.corractions.com/
Migraine wearable wins Medtech award. The Nerivio therapeutic wearable for treating migraine pain from Israel’s Theranica (see here previously) won “Best New Technology Solution for Pain Management” award in the 2021 MedTech Breakthrough Awards program. It beat more than 3,850 nominations from 17 countries.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israelis-invent-first-wearable-migraine-device-for-acute-pain/
Tool for diagnosing autism. Israeli startup Cell-El Therapeutics.is developing a diagnostic tool for “triple A” (autoimmune antibody associated) autism. It has identified 30 immunological biomarkers and is developing a blood test using the best five. This could help identify severely autistic children and implement early therapies.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-diagnostic-tool-that-treats-autism-like-cancer/ https://www.cell-el.com/
VeryGoodNewsIsrael can be good for your health. It’s official. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have published the findings of their longevity study of 1200 Israelis that began in 1990. Participants aged 85-90 with a high optimism score had a 20% higher rate of survival over those who were less optimistic.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/307287
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Cigarettes come to an end on Israeli beaches. Volunteers from Israeli NGO “Clean the Butts” scour Israel’s beautiful beaches to remove discarded cigarette ends. Many are turned into artwork, while the remainder are shipped off to a recycling facility in Ireland. The NGO volunteers also sell pocket ashtrays to beachgoers.
https://www.israel21c.org/meet-the-people-on-a-mission-to-make-beaches-butt-free/
https://www.secrettelaviv.com/best/services/clean-the-butts
Women climb the tech ladder. Many Israeli organizations aim to help promote opportunities for women to join the Israeli hi-tech industry (see here previously). Now Jerusalem-based Fem JLM has launched a program – FemForward, offering lectures, mentors and networking to help women in tech progress into management.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908699,00.html
Treating animals injured by Hamas rockets. Israel’s Ramat Gan Safari saved a black macaque injured when shrapnel from a Hamas rocket lodged in its spine. It is also treating animals wounded by the missiles that were brought in by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. And watch the elephants when they hear the rocket sirens.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-zoo-elephants-protect-young-during-air-raid-siren/
Acre Arabs to help repair Jewish businesses. Arab mobs wrecked the Arabesque Hotel, owned by Evan Fallenberg, and the Effendi Hotel and Uri Buri restaurant, owned by Uri Jeremias, in the Israeli city of Acre. But most of the Arab community was appalled by the events and has rallied round to help repair the damage.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/arab-jewish-violence-israel-threatens-coexistence-my-neighbors-i-won-ncna1267982 https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-hotelier-restaurateur-to-rebuild-after-akko-arson/
https://www.israel21c.org/sadness-turns-to-resolve-and-optimism-after-akko-violence/
More Jewish-Arab solidarity. Arab and Jewish medical staff at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer and at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, joined together in solidarity events last week. Rambam used social media to showcase Jews and Arabs working together, displaying messages of peace in Hebrew and in Arabic.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/jewish-and-arab-health-professionals-in-israel-unite-in-solidarity/
Arabs pitch in Jerusalem. 60 Israeli Arabs, Palestinian Arabs and UAE Arabs presented their startup ideas at a JVP “tech-pitch” event in Jerusalem. They included an eco-friendly hotel run by Jews and Arabs, music training for young Arabs and Jews, and an app to learn Hebrew and Arabic. (See here for previous hackathon).
Jews & Arabs tech seminar in the South. Israeli-Jews, Israeli-Arabs and Palestinian Arabs have been attending a two-week tech seminar organized by Tech2Peace at Moshav Hatseva, in the Arava desert. The aim is to promote peace and personal relations through tech – e.g. 3D design, app development and web building.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909039,00.html
The Israeli Arab that founded a Unicorn. Wagde Zabit describes growing up in the Israeli Muslim Galilee town of Kafr Mand. As a five-year-old he received a present of his first computer. Much later he graduated from Israel’s Technion to co-found Israeli cybersecurity startup Orca Security, now worth over $1 billion.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908829,00.html
Most resilient to Covid. Israel has come top of the Global Pandemic Resilience Index, published by global consumer advocacy group Consumer Choice Center. 40 countries were compared as to vaccination approval, vaccination drive, time lags that put breaks on giving vaccines, critical care bed capacity and mass testing.
https://www.israel21c.org/israel-comes-first-in-global-pandemic-resilience-index/
https://consumerchoicecenter.org/pandemic-resilience-index-2021/
UAE opens its Israel embassy. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has opened its new embassy in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building. Israel opened its own embassy in Abu Dhabi in January (see here previously).
https://unitedwithisrael.org/historic-this-arab-ally-opened-new-embassy-in-israel/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn81GSznrdc
Israel to Marrakesh flights in July. Israeli airline Israir will launch direct flights between Israel and Morocco's Marrakesh on July 19. Israir expects that the route will attract hundreds of thousands of Israelis and are scheduling five services a week. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/307323
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Rocket science for the greater good. Israel’s Iron Dome system developer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems set a challenge for the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT) annual women’s hackathon - image processing to benefit humanity. The winning entry detected if an elderly person fell and notified their emergency contact.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/307286
Alerting device for hearing impaired. One team at the JCT LevTech women’s hackathon developed an electronic bracelet alarm for the hard of hearing. It vibrates when it detects a rocket siren and thus alerts the wearer to the need to get to a bomb shelter. It can even differentiate from other alarms or similar sounds.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-women-hackers-invent-rocket-alert-for-hearing-impaired/
Self-driving algorithms. Israel’s SAIPS (see here previously) was acquired by Ford in 2016. It is now preparing to help Ford test its autonomous cars in Tel Aviv. SAIPS develops real-time algorithms that help the vehicle understand its environment and connect to 3D maps of the self-driving vehicle’s surroundings.
https://nocamels.com/2021/05/ford-saips-self-driving-vehicles-autonomous/
FIFA to test Israeli smart shoe device. Israel’s Playermaker makes a shoe-mounted device used to track performance by some 150 soccer academies and teams including Liverpool and Arsenal. It has now been accepted by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) for its Innovation Program.
Helping fight crime. Israeli startup Forenza has developed a new subscription-based data platform to help police forces and private investigators solve crimes. Forenza uses publicly available (no privacy issues) open sources, digital forensic evidence, and business intelligence from public social media platforms.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908083,00.html https://forenza.net/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfS_nExiYQU
Magic connection for factory systems. Israel’s Magic Software (see here previously) has launched FactoryEye to help medium-sized factories increase productivity and efficiency. It connects all production machines and IT systems under one platform providing AI tools, forecasts, and analytics.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908412,00.html
Learn online without a computer. Israel’s Classi turns any TV into a remove education platform. Download the software onto any Android TV converter (costing less than $100). Add a web camera and an optional keyboard and mouse and your TV becomes a laptop alternative that provides Zoom, YouTube, Word and Excel.
https://www.israel21c.org/no-computer-no-problem-classi-brings-remote-school-to-tv/
https://en.classi-website.com/
A robotic pollinator for greenhouses. Israel’s Arugga is developing an autonomous robot for treating and monitoring individual plants in greenhouses. Its first module - TRATA - is a robotic pollinator for greenhouse-grown tomatoes. It recognizes pollination-ready flowers and applies calibrated air pulses to the selected flower.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908415,00.html https://www.arugga.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5WyVLKcmjo
Using Google to detect Red Palm Weevil infestations. Damage caused by Red Palm Weevils is monumental. Scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University used Artificial Intelligence to recognize healthy palm trees and infested trees from Google Aerial and Street View images. Their work could save millions of palm trees.
https://www.jpost.com/jpost-tech/israeli-scientists-find-way-to-detect-weevil-infestations-with-ai-google-669383 https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/palm_weevils.aspx
Protecting employees in the office. Israel’s Canario has developed two smart wearable devices to help protect staff from viruses and contamination. The Canario Proximity will identify anyone who was within 2 meters of an infected person so that they can be quarantined. The other device detects air pollutants and radiation.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908488,00.html https://canario.co.il/en/home/
As strong as spider silk. Israel’s Seevix Material Sciences has developed SVX - synthetic spider silk fibers that are five times stronger than high tensile steel but only one-fifth the weight. SVX was genetically engineered using a unique DNA sequence plus a fermentation process using bacteria, sugar, yeast and water.
Honey without bees. In the land of Milk and Honey, Israel’s Bee-io Honey is developing cultured honey in the laboratory. It uses natural nectar and an “artificial bee stomach,” to simulate the enzymatic activity, conditions and processes that occur in the bee’s stomach. Bee-io Honey has just listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
https://nocamels.com/2021/05/bee-io-honey-merge-whitestone-group/ https://bee-io.com/
Materials for tomorrow’s world. Israel’s Materials Zone (see here previously) has developed a smart AI platform for discovering new innovative compounds. It analyzes research data to help develop glass that makes electricity, low carbon concrete, personal X-ray filters and so many applications than cannot yet be imagined.
https://www.materials.zone/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy88fjXSSwY
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
$2 billion of investment funds. Israeli startups raised almost $2 billion of funds in May. The total for the first five months of 2021 has now reached $8.6 billion, compared to $10 billion for the whole of 2020. Digital health companies raised $700 million in the first quarter of 2021 – nearly equal to all 2020.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israeli-startups-raised-nearly-2b-in-may-1001372852
Foreign tourists return. (TY WIN) Israeli Minister of Tourism welcomed the first tourists to Israel in over a year. A group of 12 Christian pilgrims arrived from St. Louis. Groups of up to 30 vaccinated tourists can now enter Israel. The Tourism Ministry said about 20 groups are expected during the pilot period up to 15th June.
https://www.jns.org/first-foreign-tourists-arrive-in-israel-after-more-than-a-year/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IibQktyoVhs
So much choice. Israel has so many accelerator /incubator programs that support young companies and entrepreneurs that it can be difficult for innovative startups to decide which to approach for mentorship, office space and sponsorship. This article highlights six typical programs fueling Israel’s vital startup ecosystem.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907917,00.html
Tracking Israel’s “green” index. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange launched its TA-125 Fossil Free index in December. Israel’s Migdal Capital Markets has now followed up the event by becoming the first investment house to launch an exchange traded fund (ETF) that tracks the new index.
Insurance for mission-critical systems. Israel’s Parametrix Insurance protects companies if their Cloud service provider breaks down. It provides cover for financial loss including reputational failure and compensation for service level agreements with customers and third parties.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908607,00.html https://parametrixinsurance.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juCbFgNYjcs
Seagate products to have “Israel inside”. US giant Seagate is to integrate the VCode security software from Israel’s Karamba (see here previously) into its storage systems., Karamba is benefiting from the new legal requirements for manufacturers of IOT (Internet of Things) devices to protect products from security threats.
Vegetable walls for Californian seniors. Israel’s Vertical Field (see here previously) has been chosen to provide its vertical farming systems to assisted-living homes in California managed by Calson Management. If successful, the pilot scheme in Vallejo, California will be expanded to seven more centers.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/vertical-field-to-erect-farm-installations-for-seniors-in-california/
OurCrowd launched during a Hamas attack. Jon Medved writes how in 2012, Hamas rockets did not deter OurCrowd’s initial New York investors. On the contrary, they doubled their stake in the Israeli innovative crowdsourcing platform. https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/startups-need-resilience-especially-in-israel/
Investment in Israeli startups: Gong raised $250 million; Exabeam raised $200 million; Venn raised $60 million; ALD raised $50 million; DayTwo raised $37 million; Comunix raised $30 million; Novidea raised $30 million; DealHub raised $20 million; SAM Seamless Network raised $20 million; CorrActions raised $2.7 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Center Stage – jam packed June. Center Stage is Israel’s premier professional English language theater in Raanana. June events include Jokers & Thieves Songtalk (9th); The Shapes of Love (12th); 100 Suspicions (20th) Yohay Sponder (26th); The Gate (30th). Plus, comedy, quizzes, jam sessions, karaoke and more.
https://www.centerstageisrael.com/
Israeli on podium in Monaco F2 race. (TY Nevet) Israel’s Roy Nissany, driving a Williams Dams, achieved his maiden FIA Formula 2 Championship podium finish. Dissany, who is Williams Racing’s official test driver, finished third in the first Sprint Race in Monaco.
https://www.automobilsport.com/dams-monaco-f2-podium-roy-nissany---224009.html
Israel to host international cycling finals. Tel Aviv is the venue for the finale of the first-ever Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Champions League cycling track competition (Nov-Dec 2021). Earlier rounds visit Spain, France, Lithuania and London, culminating at the Sylvan Adams National Velodrome in Tel Aviv on Dec 11.
https://www.israel21c.org/tel-aviv-to-host-uci-track-champions-league-finale/
More medals for Linoy. (TY UWI) Israel’s Linoy Ashram won 3 medals at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in Pesaro, Italy. She won a gold medal in the balls event and silver in both the hoops and in the clubs.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-gymnast-ashram-snags-gold-two-silvers-at-italy-world-cup/
Israeli woman climbs Everest. (TY WIN) Israel’s Danielle Wolfson, a 43-year-old lawyer from Ramat Gan, has planted an Israeli flag on top of Mount Everest - the world’s tallest mountain. She is the first female Israeli to reach the top of the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak and only the fourth Israeli to do so.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-woman-makes-history-as-she-summits-mt-everest/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaIjjuzI0Ww
THE JEWISH STATE
The Tower of David reborn. Here is a recording of the webinar “The Tower of David Museum - A Window into the Past, Present and Future of Jerusalem” organized by the America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL). Its $40 million refurbishment transforms the museum into a “Must See” site during your next visit to Jerusalem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcRn-HpIQ-E
Roman basilica in Ashkelon. (TY WIN & ILTV) Archaeologists at Tel Ashkelon National Park have found a magnificent 2,000-year-old Roman basilica - the largest of its kind in Israel. Herodian coins in the floor show it was built during the reign of Herod the Great, around the time he extended the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/307198
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5O_w8hWUHQ
Connecting Past and Future. (TY Sharon) This week’s Real Jerusalem Streets features the rebuilding of the Schneller Compound (see here previously) which will house a new interactive museum to feature historic and current Jewish communities from around the world.
http://rjstreets.com/2021/05/30/schneller-compound-connecting-past-and-future/
210530
In the 30th May 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli wound treatment uses patients’ own blood to save their lives.
· Israeli-invented pill camera to be given to 11,000 UK patients.
· Media reports of Israel’s civil war are fake news.
· Israeli technology is out of this world.
· 20 Israeli companies have partnered to make Israel’s roads safer.
· Almost every week there’s a new Israeli billion-dollar company.
· Israelis smash swimming and singing records at Euro events.
· Birthright has resumed free Israel tours for American Jews.
· Click here to see the 16th May newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, San Diego Jewish World, and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and here. Please pass on the following links to German contacts. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page. Many thanks again to Myer for placing an advert for the newsletter in the June issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 12).
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
· Click here to keyword SEARCH almost any topic in the IsraelActive archives (18,500+ news articles).
· If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Blood clot treatment for chronic wounds. Israelis Dr Igal & Alon Kushnir founded RedDress Medical to develop ActiGraft - a revolutionary fast treatment that uses blood clots made from the patient’s own blood to heal chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers. It is saving lives in Israel, the US and 15 other countries.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israelis-invent-revolutionary-blood-clot-that-heals-chronic-wounds/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmiAeO2bH44 (testimonial from a South African Muslim)
https://reddressmedical.com/technology/
Early warning of dialysis problems. Israel’s PatenSee has developed an image system to detect deterioration of fistulas – the artery / vein connection from dialysis machines to patients. Over time these connections fail due to blockages (stenoses), risking blood clots and thromboses. The system is in trials at two Israeli hospitals.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907910,00.html https://www.patensee.com/
Swiss partner to fight bowel disease. Israel’s CytoReason (see here previously) is partnering Swiss multinational Ferring to find new treatments for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). CytoReason’s AI technology will enable the joint building of models of diseased cells on which therapies will be tested.
Clues to the origins of Parkinson’s. Researchers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Penn State College of Medicine have made an important discovery about the protein alpha-synuclein, associated with the development of Parkinson’s and dementia. It gives hope for new therapeutics to delay or halt their progression.
https://www.afhu.org/2021/05/19/protein-simulation-experiments-unveil-clues-on-origins-of-parkinsons-disease/ https://www.cell.com/structure/fulltext/S0969-2126(21)00160-X
European certification for AI cancer detector. Israel’s Ibex Medical Analytics (see here previously) has received Europe’s CE Mark for its Galen Breast image analysis solution to help pathologists detect various types of cancer. It follows successful trials in Israel and France.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908568,00.html
The easy road to recovery. Israeli founded Laguna Health aims to reduce costly hospital readmissions and shorten recovery times. Its app can provide patients in the US either with a fully digital and personalized recovery journey or enable interactions with live expert recovery coaches via text, telephone or video.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908592,00.html https://www.lagunahealth.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1wRbuL-vu4
The inventor of the first ingestible camera. Technion UK’s webinar on 31st May features Israel’s Rafi Nave, senior researcher at Israel’s Technion. He headed the development of the PillCam, the world’s first ingestible camera for imaging the digestive tract. NHS UK is about to use PillCam for 11,000 patients across England.
https://technionuk.org/event/early-cancer-detection-the-nhs-and-israel/
Gazan children in Israeli hospital. Children from Gaza, being treated free of charge by doctors at Israel’s Save a Child’s Heart (SACH), normally go home after surgery. But due to Hamas rockets, 3 post-surgery Gazan kids had to stay in the SACH children’s house and six more in the hospital itself.
https://www.israel21c.org/gazan-kids-celebrate-ramadan-in-israeli-hospital-despite-rockets/
More supplies for the South. Israeli volunteer medical equipment organization Yad Sarah (see here previously) has sent hundreds of home hospital equipment, wheelchairs, crutches, respiratory aids etc. to reinforce its branches in the south of the country.
Saving lives has no boundaries. Two real-life stories highlight the lengths that United Hatzalah volunteers will go to treat Israeli citizens of any religion, whose lives are in danger.
https://israelrescue.org/blog/amid-the-tensions-jewish-emts-perform-cpr-in-east-jerusalem-save-a-muslim-mans-life/ https://israelrescue.org/blog/muslim-doctor-lightly-injured-after-protecting-a-jewish-man-with-his-own-body-during-an-attempted-lynch-in-tamra/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Coexistence Is real. Articles from executives including Intel Israel and SodaStream. Numerous Israeli startups (see here), multinationals and professions employ Israeli Arab Muslims working happily alongside Israeli Jews.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907912,00.html
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907941,00.html
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907903,00.html
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908011,00.html
Working together. These articles are from some of the many groups dedicated to understanding and friendship between Israeli Jews and Arabs and residents of the Palestinian Authority-administered territories. The current situation is only inspiring them to work even harder.
https://www.israel21c.org/pain-and-hope-fill-hearts-of-israeli-coexistence-activists/
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306750
Israeli Arab woman receives kidney from Jewish victim of Lod riot. One of the kidneys of Yigal Yehoshua, murdered in Lod, was donated to Randa, a female Arab resident of Jerusalem. She said, "I thank Yigal's family, from heaven they will be comforted.” Five patients benefited from Yigal’s organs.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306468
Training for the underrepresented in Israeli hi-tech. Cybersecurity education platform Cybint and the 8200 Alumni Association are using myInterview (see here), to select candidates for a 3-month cybersecurity training course. The aim is to attract more women, haredim, Arabs and new immigrants to a career in cybersecurity.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908007,00.html
From the White House to VC founder. Israel’s Lee Moser describes her journey from chief of staff for the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. to become founder and managing partner of venture capital fund AnD Ventures. She realized that Israel’s strength was in technology and now controls a $30 million pre-seed tech fund.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908310,00.html https://www.and-ventures.com/
The Bright Initiative. Israel’s Bright Data has established The Bright Initiative to help work with British organizations to establish the UK’s National Data Strategy (NDS). During the consultancy stage, Bright Data highlighted the 3 key areas of the NDS - internet transparency, data skills, and the ethics of data collection.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908268,00.html https://brightinitiative.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_Cv3q8UyZM https://brightdata.com/
Connecting the world with education. Israeli students joined thousands worldwide for the annual celebration of World ORT’s global education network. This year’s theme was “connection” with youngsters in Israel, Ukraine, Panama, Italy, Brazil, Russia and more participating in a digital postcard exchange and a live quiz.
https://www.jns.org/thousands-of-students-connect-for-projects-films-quiz-on-ort-day-2021/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Keeping satellites on track. (TY UWI) SatGuard from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI helps extend the life of orbiting satellites. SatGuard’s Earth-based AI system uses the satellite’s telemetry data to detect anomalies and faults at an early stage and alert the satellite operator to take appropriate action to prevent system failure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnqPpygeUvg
From Mars to Jupiter. The cryogenic cooler from Israel’s Ricor has been keeping the X-ray detector on the Mars Curiosity Rover operational on the surface of the planet Mars since 2012 (see here previously). Ricor now has 215 employees on Kibbutz Ein Harod and is participating in NASA’s mission to Jupiter’s Europa moon.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908152,00.html
Israeli tech’s journey to the asteroids. Amongst recent news of Israel’s Ramon.Space (see here) is that some of its equipment still sits on the asteroid Ryugu, many millions of miles from Earth. It was used in the Japanese Space Agency’s 2014-2020 Hayabusa-2 mission. Hayabusa-2 will rendezvous with another asteroid in 2031.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908485,00.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayabusa2
Israel’s cloud. Google and Amazon Web Services have signed Israel’s $1 billion “Project Nimbus” contract to move the data of Israeli Government ministries and other public entities to “the cloud”. It will generate 3,000 jobs for local Israeli companies, which will build and operate Israel’s cloud-based data centers and services.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-signs-deal-for-cloud-services-with-google-amazon/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908432,00.html
Reducing Europe’s wasted food. Israel’s Wasteless (see here previously) uses variable pricing to reduce the amount of supermarket food that is thrown away. Wasteless has just partnered Germany’s NX-Food, which operates the METRO stores chain. METRO’s first implementation will be at its Makro subsidiary in Poland.
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/05/10/israels-wasteless-partners-with-germanys-nx-food-on-food-waste-reduction-in-eu/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP7LXYnXgqA (BBC radio 4 Positive Idea 2020 winner).
Toyota chooses Mobileye. Israel-based Mobileye (now part of Intel) and Germany’s ZF Friedrichshafen AG are partnering to build advanced driver assistance and safety (ADAS) technology for Toyota. Mobileye’s EyeQ4 vision system, plus ZF’s Gen 21 radar, will interpret the environment around Toyota vehicles.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/toyota-picks-mobileye-germanys-zf-for-driver-assistance-tech/
The highway of tomorrow. 20 Israeli smart mobility companies have set up a consortium with Netivei Israel, aiming to reduce accidents and congestion on Israeli roads. Its core is the non-profit Israel Smart Mobility Living Lab (ISMLL) which is piloting a study along a 28km section of Coastal highway 2 south from Netanya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jUN5QDEou4
Revolutionary new engine now runs on hydrogen. Israel’s Aquarius Engines (see here previously) has modified its innovative 10kg free-piston linear engine to use hydrogen fuel. The engine can greatly reduce global emissions and carbon footprint of automobiles and bring light to the developing nations (see video).
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/05/21/aquarius-engines-unveils-new-hydrogen-engine/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6e9fxiYbRQ
AI processor of the year. Israel’s Hailo (see here previously) has won the 2021 Edge AI and Vision Product of the Year Awards for ‘Best Edge AI Processor’. The award recognized that Hailo’s AI chip transforms visual intelligence, enabling smart devices to run neural network-based applications more effectively at the edge.
https://www.edge-ai-vision.com/2021/05/2021-edge-ai-and-vision-product-of-the-year-award-winner-showcase-hailo-edge-ai-processors/ https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908560,00.html
Keep an eye on your potatoes. Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have developed a molecular bio sensor to detect early signs of plant stress, allowing farmers time to prevent crop failures. The sensor has been tested on potatoes – vital for world food security (and Israeli exports) but could be adapted to other key crops.
https://www.afhu.org/2021/05/25/ever-wonder-what-a-potato-feels/
https://academic.oup.com/plphys/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/plphys/kiab159/6212091
https://www.tridge.com/intelligences/potato/IL/export
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Unemployment falls again. Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported the core unemployment rate fell from 7.9% to 5% in April. The broader measure of 10.6% includes those who should begin to return to work in June when Israel’s unpaid leave scheme ends.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-unemployment-in-israel-falls-to-5-1001371926
Time for a career change. Covid is over, as far as Israel’s hi-tech jobs market is concerned, with Israeli companies fighting over available local resources. This is according to the OurCrowd High-Tech Jobs Index - a quarterly report tracks vacancies and hiring patterns of high-tech companies in Israel and abroad.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908280,00.html
https://blog.ourcrowd.com/ourcrowd-job-index-q1-2021/
A conveyor belt of Unicorns. In 2020 16 Israeli companies became unicorns – private companies valued over $1 billion. This amounted to around 10% of new unicorns globally in 2020. 15 more Israeli companies have become unicorns already in 2021 – almost one a week. Israel is embracing a digital transformation boom.
Sunbit becomes a Unicorn. With R&D centers in Tel Aviv and Binyamina, US-headquartered Sunbit has developed a payment method that allows US stores to offer their customers the option to buy now and pay later, in installments. Sunbit has just raised $130 million of funds, to reach a “Unicorn” valuation of $1.1 billion.
https://nocamels.com/2021/05/israel-sunbit-valuation-billion-series-d/ https://sunbit.com/
Israeli cool startups. Four Israeli startups were listed in Garner’s 2021 Cool Vendors list. They are VOOM (Insurance), Run:AI (Enterprise AI Operationalization and Engineering), Lightrun (Monitoring, Observability and Cloud Operations) and Apiiro (DevSecOps). All have previously appeared in this newsletter.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908026,00.html
7 Israeli “disruptors” in top 50. CNBC’s 2021 Disruptor 50 list (of companies aligned with a rapid pace of technological change) contains seven Israelis (up from 5 in 2020). They are SentinelOne (at number 4), TytoCare (9), K Health (11), Snyk (15), Neteera (26), Sight Diagnostics (31) and Cybereason (32).
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908585,00.html
Half a billion to invest. Israeli venture capital firm 83North has raised a new $550 million fund. This is the VCs sixth fund and will take its assets under management to $1.8 billion. 83North has invested in Israeli startups ironSource and Payoneer (who are about to go public) plus CYE, Trigo, Zerto, Via, and many others.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908003,00.html
BBC swaps one Israeli service for another. BBC Global News has replaced Outbrain (see here) - its Israeli provider of recommendations for the website BBC.com - with Israel’s Taboola (see here). Ironically, the Israeli firms recently cancelled a 2019 merger agreement (see here). (No change likely to BBC’s anti-Israeli reporting)
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3908524,00.html
Thousands of air passengers. On May 24th 18,000 passengers passed through Tel Aviv Ben Gurion’s airport with 134 flights taking off and landing. Many of the foreign airlines, who suspended flights during Operation Guardian of the Walls have now resumed Israel operations.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-ben-gurion-airport-packed-with-passengers-1001371776
Promoting tourism in Dubai. Dubai’s Arabian Travel Market was billed as the first travel and tourism event to happen in person since the global coronavirus outbreak. Israeli booth marketed the country as the “Land of Creation”. Videos advertised Israel’s vegan food, its beaches and urged: “Book Your Trip Now” to Tel Aviv.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-promotes-tourism-in-dubai-even-amid-ongoing-conflict-with-gaza/
Wandera exits for $400 million. Israeli-founded, London based cybersecurity company Wandera, has been acquired by U.S. company Jamf for $400 million.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907548,00.html
Investment in Israeli startups: Global-e Online raised $375 million; Forter raised $300 million; Sunbit raised $130 million; Wiz raised $120 million; Explorium raised $75 million; Salt Security raised $70 million; Snappy raised $70 million; Rapid Medical raised $50 million; AnyClip raised $47 million; Salto.io raised $42 million; Upstream Security raised $38.6 million; Thetaray raised $31 million; Cynerio raised $30 million; Twine Solutions raised $28 million; LightRun raised $23 million; Solidus Labs raised $20 million; Parametrix Insurance raised $17.5 million; Ramon.space raised $17.5 million; Promo.com raised $16 million; RightBound raised $12 million; Laguna Health raised $6.6 million; Kando raised $6 million; KAHR Medical raised $5 million; HopOn raised $4.5 million; Arugga raised $4 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Western Galilee Spring festival. The Western Galilee Now consortium of small businesses has just held its eight Spring Festival, supported by JNF-USA. Its 30 events highlighted the region’s variety of cultural, culinary, art, leisure and nature activities, as well as its geographical richness, history and multiculturalism.
Movie theaters (cinemas) to reopen. Israel’s Cinema City, YES Planet, Lev, and Hot Cinema chains are to resume operations for the first time since March 2020. Vaccinated citizens will be able to attend separate screenings to those for the general public, so that unvaccinated children can attend without Covid testing.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/movie-theaters-set-to-reopen-after-14-month-covid-shutdown/
Eden shatters Eurovision record. Israel’s Eden Alene, whose parents made Aliya from Ethiopia, represented Israel in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. Although she didn’t win, her performance of “Set Me Free” included a glass-shattering B6 - the highest note ever sung in Eurovision history.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/italy-wins-eurovision-2021-israel-places-17th/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y-blG5ptwo
Euro swimming gold for Israeli teenager. Israeli Anastasia Gorbenko (17) took nearly 2 secs off the Israeli record in winning the women’s 200-meter individual medley final at the European Aquatics Championship in Budapest. She broke 4 more Israeli records at the event and now looks forward to the Tokyo Olympics.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-swimmer-sets-new-record-with-gold-medal-win-at-european-swim-meet/
https://swimswam.com/17-year-old-anastasia-gorbenko-cracks-israeli-200-im-record-again-with-209-99/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwmAM4D3AY4
Para swimming medals. (TY UWI) Israel’s Ami Dadaon won 3 gold medals and set two new World records at the European Para Swimming Championships in Portugal. Israel’s Mark Maylar won 4 medals, including a gold while Iyad Shalabi won another gold and Yulia Gordiychuk won a bronze.
Chasing baseball gold in Tokyo. Israel’s baseball team, Team Israel is busy training and preparing for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. All 24 players have made Aliya and become Israeli citizens. JNF-USA is funding the team, plus the building of baseball fields in Israel to promote “Baseball for all” - Jews and Arabs.
THE JEWISH STATE
IDF newlyweds donate their honeymoon. IDF Paratrooper Liron and his IDF bride Yarona decided to help Israel defend against Hamas rather than embark on their honeymoon. They decided to gift their honeymoon B&B break in Israel to a couple in the South allowing them to get respite from the thousands of Hamas rockets.
From American youth to Israeli kids. Over 30 communities in the US have teamed up with Israel’s Colel Chabad to provide gift packages to young children in Yavne, Ashdod and Sderot. The age-appropriate gifts included books and hand-written notes to help the Israeli children through a scary, confusing time.
https://www.jns.org/youth-groups-in-america-raise-40000-for-gift-packages-for-israeli-children/
First vaccinated Birthright tour arrives. After a gap of a year, the first Birthright Israel group has landed in Israel. The 10-day educational tour will take the vaccinated US students to Jerusalem, Masada, the Dead Sea, the Golan Heights, Safed, and Tel Aviv. Many more trips are planned from June to October.
https://www.jns.org/first-vaccinated-birthright-israel-group-from-america-lands-in-tel-aviv/
10 years of English Teaching program. Masa Israel Teaching Fellows (MITF) is celebrating its 10-year milestone. MITF has brought some 1,700 college graduates from countries including the US, Canada and UK as volunteer English teachers at schools in 19 Israeli cities.
https://www.jns.org/masa-israel-teaching-fellows-celebrate-10-years-of-program/
A tale of two coins. Coins were minted by the Romans in CE 71 to celebrate their defeat of the Jews of Judea. Coins minted earlier by Jews were inscribed “For the freedom of Zion” (Jerusalem). Coins of both type were found in Jerusalem and in 1958 Israel minted a medallion depicting both coins to signify that Zion is again free.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk2COplmqFY
210516
In the 16th May 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· US doctors use an Israeli device to remove blood clots from stroke patients.
· Israel has sent tons of coronavirus aid to India.
· 4 top multinationals are expanding Israeli hi-tech operations.
· Israeli innovators are turning CO2 emissions into an energy source.
· Israel’s economy continues to improve.
· An Israeli has won France’s top literary prize.
· The festival of Shavuot is uniting Israelis, just as it did 3,333 years ago.
· Click here to see the 9th May newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, San Diego Jewish World, and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and here. Please pass on the following links to German contacts. (Zachy is on holiday, so no Hebrew version this week). Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page. Many thanks again to Myer for placing an advert for the newsletter in the May issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 9).
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
· Click here to keyword SEARCH almost any topic in the IsraelActive archives (18,000+ news articles).
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Trials for Covid-19 wonder treatment. The EXO-CD24 Covid treatment (see here) invented by doctors at Israel’s Sourasky (Ichilov) Medical Center, is about to begin Phase 2 trials in Greece on 90 patients. If successful, the treatment could be available to treat patients in India, Brazil etc. by end 2021.
How Covid-19 fools the immune system. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have produced the most detailed analysis yet of how SARS-Cov-2 stops cells from making the proteins needed to alert the immune system. When Covid-19 is finally detected, the immune system’s cytokine storm response is too massive.
Post-Pfizer vaccination study. Tel Aviv University scientists conducted the world’s first digital monitoring study to check concerns about the side effects of the SARS-Cov-2 vaccine. Almost all 160 Israelis monitored showed changes to vital signs (heart rates, blood pressure etc.). These all returned to normal 3 days later.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.06.21256587v1
Israeli vaccine news. Israel’s Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) anticipates commencing Phase 3 of its coronavirus vaccine trials soon – probably in Argentina as 30,000 unvaccinated volunteers are required. A new trial may also be launched to test if the two-shot vaccine could be combined into a higher dose single shot.
https://nocamels.com/2021/05/israeli-covid-19-vaccine-single-dose-redo-trials/
First US patients for Israeli blood clot remover. (TY Atid-EDI) The first US patients have been treated with the Tigertriever from Israel’s Rapid Medical. The device helps neurosurgeons to remove blood clots and restore blood flow to the brain following an ischemic (stroke) event. It was approved by the US FDA in March.
https://www.cathlabdigest.com/content/first-us-ischemic-stroke-patients-treated-rapid-medicals-novel-clot-retriever https://news.yahoo.com/wellstar-docs-tool-remove-blood-223600879.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjUfE_DZIdM https://vimeo.com/248700464
Transformative treatment for Cystic Fibrosis. Israel’s SpliSense (see here), is developing mRNA-altering therapies for cystic fibrosis (CF) and other genetic pulmonary diseases. SpliSense founder Professor Batsheva Kerem was part of the Hebrew University team that identified the CFTR gene and developed the CF therapy.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907693,00.html
Molecule protects implants. Researchers from Tel Aviv University have developed an active molecule (SNV) that can significantly suppress inflammation and resulting bone destruction following dental implants. SNV was originally developed to treat Alzheimer’s disease but was tested on implants by a dentist for her PhD thesis.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/tu-tfa051121.php
Protein from mosquitos could treat brain disorders. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have used a light-sensitive protein derived from mosquitos to regulate the pathways connecting parts of the brain. They believe that the discovery may lead to treatments for neurological disorders such as epilepsy.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0896627321001616?dgcid=author
Breakthrough app warns of heart failure. Israel’s Cordio Medical (see here previously) has been granted breakthrough device designation by the US FDA for its HearO smartphone app that gives early warning of congestive heart failure by detecting subtle changes in voice tone. It could save millions of lives every year.
Accessible cardiac ultrasound. (TY ToI) Israel’s UltraSight has developed an ultrasound device and AI software that allows medical professionals to perform timely and accurate cardiac ultrasound tests regardless of their sonography (medical ultrasound) training. UltraSight won the TCT 2020 Innovation Competition.
https://www.ultrasight.com/ultrasight-raises-13-million-to-bring-a https://www.ultrasight.com/
https://scienmag.com/onsight-medical-wins-tct-connect-2020-shark-tank-innovation-competition/
More than just a wristband monitor. (TY Atid-EDI) Europe’s CE Mark has been awarded to the Remote Patient AI Monitoring Platform developed by Israel’s Bio-Beat. The system has recently been radically upgraded (see previous) and now automatically and continuously tracks 15 cardio-pulmonary vital signs.
https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/biobeat-s-ai-powered-remote-patient-monitoring-platform-receives-a-full-ce-mark-883148022.html https://www.bio-beat.com/
It pays to be healthy. Israel’s UVTAL Health has developed Rumble – an app that uses social, behavioral and economic incentives to help over one million Israelis take exercise. The app records the number of steps walked and converts that into tokens that can be spent at many shops and websites.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907283,00.html https://www.rumble.co.il/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Gaza patients still treated in Israel. (TY Myer Green & I24 News) Despite Gaza terrorists firing rockets into Israel at the end of April, the IDF was still coordinating the transportation of sick patients from Gaza into Israel for treatment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xojBkO-ESkA
Czech & Slovak parliaments recognize Jerusalem Day. Parliamentary Israel Allies Caucuses in Czech and Slovak Republics commemorated Jerusalem Day for the first time, simultaneously. Israeli ambassadors to both republics attended, along with other dignitaries. The shofar was blown in the Czech Chamber of Deputies.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306073
More Covid aid to India. Israel has sent two planes full of thousands of oxygen generators, respirators and medications to help India fight its worst outbreak of Covid-19. Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi wrote, “In the coming days, further plane loads of aid are expected to take off from Israel to our friends in India.”
https://www.israel21c.org/israel-sends-additional-aid-to-india-as-it-battles-worst-covid-crisis/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Google is radical about Israel. Israel is to be Google’s first non-US “Moonshot Lab”, developing radical “Deep Tech” ideas in areas such as ag-tech, clean energy, and robotics. Google X Head of Strategy Adi Aron Gilat will return to Israel. She will recruit up to 20 scientists who will also collaborate with Israeli universities.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907452,00.html
https://blog.x.company/coming-soon-moonshot-lab-israel-d0035e97d29b?gi=a9e19b980b1a
Intel’s $10 billion factory. (TY Arthur, Arutz 7 and I24 News) On top of $200 million (see here) and $600 million (see here) recent investments in Israel, Intel Israel CEO Yaniv Garty just announced the planned building of a new $10 billion chip plant in Israel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Qv3vv3scA
Nvidia to open AI hub in Haifa. US Nvidia has partnered the Israel Innovation Authority to set up Road2 hub - an innovation hub in Haifa to encourage Artificial Intelligence in Israel’s north. Startups will also be able to work with Nvidia Inception, an accelerator that supports more than 7,500 AI startups worldwide.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/nvidia-innovation-authority-set-up-ai-based-hub-in-haifa/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907291,00.html
NTT to open Israeli innovation lab. Japanese telecommunications giant NTT Corp is setting up an innovation lab that will be “a focal point” for all its Israeli activities. It will work with Israeli companies and academia “to develop cutting-edge technologies in various fields,” to support the activities of NTT and its customers.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/japanese-telecom-giant-ntt-to-open-innovation-lab-in-israel/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907542,00.html
Videos promote Jerusalem tech ecosystem. To mark Jerusalem Day, Start-Up Nation Central and Jerusalem partners released 4 videos to showcase entrepreneurs and social initiatives in the city, home to 350 startups. They cover BioTech (Alpha Tau), RehabTech (BrainQ & ALYN), Social & Creative Tech and ArtTech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2xaGv0fPCI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6snDfOHv_0A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_uHXi0dk48 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTyU13CM1Bg
Filling the tech talent gap. Ben Pasternak, CEO of Israel’s Aman Group, highlights the Government program to encourage more involvement of Israel’s Haredim and Arabs in hi-tech. They include initiatives such as Gov-tech. Companies like Aman are training members of both communities.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907142,00.html
https://innovationisrael.org.il/en/program/Gov-Tech
Virus resistant tomatoes. Israel’s TomaTech has a range of tomato varieties with intermediate resistance to the brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) that is ruining 50% of global tomato crops (see here for another Israeli-developed variety). TomaTech has now filed a patent for the DNA markers that identify high resistance traits.
http://www.fruitnet.com/eurofruit/article/185176/tomatech-cracks-code-for-tobrfv-resistance
https://www.tomatech.com/team-2-5-2/
Nail it every time. Israel’s Nimble has developed a home robot for automatic nail polish application. It uses 3D imaging and artificial intelligence to paint and dry your nails. Select a color, insert nail polish capsules and then your hand. After 3D-scanning, a robotic arm paints the nails in four coats, dried by hot air. All in 10 minutes.
https://nimblebeauty.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv9JJRgULsk
A teleport in Chile. Israel’s Gilat Satellite Networks has selected by Telefonica to equip the strategic teleport in Arica, Chile. The teleport is located under gateway beams of multiple satellites. Gilat’s platform will support rural Internet for schools and can provide broadband access and cellular backhaul throughout Latin America.
Training for data scientists. Israel’s Pagaya has launched a first-of-its-kind 16-week fully paid course to train data scientists, for which there is an acute shortage in Israel. University graduates in certain science, math and engineering subjects can apply, with the opportunity for full-time employment with Pagaya on completion.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907465,00.html
Converting 777s. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel Aerospace Industries is to establish a facility in South Korea to convert Boeing 777 planes from passenger to freight (P2F). There is a high demand for wide-body cargo planes with long-flight capacity. IAI plans to perform six (P2F) conversions per year, beginning in 2024.
https://www.iai.co.il/iai-to-establish-boeing-777-conversion-facility-in-south-korea
Nothing new under the Sun. Israel’s Shahar Solutions, founded by Ariel University Professor Gadi Golan and Natan Shahar have made a device to capture 100% of carbon dioxide emissions from engines and power plants. Then solar energy plus the 1897 Sabatier process converts the CO2 into methane to feed back into power plants.
https://nocamels.com/2021/05/carbon-emissions-natural-gas-israeli-startup/
Helping businesses manage cyber risk. Israel’s VisibleRisk is a joint venture between Moody’s and Israel’s Team8. Its aim is to enable business leaders to understand, manage and communicate cyber risk in financial terms. They can then take affirmative action to reduce the organization’s exposure to cyber security threats.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907567,00.html https://visiblerisk.com/
The right security posture. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Perimeter 81 (see here) has launched Device Posture Check (DPC). DPC ensures that only security-compliant devices can be connected to a company’s network. So even if a hacker used a valid user-ID and password, they wouldn’t be able to gain access to corporate data.
Pandemic tech award. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s TechSee (see here previously) has won a 2021 Pandemic Tech Innovation Award from TMC Labs for TechSee Live. The software allows a virtual technician or expert to see exactly what the customer sees and help fix problems remotely – a vital service during the coronavirus crisis.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/techsee-awarded-2021-pandemic-tech-innovation-award-301279221.html https://www.pandemictechnews.com/2021/04/26/tmc-announces-pandemic-tech-innovation-award-winners-for-2021/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Salaries up, deficit down, rating unchanged. Some good recent economic statistics as Israel emerges from the pandemic. The average salary and those for hi-tech employees are up around 10% compared to a year ago. The annual deficit is now 11.2% of GDP (end Feb 12.4%). S&P is maintaining its AA-/A-1+ credit rating for Israel.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-average-salary-in-israel-up-107-1001369880
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-average-monthly-pay-in-ai-in-israel-soars-to-nis-38500-1001369155
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israels-fiscal-deficit-continues-to-decline-1001370408
Free trade with South Korea. Israel’s Foreign Minister and Economy Minister are shortly to fly to Seoul to sign Israel’s first Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with an East Asian country and meet Korean business leaders. The FTA cancels customs duty on all Korean imports and will boost Israeli exports to Korea.
Free-wheeling partners. Israel’s REE Automotive has extended its partnership with Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors (see here in 2019) to include electric commercial vehicles for transporting people and goods. REE is also partnering French self-driving systems company Navya to develop a level 4 autonomous vehicle system.
Elbit buys British Aerospace unit. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Elbit has acquired Jerusalem-based Rokar International Ltd from the U.S. headquartered subsidiary of BAE (British Aerospace) Systems plc – for approximately $31 million. https://elbitsystems.com/pr-new/elbit-systems-acquires-bae-systems-rokar/
Avoid the checkout in Germany. Israel’s Trigo (see here previously) has partnered the REWE Group, one of Germany’s largest food retail chains, to deliver a “grab-and-go” shopping experience in Cologne. The launch of Trigo’s checkout-free experience in Germany follows its ventures with UK’s Tesco and Israel’s Shufersal.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907287,00.html
Hygienic clothing for Spain. Israel’s Polytex Technologies (see here previously) has accelerated its marketing in Spain, with new installations in Tarragona, Navarra, Barcelona and Madrid. Polytex’s hands-free automated workwear solution fights contamination, protects workers’ health, cuts costs, and maximizes efficiency.
Digital banking for freelancers. Israel’s Lili provides digital banking services for small businesses and freelancers in the U.S (see here for another). Lili has doubled its number of clients to 200,000 over the past six months. It has just raised $55 million and plans to hire 50 more employees, mostly in Israel.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907492,00.html
https://lili.co/ https://vimeo.com/391945909
Pharmacy employs smart warehouses. Israel’s largest health & beauty retailer Super-Pharm is partnering Israel’s Fabric (see here) to use its small, robotized fulfilment facilities in city centers. It follows a 2019 pilot by Super-Pharm in Tel Aviv, to process online orders for same-day delivery.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/super-pharm-looks-to-expand-robotic-facilities-as-online-demand-booms/
Investment in Israeli startups: Nayax raised $430 million; SimilarWeb raised $165 million; Lili raised $55 million; Stampli raised $50 million; SpliSense raised $28.5 million; VisibleRisk raised $25 million; Cycode raised $20 million; Planck raised $20 million; UltraSight raised $13 million; Nimble raised $10 million; InfiniGrow raised $5.25 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Israeli author wins France’s top literary prize. Israel’s Shmuel T. Meyer has been awarded “Best Novella” in the Spring Goncourt Prize - France’s most prestigious literary honor. “Et la guerre est finie … “ (And the War Is Over) is a trilogy set in post-war France, Israel’s War of Independence and New York.
https://www.jns.org/french-israeli-author-wins-frances-top-literary-prize/
Backyard photography. (TY WIN & ILTV) Israel’s David (“Deddy”) Dayag is an astro-photographer, who captures outer space images of nebulae, galaxies, planets, the sun and more, according to ILTV, from his backyard in Netanya. For some clearer pictures, though, he visits the Negev desert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3PHZIAMN_E
Have a ball with Barca. Holon’s Toto Arena is holding the World premiere of an interactive exhibit, “Barca, The Exhibition” from 15 July. Produced by a group of Israeli promoters and supported by the Spanish Embassy in Israel, it simulates a player’s journey from Barcelona soccer club’s youth academy through to its first team.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/barca-premieres-interactive-soccer-exhibit-in-israel/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_CZYiVuPL4
THE JEWISH STATE
Happy Shavuot. Shavuot - The Jewish festival of Weeks, also known as Pentecost, celebrates the first time in history that the Jewish people were united. They were described in the singular when receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. This year, Jews are again united in defending Israel against terrorists and antisemitism.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5130725/jewish/3333-Years-Since-the-Ten-Commandments.htm https://israelforever.org/israel/celebrating/shavuot/
Demonstrating unity. Hundreds of Jews and Arabs marched for coexistence near Jerusalem between the Arab town of Abu Ghosh and the Jewish community of Mevaseret Zion. Pro-unity demonstrations also took place in Haifa and the Jezreel Valley. At Israeli hospitals, Jewish and Arab medics sang together in favor of peace.
$1 million to match Israel’s emergency donations. Last week, philanthropists Mark and Erica Gerson matched all donations to Israeli Emergency Medical NGO United Hatzalah up to $1 million.
Israel – an island of sanity in testing times. Great article by Israel21c Editor Nicky Blackburn.
https://www.israel21c.org/an-island-of-sanity-in-testing-times/
210509
In the 9th May 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· New Israeli treatment allows multiple myeloma patients to get bone transplants.
· Israeli kidney specialist donates his own kidney.
· Israeli leaders host Muslims for Ramadan events.
· Israel’s next astronaut will supervise 44 Israeli space experiments.
· An Israeli startup is recycling worn out car tires.
· An Israeli consultancy is project managing a new industrial zone in Dubai.
· Unique videos, photos and a new discovery to help celebrate Jerusalem Day.
· Click here to see the 2nd May newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, IsraPundit, San Diego Jewish World, and United With Israel with extra feature on Medical. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here and here. Please pass on the following links to German and Hebrew-reading contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page. Many thanks to Myer for placing an advert for the newsletter in the May issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 9).
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
· Click here to keyword SEARCH almost any topic in the IsraelActive archives (18,000+ news articles).
· If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Success in trials of multiple myeloma treatment. Israel’s BioLineRx (see here previously) has reported positive results in the Phase 3 trial of its Motixafortide treatment in combination with G-CSF for multiple myeloma. The treatment demonstrated improvement from five-fold to 14-fold compared to the control.
Cancer-fighting bacteria to begin Phase 2 trials. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s NeoTX Therapeutics (see here Mar 2020) has had FDA approval to begin Phase 2a human trials of its Naptumomab Estafenatox (NAP) treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. NAP binds bacteria to the tumor while activating tumor specific immune cells.
Brain stimulation approved for major depression. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s BrainsWay (see here previously) has received US FDA clearance for its 3-minute Theta Burst treatment protocol for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Patients demonstrate meaningful reduction in depression scores after the treatment.
Machine learning to identify antiviral molecules. Scientists from Israel’s Technion Institute and Ben Gurion University are discovering molecules to fight viruses. They trained a neural network using known treatments and then reversed the process to identify previously untested molecules that bind to and disable virus proteins.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2021/04/machine-learning-for-antiviral-drugs/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21578-6
Molecular tweezers to destroy bacteria. Researchers from Israel’s Ben-Gurion University and elsewhere have developed “molecular tweezers” to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The tweezers destroy the biofilm that protects the bacteria against the immune system. Bacteria cannot develop resistance to this method of attack.
https://americansforbgu.org/bgu-molecular-tweezers-battle-bacteria/
https://www.cell.com/cell-chemical-biology/fulltext/S2451-9456(21)00152-5
Smart training for medical personnel. Israel’s Edocate has developed an app to help educate Health Care Professionals (HCPs) in the management of patients with chronic conditions (e.g. diabetes). Its virtual patient simulation platform allows HCPs to “learn by doing” and “learn by making mistakes” in a no-risk environment.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906554,00.html https://edocate.com/
Digital systems keep Americans healthy. Israel’s Aidoc (see here) is to provide its CT image analysis AI system for Radiology Partners, whose radiologists work in 10% of all US hospitals. Another Israeli startup DayTwo (see here) has had much success in the US with its microbiome analysis program for diabetics.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-startups-improve-americans-health/
Nephrologist donates his own kidney. Dr. Aharon Bloch of Hadassah Medical Center is the first Israeli nephrologist to donate a kidney to a stranger. He made the decision after the passing of Rabbi Yeshayahu Heber, the founder of the NGO “Gift of Life” (see here) whom he treated.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305405
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
A second chance. One of the amazing programs of the Friends of the IDF (FIDF) is Project Overcome. It gives troubled youths a chance to reform their behavior and gain life skills relevant for army service and later as civilians. During IDF service, they can achieve a clean slate, new abilities and start a path to a better future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9oDjPrIGY8 (Uri’s story - from Ethiopia, to criminal to paratrooper)
https://www.fidf.org/how-we-help/financial-relief/project-overcome
Israelis respond. On the day following the tragedy at Israel’s Mount Meron, blood donation sites were set up nationwide. By the onset of Shabbat, 2,208 donations had been collected, including from the Prime Minister. Nearby Arab and Druze towns provided refreshments and makeshift rest stations for Jews leaving the area.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israelis-make-2200-blood-donations-to-help-meron-victims/
Award for Technion volunteer. Lina Maudlej a master’s student at Israel’s Technion Institute, won Israel’s Council for Higher Education Award for Social Involvement in the Community. Her extensive volunteering activities include supporting Arab students and non-profits, reducing food waste, and increasing recycling.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2021/04/volunteer-work-helps-with-studying-and-vice-versa/
Iftar and Eid. Samaria Regional Council chief Yossi Dagan hosted an Iftar meal for 20 Palestinian Arab clerics and businessmen to break the Ramadan fast. Guests from the UAE joined in by Zoom. Also, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenaz hosted an end of Ramadan Eid al-Fitr event for Muslim ambassadors to Israel.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305746 https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/fm-ashkenazi-hosts-muslim-ambassadors-for-ramadan-fast-breaking-event-667381
Blind Israeli Arab changes perceptions. Arab Israeli Saleem is one of only a few blind Muslims who has a guide dog, as many Muslims consider dogs to be impure. By showing fellow Muslims how Winston, Saleem’s guide dog, has truly improved his life, they are starting to understand that having a dog is not a bad thing.
https://www.israelunwired.com/blind-arab-israeli-muslims-view-dogs/
EU approves non-essential travel to Israel. Israel has been added to a European Union safe list for countries that the EU says should be allowed to freely travel to Europe for tourism. Travel to the 27 countries of the EU is currently extremely limited except for citizens of a handful of countries with low coronavirus infection rates.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/eu-recommends-easing-travel-limits-from-israel-to-member-states/
Sharing success on Turkish TV. HonestReporting CEO Daniel Pomerantz appeared on Turkish English-language news outlet “A News” to discuss Israel’s success in battling the Covid-19 pandemic. He delivered the key message that Israel can be a role model for modern Western democracies.
https://honestreporting.com/honestreporting-ceo-shares-israels-covid-19-success-story-on-turkish-television-video/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9KnI_2JOk4
Growing avocados in Morocco. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Mehadrin (see here) has signed an agreement with a Moroccan company, under which it will grow crops outside Israel for the first time. It will lease some 5,000 dunams (1,125 acres) in Morocco to grow up to 10,000 tonnes of avocado per year mainly for export to Europe.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israels-mehadrin-to-grow-avocados-in-morocco-1001368321
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Lighting the way to new planets. NASA’s TESS satellite is looking for planets around stars by analyzing the light that the stars emit. The European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite is mapping our galaxy, also using light. Tel Aviv University scientists have built a system to cross-check data from both and speed up the search.
https://www.aftau.org/news_item/tau-program-will-enable-collaboration-between-the-european-space-agency-and-nasa/ https://sci.esa.int/web/gaia https://www.nasa.gov/tess-transiting-exoplanet-survey-satellite
Charging up into outer space. NASA has given approval for Israel’s fast battery charging startup StoreDot to conduct research into new battery materials on the International Space Station (ISS). It will be one of Israel’s 44 Rakia Program experiments performed during next year’s space mission of Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/fast-charging-battery-startup-gets-nasa-nod-for-research-in-space/
https://nocamels.com/2021/05/44-israeli-research-projects-space-rakia-mission/
Math medals. (TY Nevet) Two Israelis won medals at the 2021 European Girls Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO). Competing against 213 participants from 54 countries, Rehovot’s Noga Friedman won a gold medal and Herzliya’s Ya'ara Shulman a silver. The Israeli team finished ninth overall.
Smart talking. This article describes 3 Israeli startups developing software for speech therapy. Amplio was reported here recently and NovoTalk (see here in 2016) is working with Hadassah in Jerusalem and Mount Sinai in New York. Meanwhile, TikTalk has eight video games to help children with speech-sound disorders.
https://www.israel21c.org/artificial-intelligence-ramps-up-speech-therapy-success/
https://tiktalk.care/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4ai56uRNWM
AI to the Middle East. Israeli VC fund Disruptive AI set up its AI-SQUARE Forum in Jan 2021, to connect the Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation ecosystems of Arab countries and Israel. The platform is now being expanded to Turkey, bringing it AI solutions for Banking/Insurance, Telecom, Retail/Commerce, and more.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906752,00.html
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906850,00.html
Partnership for hi-tech manufacturing. US computer and software services company PTC is funding a NIS 15 million R&D center at Israel’s Technion Institute to study advanced manufacturing technologies. It includes industrial IoT (Internet of Things), augmented reality, simulation, and generative design software.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-firm-ptc-earmarks-5-million-for-rd-center-at-the-technion/
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2021/05/ptc-research-development-center-technion-israel/
Uniting design & development. Israel’s Anima takes designs and automatically converts them into code - saving time and money for organizations. It also produces the end results that the designers intended.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3904231,00.html https://www.animaapp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3snXtTr7GfY
Sweet beginnings. Israel’s Amai Proteins (see here previously) is close to launching its hyper-sweet sugar substitute. It has signed a deal with OceanSpray to produce sugar-reduced cranberry juice. It now has 5 PhD employees and 20 “super tasters” and is moving out from R&D premises into a large pilot production facility.
https://nocamels.com/2021/05/israeli-food-tech-amai-proteins-sugar-sweet/
More vegan eggs. Israel’s SavorEat (see here previously) has joined the list of Israeli startups producing egg alternatives (see here for others). Its new subsidiary company Egg’n’up says its proprietary plant-based ingredients retain the egg’s taste, texture, nutrition, appearance and culinary properties.
Recycling old tires (tyres). Tires are the world’s largest source of waste rubber. 290 million tires are discarded each year in the US alone. Israel’s EcoTech Recycling has developed a thermodynamic process that turns waste rubber into Active Rubber - a nontoxic synthetic material for making new tires, auto parts and insulation.
https://www.israel21c.org/heres-a-cool-green-way-to-upcycle-millions-of-old-tires/
https://finder.startupnationcentral.org/company_page/ecotech-recycling https://vimeo.com/116141522
Lightweight electric motor. Israel’s EVR Motors has unveiled its new small, lightweight electric motor. The TSRF (Trapezoidal Stator Radial Flux) will feature at the Ecomotion Week virtual event May 18 - 20 2021. The new TSRF produces higher power for less cost and supports voltages from 48V to 800V.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907156,00.html https://www.evr-motors.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px9uvD_1r7U
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Economic trends during Covid. Ambassador Yoram Ettinger provides an excellent review of Israel’s economic performance compared to other world economies, during the pandemic.
https://theettingerreport.com/israels-covid-19-economic-trends/
Where no Israeli startup has gone before. Jon Medved, CEO of Israel’s OurCrowd, explains that partnering with the Gulf countries “is allowing Israel to penetrate markets we've never dreamed of in Southeast Asia and around the broader Islamic world".
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906555,00.html
A smart industrial zone in Dubai. Israel’s Tefen consultancy group (see here), led by Mally Bitzur-Parnes, is to Project Manage the building of an industrial zone in Dubai where the factories will be operated by robots with almost no human contact. Tefen is also bidding on a tender for the construction of a new airport in Dubai.
New VC club to boost UK - Israel investments. The UK-Israel Tech Hub has launched a Venture Capital “club,” - an invite-only forum of VC funds from the UK and Israel. Its aim is to raise the amount of investment from UK investors into Israeli startups. It will also identify opportunities for Israeli VCs in the UK ecosystem.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/britain-sets-up-vc-club-to-boost-investor-activity-in-israel/
Israel sparkles again. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel's diamond industry is recovering from the coronavirus pandemic exceptionally well. In the first quarter 2021, rough diamond imports increased by 75% and exports by 66%. Imports and exports of polished diamonds also increased. In March, volumes soared substantially.
Intel injects £600 million into MobilEye. US chip giant, Intel is to invest $600 million into MobilEye - its Israeli autonomous vehicle hi-tech company. Intel is the largest private-sector employer in Israel.
https://www.jns.org/intel-announces-600-million-boost-to-israel-operations/
Innovation for Mitsubishi. Trendlines Agrifood - the Investment vehicle of Israel’s Trendlines, is partnering Mitsubishi Corporation to help the Japanese giant tap into the Israeli innovation ecosystem across several key industries. Trendlines Agrifood and its partners are developing an innovative agri-food tech ecosystem.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906868,00.html
Can we visit Israel? Although tourist travel to Israel is limited, first-degree relatives of Israeli citizens can visit, and some groups are starting tours in late May. Then from July package tours and vaccinated individual tourists can travel here. Meanwhile, the Tourist Israel website lists the airlines currently flying to Tel Aviv.
https://www.touristisrael.com/whos-flying-to-tel-aviv-during-covid-19/31894/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-plans-to-reopen-to-tourists-in-may-eyes-travelers-from-uae/
https://worldisraelnews.com/israel-launches-global-tourism-campaign-cannot-miss-this-opportunity/
Fintech partnership to expand credit services. The new business alliance between Israeli-founded Prytek and Israel’s CRiskCo will provide added credit capabilities to Prytek’s Karbon managed services platform.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-prytek-invests-in-israeli-fintech-co-criskco-1001366197
https://prytek.com/ https://www.criskco.com/
A Jewish AirBNB. Israeli-founded Jstay is developing a free app for Jewish travelers to find the right place to stay. It differs from AirBNB in that Jstay is geared for people who need specifically Jewish services when they travel such as kosher food and local Jewish communities and synagogues for Sabbath observers.
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/04/20/jstay-the-jewish-travel-app/ https://www.jstay.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_tIMC1Kktc
$20 million of satellite equipment. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Gilat Satellite Networks (see here previously) has received orders of over $20 million for gateway amplifiers of its Wavestream US subsidiary. These Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs) support communications on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation satellites.
Renewable energy company gets a boost. Migdal Insurance, Israel’s largest insurance company and pension manager is to invest up to $355 million in Israeli renewable energy company Doral (see here). It includes $110 million for a 20% stake in Doral, $100 million for Doral’s Indiana solar project and $130 million of credit.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906969,00.html
Investment in Israeli startups: HoneyBook raised $155 million; VAST Data raised $83 million; Locusview raised $64 million; Vim raised $60 million; Cymulate raised $45 million; Connecteam raised $37 million; Pecan AI raised $35 million; IRP Systems raised $31 million; Akeyless raised $14 million; Unic-Tech raised $8 million; Edocate raised $3 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Cultural agreement with UAE. The National Library of Israel (NLI) in Jerusalem and the National Archives of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi have signed a historic memorandum of understanding (MoU). It covers cultural exchange, including conferences, exhibitions, workshops, study tours and training.
https://www.jns.org/uae-national-archives-national-library-of-israel-ink-historic-agreement/
Paralympic rower wins European silver. (TY Nevet) Israel’s Moran Samuel won a silver medal in the 2km event at the European Rowing Championships in Lake Varese, Italy. There was no medal ceremony due to the pandemic and the medalists instead collected their own awards from an empty podium.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-paralympic-rower-wins-silver-medal-at-european-championships/
Israel-Russian beats tennis number 1. (TY Nevet) Russian-Israeli Aslan Karatsev beat world number one Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Serbian Open in Belgrade. Karatsev grew up in Israel but now plays for Russia. He recently rose from 114th in the world to number 28 and probably now will be even higher.
THE JEWISH STATE
Jerusalem Day. Jacob Richman’s resources for Sun/Mon Jerusalem Day include a Trivia Quiz, 7,000 photos, 108 videos, 55 songs and 230 relevant website links. Also, KKL-JNF has released never-before-seen photos of Jerusalem. And (TY Sharon) The city itself prepares for the big day. Yom Yerushalayim Sameach!
https://jewish-trivia.com https://jr.co.il/jerusalem/index.html https://jr.co.il/videos/jerusalem-videos.htm http://bit.ly/spotify-jrichman-jerusalem https://jr.co.il/hotsites/jerusalem.htm
https://www.jns.org/kkl-jnf-releases-never-before-seen-photos-of-jerusalem/
http://rjstreets.com/2021/05/07/yom-yerushalayim-jerusalem-day-week/
Jerusalem as never seen before. Artist Eitan Asraf has produced this unique film in time for Jerusalem Day. He spotlights the sacred, quaint and chic; famous and lesser-known sites and the timeless melting pot of Israeli culture and society. Bird’s-eye views, sunrises, sunsets and the seasons. Jerusalem - the center of the world.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305678
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrOb0Pw0stk
Ancient lamp found in Jerusalem. Archaeologists discovered a rare bronze oil lamp, shaped like a grotesque face that was cut in half, during excavations in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park. It seems to have been placed in the foundations of a building on Pilgrimage Road, to bring good fortune to the building’s residents.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/is-aladdin-there-lucky-ancient-bronze-lamp-discovered-in-jerusalem/
The prolific scribe of the Dead Sea Scrolls. (TY Honest Reporting) Artificial Intelligence used by Dutch scientists has identified that a single scribe was responsible for eight of the 2000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Israel’s Qumran caves. It makes him the most prolific sofer ever identified.
Israeli dedicates goal to Meron victims. On Sunday, Israel’s Shon Weissman, scored a goal for Spanish soccer club Real Valladolid, which he then dedicated to the 45 victims of the Mount Meron tragedy. Instead of celebrating, Weissman repeatedly gestured with his fingers the numbers 4 and 5 and pointed to the heavens.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/05/03/israeli-soccer-player-in-spanish-league-dedicates-goal-to-45-mount-meron-victims/ https://fb.watch/5jB2YN1Tr5/
IDF helps survivor celebrate 100th birthday. Shoah survivor Yisrael just celebrated his 100th birthday. He survived the Transnistria Ghetto and then fought with the Red Army against the Germans during World War II. Watch as IDF Home Front Command soldiers surprised him and enlisted him as an honorary IDF Officer.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-idf-soldiers-celebrate-100th-birthday-of-holocaust-survivor/
210502
In the 2nd May 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israel’s Covid infection levels are the lowest for over a year.
· An Israeli treatment uses a patient’s cells to bypass blocked arteries.
· Israeli humanitarian aid is on its way to four stricken countries.
· More Israeli vegan meat and milk products.
· Israeli technology will help expand space exploration.
· Israeli startups in Europe provide tens of thousands of local jobs.
· An Israeli basketball team has won the FIBA Europe Cup.
· Free Birthright tours to Israel resume.
· Click here to see the 25th Apr newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours (with yet another great intro), San Diego Jewish World, IsraPundit and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here and here. Please pass on the following links to German and Hebrew-reading contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page. Also. many thanks to Myer for placing an advert for the newsletter in the May issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 9).
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
· Click here to keyword SEARCH almost any topic in the IsraelActive archives (18,000+ news articles).
· If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Panic over. Israel is recording less than 100 new Covid-19 cases a day, with under 1,600 total infections. Swimming pools, gyms and dining at restaurants are to be opened even to the unvaccinated. And a new Israeli report shows that any country can control Covid-19 if more than 50% of the over-60s are vaccinated.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/scientists-israel-proves-every-developed-country-can-subdue-covid-with-vaccines/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-sees-just-38-new-covid-cases-the-lowest-daily-tally-in-a-year/
Masks cut asthma and allergies. A study by Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has concluded that the wearing of facemasks protected many citizens not only from Covid-19 but also from asthma and allergies. Urgent visits to Sheba’s emergency unit during the pandemic by asthma patients dropped by 49% and hospitalizations by 65%.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-sees-dramatic-drop-in-severe-asthma-due-to-face-masks/
https://www.israel21c.org/wearing-masks-for-covid-saved-us-from-asthma-and-allergies/
Nose spray blocks Covid variants. In recent trials at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center, the Taffix nose spray from Israel’s Nasus (see here previously) blocked 100 percent” of the British and South African variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus. https://nocamels.com/2021/04/israeli-nasus-nasal-spray-taffix-covid-variants/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lTG_E_HJaU
Poised to transform brain surgery. Israel’s Tamar Robotics (see here previously) is developing a surgical robot to revolutionize brain surgery. It will give doctors a minimally invasive tool to remove tumors and blood clots and treat other brain conditions that now require major surgery. See video of founder Professor Shohan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbPYQOycveU
Proteins that cause intestinal disease. Researchers from Tel Aviv University have developed an Artificial Intelligence platform that can identify the specific proteins that allow bacteria to infect the intestines. It should lead to new therapeutics that can neutralize the proteins and prevent disease, eliminating the use of antibiotics.
https://www.aftau.org/news_item/tau-researchers-identify-proteins-that-cause-intestinal-disease/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33707240/
Opening the arteries. MultiGeneAngio from Israel’s VESSL Therapeutics is in human trials for treating peripheral and coronary artery disease. The patient’s cells are extracted, enhanced with genes and re-implanted, to increase blood flow to oxygen-starved muscles. And VESSL’s MultiGeneGraft treats end-stage renal disease.
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/04/25/vessl-therapeutics-is-a-medtech-startup-offering-new-cardiovascular-treatments/ http://vessltherapy.com/
Repairing bones. Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have new technology for bone and soft tissue repair. Instead of grafting bone from elsewhere in the body, they used stem cells from the soft tissue inside discarded teeth. They then combined this with other cells to repair spinal cord in laboratory tests.
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/04/27/technion-scientists-develop-new-technology-for-bone-and-soft-tissue-repair/ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adfm.202008687
European approval for smart IVF treatment. Israel’s AIVF (see here previously) has received the CE Mark for its unique AI IVF analysis platform that avoids risky biopsies. AIVF’s system improves the success of IVF treatment – a costly and invasive process. US approval is now also being sought.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906485,00.html
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Arab woman is Vice President of Hebrew U. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has elected Professor Mona Khoury-Kassbari Vice President of Strategy and Diversity. She will be responsible for broadening the mix of faculty members and students from Orthodox Jews, Arabs, Ethiopians and those with disabilities.
Saving life in Jerusalem. Khaled is one of nearly 700 Muslim paramedics in United Hatzalah – Israel’s emergency medical organization. During Ramadan, Khaled fasts during the day but still responds to all calls and treats patients of all religions equally.
https://www.jns.org/view-from-the-other-side-of-violence-saving-lives-in-eastern-jerusalem/
Making every drop of water count. (TY UWI) Great video of Israel’s globally enhancing water technologies. A single drop of saltwater taken from the Mediterranean, travels from an Israeli desalination plant to a domestic tap, is drunk, re-cycled, and piped across Israel to water crops via Israeli drip irrigation. Hardly a drop is lost.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YscEfqIllt4
La Parisien promotes post-Covid Israel. (TY JNS) Israel’s success in beating coronavirus attracts much attention in the international media. French magazine Le Parisien devoted a cover story to Israel as an example of “life after Covid”. It describes a busy Tel Aviv and Israel's unprecedented national vaccination operation.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/04/25/french-magazine-devotes-cover-story-to-post-covid-israel/
Israeli and UAE jets in exercise together. Israeli Air Force planes flew alongside Emirati aircraft week as part of the Iniohos international aerial exercise hosted by Greece. The other countries involved were Cyprus, France, the US, Spain and Canada. The UAE and Israel flew together also in 2017 and 2019 (see here previously).
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-idf-fighter-pilots-join-uae-troops-for-aerial-drill/
Another agreement signed with UAE. (TY JNS) Israel and the UAE signed a bilateral accord to tackle pandemics, cybersecurity and data protection. The agreement will also see the enactment of large-scale joint economic and health-related projects. Minister Yuli Edelstein said it would "bolster Israel's healthcare system".
https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/04/22/israel-uae-sign-healthcare-agreement/
AI for social good. (TY JNS) Google has partnered Tel Aviv University to launch a new program to promote AI-related multidisciplinary research for the benefit of society. AI for Social Good selected 10 researchers who are using Artificial Intelligence to advance humanity by addressing major global social issues.
Aid to Uruguay, Ethiopia, India & Caribbean. Doctors from Israel’s Sheba Medical Center are heading to Uruguay to help it tackle coronavirus. Also, from Assuta Ashdod Hospital to Ethiopia and equipment from Israel’s SmartAID to India. And IsraAID responders go to the Caribbean following a major volcanic eruption.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/israel-to-send-covid-aid-to-uruguay-665521
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-dispatching-team-to-ethiopia-to-help-fight-covid-19/
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305115
https://www.jns.org/israaid-sending-team-of-responders-to-caribbean-in-wake-of-volcano-eruption/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Intel to build “chips of the future” in Haifa. Tech giant Intel is to set up a new $200 million campus in Haifa to develop the “chips of the future.” It intends to recruit 1,000 Israeli employees plus 400 more for its Habana labs subsidiary. Competition will be fierce as Microsoft, Facebook and Nvidia all have Israeli expansion plans.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-competition-heats-up-intel-touts-new-200-million-haifa-campus/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906529,00.html
Amazon partners Israeli quantum research. Amazon Web Services’ Center for Quantum Computing is funding research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to advance the understanding of quantum gates – the basic building blocks of quantum computers. It will help develop a scalable, universal quantum computer.
https://campaign.huji.ac.il/news/hebrew-university-and-amazon-web-services-establish-quantum-computing-research https://www.jns.org/hebrew-university-teams-up-with-amazon-on-quantum-computing-research/
Tech research institute. NGO Start-Up Nation Central connects international business and government leaders with Israeli technology. Founded by US philanthropist Paul Singer, it is now setting up a new economic research and policy institute in Israel that will help continue the growth of Israel’s tech sector and economy.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/billionaire-paul-singer-to-set-up-tech-research-institute-in-israel/
An ocean of innovation. Start-Up Nation Central has also partnered Israel’s Arieli Capital in launching OceanTech, a new seas and oceans innovation community. It aims to promote and recruit technologies and startups from Israel that work with the waters across the world and help protect this precious global asset.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906217,00.html https://www.startupnationcentral.org/
US Act to fund joint Israeli cybersecurity projects. A bipartisan group of US senators have introduced the US-Israel Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement Act. It assigns $6 million annually in funding for five years to support joint cybersecurity Research and Development, plus develop cybersecurity technologies.
Fraud protection for a billion users. Israel’s Forter (see here previously) has just joined the Adobe Exchange Partner Program to help Adobe Magento e-commerce clients block fraud, reduce false declines and increase business. Forter’s ecosystem processes $200+ billion in online transactions and protects nearly a billion users.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3903568,00.html
Alt Meat from fermented plants. Israel’s Chunk Foods uses proprietary fermentation technology to make healthy, realistic, beef alternatives from plants. It uses non-GMO ingredients to produce whole muscle cuts of beef such as sirloin, chuck or ribs.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906413,00.html https://chunkfoods.com/
More milk that never saw a cow. Israel’s BioMilk develops lab-cultured cow milk (see here for others) from mammary cells. It has a similar composition to commercial cow milk but with less hormones and antibiotics. It is also free of synthetic or plant additives. BioMilk has just opened trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
https://nocamels.com/2021/04/israel-biomilk-cultured-public-ipo/ https://www.biomilk.com/
3D-printed vegan burger is too perfect. CTech was invited to Israel’s SavorEat (see here previously) to eat a freshly 3D-printed, auto-cooked plant-based burger. The verdict – great taste and technically perfect but lacking the personal touch of a “messy” hand-cooked burger. Some things can be too good!
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3905756,00.html
Hi-tech, low-sugar chocolate spreads. Israel’s DouxMatok (see here previously) has unveiled its first food products made with its revolutionary low-calorie Incredo Sugar. Its Hazelnut Cocoa and Dark Cocoa Salted Caramel are organic, gluten-free, non-GMP, and free of palm oil and artificial flavors, colors and preservatives.
https://nocamels.com/2021/04/douxmatok-products-sugar-reduced-tech/
Garden furniture from recycled plastic. (TY Hazel) Israel’s UBQ (see here previously) is partnering Israel’s Keter to incorporate UBQ’s recycled thermoplastic into multiple product lines for garden furniture. They want to set an industry example of sustainable manufacturing as a simple, cost-effective, and necessary choice.
https://www.jpost.com/jpost-tech/israeli-plastic-giant-thermoplastic-firm-to-make-eco-friendly-products-665618 https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3905332,00.html
See with sound. Professor Amir Amedi of the School of Psychology at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, has developed technology, an algorithm and training that enables people to see through sound.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-people-can-see-with-sound-using-revolutionary-israeli-invention/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOspADpjAQE
Smart warehouses. (TY UWI) eGold’s fulfillment center in Ashdod is operated almost entirely using machine learning and an algorithm that manages the work of scores of individual robots. Other similar Israeli facilities use robotic technology from Israel’s Caja Robotics (see here) and Fabric (see here).
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3905975,00.html https://egold.co.il/?lang=en
Extracting oxygen from the Moon. (TY UWI) Israel’s Helios has developed technology to produce oxygen from the lunar soil. It will be tested in two future missions as a possible basis for sustainable lunar colonies, or at least, the ability to provide fuel for the return leg of a lunar mission. Lunar soil contains about 42% oxygen.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305019 https://project-helios.space/
Decoding whale talk. Five Israeli scientists have joined Project CETI - Cetacean Translation Initiative, an international project aimed at listening into and understanding the language of sperm whales. They are using AI to determine the meaning of the clicking sounds at different frequencies that whales make when they meet.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/deep-thought-in-deep-blue-5-israelis-in-pioneering-project-to-decode-whale-talk/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLyldhjjAWs&t=56s
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Top 20 for GDP per capita. (TY UWI) For the first time in its history, International Monetary Fund data ranks Israel among the top 20 economies for GDP per capita (economic output per person) - a key measure of a nation’s prosperity. Israel’s $43,689 is the 19th highest, above Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.
Israeli startups give jobs to thousands of Europeans. On the 25th anniversary of EU-Israel business relations data shows that 912 Israeli startups in the EU and UK employ 24,223 local workers. More than a third work in information and software technology, plus others in internet, telecommunications, biomedical, and cleantech.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/912-israeli-startups-in-eu-employ-24223-local-workers-data-shows/
Israeli startups hit the roof again. (TY UWI) More than 200 Israeli entrepreneurs, investors, and bankers held a “Tech on the Roof” event on a rooftop in Jaffa. They celebrated the end of Covid and the return to a sense of normalcy. Also see this link to Jon Medved’s OurCrowd presentation on Israel’s recent record tech investment.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3905464,00.html
Job opportunities in hi-tech. Israel's tech industry currently numbers 334,000 employees, constituting nearly 10% of all Israeli employees. Although the number of computer science graduates has increased nearly 50% since 2019, there are still currently 13,000 vacant tech positions in Israel.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3905770,00.html
Blackstone arrives in Israel. (TY NoCamels) Blackstone Group is one of the world’s largest investment companies. Its recent decision to open an Israeli office has huge positive implications for Israeli startups. Israel’s former Ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, will become chairman of Blackstone Israel.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906300,00.html
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906307,00.html
From New York to Israel. Israeli-founded Cherre launched its real estate data management and analytics platform in New York in 2016. Due to a huge exodus of hi-tech developers from New York, Cherre is now opening an R&D center in Israel, using part of a recent $50 million investment to hire 20 Israeli developers.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3905855,00.html https://cherre.com/
https://blog.cherre.com/2021/04/22/cherre-raises-50m-in-growth-funding/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQRbVZWgGAE
A digital wallet for Bitcoin. Israel’s ZenGo has developed a mobile wallet for retail investors to store and process cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin. Its keyless wallet uses advanced cryptography and supports both Android and iOS smartphones. ZenGo processed transactions worth $100 million in the first 3 months of 2021.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3906409,00.html https://www.zengo.com/
Israel’s 10th Unicorn of 2021. Israel’s Deel offers a global payroll solution to help 500 companies hire anyone, in over 150 countries, compliantly and in minutes. Its latest $156 million funding raised Deel’s market valuation to $1.25 billion, making it Israel’s 10th new financial Unicorn this year. https://www.letsdeel.com/
Investment in Israeli startups: Deel raised $156 million; Deep Instinct raised $100 million; Guesty raised $50 million; Placer.ai raised $50 million; BigID raised $30 million; Zengo raised $20 million; VESSL Therapeutics raised $16 million; Riverside.fm raised $9.5 million; AirEye raised $8 million; Materials Zone raised $6 million; Loris.ai raised $5.1 million; Chunk Foods raised $2 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Praise for Israel in new book. The book “Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth” by Israeli actress, writer, producer and activist Noa Tishby explains Israel’s complicated history. Noa both sings Israel’s praises and addresses the myths promoted by those who want to destroy the Jewish state.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_ZsISE4eO4
A taste of Tunisia and Morocco. Chen Koren’s store “A Box From the Shuk,” in Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market allows people to get a taste of the history and culture of Tunisia and Morocco.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-israeli-brings-rich-north-african-background-to-jerusalem/
Jerusalem sounds of music. (TY Sharon) Sharon joined a music-accompanied tour of Jerusalem with Tour de Sound. It was led by tour guide and cellist Daniel Schwartz together with his brother Yedidia – a professional violinist with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Another great way to enjoy Jerusalem’s streets.
http://rjstreets.com/2021/04/25/jerusalem-sounds-of-music/ http://rjstreets.com/jerusalem-photo-walks/
https://www.tour-de-sound.com/
1600-year-old mosaic unearthed. An impressive 1,600-year-old mosaic, found during excavations in Israel’s southern city of Yavne, is to be placed on public display at the city’s cultural center. It is in excellent condition and the first time that such a pavement has been uncovered in Yavne.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305021
Israel in Minecraft. Two Israelis have launched an ambitious campaign to build a 1:1 scale map of Israel, as accurately as possible, in the popular Minecraft video game.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-is-being-built-in-minecraft/
FIBA cup winners. (TY JNS) Israel’s Ironi Ness Ziona beat Stal Ostrow Wielkopolski of Poland 82-74 to become the first Israeli team to win FIBA’s prestigious International Basketball Federation Europe Cup.
THE JEWISH STATE
Birthright to resume free trips to Israel. Birthright Israel is resuming free trips to Israel in May for all eligible adults from the United States who are vaccinated or fully recovered from the coronavirus. Dozens of trips are expected in May and June with more than 400 tour groups planned for July, August and October.
https://www.jns.org/birthright-israel-to-resume-trips-for-vaccinated-americans-in-may/
Israel welcomes 104 new immigrants. 104 Olim (new immigrants) from North America arrived this week at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport, aged from four months to 98 years. 35 had joined the KKL-Nefesh B’Nefesh “Go Beyond” program, providing enhanced packages to those moving to Israel’s periphery and Jerusalem.
https://www.jns.org/israel-welcomes-104-new-immigrants-from-north-america/
Free guesthouse for survivors. Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Museum, has opened a $3 million guesthouse in Jerusalem. It is intended for survivors of the Shoah to stay at, free of charge, when celebrating their long overdue Bar/Bat Mitzvah in Jerusalem. 300 survivors have already registered.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/04/21/jerusalem-museum-opens-5-star-hotel-for-holocaust-survivors/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5aOqGsCEw4
Solomon’s silver traced to Spain. A British archaeologist claims that “Solomon’s Hill” in Rio Tinto, Spain is where gold and silver were mined on King Solomon’s behalf. Isotope analysis shows ancient silver hoards found in Israel originated in Spain. There is also evidence that nearby Huelva is the biblical capital of Tarshish.
210425
In the 25th Apr 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Over 80% of Israeli adults have now been vaccinated against Covid-19.
· Israeli optical breakthrough allows for early detection of skin cancer.
· Israel marks Earth Day with national clean-up and new sustainability center.
· New Israeli-developed microchips are the fastest ever.
· Israel signs hi-tech agreement with one of the world’s largest carmakers.
· Discovery in Israel of the oldest example of alphabetic writing.
· Click here to see the 18th Apr newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours (with yet another great intro), San Diego Jewish World, IsraPundit and United With Israel with extra feature on Medical. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here and here. Please pass on the following links to German and Hebrew-reading contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page. Many thanks to Myer for placing an advert for the newsletter in the April issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 10).
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
· Click here to keyword SEARCH almost any topic in the IsraelActive archives (18,000+ news articles).
· If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Vaccination good news. 5 million Israelis have now received two Covid vaccinations – 80% of the adult population. And a new study shows that vaccinations have saved some 6,000 Israeli lives. Finally, Israel’s Beilinson hospital has discharged all its 257 mothers, infected while pregnant, now with their healthy babies.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-reports-no-new-daily-covid-deaths-for-first-time-in-10-months/
https://www.israel21c.org/israel-may-have-achieved-herd-immunity-against-covid-19/
https://www.jns.org/covid-vaccine-saved-6000-israelis-lives/
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/304842
More openings. New Israeli Covid-19 cases have dropped to under 200 a day, allowing the re-opening of all schools, bars, restaurants and indoor gatherings. Israelis no longer need wear masks outdoors in the open air. And UK Minister Michael Gove arrived to explore opening a “green corridor” between the UK and Israel.
https://www.jns.org/in-light-of-low-covid-19-rates-israeli-schools-resume-full-activity/
Israel was a perfect vaccination model. It was the diversity of Israel’s citizens that clinched the Start-up Nation as Pfizer’s preferred choice for the first rollout of its vaccine. Israel’s population includes immigrants from over 100 different countries. Any rare vaccine side effects would soon show up in Israel’s ethnic mix.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/304735
The origin of cytokine storms. Researchers at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University have identified the molecular mechanisms responsible for the deadly cytokine storms in Covid-19 patients. The source are long non-coding RNA molecules (lncRNAs) which in the past were thought part of “junk” DNA – having no function!
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/304826
Probiotic yoghurt molecules treat Covid. Researchers at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University have identified new candidate treatments for Covid and inflammatory bowel disease based on molecules isolated from fermented probiotic yogurt. These have anti-inflammatory properties that can heal cytokine storms caused by Covid-19.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israelis-discover-this-common-food-could-help-beat-corona/
Reprogramming the immune system to fight cancer. (TY Nevet) Scientists at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University and Hadassah-University Medical Center, have developed a treatment for multiple myeloma. The patient’s T-cells are combined with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) molecule. In Phase 1 human trials at Hadassah.
Early detection of skin cancer. Scientists at Tel Aviv University have developed new optical technology that will enable an immediate, non-invasive diagnosis of melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Special optical fibers can distinguish between benign and malignant lesions on the skin, potentially saving many patients’ lives.
https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/rJhXOTKI00
https://aapm.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mp.14471
Complex surgery saves Gaza boy. (TY UWI) Doctors at Haifa’s Rambam hospital performed three almost simultaneous operations to save Madchat Tapash - a 7-year-old boy from Gaza. They reconstructed his bladder, transferred a kidney donated by his mother and connected it all together in an 11-hour operation.
Medics save Arab toddler after heart stopped. A two-year-old Arab boy with chronic heart problems, fell unconscious at his home in Deir el-Asad, northern Israel. Four EMTs (Muslims and Jews) from Israel’s United Hatzalah managed to get his pulse back and transported him and his mother to Haifa’s Rambam hospital.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/304253
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Druze excel in Israeli medicine. (TY Jacques) One of Israel’s smallest minorities, Israel’s Druze community, has made a big impact in the Israeli health sector. They include the Director of the Ziv Medical Center in Tzfat and the founder of Vocalis Health (see here previously). Also, Sgayar Shannan of the Galilee Medical Center.
https://israelbetweenthelines.com/2021/04/08/druze-in-israel-excel-in-medical-field/
Arabic – an official Israeli language. Great new video showing how Israel provides its Arab citizens with facilities in Arabic. Street signs, bank ATMs, museums, cultural events, music, parliament, phone systems and government downloads. And since the Abraham Accords, Jewish Israelis are rushing to learn it too. Yalla!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhyj0L2sjM0
Air filters for 10 African ambassadors. (TY Jacques) Israel’s Aura Smart Air (see here previously) presented ten African ambassadors to Israel with its cutting-edge air purifying system. Aura Air’s CEO said he hoped to bring Israeli technology to Africa to help fight Covid-19 and other diseases associated with polluted air.
The first physical post-Covid diplomatic event. Over 60 vaccinated global diplomats participated in Tel Aviv in the largest non-virtual international reception since the Covid-19 crisis began. They were hosted, without social distancing, by Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, in honor of Israel’s 73rd Independence Day.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/304142
Earth Day clean up. Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority has launched the 1-Million Clean campaign to mark International Earth Day on 22 Apr. Tens of thousands of volunteers signed up to help hundreds of (previously unemployed) paid workers in a nationwide clean up. Hundreds of thousands more were expected to join them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3685JI3cAU
Academic center for sustainability. As the world commemorates Earth Day 2021, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) has announced its new Center for Sustainability. The Center is being established to increase environmental research and teaching within the University and to promote sustainability projects across Israel.
https://campaign.huji.ac.il/news/going-green-world-celebrates-earth-day-hebrew-u-launches-new-academic-center https://www.jpost.com/health-science/earth-day-hebrew-university-opens-academic-center-for-sustainability-666110
Returning the sea turtles to the sea. (TY WIN) Israel’s Sea Turtle Rescue Center has cleaned and given new life to several sea turtles that had been covered in oil spilled from a Syrian tanker several months ago. Also, on Earth Day, Israel publicized many of its technologies, startups and activities to solve environmental problems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxeAP78P2nA
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/304905
https://www.israel21c.org/14-clever-technologies-to-help-the-planet/
Cousins meet up. Israeli and Emirati social media influencers met physically for the first time in history at a conference in the Dubai Youth Hub. They included United With Israel’s David Aghiarian, who had a personal conversation with His Excellency Mr. Saaeed Al Nazari - the UAE’s Deputy Minister in Charge of Youth.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/united-with-israel-meets-with-dubais-deputy-youth-minister/
Israel-UAE innovation task force. The UAE Ambassador to Israel, Mohamed al Khaja, visited Start-Up Nation Central Headquarters in Tel Aviv to launch an official partnership for innovation and entrepreneurship between the two nations. A joint task-force will share ideas and generate economic value for both countries.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3904311,00.html
The world’s oldest living journalist. Israel’s Walter Bingham, 97, was inducted into the Guinness World Records for being the oldest living journalist. He hosts the weekly “Walter’s World” on Israel National Radio and “The Walter Bingham File” on Israel Newstalk Radio. In 2018 he was awarded France’s Legion of Honor.
https://www.jns.org/guinness-world-records-declares-walter-bingham-oldest-living-journalist/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Lowering air pollution. Israel’s Ministry of Energy has published a new plan designed to significantly reduce air pollution in the energy market. Its aims include reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in the electricity sector by between 75 - 85% by 2050; reduction in energy consumption and priorities for solar energy and hydrogen.
https://www.jns.org/israels-energy-ministry-unveils-plan-to-combat-air-pollution/
Intel’s fastest server chip. Intel has unveiled its highest performing data-center processor, optimized for the cloud and high-end computing. It promises performance 46% higher than the previous generation of products. The processor’s core, Ice Lake Server, was developed in Haifa and produced at Intel Israel’s Kiryat Gat plant.
Nvidia’s Israeli next gen chip. Israel’s Mellanox (see here previously), which was acquired by Nvidia in 2019, has just launched the BlueField-3 DPU next-generation processor. It delivers powerful software-defined networking with accelerated cybersecurity capabilities for data centers.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3904439,00.html
ECOncrete wins ecology award. Israel’s ECOncrete (see here previously) has won one of Bloomberg’s 2021 NEF Pioneer Award for game-changing companies leading to a low-carbon economy. ECOncrete manufactures sustainable fish and environment-friendly concrete for building coastal and marine infrastructure projects.
Keeping your sales team on the right track. To be compliant with regulations, financial companies must prevent their marketing employees from being too eager to sell the company’s products and services. Israel’s Sealed.ai provides technology to monitor outgoing sales calls to ensure that customers are not being mis-sold.
https://www.israel21c.org/how-to-keep-sales-calls-from-misleading-customers/ https://www.sealed.ai/
Security for open-source code. Israel’s WhiteSource helps hi-tech developers build secure apps while using the IT industry’s freely available software, known as “open-source”. WhiteSource provides real-time alerts on vulnerable and problematic components, customized reports, automatically enforces policies and more.
https://www.whitesourcesoftware.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BYiiNpqy6I
A train on wheels. The first Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) train-on-wheels system outside China will carry up to 500 passengers from Tel Aviv to the heart of Samaria. The ART follows a virtual track on a normal road, powered by advanced fast-recharged batteries. The driver just controls braking and accelerating.
Say goodbye to car keys. Israel’s Cobra (see here previously) has launched its Mobile-Key technology It enables car doors to be opened and closed and the engine to be turned on and off, all controlled from a smartphone app. It is installed at a customer’s home and works with both new and many older vehicles.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3905472,00.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/lost-your-car-keys-again-israeli-app-offers-smart-key-free-driving/
Communicate with your grandchildren. Israel’s Zoog allows anyone to create content that their young grandkids would enjoy. Users record themselves reciting a story directly in the app and then send it to the mobile device of anyone in their phonebook. It is then delivered via an SMS or message link.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3905111,00.html https://www.getzoog.com/
Bedouin startup connects devices to the cloud. Israel’s Siraj Technologies, led by two Israeli-Bedouin entrepreneurs, streamlines the connection of Internet of Things (IoT) edge devices to cloud platforms. Using Siraj’s AI and deep learning algorithms, what used to take weeks can now be done in minutes.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3905210,00.html https://sirajtechnologies.com/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Welcoming more flights from the Gulf. (TY JNS) The first flight from Abu Dhabi to Israel brought the UAE ambassador and the CEO of Etihad Airways, who said he has never received a warmer welcome anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, Gulf Air is starting direct flights from Bahrain to Israel on June 3.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/04/06/israel-welcomes-inaugural-abu-dhabi-tel-aviv-flight-in-official-ceremony/ https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/304594
The next to be ignited. 10 more Israeli companies have started Intel’s Ignite accelerator in Tel Aviv from 392 applicants. The previous 28 graduates (see here previously) have since raised more than $200 million of funds. The success of the Tel Aviv accelerator has encouraged Intel to expand the program to Munich, Germany.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3904296,00.html
$100 million takeover to prevent phishing. (TY TOI) US cybersecurity giant Cofense is acquiring Israel-based startup Cyberfish, which uses computer vision and machine learning technology to prevent phishing attacks. Following the acquisition, Cyberfish in Beersheba will become Cofense’s first R&D center in Israel.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3903382,00.html https://cyberfish.io/
Expanding software testing to medical systems. Israeli-based Qualitest (see here previously) has acquired Israel’s Comply, which provides software testing services to the digital health sector. Qualitest’s customers will now include Teva, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, GE Medical and AbbVie.
Smart mobility for top vehicles. The Italian unit of automaker Stellantis has signed an agreement with Israel’s Innovation Authority to develop identify and develop smart-mobility systems. Stellantis’s vehicles include Maserati, Alpha Romeo, Dodge, Jeep, Lancia, Fiat, Chrysler, Opel, Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroen,
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3903561,00.html
The business of intelligent information. Israel’s Affogata offers businesses a customer intelligence platform. It collects, analyses, and sorts data from the web, review sites, social channels, niche forums, community and customer conversation platforms. It then provides actionable reports to help businesses grow.
https://www.affogata.com/product
Simplifying tax audit compliance. The increasing burden of tax audits requires companies to deploy advanced technology to ensure compliance across multiple jurisdictions. Israel’s Blue dot digitizes the complex, costly and risky process. Blue dot has offices in Israel, the US, UK, France and Germany.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-tax-compliance-co-blue-dot-raises-32m-1001366613
Giving your business a competitive advantage. Israel’s DataRails has developed a financial planning and analysis (FP&A) system for enterprise companies. It allows the financial department to transform its Excel spreadsheets into a smart and powerful system that integrates with the organization’s data infrastructure.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3905532,00.html https://www.datarails.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxq0Th5Qqns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laM-bwKJUAg
10 million green dots. X5 Retail Group, Russia’s largest food retailer, is now rolling out the Green Dot labelling system (see here previously) for monitoring product freshness. Ten million labels will be placed on items from the X5 Smart Kitchen assortment of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook foods.
Already 9 Unicorns in 2021. The Startup Nation may soon be known as the Unicorn nation. A Unicorn is a startup, which is still a privately held company, that has already reached a billion-dollar plus valuation. Israel has had nine startups hit Unicorn status so far this year. The rare, mythical Unicorn is not rare in Israel.
Investment in Israeli startups: Innoviz raised $371 million; Redis Labs raised $310 million; TipRanks raised $77 million; WhiteSource raised $75 million; RapidAPI raised $60 million; Nucleix raised $55 million; Blue Dot raised $32 million; Perception Point raised $28 million; Breezometer raised $25 million; DataRails raised $18.5 million; DoControl raised $13.35 million; Affogata raised $5.5 million; Jeeng raised $5 million; TransAlgae raised $2.5 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Building bridges with music. With family hailing from Algeria and Tunisia, Israeli Riff Cohen is a one-of-a-kind musician, whose eclectic tunes are connecting people all through the Middle East. She has performed in Jordan and Turkey. She was even hailed in Paris by Moroccans who called out “Hey Riff Cohen!”
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-israeli-musiian-builds-bridges-in-the-middle-east/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=169&v=rAwcKznTQwg
Rare historical videos released. (TY JNS) The Jerusalem Cinematheque has released rare historical videos, documenting Israel's visual history in newsreels, home movies, and rare films from the late 19th century till the present day. The new free website includes 7,000 topics and is accessible in both Hebrew and English
The first baby langur at Biblical zoo. Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo has just celebrated the birth of its first baby langur monkey. It hasn’t been named yet because its mother is being very protective, and zookeepers still do not know its gender. The zoo’s collection includes most of the 130 animals mentioned in the Bible.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/mazel-tov-jerusalem-zoo-welcomes-mysterious-new-addition/
Jerusalem celebrates back to normal. (TY Sharon) What a difference Yom Haatzmaut (Independence Day) was in Jerusalem this year compared to last year! Israel 73 was a time for celebration after a year of lockdowns and isolation. http://rjstreets.com/2021/04/18/jerusalem-celebrating-back-to-normal/
Judoka medals at Euro Championships. (TY WIN) At the European Judoka Championships in Portugal, Israel’s Tohar Butbul won the silver medal in the men’s under-73kg event, while Israel’s world champion Sagi Muki won bronze in the under-81kg. Israel’s Gefen Primo won bronze in the women’s under-52kg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTtJOzirwh8
THE JEWISH STATE
Zionism month. We Believe in Israel (WBII) and the Zionist Federation (ZF) are promoting Zionism month from Apr 19 – May 14. Its aim is to give a simple core understanding of Zionism to audiences outside the Jewish Community who have only heard the word Zionism used negatively by Israel’s enemies.
https://www.webelieveinisrael.org.uk/zionism-month
A country of contrasts. (TY WIN) Heavy rain and low temperatures on the weekend of 10-11 April resulted in 15-20 cm of snow on Mount Hermon. Then on 19th Apr temperatures in the center of the country exceeded 40 degrees centigrade. Israel’s facemask regulations were relaxed just in time for citizens to catch their breath!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6R66vYekLQ
The oldest pottery inscription. Archaeologists have discovered a 3,500-year-old inscription on a pottery sherd at the ancient town of Tel Lachish, about 40km from Jerusalem. It has been described as the “missing link” of early writing in the Southern Levant, which most, if not all, alphabetic scripts can be traced back to.
World Bible Quiz winner. Gilad Avrahamoff, of the Yeshivat Bnei Akiva, Netanya won the World Bible Quiz for Youth 2021 in Jerusalem. He received his award from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/304432
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxJ0jljOuQU
Grandson follows survivor into the IDF. Chaim Luviner, escaped the Nazis and eventually arrived in Israel, where he served in the Israel Defense Forces’ Armored 7th Corps. Today, his 22-year-old grandson, Lt. Ran Shaked, serves as a team commander in the elite reconnaissance unit of the IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade.
210418
In the 18th Apr 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· 3 Israeli research breakthroughs into cancer, aging and obesity.
· NASA names two asteroids after their Israeli-Arab student discoverer.
· Japan praises Israel for its help on the 10th anniversary of the tsunami.
· A hi-tech Israeli competitor to zoom.
· Investment in Israeli startups breaks three all-time records.
· Israelis once again were able to properly celebrate the nation’s birthday.
· Click here to see the 11th Apr newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours (with another great intro), San Diego Jewish World and United With Israel (with extra feature on Medical). Also (TY Sandra) in German here and here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here and here. Please pass on the following links to German and Hebrew-reading contacts. Wishing Stuart Palmer a speedy recovery. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page. Many thanks to Myer for placing an advert for the newsletter in the April issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 10).
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
· Click here to keyword SEARCH almost any topic in the IsraelActive archives (18,000+ news articles).
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Vaccine even protects the unvaccinated. Unvaccinated children of Covid-19 vaccinated parents are far less likely to contract the virus. Researchers at Israel’s Technion and health company Maccabi used data from 223 Israeli communities to show each 20% increase in parental vaccination halves the incidence of child infection.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.26.21254394v2
How to control aging. Ben Gurion University scientist Dr Debra Toiber and her team have identified several genes involved in the aging process. Whereas SIRT6 helps repair DNA to promote healthy aging, other genes cause damage. Longevity can be extended, and damage reversed with targeted gene therapy and interventions.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/genes_aging.aspx https://www.aging-us.com/article/202755
The hunger switch. Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with UK colleagues, have found that melanocortin 4 (MC4) receptor is the master switch for hunger in the brain. It is normally “on” (“I feel full”) until energy levels drop. Its discovery can help develop anti-obesity medications.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/304339
Brain cancer treatment breakthrough. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered a potential treatment for the aggressive brain cancer Glioblastoma. Over-secretion of the protein P-Selectin (SELP) boosts tumor growth. Inhibiting SELP slowed growth and stopped cancer cells migrating to the brain.
https://www.israel21c.org/cure-for-deadly-brain-cancer-may-be-on-its-way/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaWYYwbayUI
The impact of the microbiome on cancer. Israel’s MyBiotics (see here previously) is to partner Hadasit - the technology transfer arm of Hadassah Medical Center, to identify gut microbiome-based cancer therapies. They will study up to 100 melanoma patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/mybiotics-hadassah-to-study-impact-of-microbiome-on-cancer-therapies/
Breakthrough cancer treatment device. Israel’s IceCure already has US FDA approval for its cryogenic (freezing) treatment of cancer (reported here previously). The latest FDA Breakthrough Device designation, however, will speed up procedures regarding permits for IceCure’s Prosense device to treat cancer patients.
Home telemedicine system approved. Israel’s MyHomeDoc has received US FDA approval to add to its EU and Israeli certifications. The device has 4 embedded sensors to analyze and report lung, heart, and bowel sounds, otoscopy for the ear, oximeter for pulse rate and saturation, thermometer, throat and skin camera test.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3903190,00.html https://www.my-homedoc.com/
Speech therapy for special needs. Israel’s Ampliospeech has developed a digital intervention platform for special education students. Originally addressing dyslexics, Amplio uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to improve the speech-language capabilities of all children with special needs.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3903092,00.html https://www.ampliospeech.com/
Heart surgery for Iraqi baby. Volunteers at the Shevet Achim aid organization brought baby Hena from the minority Yazidis of Iraq, for life-saving heart treatment at Israel’s Sheba hospital. From a refugee camp in Iraq, Hena’s father said, “We are grateful to the State of Israel for helping us in these difficult circumstances.”
https://unitedwithisrael.org/yazidi-baby-from-iraq-brought-to-israel-for-life-saving-surgery/
Muslims and Jews save disabled woman. When a disabled woman suffered a heart attack at a care facility, three EMTs from United Hatzalah’s Mevaseret region worked together to save her life. They included Murad Barhom - a Muslim Arab who has had a home in the Jewish Kibbutz of Kiryat Anavim for nearly 40 years.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299728
World’s kindest kidney donors. (TY UWI) Israeli charity Matnat Chaim (Gift of Life) has facilitated 1,003 live kidney transplants since 2009 from altruistic donors - people who are not related to their recipients. Israel has the highest per capita rate of people donating kidneys to strangers. (See also here for previous news.)
https://www.israel21c.org/israel-tops-world-in-kidney-donations-to-strangers/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israeli in IBM’s top women in AI list. For the first time, IBM’s annual World’s 40 leading women in artificial intelligence includes an Israeli. Hagit Tzafrir, head of the Health Division at Harel Group. Hagit’s project “Ella the Digital Assistant” provides digital customer service on Harel’s website and WhatsApp.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/ibm-names-israeli-to-global-list-of-leading-women-in-ai/
Starting up together – round 3. Israel-founded initiative Starting Up Together (reported here previously) is an online pre-accelerator program that trains entrepreneurs locally and across the Middle East region. Its Israeli track, for Arab and Jewish Israelis over 18, is now in its 3rd session. There are 60 participants in the two tracks.
Proud female Muslim Arab IDF officer. Captain Ella Waweya, from the Israeli Arab town of Qalansawe, is an officer in the IDF Spokesperson’s Office. She is proud to say, “The Israeli flag gives me a feeling of excitement, belonging and love.” In 2015 she won the President’s medal of Excellence (see here).
Israeli-Arab student discovers two asteroids. (TY UWI) Aseel Namamade, a student at Israel’s Technion Institute, discovered two asteroids when attending the NASA-affiliated International Astronomical Search Collaboration. NASA has named them ANI1801 and ANI2001 after Aseel’s initials and Israel.
https://www.israel21c.org/nasa-names-asteroids-after-israeli-student-who-found-them/
Ramadan greetings. (TY UWI) Israeli leaders sent out greetings for a “Ramadan Kareem” to the country’s Muslim citizens and others around the world on the first day of the holiest month of the Islamic calendar. This year it coincided with Yom HaZikaron, the Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers and terror victims.
One million masks for LA kids. Israeli non-profit SmartAID is supplying one million children’s masks and 600,000 bottles of hand sanitizer in Los Angeles County. They are intended to protect children in disadvantaged areas from catching the coronavirus. SmartAID previously distributed masks in Washington state (see here).
https://www.israel21c.org/smartaid-donates-200000-masks-to-children-in-los-angeles/
The green pass – UK looks to Israel. UK newspaper article highlighting Israel’s strategy for opening-up the country post-Covid. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04/03/time-discussion-covid-certification/
“We will never forget Israel’s help.” (TY JNS) As Japan marks the 10th anniversary of its devastating tsunami, Israel's medical teams are praised as heroes for coming to the rescue. The IDF was the first foreign relief delegation to arrive – the only country that could bring its own equipment at such short notice.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/03/30/we-will-never-forget-israels-help/
Saving lives in the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Health has successfully trialed the EVA cervical cancer screening system from Israel’s MobileODT (see here previously) on 9,000 of its citizens. The program has now been expanded to cover another 50,000 women over the next six months.
https://nocamels.com/2021/04/israel-mobileodt-cervical-cancer-screening-dominican/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
10 of top 100 AI companies are Israeli. CB Insights 2021 “AI 100: The Artificial Intelligence Startups Redefining Industries” includes 7 Israeli startups with Headquarters in Israel and 3 more with R&D in Israel.
https://www.israel21c.org/10-israeli-startups-on-cb-insights-ai-100-list-for-2021/
https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/artificial-intelligence-top-startups/
Europe approves Israeli 20-sec Covid-19 test. (TY UWI & I24 News) The SpectraLIT developed by Israel’s Virusight Diagnostic (reported here Oct 2020) has now been given CE certification. It can now be implemented throughout Europe, especially at airports.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-israels-20-second-corona-test-gets-green-light-in-europe/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=garDCU6LpL8
Truly green building material. Israel’s Kenaf Ventures has developed sustainable and eco-friendly raw materials for the construction industry from the kenaf plant. The plant absorbs carbon and pollutants as it grows. When harvested, its fibers and core are made into insulation products, plastic alternatives and more.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-botanical-cure-for-constructions-heavy-carbon-emissions/
https://www.kenafventures.com/
Support for grieving relatives. Israeli startup Empathy has launched an app to guide US families through the logistical and emotional complexities experienced with loss. It provides expert advice, real-time assistance, helps locate and store important paperwork and helps relatives navigate the traumatic process.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3903218,00.html https://www.empathy.com/
Low-carb food for diabetics. Israel’s EatSane is developing low-carbohydrate vegan food products without artificial sweeteners or preservatives. EatSane’s high-fiber bread is made from nut flour and contains just 2.6 grams of carbohydrate instead of the usual 15 grams. Available in Israel and in the United States.
https://eatsane.co.il/en/ https://www.israel21c.org/global-baking-firm-grupo-bimbo-invests-in-israeli-startup/
https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B08YKDBYXT
Smart coffee. Israeli-Colombian startup Demetria uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to select the perfect coffee beans. Demetria’s small, handheld spectrometer gadget measures bean size, weight, humidity and more. It then relays the information to a mobile app, saving time and money for coffee growers, traders, buyers and baristas.
https://www.israel21c.org/an-ai-revolution-is-about-to-transform-your-cup-of-coffee/ https://demetria.ag/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ7vlf4w4Vk
Bringing podcasts to any app. Israel’s Audioburst (reported here Feb 2016) has now launched its Platform for Apps – marketed as the world’s first podcast feed for mobile apps. The service offers consumers personalized, up-to-the-minute audio content within their favorite apps, while providing recurring revenue for app developers.
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/04/01/audioburst-platform-brings-podcasts-to-any-app/
Zoom competitor means business. Israel’s VidiPlus has released its video conferencing software for sales and marketing professionals. Its “in-person” features include 3-D visuals, branding, slideshows, web browsers, and videos that appear in real-time next to the presenter in the same frame for a full “show-and-tell” experience.
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/04/15/vidiplus-offers-new-video-conferencing-tech-like-zoom/
https://vidiplus.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3dcu4TIPVQ
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Investment breaks all records. Israeli tech companies raised $5.3 billion in the first three months of 2021 - half the total for the whole of 2020; $1.5 billion was just by cyber companies. Israeli startups raised $2.8 billion in March, double the previous monthly record. And on 7th April, $1 billion was raised on a single day!
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israeli-startups-raised-record-28b-in-march-1001365975
https://unitedwithisrael.org/1-5-billion-israeli-cyber-companies-set-new-investment-record/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3903550,00.html
Strategic accord with Morocco. Three Israeli trade organizations have signed an agreement worth hundreds of millions of dollars with the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises. It promotes trade and technology cooperation, including food, agriculture, vehicles, chemicals, equipment, renewable energy, water and health.
Opening soon for tourists. The prospects for the resumption of tourism to Israel are good. Non-Israeli family members can now visit first-degree relatives in Israel. Then on May 23rd, foreign tour groups will be admitted. And soon thereafter the skies should open to allow individual tourists to visit. Bookings are now flooding in.
https://www.touristisrael.com/when-will-travel-to-israel-resume/31963/
https://www.jns.org/israel-to-begin-receiving-vaccinated-tourists-on-may-23/
https://nocamels.com/2021/03/destination-israel-travelers-post-pandemic-trip/
Helping US small businesses survive. Israeli companies Tailor Brands and Melio have kept many US small businesses alive during the pandemic. Tailor Brands provides branding services online, and initially free, to 30 million customers. Melio (see here) provides a platform for transferring digital payments between businesses.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/how-israeli-startups-help-small-businesses-in-us-during-corona-crisis/
https://www.tailorbrands.com/ https://www.meliopayments.com/
Vegan formula for US babies. Following its launch in Canada and India, the plant-based toddler formula from Israel’s Else Nutrition (reported here previously) is on its way to 30,000 retail stores across the USA. The kosher, organic, gluten & soy-free, FDA-approved formula is made from almonds, tapioca and buckwheat.
https://www.israel21c.org/else-nutrition-non-soy-vegan-baby-formula-hits-us-shelves/
Applitools exits for $250 million. U.S.-based investment firm Thoma Bravo is acquiring Israeli-founded Applitools (see here) for a reported $250 million. Applitools provides software engineers with AI-based and cloud-powered solutions to help automate functional and visual testing for their apps.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3902274,00.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-private-equity-fund-thoma-bravo-to-buy-israeli-founded-applitools/
Israel’s largest ever seed funding. Israel’s Talon Cyber Security has just raised $26 million in what is believed to be Israel’s largest ever initial funding of a startup. Talon says it is developing a first-of-its-kind technology that offers cyber protection from the unique threats emerging in today’s era of distributed work.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/talon-raises-26m-in-largest-israeli-seed-funding-round-ever-664812
Investment in Israeli startups: Trax raised $640 million; Memic raised $96 million; Capitolis raised $90 million; ClimaCell (now Tomorrow.io) raised $77 million; Zoomin Software raised $52 million; Augmedics raised $36 million; Fyllo raised $30 million; AmplioSpeech raised $27 million; Talon Cyber Security raised $26 million; Rivery raised $16 million; Empathy raised $13 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Museum of the Jewish People upgraded. Tel Aviv’s Museum of the Jewish People (formerly Diaspora Museum) has just completed a $100m makeover. Artifacts range from a 15th century Book of Esther to Leonard Cohen’s guitar, making the rebranded ANU (“We”) the world’s comprehensive Jewish museum.
https://www.israel21c.org/tel-avivs-museum-of-the-jewish-people-gets-100m-makeover/
Iranian artists at Haifa exhibition. The fourth Mediterranean Biennale in Haifa exhibited works by 60 artists and art collectives from 17 countries - including Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Bahrain. This year’s theme was “Living Together – Crossing Borders.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CopPGqMi_-E
https://www.israel21c.org/artists-from-bahrain-iran-take-part-in-haifa-exhibition/
HBO buys “On the Spectrum”. HBO has bought the adaptation and syndication rights to Israeli TV show “On the Spectrum” featuring the lives of adults on the autistic spectrum. It will air both dubbed and subbed. Amazon studios has also purchased the series, to remake an English language version (reported here previously).
Amazon studios partners Israeli director. (TY JNS) Alma Har’el, the award-winning Israeli director behind Shia LaBeouf’s 2019 drama “Honey Boy,” has formed a new production company “Zusa”. She will work with Amazon Studios to develop and create a new TV series exclusively for Amazon Prime Video.
THE JEWISH STATE
Muslim driver decorates bus for Passover. Muslim bus driver Ihab transformed his number 77 Jerusalem bus into a “Passover bus” for his ultra-Orthodox passengers, with aluminum foil, flowers, and a miniature Seder table. One of the passengers even found the Afikoman, receiving dinner for two as a prize.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4948382,00.html
It’s all happening in Jerusalem. (TY Sharon) Recent Jerusalem rollercoaster activity included 24th Knesset swearing-in, Yom Ha’Atzmaut flyover rehearsals, Yom HaShoah, spring weather and busy parks and markets.
http://rjstreets.com/2021/04/11/jerusalem-up-and-down-weeks/
Survivor celebrates Bar Mitzvah 75 years late. Just before Israel marked Yom HaShoah, 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Nissim Semu held his Bar Mitzvah ceremony in front of his children, grandchildren and friends in the Israeli city of Yehud. His 13th birthday had been disrupted, as Israel fought for Independence.
Independence Day. Israelis celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Independence Day) with enthusiasm this year thanks to the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions. Israel’s Air Force flew over Israeli cities in a “Salute” to all Israeli citizens. Fireworks, public events and private parties were held throughout the country. TY Jacob for hot sites.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-to-celebrate-independence-day-with-air-force-flyby/
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/israel-resources.htm
Why I am a Zionist. Great new 5-minute video commemorating the 20th anniversary of the publication of Professor Gil Troy’s essay “Why I am a Zionist.” Each year on Israel’s Independence Day, we celebrate Zionism and the light and tremendous blessing that Israel shines on everyone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlcdEGFEnyQ
Told you so! A new video summarizing 10 miracles of Israel, foretold in the Bible. The ingathering; Barren to others; Blossoming with the return; Renewal of spoken Hebrew; Revival of Torah; Economic success; Flowing milk & honey; Rebuilding Jerusalem; Blessings to the world and Diplomatic recognition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAAHvQTXK3E
210411
In the 11th Apr 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli scientists have found that bacteria can help fight cancer.
· Local and international students are returning to Israeli colleges.
· New Israeli visual technology can see both under the skin and from high in the air.
· Microsoft plans to invest over $1 billion in Israel.
· Israel has upgraded its plans for this year’s Independence Day celebrations.
· Click here to see the 30th Mar newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours (with another great intro), IsraPundit, San Diego Jewish World (welcome back editor Don Harrison) and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here. Please pass on the following links to German and Hebrew-reading contacts. Wishing Stuart Palmer a speedy recovery. Also (TY Esty) please visit the www.facebook.com/VerygoodnewsIL Facebook page. Many thanks again to Myer for placing another advert for the newsletter in the Apr 2021 issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 10).
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
· Click here to keyword SEARCH almost any topic in the IsraelActive archives (18,000+ news articles).
· If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Bacteria can help anti-cancer immune response. There is a complex relationship between bacteria and cancer (reported here previously). Now, scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have discovered that bacteria inside cancer cells can provoke an immune reaction against the tumor, which chemotherapy can further exploit.
https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/life-sciences/bacteria-may-aid-anti-cancer-immune-response
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03368-8
Jumpstarting the brain to treat “Covid depression”. Israel’s BrainsWay (reported here previously) is now using its transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) technology to treat patients suffering with depression due to Covid. It is focusing on those struggling with recovery, who have lost loved ones, in financial difficulties etc.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3901032,00.html
Background radiation and cancer. (TY UWI) Ben Gurion University scientists studying naturally occurring ionizing radiation in the US, discovered that, contrary to expectations, higher levels of radiation lead to lower levels of many solid cancers. Levels of other cancers were not influenced by background radiation levels.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/background-radiation.aspx
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10522-020-09909-4
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Partnering NASA to benefit global food security. Israel’s CropX (reported here previously) has partnered NASA Harvest (NASA’s Food Security and Agriculture Program) to provide NASA with soil insights for its global agricultural monitoring efforts. NASA is testing CropX across Arizona farms to fine-tune its algorithms.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-harvest-and-cropx-partner-to-support-sustainable-agriculture
US teens return to study in Israel. As Covid-19 infection rates fall, JNF-USA has launched Operation Zion to bring global students to Israel. They will study at JNF-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Hod Hasharon, and travel around Israel. 240 teens, mainly from the US have just arrived and more are on their way.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jewish-national-fund-usa-first-to-bring-american-teens-back-to-israel-301264042.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYdUHghrIPU
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Back on campus. Israeli students at Israeli institutes of higher education have returned to study physically at their colleges following the end of the Passover holiday. Those not fully vaccinated continue to study virtually.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2021/03/technion-city-opens-for-spring-semester/
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Pages/coronavirus-updates.aspx https://international.huji.ac.il/
https://english.tau.ac.il/covid19center https://www.biu.ac.il/en/news/8947
Powering the Israeli nanosatellites. The high-functioning LEON processors of Israel’s Ramon.Space (reported here previously) powered the three Technion nanosatellites launched into orbit in March. Having powered missions from many countries, CEO Avi Shabtai was proud to be a key part of an Israeli one.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3900826,00.html
Helping the US re-open after Covid. Felicity Kay, from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), speaks at Atlantic City Airport about IAI’s Tamar COVID detection technology designed to keep airline passengers safe. She also describes IAI’s Grenada Covid-19 disinfecting UV flashlight (see here). See other IAI Covid innovations here.
All-seeing. Israel-based Nanomotion has developed precision motion technology that could revolutionize vision technology. It has potential benefits from complex surgery to emergency rescue drones. Miniature motors use ultrasonic standing wave piezoelectric technology, to form the basis of tiny, powerful high-resolution cameras.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3900535,00.html https://www.nanomotion.com/
Cyber security for ships. Maritime vessels, e.g. tankers, have no IT experts on board, slow Internet access, and spend weeks at sea. Israel’s Cydome Security provides a niche cyber solution to safeguard ships, including command and control, communications, guidance, sensors, and links to coastal infrastructures.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3900451,00.html
Teaching English to Israeli techies. Israeli online business school Jolt (reported here previously) is partnering TALMA, the Israel Program for Excellence in English (reported here previously), to help raise the standard of English speaking, writing, and reading, required for employment in the high-tech industry.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3902031,00.html
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
IMF raises growth forecast for Israel. The latest International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Global Economic Report has revised Israel's growth forecast for 2021 upwards from 4.1% to 5% due to the successful rollout of the country's vaccination drive.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-shekel-gains-as-imf-raises-israel-growth-forecast-1001366485
Water deal with Bahrain. Israel’s state-owned water company Mekorot has signed a $3 million deal to provide Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) with consulting services on a number of water projects. It is the first major agreement between the two countries since the signing of the Abraham Accords.
Developing employees at UAE bank. Israel’s Gloat (reported here previously) has deployed its smart recruitment system to its first Arab bank. The UAE’s largest bank - First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) – has partnered with Gloat to launch its internal “Talent Marketplace” and enhance its career development program.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3901000,00.html
Microsoft to invest $1 billion in Israel. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has given details of his company's planned new investments in Israel to the Israeli PM. They should total between $1 billion and $1.5 billion.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-microsoft-set-for-major-israel-investment-1001365619
Security partnership with Microsoft. Israel’s Voyager Labs (reported here previously) has announced that its suite of AI cloud-based security solutions is now also available on Microsoft Azure. Also, the Microsoft One Commercial Partner program gives Voyager Labs the facility to sell to Microsoft customers in 170 countries.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3900840,00.html
E-vehicle batteries for India. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Phinergy (reported here previously) is partnering Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to make Aluminum-Air battery systems. India’s Prime Minister Modi wants electricity to “de-carbonize mobility”, to recycle used Aluminum and increase made-in-India products.
Helping UK freelancers to get paid. The app from Israel’s Osu helps UK freelancers, sole traders and self-employed accept and manage payments. It has no transaction fees and allows its users to capture 100% of each sale. Osu has already collected hundreds of thousands of pounds of payments for 1,000 UK professionals.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3901346,00.html https://payosu.com/
Yum! acquires Israeli hi-tech platform. (TY JBN) Yum! Brands – owner of Pizza Hut, KFC and more, has taken over Israel’s Tictuk. It gives Yum! customers the ability to order fast food via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS, QR codes, and email, via Tictuk’s omnichannel ordering and marketing platform.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210324005416/en/Yum%21-Brands-to-Acquire-Leading-Omnichannel-Ordering-and-Marketing-Platform-Company https://www.tictuk.com/
Smarter than Amazon. Updated news on Israel’s SuperSmart (reported here previously). Its supermarket shopping scanning system has now expanded to Germany, Brazil, and the U.S. and the startup has just raised $10 million of funds. At the same time, Amazon Go has shrunk from a target of 3,000 stores to just 25.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3902011,00.html
Motorcycle headset communications. Israel’s Cardo Systems has developed a next-generation headset intercom that allows motorcycle riders to communicate without distractions. Cardo has just been acquired by European private equity fund EMK Capital for $150 million. https://www.cardosystems.com/
Investment in Israeli startups: Next Insurance raised $250 million; Morphisec raised $31 million; Upsolver raised $25 million; Aporia raised $5 million; Osu raised $3.2 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Artists for co-existence. Keter Group and the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation have opened a new exhibition titled “The New Shape of co-Existence. It comprises 30 artworks, chosen from some 400 submitted on the theme of peace, co-existence, innovation, and the connections between them.
https://www.jns.org/keter-peres-center-unveil-co-existence-themed-exhibition-of-artists-worldwide/
THE JEWISH STATE
Rare 2,000-year-old shekel discovered in Jerusalem. As part of Jerusalem’s Tower of David conservation work, archaeologists found an ultra-rare high-quality silver “Tyrian shekel”. It was changed into local currency and used to pay the half-shekel donation before Temple offerings could be accepted. Three great new videos.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/rare-coin-rediscovered-during-conservation-project-of-jerusalem-museum-tower/ https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-israelis-discover-rare-2000-year-old-shekel-in-jerusalem/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiAq4GtEGOc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkvDbLThRDU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdLPyn3TLM
Grandmother protects Mount Carmel. Israeli Ruth Shefer is known as the “Grandmother of Mount Carmel.” Every morning, for the last 20 years, Ruth picks up garbage left by thoughtless visitors, taking environmental protection into her own hands. She is a beacon of inspiration to all Israeli nature lovers.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-israeli-grandmother-protects-the-environment-with-tlc/
Israel’s Memorial Day and 73rd birthday. Join the Technion UK to remember its fallen soldiers on Memorial Day on Weds 14th April at 9am UK time. Then celebrate Israel’s 73rd Independence Day on Thurs 15th April at 8pm UK time, through film clips, live interviews and rare video footage. Free registration at the links below.
https://technionuk.org/event/yom-hazikaron/ https://technionuk.org/event/yom-haatzmaut/
Dazzling aerial show for Independence Day. TY UWI) In 2020 Israelis observed Yom Ha’atzmaut Independence Day in lockdown. This year, proper celebrations return and the traditional flyover will reach more towns and cities than usual as a tribute to the Jewish State’s resilience.
