In the 25th Dec 22 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli treatments for cancer and cystic fibrosis begin human trials.
· Israel attended the first Arab conference on cyber security.
· An Israeli innovation can produce solar energy and help grow crops.
· Many examples of Israeli top-rated artificial intelligent innovations.
· Israeli startups are delivering vital systems to France, Netherlands, Germany, and Turkey.
· Israel’s top orchestra played Israel’s National Anthem in Abu Dhabi.
· Archaeological record of the 8th century BCE life of King Hezekiah of Judah.
· Some modern-day Hanukkah “miracles”.
· Click here to see the 18th Dec newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours with an excellent Hanukkah intro, IsraPundit and United With Israel with feature on Jewish State. Also (TY Sandra) in German here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here. Please pass on this newsletter to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page.
· 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 (over 21,700 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
Novel cancer treatment begins trials. Israel’s Nectin Therapeutics (see here previously) has started human trials of its NTX1088 cancer treatment. NTX1088 blocks the protein PVR expressed by tumors to suppress the immune system. The treatment also restores DNAM-1, needed to activate anti-cancer T & NK cells.
https://nocamels.com/2022/12/treatment-for-resistant-cancer-patients-raises-25m/
Cystic fibrosis treatment begins trials. (TY Dr Salem) Israel’s SpliSense (see here previously) has begun a first Phase 1/2 human trial of its SPL84 treatment for a specific genetic mutation that causes cystic fibrosis. SpliSense utilizes proprietary RNA therapies called ASOs (antisense oligonucleotides) to correct mutations.
It’s a wrap. Tel Aviv University researchers have developed a new technology to encapsulate (i.e., wrap) molecules and then release them within the body. They designed a peptide that forms compartments for the molecules and then UV light to break up the compartments. It can deliver therapies to wherever it is needed.
https://english.tau.ac.il/encapsulation_molecules_2022 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.1c21006
Warning – impending heart failure. A new tool developed at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center and the US’ Mayo Clinic is saving the lives of patients with myositis (weak, painful, and inflamed heart muscle). Using 20 years of ECG data, the AI system has an 80% accuracy of predicting and preventing impending heart failure.
https://nocamels.com/2022/12/lifesaving-ai-warns-of-patient-heart-failure/
Warning - your medication may harm you. Israel’s MDI Health Technologies (see here previously) is now up and running in the USA and Israel with its AI-based system to detect adverse interactions of medication. 20% of patients 65+ take dangerous combinations of medicines, causing 12 million hospitalizations in the US.
https://nocamels.com/2022/12/ai-protects-patients-from-dangerous-drug-interactions/
Infusion at home. The Covid pandemic has impacted positively on many of the patients using infusion systems from Israel’s Eitan Medical (see here previously). What was once regularly a long visit to hospital is often now a 5-minute procedure performed at home. Earlier this year Eitan received Israel’s Outstanding Exporter’ award.
https://eitanmedical.com/eitan-medical-receives-2020-outstanding-exporter-award-from-israeli-ministry-of-economy-and-industry/ https://www.israel21c.org/devices-that-deliver-injectable-drugs-right-at-home/
A mattress to decompress your spine. Israeli startup Daily Backup has developed the CogniSpine – a semi-inflatable mattress that returns your spine to its natural curvature when lying on it in a prone position. It also stimulates the vagus nerve, which regulates heart rate, etc., switching it into “relaxed mode”.
https://nocamels.com/2022/12/relax-lying-face-down-could-be-the-best-stress-buster/ https://cognispine.com/
New research center for autoimmune diseases. Thanks to a generous donor, Tel Aviv University is to establish a multidisciplinary center for the research of autoimmune diseases. The new Colton Center will focus on big data analytics, sourced by Israeli medical institutions, to direct traditional scientific lab work.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-725197
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Autism is no obstacle in the IDF. (TY Hazel) 97 autistic new recruits completed their basic training last year. Three more have just begun officer’s training. And as their recent meeting with the IDF Chief of Staff shows, they won’t be the last. https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/bjuzoz7ui
Promoting Arab entrepreneurship. Israel is encouraging entrepreneurship and tech careers in the Arab sector. It is investing in three innovation centers, two tech accelerators, and an angel investors’ club. They include the North-Med Innovation Center, Hasoub Labs Center, and Kfar-Qasem Park-High-Tech Center.
https://www.israel21c.org/new-innovation-centers-to-encourage-arab-entrepreneurship/
The only Middle East country for Christians. (TY Dr Salem) Some important facts in this opinion piece. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population is growing (by 1.4% in 2020) and satisfied with life (84% in Dec 2021 survey). Not so in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, Gaza, the PA, etc., etc.
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/for-mideast-christians-not-most-wonderful-time-of-year
Israel attends Arab cyber conference. Israel participated in the inaugural Arab International Cybersecurity Exhibition and Conference in Manama, Bahrain (Dec 6 - 8). It joined the UAE, Morocco, Kuwait, Oman, and other countries. Israel’s National Cyber Directorate head Gabi Portnoy also led a joint workshop.
Jerusalem Leaders Summit. The fourth Jerusalem Leaders Summit (Dec 28) brings together leaders from America, Britain, Europe, and India. It will focus on law, economic freedom, free trade, cyber security, energy, innovation, and technology. https://jerusalemleaderssummit.com/
Israelis celebrate Hanukkah in Qatar. The Israeli Foreign Affairs mission in Qatar celebrated Hanukkah with Israelis who had attended the Soccer World Cup, plus many Qatar Jews. Qatar does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, so the Israeli Ministry team lit Hanukkah candles at the United States Embassy in Doha.
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy/1671609703-israeli-diplomatic-mission-in-qatar-celebrates-hanukkah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaeGJy31O28
Generators and radiation suits for Ukraine. (TY Hazel) Israel has donated 17 generators to Ukraine for use in the electricity-starved Kherson region of southeastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Oren Milstein, co-founder of Israel’s StemRad travelled to Kyiv to donate 20 StemRad radiation protection suits to first responders.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Juniors win six science medals. Israel's junior science team won six medals at the 2022 International Junior Science Olympiad, in Bogota, Columbia, which Israel participated in for the first time. The 10-day event was contested by 203 participants from 39 countries, who took exams in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/364453
A zero-emission heat engine. Israel’s Luminescent Solar Power is developing a small, efficient, and low-cost heat engine for markets including waste heat, solar, and cooling. The company enables any small gas turbine to be converted into a combined cycle potential of 100 GW and convert any waste heat into electricity.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/ry8trauos https://luminescentpower.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_HKeHQ_eqc
The best of both worlds. Often solar farms are built on land that could have grown crops. But Israel’s TriSolar puts PV panels inside greenhouses covered by nylon sheets to generate electricity and provide heat and light to the crops grown under glass. TriSolar’s solution uses tilting panels and sensors to optimize diffused sunlight.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-solar-solution-for-creating-food-and-energy-at-once/ https://www.trisolar.net/
Fast-growing carob trees. The carob tree features in many Biblical stories, growing to maturity in seven years. But those grown by Israel’s CarobWay (see here previously) only take four years. The trees are grown on agricultural land rather than forests, using sensors and remote-controlled irrigation and fertilization systems.
https://nocamels.com/2022/12/smart-tech-cultivates-biblical-superfood-for-the-21st-century/
Saving bats from wind turbines. Every year, wind turbines around the world kill millions of bats and other flying animals that collide with their blades. Scientists from Tel Aviv University and University of Haifa have developed a drone that transmits ultrasonic signals and lights to induce bats to fly above the danger zone.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-drone-can-save-bats-from-terror-of-wind-turbine-blades/
https://english.tau.ac.il/drones_save_bats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLoKeXzHaeY
https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/rse2.316
Next gen sustainable packaging. Germany’s BASF SE has partnered Israel’s StePac (see here previously) to create the next generation of sustainable packaging specifically for the fresh produce sector. StePac’s modified atmosphere packaging will be enhanced with BASF’s Ultramid recycled polyamide to inhibit microbial decay.
https://www.basf.com/global/en/media/news-releases/2022/12/p-22-429.html
Recyclable bowls for takeout orders. Israel’s OPA (Hebrew for “wow”) supplies Wolt-registered restaurants with its reusable, returnable, bowls for takeout deliveries in Tel Aviv and soon other cities. OPA is also consulting with Rabbis to ensure that the bowls can also be used in kosher establishments.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/start-up-offers-reusable-100-recyclable-bowls-for-takeout-food/
4 top “intelligent” startups. Four Israeli companies made the “AI 100” list of the most promising artificial intelligence startups of 2022 compiled by global tech market intelligence company CB Insights. They are AI21 Labs, Pecan.ai (see also Youtube below), Run:AI, and Zencity. All previously appeared in this newsletter.
https://www.israel21c.org/4-israel-firms-make-global-ai-100-list-from-cb-insights/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-IX33vABrU
The right song for the occasion. Israel’s MyPart uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to find the most appropriate song to match selected parameters. Its algorithm classifies thousands of tracks, by their lyrics, theme, and style. It can, for instance, save film producers wasting thousands of hours listening to irrelevant pieces of music.
https://nocamels.com/2022/12/music-to-your-ears-ai-can-select-the-perfect-track/
https://www.mypart.net/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GzAMDEzx5k
Better writing for iOS users. Israel’s AI21 Labs has launched an Apple version of its Wordtune app (see here previously) to help people write better documents. Wordtune for iOS uses artificial intelligence to help Apple users rephrase and rewrite sentences and improve their grammar. There is already a Google Chrome version.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-724749
A personal professional photo editor. Israel’s Imagen develops AI-powered editing solutions for professional photographers. Imagen’s technology creates an individual profile based on a photographer’s previous work and unique creative style and can save up to 90% of post-production time. Used by thousands of photographers.
https://imagen-ai.com/ https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bymkx1cdi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ncex4Xeq9I&t=240s
Intelligent property management. Israel’s MyTower uses IoT and AI technology to help property managers, real estate developers, and tenants. It includes rent collection, on-demand concierge services, a tenant loyalty program, and a marketplace of local and Israeli IoB (Internet of Buildings) solutions. 300+ towers managed.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hj1nfct00o https://www.mytowerapp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpPS9iwuodg
A whole new world. Israeli Ofer Baharav is CEO of RealVR – a US-Israeli startup with just 10 employees. RealVR’s new 3D platform, Villa, is one of the most popular apps for the MetaQuest II Virtual Reality headset, with nearly half a million users. Create your own superhuman avatar. Use Villa for work, education, or play.
https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/bkbw1mmdi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEWsJa9UEgk
https://realvr.ai/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPbj6T_UCqQ
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Benefits of free trade with Korea. As reported here previously, a new Free Trade Agreement with (South) Korea came into effect on 5th Dec 2022. This article lists many of the benefits for Israeli imports and exports.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-725034
Analyzing French wastewater. (TY OurCrowd) French water company CAPI is employing Israel’s Kando (see here previously) to implement smart wastewater data management for 22 municipalities serving 100,000+ customers in south-east France.
Preventing food waste in the Netherlands. Israel’s Wasteless (see here previously) is rolling out its dynamic pricing systems across 70 Hoogvliet stores in the Netherlands. The Wasteless algorithm will automatically update prices on the shelf, within Hoogvliet’s store operations app, and at the checkout.
https://nocamels.com/2022/09/supermarkets-use-ai-to-cut-prices/
Saving lives on the Autobahn. Israel’s Autotalks (see here previously) is partnering Germany’s Afusoft to deploy Autotalk’s V2X chipsets at roadside traffic signals along Germany’s autobahn. It will be Germany’s first fully functional V2X (Vehicle to Anything) project in Germany, aimed at saving lives on the federal highway.
World’s largest wave power plant. (TY Hazel & Dr Salem) Israel’s Eco Wave Power (EWP - see here previously) is to build the world’s largest-ever wave power plant at Ordu, on Turkey’s Black Sea coast. EWP signed a deal with Turkey’s Oren Ordu Enerji that will eventually create a 77MW plant costing $150 million.
https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/worlds-largest-wave-power-plant-in-frame-for-turkey-following-landmark-deal/2-1-1370522 https://www.ecowavepower.com/eco-wave-power-inks-historic-concession-agreement-to-build-77-megawatt-power-station/
Amazon’s security partner of the year. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Orca Security (see here previously) has been chosen as Amazon Web Services’ global security partner of the year for 2022 in recognition of its contribution to the web giant’s cloud computing platform and its customers.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-company-named-2022-aws-global-security-partner/
Top deal for TopGum. Israel’s TopGum (see here previously) says it has inked a five-year agreement to develop nutritional supplements for a “large international corporate worth of over $150 billion that produces and markets its products in about 200 countries”. https://www.timesofisrael.com/topgum-inks-5-year-deal-to-develop-gummy-supplements-for-major-international-firm/
$245 million to invest. Israel’s 10D Venture Capital focuses on investing in Israeli companies based on deep technology and new business models. 10D has just raised $245 million for two new funds, including a $185 million early-stage fund that has already made investments in four companies currently still in stealth mode.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hygyjn1yi https://www.10d.vc/
Investment in Israeli startups to 25/12/22: Imagen-ai raised $30 million; Nectin Therapeutics raised $25 million; Quris raised $9 million; Nilus raised $8.6 million; Luminescent raised $7 million; MyTower raised $4 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Israel Philharmonic performs in UAE. (TY Hazel) The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performed a historic concert at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. Watch the Youtube recording of the first time that the IPO played the Israeli National Anthem HaTikvah (The hope) in an Arab country. The whole audience was on its feet.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/364733
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYXbdjLvCfw&start=765
Turning trash into art. (TY UWI) The Center for Environmental Education inside Hiriya Recycling Park (see here previously) is exhibiting “Out of Sight” - an installation of thousands of discarded colored plastic bags. Also “Second Chance” - a model of artist Suly Bornstein Wolff’s own house, made from throwaway items.
https://www.israel21c.org/trash-takes-on-new-life-as-art-at-hiriya-recycling-park/
Israelis celebrate Messi’s World Cup win. Most Israelis were happy that Lionel Messi finally achieved his ambition to help win the World Soccer Cup for Argentina. Messi has visited Israel several times (see here previously). Then in 2020, Messi became global ambassador for Israel’s OrCam Technologies.
https://worldisraelnews.com/argentina-beats-france-messi-who-defied-bds-is-a-world-cup-champion/
Esports Peace Games. The first-ever Abraham Accords Esports Peace Games will take place in Tel Aviv (Jan 26 – 28). The digital video-gaming championship will feature competitors from Israel, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, among others, aiming to win a share of the $82,000 prize fund.
https://www.jns.org/tel-aviv-to-host-abraham-accords-inspired-esports-peace-games/
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-724904
THE JEWISH STATE
King Hezekiah’s inscriptions deciphered. In perhaps the most important archaeological discoveries of all time in Israel, inscriptions on seven stones from 709 BCE, found in the City of David, have been translated. In Paleo-Hebrew, they relate the main achievements of Hezekiah King of Judah who reigned from 726 BCE.
Children discover a 2,000-year-old lamp. Three children from Kibbutz Parod in the northern Galilee found a 2,000-year-old oil lamp in the kibbutz grounds. It sheds light on the size of the ancient Jewish community of that area as the discovery was outside the site where the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting a dig.
Holiday Lights and Nights in Jerusalem. (TY Sharon) Jerusalem’s festive lights were enchanting – both in the Botanical Gardens and on the Streets of Jerusalem.
http://rjstreets.com/2022/12/18/holiday-lights-and-nights-in-jerusalem/
The largest Lego Hanukkiyah. LEGO Store Tel Aviv in the Dizengoff Center contains what is believed to be the largest-ever LEGO menorah. It comprises between 131,000 and 136,000 bricks, is 4.52 meters tall and 4.7 meters wide. https://www.jns.org/is-this-the-largest-lego-menorah-in-the-world/
A brighter future. A “Flight of Miracles” during Hanukkah brought 100 Ukrainian immigrants to Israel, in the ongoing humanitarian effort by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), the Jewish Agency, the Joint (JDC) and ZAKA. They join nearly 14,000 Ukrainians who have made Aliya since February.
https://www.jns.org/hanukkah-flight-of-miracles-brings-100-ukrainian-jews-to-israel/
Amazing recovery. In August a terrorist shot a pregnant woman in the stomach. Doctors at Jerusalem’s Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center had to deliver her premature baby of 26-weeks. On erev Hanukkah, as mother and healthy son left the hospital, her husband said, "Blessed is He who performed a miracle for us in this place.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/364633
The right place at the right time. United Hatzalah EMT Rafael was attending a family Hanukkah party when his grandmother choked on some food. Family members held her upright as Rafael used the Heimlich Maneuver to dislodge the food. Rafael’s Safta restarted breathing and was taken to hospital for further checks.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/364701
Waking up in the light. During Hanukkah 23-year-old Tzur was reunited with the Magen David Adom medics who saved him from drowning 21 years ago. Two-year-old Tzur was unconscious for 4 days, and the doctors said his chances of recovery were slim. Then, just as his parents lit the first candle for Hanukkah, Tzur woke up.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/364763
An amazing career. Israeli Pinhas Buchris’ life story reads like a movie script. One of 7 sons to poor Tunis immigrants, he learned to read at age 10; graduated from the Technion; fought at Entebbe; brought cyber-security to IDF’s 8200 Unit; initiated Iron Dome; founded startups; got rich; returned from near death and more.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/lwigv8m1o
221218
In the 18th Dec 22 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli technology unmasks cancer’s attempt to fool the immune system.
· Israel promotes Disabilities Awareness month.
· Israeli startups are developing high-protein crops to feed a hungry world.
· Major ventures to expand Israeli trade with UAE and Turkey.
· Israelis performed a Hebrew play in the capital of Morocco.
· Two archaeological discoveries from the time of the first Hanukkah.
· He was once an Ethiopian shepherd boy; today he is an Israeli lawmaker.
· Click here to see the 11th Dec newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours with a great message, and United With Israel with feature on Jewish State. Also (TY Sandra) in German here, plus (TY Stuart Palmer) posted here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here, plus posted by Stuart Palmer here. Please pass on this newsletter to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page.
· 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 (over 21,700 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
AI to diagnose cancerous biopsies. Many tumors express the protein PD-L1, which allows them to circumvent the immune system. Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have developed neural networks that use “deep learning” AI to recognize PD-L1 in biopsies, alerting oncologists to apply appropriate immunotherapy.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2022/11/deep-learning-breast-cancer-ai-immunotherapy/
Reducing stress pre-surgery reduces spread of cancer. Confirming a previous study (see here) Tel Aviv researchers revisited patients five years after cancer surgery and found only 12.5% of the patients who received pre-surgery anti-anxiety therapy developed cancer metastases, compared to 50% in the control group.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-724290 https://english.tau.ac.il/colon_rectal_cancer_2022
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0748798322007053
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41568-021-00395-5
Depression treatment for bipolar disorder. 20% of some 7 million US patients with bipolar disorder commit suicide. US-Israeli company NRx is currently undergoing a US trial on 72 bipolar patients involving the simultaneous administering of two anti-depression treatments that do not have hallucinogenic side effects.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/b1kv2lfwo https://www.nrxpharma.com/nrx-100-nrx-101/
A new kind of facemask. Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have invented the Air-screen fluidic facemask. It blocks virus-laden aerosols and droplets by use of a tiny fan to produce a rectangular air jet, or screen, in front of the wearer’s face. An Israeli startup Wisdom Wearables will commercialize the mask.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D_H8VHWtH8
Help an Israeli hospital save babies’ lives. (TY UWI) Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has developed a realistic baby simulator for advanced medical training that will help medical professionals save babies’ lives. They are now asking for funds to help pay for the cost of the equipment needed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPEC-dN1RBM https://give.afsmc.org/give/446626/#!/donation/checkout
Two lives saved. A Jerusalem woman in her ninth month of pregnancy suffered a stroke while giving a public presentation. Luckily, a member of the audience recognized the stroke symptoms. Seven doctors at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center saved the mother’s life and delivered her healthy baby by Caesarian section.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
$2 million+ for children with serious illnesses. The SeriousFun Children’s Network gala in New York raised $2.2 million for Israel’s Jordan River Village (see here previously). The village, one of 30 camps and programs founded by the actor Paul Newman, has hosted 22,000 children with serious illnesses during the past 10 years.
A children’s museum in the Galilee. (TY Ellen) The Children's Museum of the Galilee has just been allocated land to build an exciting place where all Israeli kids can interact, play, all while developing skills and opening their minds to learning. You can help them by donating - in dollars, sterling, or shekels.
https://www.childrensmuseumofthegalilee.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV1q8wfQon8
https://www.childrensmuseumofthegalilee.org/donate.html
Disability is not disabling. (TY UWI & TPS) December is Israel’s Disabilities Awareness month and the town of Kfar Saba made it special by hosting a fashion event featuring 15 special fashion models - residents of all ages with disabilities. Each had their moment to shine on the catwalk, cheered by family, friends and neighbors.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-724624
Helping people with disabilities to make Aliya. A new initiative will enable Olim with disabilities to better understand their rights, services, and resources available to them immediately upon their Aliyah and ease their acclimation accordingly. They will register with the Ministry of Welfare in their country of origin.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/364402
Success story of an Israeli female CEO. Great article telling the journey of Kira Radinsky from Kiev during the Chernobyl disaster, to Aliya during the Gulf war, obtaining a PhD, working for Microsoft and eBay, then founding Diagnostic Robotics (see here previously) in order to save patients’ lives.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1b7i81ds
Meet Shadi – an Arab in the IDF. (TY IsraelUnwired) Israeli Arab Yoseph Haddad talks to another Arab who volunteered to serve in Israel’s army. It provides an important message about the Jewish State.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBDgS8v8gLc
Solar energy and income for Bedouins. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Marom Energy is to build Israel’s first solar power plant on Bedouin-owned land. The Bedouin will be involved in the development, construction, and running of the plant and receive on-going revenue for its operation.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-724283 https://maromenergy.com/
Building bridges with Morocco. (TY UWI & I24 News) Jerusalem’s Shalem College hosted Professor Driss Bouyahya of Morocco’s Moulay Ismail University and many of his students. They expressed their enjoyment at their visit and their enthusiasm for the new friendships that they had formed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKSuzP_NmCI
Saving the leopard. Israel’s Ramat Gan Safari is participating in a project aiming to populate European zoos with 200 leopards and to release some into the wild. It has just received a 2-year-old Persian leopard from France, who will hopefully be a successful mate for Coresh, Ramat Gan’s resident leopard.
https://www.jns.org/to-save-a-species-a-persian-leopard-moves-to-israel/
Israel’s Iron Beam gets a US partner. (TY UWI) Israeli defense company Rafael is partnering Lockheed Martin to develop an American version of Israel’s Iron Beam high-powered laser, rocket-interception system. Lockheed was “honored” by the opportunity to expand its role as a security teammate for the State of Israel.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Tech education for 2,500 kids on Gaza border. The JNF-USA-funded GrooveTech Center, just two miles from Gaza shares a campus with schools that educate 2,500 students. The reinforced two-story building is the largest technology center in Israel. It teaches cybertech, space-tech, robotics, VR, hydroponics and much more.
https://www.jns.org/innovation-thrives-on-israels-southern-border/
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-707881
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bb6iglFia0
Middle East women in Tech. Since 2020, the 3-month mentoring program from Israel’s FemForward (see here previously) has helped 100+ Israeli women advance the hi-tech ladder. In Jan 2023, the bi-annual course in Jerusalem will comprise 30 women from Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco and conclude in Dubai.
Transforming the ports. Israel’s Conbo.ai has a mission to significantly improve port operational efficiency, safety, and security by utilizing existing camera systems. It aims to transform traditional marine terminals into smart facilities overnight. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjjiezzvj https://www.conbo.ai/
Inspiring the next generation of farmers. More details about Eretz Noshevet (see here previously), which is helping seed innovations from a new crop of Israeli farmers. Each project receives an investment of up to half a million shekels. This article mentions Mata, GrowPonics, AlgaeNite, BiomicAgritech, Agrorim and Salicrop.
https://www.israel21c.org/seeding-innovations-from-a-new-crop-of-israeli-farmers/ https://eretz-noshevet.co.il/
https://eng.hashomer.org.il/ https://biomicagritech.wixsite.com/biomicagritech https://agrorim.com/
More protein-packed plants. Israel’s Equinom (see here previously) develops non-GMO ultra-high protein varieties of soy and pea. It is expanding its aptly named “Manna” plant-based protein production platform, plus developing new varieties of chickpea, fava, mung bean, and cowpea at its Kibbutz Givat Brenner R&D center.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hyiivfe00o
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-724745
Hens that produce only female chicks. Technology from Israel’s Huminn and Volcani Center prevents hens from developing eggs with male embryos. The European Union's Director General for Health and Food Safety has just approved the technology, which can stop the global annual culling of billions of unwanted male chicks.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-innovation-could-end-the-slaughter-of-day-old-male-chicks/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bkc3iyioj https://www.huminn.net/
Going underground. Israel’s Exodigo (see here previously) is one of Time Magazine’s Best inventions 2022. Its underground drone mapping platform is used by the California Department of Transportation, National Grid in New York, and 20+ clients on energy, utilities, and transportation projects in the US, Europe, and Israel.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/exodigo-looks-to-map-whats-underground-on-earth-with-eyes-set-on-mars/
Best HR invention. Another Israeli company in Time Magazine’s 2022 list of 200 Best Inventions is HiBob (see here previously). Time Magazine praised HiBob’s Instagram-like dashboard, automation features for remote and on-site scheduling, and tools to help strengthen employee engagement wherever they are working.
https://www.hibob.com/news/hibob-named-in-time-magazines-200-best-inventions-list-2022/
Cutting edge footwork. Israel’s Upstep is launching its new Artificial Intelligent system that halves the time taken to manufacture customized insoles. US customers order orthotics online via a smart questionnaire. A foot kit is delivered, the customer takes impressions, returns the kit and new insoles arrive a few days later.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-723672 https://www.upstep.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnZ8VgUUNDo
Knowledge Management is the answer. Israel’s KMS Lighthouse provides Knowledge Management systems to answer queries for leading companies such as GE Healthcare, ZIM, and Bank of America. It won the KM Promise Award at the 2022 KMWorld Conference for its innovative AI Natural Language Processing system.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-723652 https://www.kmslh.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGTsxAY5T0g
Four Technion videos. Israel’s Technion Institute’s UK arm has issued four videos. They are Defense and aerospace research, the Excellence program for gifted undergraduate students, the Technion energy program, and Parkinson’s and neurodegenerative disease research. Each has a separate fund for donations.
https://vimeo.com/780308758/d3eaad4146 https://vimeo.com/780309081/5d1eefa825
https://vimeo.com/780309457/852861606e https://vimeo.com/780309284/b52a744057
https://technionuk.org/donation/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Free Trade Agreement with UAE is ratified. (TY TPS & UWI) Israeli and United Arab Emirates parliaments have formally ratified the free trade agreement that they signed in May. The FTA eliminates or reduces tariffs on 96% of products traded between the two countries.
https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/israel-united-arab-emirates-ratify-major-free-trade-agreement/
Increasing trade with Arab states. Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) CEO Ahmed Bin Sulayem came to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange to promote its free trade zone to hundreds of Israeli entrepreneurs. 78 Israeli companies operate in the DMCC, able to trade with businesses in countries that do not recognize Israel.
UAE invites women-led Israeli agritech startups. Israel’s Dana Global is an investment platform for early-stage women-led start-ups in desert-related agritech, foodtech, water solutions and renewable energy. Dana has partnered Abu-Dhabi-based agritech investor Silal to attract Israeli women-led startups to the UAE ecosystem.
Israeli importers meet Turkish exporters in Istanbul. A delegation of some 100 Israeli importers visited Istanbul for B2B meetings with some 400 Turkish exporters. The aim is to reduce the cost to Israelis of food, cosmetics, construction materials, toys, baby products, furniture, textiles, household equipment and much more.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/363887
Construction of EuroAsia electricity highway begins. The EuroAsia Interconnector (see here previously) will connect the national electricity grids of Israel, Cyprus, and Greece. Israeli and Cypriot officials confirm that construction on the €2.5 billion first phase will now get underway, with 50% of the total cost secured.
Jerusalem old and new. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion took 80+ overseas officials including 52 mayors for a tour of Israel’s capital. From the Western Wall tunnels and historic Jerusalem to the construction of the new business park and hi-tech and bio-tech hubs. Preserving history while creating cutting-edge technologies.
https://www.jns.org/jerusalem-mayor-highlights-the-old-and-new-to-over-50-counterparts-watch/
An Israeli alternative to Twitter. Israel’s Noam Bardin, ex-CEO of Israeli-founded Waze, has now launched New Post. The social media platform does not rely on advertising or subscription but on digital publishers charging users. It has over 67,000 active accounts, with some 350,000 more on the waiting list.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-vessel-for-content-former-waze-ceo-takes-on-twitter-alternative/
More funding for hi-tech training. The Israel Innovation Authority is providing NIS 17.6 million to train and place 2,550 people into Israel’s high-tech industry over the next two years. It has selected 15 schemes, targeted ex-pats and new immigrants and focused on areas such as bio-convergence, medical big data, and food tech.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-to-fund-training-schemes-to-lure-tech-talent-from-overseas/
Technical help for startups. Israel’s Hetz Ventures (see here previously) has launched Hetz Executive Network, 200+ industry experts to help early-stage Israeli technical startups. It offers access to management-level leadership across engineering, R&D, security, data, product, and finance departments at large companies.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sj511fdxos https://www.hetz.vc/
Investment in Israeli startups to 18/12/22: Snyk raised $196.5 million; Equinom raised $35 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Library of the Jewish People. Matthew Miller, owner of Jerusalem’s Koren Publishers, has launched a Library of the Jewish People to bring together the best writings from Jewish history in the fields of religion, the arts and politics. The first book to be included is “The Zionist Writings of Theodor Herzl” by Prof Gill Troy.
https://www.jns.org/theodor-herzl-diaries-republished-in-ambitious-new-undertaking/
Piano competition winner. Israel’s Alona Caspit achieved the highest score in the Piano competition for ages 14-17 at the Danubia Talents international music festival and competition in Budapest. (Video is from 2021.)
https://www.danubiatalents.com/en/competition/dt-budapest-2022/results
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdnvOlv4ZbM
The first Hebrew play in an Arab country. Actors from Israel’s national Habima Theater performed “Bustan Sephardi” (Spanish Orchard) in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. The play, in Hebrew with French captions, was written by Yitzhak Navon, Israel’s fifth president, whose mother immigrated to Israel from Salé, Morocco.
Jerusalem is magical in winter. (TY UWI & Sharon) Jerusalem’s Winter Lights Festival (Dec 12 - Jan 31) takes place every evening in the Botanical Gardens. 25km of cable connects 2.5 million ecologically friendly LED bulbs in the shapes of animals, butterflies, flowers and more. Also, see the colors on Jerusalem’s streets.
https://www.israel21c.org/see-the-magical-winter-lights-festival-in-jerusalem/
https://www.jerusalem.muni.il/en/experience/allevents/winter-lights/
http://rjstreets.com/2022/12/11/jerusalem-photos-colors-of-winter/
World Taekwondo silver. (TY Nevet) Israel’s Dana Azran won a silver medal in the +73kg category at the World Taekwondo Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was only Israel’s second medal ever in the international competition - Ilan Goldschmidt won a bronze medal in 2005.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-dana-azran-wins-silver-at-world-taekwondo-championships/
THE JEWISH STATE
Hanukkah Gelt. (TY UWI) During Hanukkah, the Hasmonean Museum in Modi'in will display a box of 15 silver coins from the Maccabean revolt 2,200 years ago. They were discovered in May this year in caves in the Judean desert, probably the property of one of the Jews involved in overthrowing the Syrian-Greek rulers.
https://www.jns.org/2200-year-old-coins-first-evidence-in-judean-desert-of-maccabean-revolt/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-724728
Their deities couldn’t save them. A rare 'sling bullet' from the Hasmonean period has been found in Yavne. It is inscribed with the names of two Greek deities Heracles and Cronus, intended to bring the Syrian-Greek army good fortune. As we know, from celebrating Hanukkah, it was the Jewish army that was victorious.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/364102
Giant Hanukkiah at the Kotel. As part of preparations for Hanukkah, the Western Wall Plaza is again to feature a giant Menorah for the public candle-lighting ceremonies. It is some two meters high and wide, made entirely of cast bronze, and weighs approximately one ton. The lighting ceremonies will be broadcast live.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/364348
Look what we found on our school trip. 8th-grade pupils from the Rabin Middle School were on an Israel Antiquities Authority field tour in Azor, about 7 km southeast of Tel Aviv when they discovered a 3,000-year-old scarab. It likely depicts a local Canaanite receiving authority from an Egyptian ruler.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/363688
Irish-Jewish genealogy records make Aliya. Stuart Rosenblatt, head of the Irish Jewish Genealogical Society, is donating his treasure trove of records on Irish-Jewish families, spanning centuries, to the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem. The records comprise over 70,000 names, including that of this newsletter editor.
Bar / Bat Mitzva for 30 deaf children. To celebrate their coming of age, 21 boys and nine girls came from all over Israel for a guided tour and Bat / Bar Mitzva ceremony at the Kotel. It was organized by Young Israel in Israel’s Judaic Heritage Program for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired, the Jewish Agency and World Mizrachi.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/364049
A long walk to Jerusalem. (TY Nevet & UWI) 29-year-old Carlota Valenzuela began a 6,000 km pilgrimage from Finisterre, Spain to Jerusalem, Israel on 2nd Jan 2022. 10 months later she was greeted at the Jaffa Gate by Israel’s Noga Sher-Greco, Director of Religious Tourism. On the way, Carlota met with the Pope in Rome.
https://www.gov.il/en/departments/news/carlota-valenzuela
From shepherd boy to Knesset Member. Here is a translated part of Moshe Solomon’s maiden Knesset speech, “The young boy who was once a shepherd in Shira, Ethiopia, stands here today in the Knesset of Israel, one of the 120 members of the Great Assembly of our time.” Please read the rest – it is most inspiring.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/364337
221211
In the 11th Dec 22 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Two magnetic medical breakthroughs.
· Israel is rescuing sick children from Ukraine and South Sudan.
· More Bedouin Arabs and ultra-orthodox Jews join Israel’s hi-tech industry.
· The success of the Abraham Accords expands from Bahrain to the US and Rome.
· Israeli drones can detect forest fires, navigate indoors, and carry passengers.
· Japan’s Fujitsu is the latest multinational to open an Israeli R&D center.
· A book of Psalms saved a Jerusalem man hit by a deadly explosion.
· Click here to see the 27th Nov newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours with a good news and bad news intro, IsraPundit and United With Israel with feature on Jewish State. Also (TY Sandra) in German here, plus (TY Stuart Palmer) posted here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here, plus posted by Stuart Palmer here. Please pass on this newsletter to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page.
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Nano-magnets to repair damaged brain cells. Scientists at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University have developed breakthrough technology that could repair damaged neuron (brain cell) functionality. Using iron oxide, magnetic fields, and collagen, they created cells that developed into functional, multi-layered neural networks.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/363619
Micro robots to navigate the body. Almost like the 1966 sci-fi movie Fantastic Voyage, Israel’s Bionaut Labs develops microscale robots for the treatment of brain diseases and disorders. Bionaut uses magnetic propulsion to navigate the human body and deliver medicine locally to avoid side effects and toxicity.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1qqutgpi https://bionautlabs.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAAp7xeWO-0
Stimulating the brain to treat tremors. For the first time, Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center treated a 70-year-old Israeli patient suffering for 20 years from essential tremor, using Deep Brain Stimulation devices from US company Abbott and Israel’s Alpha Omega (see here previously). It made a significant improvement.
https://www.hospitalwithaheart.ca/innovative-procedure-helps-cure-woman-suffering-from-two-decades-of-tremors/ https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-723611
Super ultrasound for early diagnosis. Among this summary of promising Israeli IBD breakthroughs is the work of Weizmann Institute scientists to enhance the resolution of ultrasound. They can now identify tiny tumors and lesions, enabling cancer and Crohn’s patients to begin early treatment.
https://www.israel21c.org/7-promising-breakthroughs-in-inflammatory-bowel-disease/
https://www.weizmann.ac.il/math/yonina/super-resolution-ultrasound-and-microscopy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6sSg_7lTVk
Medical Smartwatch. (TY Hazel) Israel’s ChroniSense Medical has developed the Polso FDA-approved medical sensor smartwatch. It accurately monitors vital signs, such as blood oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and respiration rate. It comes with a mobile app for patients, and a cloud-based platform for clinicians.
https://nocamels.com/2022/12/smartwatch-monitors-patients-vital-signs/ https://polsowatch.com/
UK manages caregivers with Israeli app. UK-based national homecare franchise provider Caremark is using Israel’s Connecteam (see here previously) to manage and engage more than 7,000 remote caregivers across some 115 UK franchise offices. Connecteam is used by 20,000 companies in 80 countries and many industries.
https://www.israel21c.org/one-app-manages-7000-remote-caregivers-at-115-franchises/
Therapy app for parents of autistic children. Israel’s SocialMind Autism has released an AI-powered app program based on Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). Its 22 lessons helps parents increase an autistic child’s motivation to learn, initiate communication, and improve their social skills.
https://nocamels.com/2022/12/finding-a-voice-how-ai-is-helping-children-with-autism/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVZr1aW2pow https://socialmindautism.com/
Airlifting Ukrainian children with cancer. (TY I24 News) Israel’s MASHAV (International development cooperation program) has been working to bring ten Ukrainian children and their families to Israel for cancer treatment. The video highlights some of the huge challenges involved.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-israel-airlifts-ukrainian-kids-for-cancer-treatment/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ZxOg2Zf2o
And from South Sudan for heart repair. (TY Sandra) Israeli non-profit IsraAID is bringing four children from Juba in South Sudan to Israel for surgery from surgeons at Save a Child’s Heart (SACH). Due to Covid, the children have been waiting for nearly 3 years in internally displaced people (IDP) camps.
https://israelbetweenthelines.com/2022/12/06/first-heart-surgery-for-four-children-from-sudan/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Bedouins in hi-tech. (TY WIN) More details about NGO Siraj (see here previously), helping Negev Bedouins enter the Israeli high-tech workforce. Its Executive Director Fahima Atawna has degrees in chemical engineering and public health. Some 10 college graduates also work at Bedouin startup Siraj Technologies.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-woman-helping-fellow-bedouins-enter-israeli-high-tech/
Haredim in hi-tech. Israeli startups Phone.do, Triple Whale and Cross River employ a high percentage of Haredi (ultra-orthodox) Jews. As Triple Whale co-founder Maxx Blank says, “They are an unbelievable talent. Their quality and work ethic are the best, and they are extremely loyal.” The NGO MeGo helps with training.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-723276
Jobs for Palestinian Arabs. (TY Rhoda) Israel continues to provide major economic support to Palestinian Arabs through its greatly enlarged jobs program. Today, 18.9% of Arabs from PA-controlled cities and from Gaza work inside Israel – some 182,000. In 2012 this was only 10.4%.
https://gellerreport.com/2022/11/israels-jobs-program-for-palestinians.html/?lctg=966821
https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-best-insurance-against-third.html
Israeli women and their Gulf sisters. (TY Hazel) Rare positive BBC report on the Gulf-Israel Women's Forum. Founded in 2020 after the Abraham Accords by Jerusalem’s deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, it develops trade ties and friendships between businesswomen in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63792841
Turning killer gas into a benefit. (TY Stuart Palmer) Trapped methane and CO2 at the bottom of Lake Kivu on the border of Rwanda and the DRC is a threat to millions of citizens of both countries. Israel’s Galil Group and the Technion are helping build a plant that will use the biogas to generate 56 MW of power in Rwanda.
https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/africa/offshore-africa/335611/lake-kivu-gas-deadly/
Israeli President welcomed in Bahrain. (TY WIN) President Herzog became the first Israeli head of state to make an official visit to Bahrain. His two-day trip included a stop in the United Arab Emirates. “Deeply moving to hear Hatikvah, our national anthem, in Bahrain next to His Majesty the King.” President Herzog tweeted.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/363891 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/363888
US Muslim leaders explore Israel. (TY JNS) Israeli non-profit Sharaka (see here previously) has brought a delegation of 13 American Muslim leaders to Israel to build bridges and promote the Abraham Accords. They include Talib Shareef, an imam educated under the Nation of Islam, but not the part headed by Louis Farrakhan.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-muslim-leaders-explore-israel-the-abraham-accords-give-hope/
Exporting peace to the world. (TY UWI & I24 News) Following the success of the Abraham Accords, Israel, UAE, Bahrain and leaders of 30 other countries held a global leadership summit in Rome to help others learn how they can use the Abraham Accords model to help make the world a more peaceful place.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/abraham-accords-global-leadership-summit-celebrates-traditional-family-values-301698568.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFVESzzDwl8
Azerbaijan see Israeli Education innovation. (TY UWI) ORT - Israel’s leading science & technology education network invited 50 educators from Azerbaijan to its Tel Aviv Innovation Center. They learned about Israeli education techniques such as interactive displays, creating wood models, and autonomous teamwork.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ioa0r7GkM
Israel to build WHO’s first digital health center. At the opening of the World Health Organization European Conference in Tel Aviv (see here previously) Israel’s President Herzog announced that Israel will be working with the WHO to establish and promote the first International center for digital health.
https://allisrael.com/israel-the-who-to-establish-digital-health-center
The 5th safest country for tourists. (TY Hazel) US insurance comparison website The Swiftest ranked Israel fifth safest in its list of “The 50 Most (and Least) Deadly Travel Destinations. Despite media-driven fear, Israel is very low in homicides, violence, poor hygiene, accidental poisoning, infectious disease, and traffic accidents.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-724216 https://theswiftest.com/travel-safety-index/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Finding jobs for minorities. Israel’s Joonko (see here previously) uses AI to scan databases of job applicants from under-represented groups that just missed out on being selected. It then finds them similar vacancies to apply for at other companies. Since 2021, it has been helping some 250 Americans a month find employment.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/artificial-intelligence-is-increasing-workplace-diversity/
Israel Earth Prize. Toyota and its Israeli importer, Union Motors, have opened applications for the new Israel Earth Prize. Five chosen initiatives will each receive a million shekels per year for five years. Solutions sought include carbon emission reduction, conservation, clean transportation, and sustainable nutrition.
https://www.israel21c.org/israel-earth-prize-to-promote-policy-and-entrepreneurship/
A concrete challenge. GreenVibe is another Israeli startup (see here for others) that uses smart sensors to optimize quality and speed up the construction process. GreenVibe’s technology focuses on concrete building materials, improving its consistency, strength, availability, and reducing its carbon footprint by 15 - 20%.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-concrete-challenge-tel-aviv-tech-startup-uses-sensors-to-ensure-better-building/ https://greenvibe.io/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4_er_jiev8
5G networks at Israeli hospitals. Israel’s OneLayer (see here previously) has implemented pilot projects of its 5G cellular private network at Israel’s Poriah (Baruch Padeh) and Galilee Medical Centers. They provide fast, secure, and always-accessible connectivity to the hospitals’ digital health services.
https://video.i24news.tv/#/content/6316256794112
Drones to carry passengers. Israel’s National Drone Network Initiative (see here previously) has reached its second stage – transporting heavy objects including people. For two years, companies will use advanced UAVs to conduct simultaneous flights carrying cargo and passengers.
https://www.jns.org/passenger-drones-israels-national-drone-initiative-enters-second-phase/
Indoor mini drone. Israel’s Cyberbee and America’s EyeCloud.ai have received $1.75 million from the BIRD Foundation to jointly develop indoor mini drones to be used by first responders in Israel and the US. They will be used to rescue trapped people or locate terrorists and criminals in indoor locations where there is no GPS.
“Barn Owl” drone warns of forest fires. (TY TPS) KKL-JNF’s Tinshemet-Toren fire detection system comprise a drone (Tinshemet is Hebrew for Barn Owl) and a control system (Toren is Hebrew for mast). Together they detect any irregular heat or movement and determine its exact location.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-barn-owl-drone-protects-forests-from-fires/
https://www.kkl-jnf.org/about-kkl-jnf/green-israel-news/green-israel-news-2022/tinshemet.aspx
Protect crops with wax. Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have developed SafeWax - a spray to protect crops, based on the wax found on lotus and broccoli leaves. The biodegradable formulation can prevent disease-bearing pathogens from destroying some 33% of global food crops. No pesticides needed.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/broccoli-leaves-hold-key-to-fighting-crop-disease/
https://www.jpost.com/science/article-723700
Cultured plant nutrients. Israel’s Novella has developed technology to grow nutritious botanical ingredients without having to grow the plant itself. Plant tissue is selected for high concentrations of specific vitamins and minerals. The cells are then cultured and amplified to produce pesticide-free, environmentally friendly products.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/nutri-tech-start-up-novella-leverages-advanced-technology-to-grow-botanical-ingredients-outside-the-field-301690076.html https://www.novella.co.il/
Helping visually impaired cross US roads. Hellman Electric and Gilton Electrical - subsidiaries of Israel’s Electra - have won a $62 million tender to install voice accessibility at intersections in Manhattan and Staten Island. It will make hundreds of crosswalk signals accessible to pedestrians with visual impairments.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-firm-making-nyc-crosswalks-voice-accessible-to-blind/
Create your own avatar in minutes. iPhone users can create their “TrueSelf” avatar using the innovative software from Israel’s CommonGround. It scans a person’s image and then sits the 3D representation into a videoconference where it mimics the action of the real person. No virtual reality headset is required.
https://nocamels.com/2022/12/25m-for-creator-of-hyper-realistic-avatars/ https://www.commonground-ai.com/
Fashion goes green. German textile manufacturing giant Bruckner has partnered Israel’s Sonovia (see here previously) to develop a water & energy efficient finishing machine. It will use soundwaves to infuse odor-repellent, water-repellent, antibacterial, and UV-blocking into fabrics without polluting materials and adhesives.
https://www.israel21c.org/fashion-goes-green-with-israeli-finishing-technology/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
A healthy industry. 1,000 delegates from 30 countries attended the Nov 10 MIXiii Health-Tech.IL Conference in Jerusalem. They heard Israel Advanced Technology Industries (IATI) share their 2021 report that Israel’s 1,800 active life-sciences companies exported $5.2 billion of products in 2021 – over 20% more than in 2020.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/5-2-billion-in-exports-this-israeli-industry-is-very-healthy/
Energy deal with Morocco. (TY JNS & UWI) More details of the deal that allows Israel’s NewMed to search for natural gas deposits off the Atlantic coast of Morocco (see here previously). The 8-year agreement includes geological and geophysical analysis with initial exploration drilling anticipated after about 2.5 years.
10 more on bridge to Silicon Valley. Israeli NGO ICON (see here previously) has announced the 10 Israeli startups to complete its latest SV101 accelerator program for connecting and expanding to Silicon Valley. They are Amplication, ARMO, Confetti, EverSQL, Eureka, Ludeo, Nilus, Oligo Security, Redefine, and Silk.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/b1v7bfgwj
Consortium for autonomous vehicles. (TY Hazel & ILTV) Israel’s AVATAR Consortium comprises Rafael, Opsys, ThirdEye, VayaVision, Cognata, Ebit, and nearly all Israeli universities and technical institutes. They are testing autonomous vehicle decision-making to develop a framework for advanced Israeli technologies.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-724069
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FentPb97-wk
Fujitsu to open R&D center. Japan’s Fujitsu is to open a new Tel Aviv center for research and development in Apr 2023, focusing on innovation in the field of data and security. It follows the establishment of the "Fujitsu Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Israel" at Ben Gurion University in 2021 (see here previously).
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/byrskqfvi
8,000 new hotel rooms. The Israeli Tourism Ministry is to build some 8,000 new hotel rooms in the next two years. Hotel occupancy rates are nearing pre-pandemic levels as the tourism industry picks up again. Plans are to add 770 rooms in the north of the country, 2,100 rooms in the South, and 1,650 rooms around the Dead Sea.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-to-build-8000-new-hotel-rooms-by-2023-as-tourism-ramps-up/
The best new hotel in the world. (TY Hazel) The David Kempinski Tel Aviv (see here previously) was named “Best New Hotel in The World 2022” at the 14th edition of luxury travel awards ceremony, the ULTRAs, in London. The 5-star hotel is the European luxury hospitality group’s first property in Israel.
https://www.israel21c.org/david-kempinski-tel-aviv-named-best-new-hotel-in-the-world-2022/
A Whopper of an opportunity. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Meat the End (MtE) is expanding production thanks to its deal to develop vegan Whoppers and no-chicken nuggets for Burger King Israel (see here previously). MtE is installing €1.5 million of artificial-intelligent extrusion machinery to produce its plant-based textured protein.
Investment in Israeli startups to 11/12/22: Lumen raised $62 million; Bionaut Labs raised $43 million; BeeHero raised $42 million; NeuReality raised $35 million; CommonGround raised $25 million; Nectin Therapeutics raises $25 million; Shield raised $20 million; BondIT raised $14 million; GreenOnyx raised $10 million; RepAir Carbon Capture raised $10 million; Rezonate raised $8.7 million; CyVers raised $8 million; Axiom Security raised $7 million; Gankster raised $4.25 million; Conbo.ai raised $2 million; Yahoo has acquired 25% of Israel’s Taboola.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Jerusalem celebrates with India. (TY Sharon) Among the many recent sights and activities on Jerusalem’s streets, the Israel Museum opened its exhibition, “Body of Faith: Sculpture from the National Museum of India.” It marks the 75th anniversary of India’s independence – just before Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary.
http://rjstreets.com/2022/12/04/back-on-the-jerusalem-streets-2/
The music of Judah Maccabee. If you can get to Beit Avi Chai in Jerusalem on Dec 15 you can hear the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra give a pre-Hannukah performance of movements from Judas Maccabaeus by Handel, alongside commentary in English by Prof. Isaiah Gafni.
https://www.nbn.org.il/events/the-music-of-judah-maccabee/
Sony Music tunes in to Israel. (TY Hazel) Sony Music has entered the Israeli music market in partnership with Canadian-Israeli musician management company and record label ONEWA. Their venture aims to develop artists from Israel with international appeal and launch them into the global mainstream music scene.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-724275
Iron Man Israel attracts 2,800 competitors. More than 1200 Israeli and international athletes competed in the IRONMAN Israel-Middle East Championship – a 2.3-mile Sea of Galilee swim, a 111-mile bike ride and a 26-mile run. 1,860 competed in a shorter event. Philanthropist Sylvan Adams brought IRONMAN to Israel.
https://www.jns.org/ironman-israel-competition-draws-2500-competitors/
Rugby victory. (TY Hazel) Tel Aviv Heat, Israel’s first professional rugby union team, defeated UK’s Saracens 29-26 in a friendly match at the Saracens’ home stadium. Saracens are former European champions.
https://www.saracens.com/match-report-saracens-men-26-29-tel-aviv-heat-2/
THE JEWISH STATE
Gap year in Israel for people with disabilities. Israeli organization Darkaynu, part of the Ohr Torah Stone network of programs, has developed Israel gap year programs for people with disabilities. The latest programs, in Jerusalem and Alon Shvut, comprise 28 students from the US, Canada, England, and Australia.
https://www.jns.org/gap-year-in-israel-for-people-with-disabilities-offers-normalcy/
UN exhibit of Jewish exodus from Arab countries. Israel commemorated the "Day to Mark the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from Arab Countries and Iran" with an exhibition at the United Nations. It documents the history of the Jews in Arab countries and Iran, and the post-1947 emigration of hundreds of thousands to Israel.
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-723683
Free “shuk” for the needy. Israeli food security charity Meir Panim (see here previously) has launched a free shuk (Arabic and Hebrew for “market”) in Jerusalem and Tzfat, providing fresh produce for those in need. Free shuks already operate in Or Akiva and Tiberias. There are also free restaurants in all four cities, plus Dimona.
Saved by his Book of Psalms. A man injured in the recent terrorist attack in Jerusalem was saved from death when a piece of shrapnel was stopped by the Book of Psalms (Tehillim) in his top pocket. The shrapnel came to rest at Verse 7 of Psalm 124 - “Our soul has escaped like a bird evading the grasp of its captors.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/363512
221127
In the 27th Nov 22 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli computer-generated cancer-killing antibodies are in human trials.
· An Israeli-developed feeding tube is saving the lives of hospital patients.
· A Shiite Muslim country is to open an embassy in Israel.
· Two “joined up” Israeli startups are removing greenhouse gases.
· See some amazing Israeli non-animal food technology.
· Israel and Morocco friendship expands in Marrakech.
· More examples of compassionate Israeli kidney donors.
· Click here to see the 20th Nov newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, IsraPundit and United With Israel with extra feature on Inclusive & Global. Also (TY Sandra) in German here, plus (TY Stuart Palmer) posted here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here, plus posted by Stuart Palmer here. Please pass on this newsletter to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page.
· 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 (over 21,600 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
Computer-designed anti-cancer antibodies. Israel’s Bar-Ilan Prof. Yanay Ofran has invented antibodies to attack tumors, using computers and then produced them from amino acids in a process akin to 3D printing. His startup Biolojic Design created Aulos Bioscience which is conducting human trials of AU-007 in Australia.
Ultrasound and bubbles can destroy tumors. Tel Aviv University researchers have used a combination of low-frequency ultrasound and injected nanobubbles to cause tumors to explode. Lab tests focused only on the area of the tumor, which avoids damage to healthy tissues. It could be used to treat tumors deep inside the body.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-723059
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/nr/d2nr01367c
Hi-tech volunteers help diagnose cancer. Hundreds of Israeli hi-tech employees volunteer in the Code for Israel initiative to benefit Israeli society. One group founded the Pathomatic Project and developed an algorithm that immediately alerts medical staff, at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov (Sourasky) hospital, to cancer biopsy scans.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/362832
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/algorithm-beats-cancer-scan-delays/
Risk of heart failure detected. The HearO app from Israel’s Cordio Medical (see here previously) achieved an 82% success rate in a study of 180 patients at 10 Israeli clinics. The app detected Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) an average of 18 days before it occurred, using algorithms and previously recorded speech.
US approval for medical radiation shielding. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Radiaction Medical has received US FDA clearance for its Radiation Shielding System. The system protects medical staff in labs using fluoroscopy machines - a leading source of occupational ionizing radiation exposure for healthcare providers.
The “Waze” of feeding tubes. (TY WIN) The Envue feeding tube placement system from Israel’s Envizion Medical (see here previously) has been used tens of thousands of times in dozens of US hospitals including the Cleveland Clinic and the St. Vincent network of hospitals. It has been 100% successful and saved many lives.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-feeding-tube-that-could-prevent-tragedies/
Your personal clinic at home. Israel’s TytoCare (see here previously) has launched its Home Smart Clinic. It conducts remote physical exams using AI-powered guidance and diagnostic support. The virtual clinic includes the remote handheld diagnostic device plus Tyto Insights, Tyto Engagement Labs, plus all necessary support.
https://www.tytocare.com/home-smart-clinic-ebook/
Brain monitoring at home. Israel’s X-trodes (see here previously) has partnered US-based EMOTIV to launch a first-of-its-kind medical-grade wearable solution for brain and physiological monitoring outside of clinical settings. X-trodes’ multi-electrode patches measure a patient’s EEG, EMG and ECG signals.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-722605
Mental health center for English speakers. Yeshiva University (YU), together with Amudim Israel, have opened the Jerusalem Therapy Center. It fulfills a critical need for affordable, English-language mental health services, serving those impacted by trauma, addiction, and other complex mental health related issues.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/363125
Advancing healthcare with the UAE. Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has signed a strategic agreement with Abu Dhabi-based innovation giant G42 Healthcare to develop new health technology. Plans include joint projects in stem cell research, cardiology, oncology, obstetrics, gynecology, diabetes, fertility, and more.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/363163
Bacteria or virus – Tucson hospital will know. (TY Atid-EDI) Arizona’s Tucson ER & Hospital has adopted the bacteria vs virus test from Israel’s MeMed (see here previously). The test distinguishes viral from bacterial infection within 15 minutes and avoids wasting antibiotics on a virus.
https://www.me-med.com/press-releases/tucson-er-hospital-adopts-trailblazing-memed-bv-test/
Hear from a top Israeli scientist. Fascinating podcast featuring Tel Aviv University’s Vice President, Prof. Dan Peer. He is an extraordinarily prolific scientist with more than 130 patents under his name and over 150 publications. He discusses nanotechnology, COVID-19, and translational medicine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AmZG-DH-SI
The bus ride of his life. Volunteer EMTs from Israeli NGO United Hatzalah saved the life of Shmuel who had a cardiac arrest on a bus in Bnei Brak. One EMT was on the same bus and he alerted UH dispatch. In minutes four EMTs were working on Shmuel, whose pulse returned shortly after. In hospital, Shmuel thanked them all.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/363117
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Preparing Russians for university. 43 recent Russian immigrants have enrolled in the Aliya to Academia program at Israel’s Ben Gurion University. Courses in mathematics, physics and programming are taught in Russian. Students also receive a Hebrew ulpan, a stipend, mentoring, field trips, and more.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-722415 https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/russian_academia.aspx
SACH has saved 3,000 Palestinian Arab children. 5-year-old Amir from Gaza is the 3,000th Palestinian Arab child to have had life-saving heart surgery by doctors from Israel’s Save A Child’s Heart. Amir’s mother revealed that everyone in Gaza says Israeli doctors are the most professional and trustworthy in the world.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/3000th-palestinian-child-has-heart-operation-in-israel-through-save-a-childs-heart/ https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-surgeons-save-life-of-gaza-boy-with-heart-defect/
Azerbaijan to open embassy in Israel. The Azerbaijani parliament has announced its historic decision to open an embassy in Tel Aviv. It will be the first embassy in Israel of a country with a Shi’ite majority and a Shi’ite government. Azerbaijan recently opened a trade office and a tourism office in Tel Aviv.
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy/1668771190-azerbaijan-will-open-embassy-in-israel
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/363035
Baby born in UAE gets Israeli passport. The Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi has just issued the first passport to an Israeli baby born in the United Arab Emirates. Mateo David was born on 13 May to an Israeli mother and her Belgian husband who have been living in Abu Dhabi for the past year.
Lions of Judah. (TY Atid-EDI) Two Asiatic lion cubs were born at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo - the second litter of resident lions Gir and Yasha. Israel’s joint project with the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria aims to rescue the Asiatic lion, which were widespread in the Land of Israel until the Crusader period.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-zoo-welcomes-second-litter-of-rare-asiatic-lions/
UN uses Israeli company for sustainability awards. Israeli think tank and incubator YK Center is working with three United Nations organizations to launch an award that will be given to banks, insurance companies and stock exchanges that have performed best in relation to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-group-helping-rank-companies-on-un-sustainability-goals-for-annual-prize/ https://ykcenter.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuSQaKJhWaY
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Removing CO2 together. Israel’s Carbonade (see here previously) turns greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into plastic, building materials and even detergent. But it doesn’t capture the gas. However, Israel’s RepAir does (see here previously). So, it’s handy that RepAir’s founder Yehuda Borenstein is also chairman of Carbonade!
https://unitedwithisrael.org/green-plastic-israeli-startup-transforms-co2-captured-from-air/
Solar windows. Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ) are using the mineral perovskite to coat solar panels and create transparent windows that generate electricity. It has led to two HUJ startups, Trans/Sol and SOLRA (see here previously).
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/solar-powered-skyscrapers-a-new-window-of-opportunity/
Building a bright future for Israel’s youth. Watch this webinar, featuring Dr. Shahar Abramovitch, the director of Ben Gurion University’s Jusidman Science Center for Youth. The center aims to provide every child in Israel’s periphery the opportunity to succeed. Its remarkable young students are the future of Israel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a7yvRUdMUw
An engine for hi-tech growth in the North. The Kinneret Innovation Center (see here previously) is emerging as a leading Israeli tech hub for agriculture, water and sustainability. CEO Elad Shamir, the grandson of former Israeli PM Yitzhak Shamir, oversees an innovation academy and the construction of an agro-technology park.
https://www.jns.org/21st-century-zionism-on-the-shores-of-the-sea-of-galilee/
Making bricks out of salt. Salt is a polluting waste product from industry and desalination. Now scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have converted salt into bricks that are many times stronger than cement. Also, making standard bricks generates huge amounts of CO2, whereas salt bricks produce almost none.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/bricks-made-of-salt-the-building-material-of-the-future/
Going green at FoodTechIL. (TY UWI & I24 News) Traditional chefs met cutting edge technology at FoodTechIL - Israel's Food Tech Expo (see also here previously). This year, vegan alternatives and sustainability were in the spotlight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnYpnRK1Up0
Sustainable chocolate. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Celleste-Bio is developing high-value cocoa ingredients using cell culture methods, eliminating the dependence on the cultivation of cocoa trees. Lab-produced cocoa avoids deforestation, child labor and high carbon emissions. https://www.trendlines.com/portfolio/celleste-bio/
No-cow yoghurt. Israel’s Wilk (see here previously) has announced the successful development of the world's first yogurt developed with cell-cultured milk fat. The concept product validates Wilk’s technology to produce cell-cultured products that are chemically identical, and have identical taste, to their cows-milk equivalents.
No-turkey Moist Maker. Israel’s SuperMeat (see here previously) has made the first ever “Moist Maker” Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich consisting of all the classic leftovers from the big meal, including stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and gravy, BUT, paired with the first ever cell-cultivated turkey.
https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/27618-supermeat-reinvents-moist-maker-sandwich-with-new-cultivated-turkey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of3b4ZzJJuk (The original “Friends” Moist Maker episode)
Quadrupling the shelf-life of cucumbers. (TY Atid-EDI) Researchers at Israel’s MIGAL Galilee Research Institute (MIGAL) more than quadrupled the postharvest life of cucumbers - from two to nine weeks - using a "smart" sequential treatment protocol suggested by its Artificial Intelligence-based algorithms.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/migals-advanced-ai-quadruples-cucumber-postharvest-life-301663439.html https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3520304.3533976
Stopping cybercrime. (TY UWI & I24 News) Israeli cybersecurity startup Konfidas and Israel-based Sygnia (see here previously) recently foiled a major cyber attempt by North Korean hackers to steal crypto-currency. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c965HvyVsYk https://www.konfidas.com/
Preventing information overload. Israel’s theGist develops smart AI and machine learning tools to enhance the employee experience by focusing on simplifying the content of internal data and communications. Its first product theGist for Slack, scans hundreds of Slack posts to provide personalized insights and highlights.
https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/15/thegist-uses-ai-to-summarize-slack-channels-and-threads/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hksaghzuj https://www.thegist.ai/
Medical supply network by drones. Israel is set to become the first Western country to establish an aerial drone medical supply network. Gadfin Spirit One UAVs will ferry medical equipment, medicines, vaccines, blood, serum, lab samples etc., from Sarel’s Netanya-based logistics center to major hospitals within 200 km.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-companies-to-launch-drone-supply-network-for-hospitals/
Slow and sure wins the race. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Carteav develops electric autonomous low-speed vehicles (ALSVs) for transporting people and goods. It aims to be the global leader for ALSVs in retirement communities, hospitals, factories, universities, colleges, golf courses, residential apartments, and more.
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/11/07/2549597/0/en/Autonomous-Vehicle-Developer-Carteav-Closes-6-5m-in-Capital-Funding.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKYS1ORk4r8
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israeli conference in Morocco. The Jerusalem Post Group held its “Global Investment Forum 2022” in Marrakech, Morocco. Israeli companies presenting included Netafim and NewMed Energy. Other topics included Eilat (tourism), Jerusalem (tourism and conferences), and the Abrahamic Business Circle.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-722493
The next free trade agreement with an Arab country. Following the success of a Free Trade Agreement with the United Arab Emirates (see here previously), Israel has successfully completed the first round of FTA talks with Bahrain. Israel’s Economy ministry remarked on the “quick progress in the negotiations”.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-bahrain-free-trade-talks-enjoy-successful-first-round/
Off the shelf. Eran Kravitz, co-founder and CTO of Israel’s Shopic (see here previously) describes his company’s shopping device and system that speeds up the checkout process. Shopic is working with Israeli supermarket giant Shufersal and several North American supermarkets.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rkojinqui
Partnership to save lives on the road. Leading Japanese electronics manufacturer Murata has partnered with Israel’s Autotalks (see here previously) to launch the most mature mass-market ready V2X (vehicle to anything) communications module. It will operate with either of the two global V2X communication standards.
https://www.murata.com/en-eu/news/connectivitymodule/v2x/2022/1121
Fleet Management Innovation of the Year. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Otonomo (see here previously) has been awarded “Fleet Management Innovation of the Year” by the 2022 AutoTech Breakthrough Awards. Otonomo’s Maintenance and Mileage dashboards provide customers with a 360-degree view of all relevant vehicle data.
Worthwhile investment. This article about Jerusalem’s rising innovators includes Housetable, which provides finance for families below the normal bank-lending threshold. Housetable uses Artificial Intelligence to deduce how much a home would be worth on completion of renovation work. https://www.housetable.com/
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-721937
Investment in Israeli startups to 27/11/22: Torr FoodTech raised $12 million; Piggy raised $7.7 million; Carteav raised $6.5 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Israel Philharmonic plays Carnegie Hall. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) just completed its first tour in three years under Maestro Lahav Shani - the first native Israeli to lead the IPO. The 14 Nov performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall rounded off a tour that included Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Palo Alto.
First direct flight from Israel to Qatar. The first aircraft to fly between Israel and Qatar took 180 Israeli and Palestinian Arab soccer fans to the World Cup. Qatar refused to allow Israeli airplanes to make the trip, but they overlooked that Cyprus-based TUS Airways is a subsidiary of Israel’s Knafaim Holdings Ltd.
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/world-cup/1668960049-first-direct-flight-from-between-israel-and-qatar-takes-off-for-world-cup https://www.jns.org/first-ever-direct-israel-qatar-commercial-flight-takes-off/
Jerusalem hosts World Chess Championship. 12 top international teams, including Israel (with its female captain) compete for the World Chess Team Championship in Jerusalem this week. The teams are Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, India, South Africa, China, Spain, France, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United States.
https://www.jns.org/despite-boycott-call-chess-teams-in-israel-for-world-championship/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/first-israel-woman-captain-men-chess-team/
https://en.chessbase.com/post/world-team-ch-2022-live
THE JEWISH STATE
The stairway to the Temple. Take a virtual walk across Temple Mount in Jerusalem and see the stairs that Jewish pilgrims ascended to reach the Second Temple, even before King Herod expanded the courtyard.
https://www.israelunwired.com/discovering-the-temple-mount-the-southern-stairways/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjBltYBcVio
Ben Gurion Day in the USA. Each year on 6th Kislev, Israel pays tribute to its founding father, David Ben-Gurion, with a national holiday. This year, on 30 Nov, for the very first time, “Ben-Gurion Day” will come to the USA. Register here, to discover how Ben-Gurion’s groundbreaking ideas and dreams are now a reality.
https://americansforbgu.org/BenGurionDayintheUSA/
An app for Jewish mothers. The global movement for Jewish mothers, Momentum (see here previously) has launched Yomm - the first social networking app designed to bring Jewish women closer together to learn and connect. Yomm was created in partnership with the Mayberg Foundation and Israel’s Diaspora Affairs ministry.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-722516 https://yommapp.com/
Startup CEO donates kidney to a stranger. Rony Zigler is CEO of Kolhei Golan, managing all the sewage treatment plants in the Golan Heights. His latest treatment plant uses reconditioned kidney dialysis filters from Israel’s NUFiltration (see here previously). It inspired Rony to altruistically donate a kidney to a total stranger.
https://www.israel21c.org/sewage-tech-inspires-man-to-donate-kidney-to-stranger/
More kidney donors. The above article about Rony Zigler also mentions that more than a dozen residents of his religious Zionist hometown of Hispin in the Golan have donated kidneys to strangers through the NGO Matnat Chaim (“gift of life”). Israelis are the world’s most altruistic kidney donors (see here previously).
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-inspired-to-donate-kidney-to-a-stranger-by-sewage-tech/
The first Bnei Menashe synagogue in Israel. Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue, the first-ever house of prayer in Israel for Bnei Menashe immigrants from India, has just been inaugurated in the northern Israeli city of Nof Hagalil. About 150 worshippers attended - most of them members of the community.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/363254
Welcome to Israel. In 2021, Israel brought 1,755 Ethiopian Jews to settle in Israel. They joined over 90,000 others who were born in Ethiopia, together with another 73,800 with at least one parent born in Ethiopia. Netanya is the city with the largest population of residents of Ethiopian origin (around 12,000).
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/flashes/592047
221120
In the 20th Nov 22 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli studies show exercise can prevent cancer and cure “long” Covid.
· Great video featuring successful Arab Israelis.
· Israeli citizens are the 9th happiest people in the world.
· Israel hosted three top international technology conferences.
· Israeli technology can store renewable energy underwater.
· See innovative Israeli EV charging stations at two international airports.
· A record 14,000 young people are coming to Israel on Masa programs.
· Click here to see the 13th Nov newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours with another great intro, IsraPundit and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here, plus (TY Stuart Palmer) posted here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here, plus posted by Stuart Palmer here. Please pass on this newsletter to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page.
· 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 (over 21,500 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
Peptides with anti-cancer potential. (TY Ron) Scientists from Israel’s Technion Institute and from Japan have discovered peptides (short proteins) with the potential to destroy cancer cells. The scientists made the discovery while researching the cell-recycling protein ubiquitin, that won two Israeli scientists the Nobel Prize in 2004.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-721804
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33808-6
Exercise can stop spread of cancer. Tel Aviv University researchers have found that regular aerobic exercise reduces the risk of metastatic cancer by up to 72%. In data studies of 3,000 humans, plus lab tests, they have shown that exercise increases glucose consumption, thereby reducing the availability of energy to the tumor.
https://www.israel21c.org/physical-exercise-lowers-risk-of-cancer-metastasis-by-72/
https://english.tau.ac.il/exercise_defeats_cancer_2022 https://europepmc.org/article/med/36084256
Exercise can cure long COVID. Studies by Israeli researchers on patients suffering from post-COVID ailments show that these can be safely relieved by exercise therapy as it stabilizes the autonomic nervous system. Other treatments include nutraceutical supplements, steroids, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).
https://www.israel21c.org/vaccine-may-prevent-long-covid-oxygen-might-help-cure-it/
Gel to help grow bones. Researchers at Tel Aviv University are developing a water-based gel (hydrogel) that will encourage bones to re-grow. It has extensive dental and orthopedic applications (e.g., for implants and repairing bone defects). Following lab tests, clinical (human) trials are now planned.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/new-gel-could-transform-dental-implants/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpe.13725
Longevity center. Israel’s Sheba Medical Center plans to open a Longevity Center by Sept 2023. Patients over 40 will be able to register for around $500 per year and receive tests and consultations with experts in internal medicine, endocrinology, psychogeriatric, gynecology for menopause and brain scientists.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h10l9bnbi
Healthy aging center. Israel’s Technion Institute is establishing the Healthy Aging Center, as part of the Technion Human Health Initiative (THHI). It brings together Technion researchers from medicine, biology, chemistry, biotechnology, food engineering, computer engineering, architecture, and more.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2022/11/healthy-aging-center/
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2022/03/human-health-initiative-thhi/
Connecting patients with the same condition. More details of Israeli-founded Alike.Health (see here previously). The app connects people who are suffering from similar conditions and going through the same experiences. Some 100,000 users in the USA have already uploaded their medical data anonymously to the app.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/healthcares-answer-to-facebook-waze-and-tinder/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D26OkcWaVs
MDA AI dispatch software for New Jersey. Hatzalah emergency service organizations across the US will use the artificial intelligence-powered dispatch software of Israel's national emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA). The AI system instantly locates and dispatches the nearest first responders to a medical emergency.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-721981
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
You don’t have to be Jewish to be successful in Israel. Yoseph Haddad highlights Prof Samer Haj Yahya, Chairman of Leumi Bank; Prof Masad Barhum, Director of the Galilee Medical Center; Supreme Court Justice Khaled Kabub; Julia Zaher, CEO of Al Arez Tehina, plus Arab sporting stars including Israel’s soccer captain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmMJAOyaaPk
Prayer rooms at Ben Gurion Airport. At Israel’s international airport, Christian and Moslem air passengers are able to pray in rooms separately designated and designed for their religious requirements. Most other countries require Christians, Moslems and Jews to pray in the same room.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-the-room-you-did-not-know-existed-at-ben-gurion-airport/
Israel at the Bahrain airshow. (TY JNS) In a historic first, at least four Israeli companies exhibited at the Bahrain International Airshow (Nov 9 - 11). State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) showcased civil aviation products, radars and avionics, air defense systems, coast guard and drone systems.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-722097
Israeli Aid Warms Ukrainians. (TY UWI) Israeli humanitarian aid organization SmartAid is providing solar generators, heaters, thermal blankets, and battery packs for Ukrainian shelters, hospitals, and community centers. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are already experiencing freezing nighttime temperatures.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-aid-group-helps-warm-ukrainians-amid-severe-energy-crisis/
A bridge between Israel and Africa. Israel’s Menomadin Foundation held its first gala event in Tel Aviv. The NGO showcased its work including bringing children from Africa to Israel for heart surgery; housing, food, education, and a community center for children in Angola. It operates 24 initiatives in Africa and Israel.
https://menomadinfoundation.com/haim-taib-at-the-menomadin-foundation-impact-event-there-is-no-greater-privilege-than-tikkun-olam/ https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/362756 https://menomadinfoundation.com/
Global initiatives at COP27. Israelis At the COP27 climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Israelis launched Climatech MEA - a digital platform to pool all climate-related developments. Also, Israel’s DeserTech has partnered with the UN to help African nations build the “Great Green Wall” to counter desertification.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-digital-platform-seeks-to-connect-regions-business-with-climate-opportunities/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-desertech-partners-with-un-to-help-african-nations-build-great-green-wall/
Mauritian infant saved. (TY Hazel) Volunteer surgeons from Israeli humanitarian organization "Save a Child's Heart" saved the life of one-year-old Samael from Mauritius by repairing his heart defect. Mauritius is the 65th country that SACH has helped so far. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/sjtpoemio
Even happier. Israel rose to 9th in the 2022 World Happiness Report, issued by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which measures healthy life-expectancy, income, social support, freedom, and generosity. Israel moved up three places from last year’s 12th position (see here previously).
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-whats-the-secret-behind-israels-happiness/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SvqWG3cVDk
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
PhD program in Artificial Intelligence. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has joined with Meta AI to create a first-of-its-kind Artificial Intelligence PhD program to drive cutting-edge research. Meta will provide mentors and scholarships and students will have access to Meta’s computational infrastructure and facilities.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hebrew-u-to-open-joint-phd-program-research-partnership-with-meta-ai/
Prop-tech conference. PropTech Tel Aviv last week included Israel’s Reichman University, which accepts up to 40 students (from 400 applicants) onto its PropTech Program. The University’s practical course prepares students for the challenges of the real estate world and its technological solutions.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/e01e07umn
Urban innovation conference. MUNIEXPO - the Local Government Exhibition for Innovation (Dec 6 – 8) in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is one of the largest gatherings for local governments in the region. The 12,000 visitors, including global municipal leaders, will see 130+ Israel startups present cutting-edge and smart city solutions.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/362547
Space-tech conference. Tel Aviv’s Ramon Geoint360 conference (Nov 6-7) showcased Israel’s cutting-edge space-tech innovations in earth observation, remote sensing, computer vision & image processing. The use of geo-spatial data, computer vision, precise mapping, and artificial intelligence, all to benefit humankind.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjyiztvho https://www.geoint360.com/about
Anti-radiation vests launched. NASA’s Artemis-1 mission to the Moon finally took off from Cape Canaveral, carrying a manakin named Zohar, wearing AstroRad radiation protection vests made by Israel’s StemRad (see here previously). Zohar even had her very own Israeli passport. Sensors will measure cosmic radiation.
Impossible art in space. A piece of Israeli art can only be assembled in space. It involves water attaching to a metal structure in weightless conditions. This video shows what happened when Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe initiated the assembly process on the Axio-1 mission on the International Space Station.
https://www.aftau.org/news_item/artwork-created-by-tau-scientist-and-artist-is-activated-on-the-international-space-station/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ-0rXYeeiM
Shaping the future of science & society. Ben Gurion University Prof Benyamin Rosental has won a Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2022 Award. He has applied his research into stem cell transplantation to that of coral reefs to allow them to resist changes in temperature. He also has a personal “falling wall” link.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/fallingwalls_award.aspx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnW9jPYwo14
https://falling-walls.com/science-summit/science-summit-winners-2022
Intel rising star. Israel’s Technion Institute Prof. Eilam Yalon was selected as one of Intel’s 2022 Rising Star Faculty Award (RSA) winners. The award, given to early-career academic researchers who lead ground-breaking technology research, was for his work on nano-scaling electronic devices.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/research/blogs/intel-rising-stars-awards-2022.html
Fast, energy-efficient, computing. Israel’s WEKA.io has developed a low-energy, high performance data platform for artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI/ML). WEKA is used by companies in Life Science, Finance, Media & Entertainment, autonomous vehicles, and more. It just raised another $135 million in funds.
https://www.weka.io/ https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1tlqcx8o
Hi-tech accommodation for hi-tech students. Holon Institute of Technology has formally inaugurated 428 new modern student dormitories for some 472 students. Built by Israel’s Shikun and Binui for some NIS 200 million, they include apartments for people with disabilities, singles, couples and up to three roommates.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/real-estate/article-718864
Algae to make bio-friendly dyes and fibers. Traditional dyes are made of coal tar and petroleum in polluting processes. Israel’s Algaeing, however, creates fully bio-degradable formulations for dyeing, using algae, that produce zero waste. Combined with cellulose, or plant fibers, the formulation can create algae-based textiles.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/algae-the-natural-alternative-to-dyeing-clothes-with-chemicals/
Printing burgers for hi-tech workers. (TY Israel21c) Israel’s SavorEat (see here previously) is partnering with Israeli catering company Yarzin-Sella to install its plant-based meat products robot chefs in a host of hi-tech offices. Yarzin-Sella’s Tel Aviv clients include Ironsource, Meta (Facebook), Google and Playtika.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-720769
Instant products at home. Israel’s Capsulab has developed a machine to produce your favorite cosmetic or food product instantly by putting all the ingredients into a single vacuum-sealed capsule. Pop the capsule into the machine, press a button, and the ingredients are mixed on the spot, guaranteeing a fresh, potent product.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-invention-lets-you-whip-up-health-products-at-home/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDcA7qDVYb8 https://capsulab.com/
Storing energy underwater. Israel’s BaroMar has developed an underwater solution for storing wind and solar power in the form of compressed air at depths of 200 – 700 meters. It claims to be the most sustainable energy storage solution, with a neutral carbon footprint, no hazardous materials, and minimal impact on surroundings.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-economy-is-setting-sail-into-the-deep-blue-tech-sea/
https://www.baro-mar.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibIlp1zaq3M
Breathtaking wind propulsion. (TY ToI) Israel’s NayamWings has created a new wind propulsion system for maritime vessels based on a rigid wing sail. It outperforms all other wing sail systems – 200% better than soft sails. It reduces energy used by existing (retrofitted) ships by up to 25% and new-builds by more than 55%.
https://www.nayamwings.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh4HI8XwcGY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m4BDHTdSZQ
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Economy in good shape. The S&P rating agency has confirmed the credit rating of the State of Israel at its previous level of AA-. It said Israel manages a solid economy, strong fiscal indicators, strong external accounts, had recovered admirably from the COVID-19 crisis and recorded relatively high 2021 growth of 8.6%.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/362694
10 more for launch. Another ten Israeli startups have selected to join Deloitte’s Launchpad accelerator (see here previously). Only Trusstor (digitizing the construction process) has not been featured before in this newsletter. The 23 previous Launchpad members have already raised a total of $400 million in funds.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hjllyrabs
https://trusstor.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkknDC670Rk
10 more to be ignited. Intel has selected another ten Israeli startups for the seventh cohort of its Ignite startup growth accelerator program in Tel Aviv. They are Dragonfly, Briya, Scala Bio, IOriver, Codium, LayerX, Control Monkey, Sensorz, Utila, and tons.ai.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bkgfn11khi https://dragonflydb.io https://briya.com/
https://www.sensorz.io/ https://www.tons.ai/
10 more for growth. Google has selected another ten Israeli startups for the sixth cohort of its Startup Growth Lab. They are Riverside, Masterschool, Theranica, Guardz, Karma, Peech, OneStep, Anchor, Lexense, and Fundit. Startup Growth Lab graduates have raised a total of $3.7 billion in funds.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/9464c11v4 https://guardz.com/ https://lexense.com/
Distillery uses water from the air. Jerusalem’s Thinkers Distillery generates its water from the air using the technology from Israel’s WaterGen. In the last six months, Thinkers has sold 100,000 bottles of its gin, vodka, and bourbon whisky. It has a $10 million contract with Total Wine & More, the largest wine retailer in the US.
https://www.israel21c.org/prize-winning-distillery-uses-water-from-the-jerusalem-air/
https://thinkersdistillery.com/en/
100 construction tech companies. Some 100 Israel companies are active in the construction tech sector. In addition to designing, planning, or building structures or buildings, they also include building information modeling (BIM), augmented reality, and geospatial technologies already in use by smart cities.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r111axugvj
Fast EV charging at the airport. Israel’s Zooz Power is piloting its system for fast charging electric vehicles at New York’s La Guardia airport. The 12-month pilot should expand into a full-blown partnership. Zooz ran a pilot with Wien Energy at Vienna’s international airport and is establishing five charging points in Germany.
https://www.israel21c.org/fast-ev-charging-coming-to-new-yorks-la-guardia-airport/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3FxLxsLY6U
Checkout.com checks into Israel. Global cloud-based payments service provider Checkout.com has opened an R&D center in Tel Aviv. It plans to recruit 100 employees over the next two years. “The talent in the Israeli market represents some of the brightest minds in technology”, said Checkout.com’s Chief Product Officer.
https://www.checkout.com/newsroom/news/checkout.com-expands-to-israel-launches-a-research-and-development-hub-in-tel-aviv https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hjhddbwij
Investment in Israeli startups to 20/11/22: WEKA.io raised $135 million; Akeyless raised $65 million; Loops.ai raised $14 million; Clarifruit raised $12 million; beti (construction tech) raised $11 million; theGist raised $7 million; Palo Alto Networks acquired Israel’s Cider Security for $300 million.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Photo Is:rael. Tel Aviv’s 10th International Photography Festival (23 Nov – 3 Dec) features 70 photography exhibitions, plus dance, performances, video art, music and more. The theme of this year’s festival is “Action”.
https://www.touristisrael.com/international-photography-festival-tel-aviv/8099/
Israeli videos at Riga festival. The Waterpieces International video and contemporary art festival, in Riga, Latvia, featured eleven videos focusing on Israel’s culture, nature, science, and identity. They were curated by Drorit Gur Arie, director of the Petach Tikva Museum of Art.
https://www.jpost.com/365days/visual_arts/article-721677
The only hotel museum in the world. The Dona Gracia Hotel & Museum in Tiberias is the only hotel museum in the world. It tells the story of the remarkable Dona Gracia (1510-1569), a courageous, politically influential female philanthropist who saved hundreds of secret Jews from the Inquisition and much more.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-the-only-hotel-museum-in-the-world/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OETcXDwXNRY
Thousands of pelicans visit Israel. (TY Jacques) Thousands of white pelicans have arrived in Israel on their annual trek to their winter quarters in Africa. About 50,000 pelicans migrate through Israel from mid-Aug to Nov, before flying into the Sinai desert and further down the Nile to their winter ponds.
https://israelbetweenthelines.com/2022/11/13/thousands-of-white-pelicans-visit-israel/
Sisterhood on skateboards. When two Israeli friends found that there were so few women represented in the skateboarding world, they decided to do something to change that. Paola Ruiloba and Maayan Levi founded the Jerusalem Skater Girls (JSG). These Israelis from all backgrounds are now taking the skater world by storm.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-meet-the-israeli-girls-who-are-taking-the-skater-world-by-storm/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtszW08YnKM
THE JEWISH STATE
The first cooks. Israeli and international researchers have found the earliest evidence of cooking at the Gesher Benot Ya’aqov (GBY) archaeological site in Israel. Remains show that fish were cooked on fire, some 780,000 years ago. Until this discovery, the earliest evidence of cooking dates to approximately 170,000 years ago.
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-722411 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01910-z
14,000 to join Masa Israel programs. In its 19th year, Masa Israel will bring a record 14,000 young people from the Diaspora to Israel on Masa programs. More than 200 will participate in the Masa Doctors program for a training program and integration into the Israeli health system.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/362407
First victim of Hamas is now IDF officer. (TY JNS & WIN) Shila Naamat was 20 months old when a rocket fired by Gaza terrorists struck his home in Sderot 20 years ago. He suffered a severe leg wound and today has a metal plate fitted into his leg. He has just completed the IDF officers’ training course.
https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/ryxni4lss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA-6q02ckPw
Just in time. The nonprofit Am Yisrael Chai (the People of Israel Live) foundation, in cooperation with the Israel Dog Unit, has inaugurated a new center for locating missing persons in the Meron region of Northern Israel. The center then immediately experienced a real live incident, locating a missing person in Kiryat Ata.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/362478
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. During the opening session of the 25th Knesset, Moshe Holtzberg recited Psalm 122 in memory of his parents Rabbi Gavriel Noach and Rivka Holtzberg. At two years of age (see here previously), Moshe was the sole survivor of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, Moshe is now nearly 16 years old.
https://anash.org/moshe-holtzberg-leads-tehillim-at-knesset-opening/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teFUmPgMkoo
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20122&version=NIV
221113
In the 13th Nov 22 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli nitric oxide device helps hospitalized Covid-19 patients recover.
· Israeli surgeons repaired the heart of a Syrian baby flown in from Cyprus.
· Huge number of Israeli climate-tech and food-tech innovations.
· Record number of tourists return to Israel.
· Israeli technology powers UK retail giant’s autonomous stores.
· Israeli runner is NYC Marathon runner-up.
· Click here to see the 6th Nov newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, IsraPundit and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here. Please pass on this newsletter to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page.
· 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 (over 21,500 articles).
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Nitric Oxide speeds recovery from Covid-19. The LungFit Nitric Oxide device from Israel’s Beyond Air (see here previously) speeds up the recovery of hospitalized COVID patients. Clinical (human) trials showed they needed less oxygen support and spent less time in the hospital than those who didn’t receive the treatment.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/covid-patients-recover-more-quickly-with-nitric-oxide/
Device avoids need for open-heart surgery. (TY UWI) Israel’s Cuspa Medical is testing the Cusper - a device that takes over the job of a damaged heart valve that can no longer open and close properly to control blood to the heart. The Cusper is inserted using a catheter in a minimally invasive procedure, avoiding major surgery.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/simple-device-spares-patients-from-heart-surgery/
Preventing secondary cancer. It’s early days, but Tel Aviv University scientists have managed in lab tests to reduce the incidence of breast cancer relapse by 88%. They used two chemotherapies – doxorubicin and cisplatin together, which reduced the spread of cancer cells (metastasis) that occurred using just one therapy.
https://www.israel21c.org/existing-drug-may-reduce-breast-cancer-relapses-by-88/
https://www.jns.org/israeli-researchers-improve-chemotherapy-treatment-for-breast-cancer-patients/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33598-x
Preventing hair loss from chemo. Decursin is a substance that promotes hair growth, especially in chemotherapy patients. Decursin is normally extracted from a rare seasonal flower in an expensive process, but students at Israel’s Technion Institute have just won awards by synthesizing it using enzymes from bacteria.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/technion-undergrads-wow-paris-meet-with-plan-to-reduce-chemo-induced-hair-loss/ https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-720574
Medical research to use real-world data. Israel’s Ministry of Health is partnering with Israel’s Lynx MD (see here previously) to make patient data from 49 Israeli medical centers available for research. Lynx MD’s medical intelligence platform anonymously secures the data before releasing it to researchers.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/nw2pq59af
Medicine and Peace conference. (TY Hazel) The 3-day medical conference “Tomorrow’s Medicine as a Bridge for Peace” in Morocco brought together 60 cancer specialists from Morocco, Israel, and France. It was organized by Pax Medicalis, a France-based nonprofit known in English as the Peace Medical Association.
On the spot. Israel is a small country, and paramedic training is a priority. A volunteer EMT from NGO United Hatzalah was walking on the same Netivot street as a man who had a heart attack. The EMT began CPR and was soon joined by another EMT with a defibrillator. Shortly afterwards, the man regained consciousness.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/361982
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Six new foreign Ambassadors. Israeli President Isaac Herzog received the credentials of the new ambassadors of Moldova, Ghana, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Mongolia, and for the first time, Palau, in a series of official ceremonies at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/361995
IDF allows Lebanese to harvest Israeli olives. For over a decade, the IDF has coordinated with UNIFI to allow Lebanese farmers, from villages close to the Israeli border, to cross the blue line into Israel. They are then able to harvest olives from trees growing near Israel’s security fence. It provides vital income to those farmers.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/362599 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp6sRupfRso
Sick Syrian baby flown from Cyprus. I seem to report these events almost every two years (see here previously). A baby from Syrian refugees living in Cyprus was flown to Israel for emergency heart surgery. One of premature triplets, the baby was treated at Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva.
https://www.jns.org/premature-syrian-baby-survives-emergency-surgery-in-israel/
Advising the UK ombudsman. Israel’s State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman recently visited England to carry out a complimentary inspection of one of Britain’s equivalent watchdog apparatuses. UK Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Rob Behrens sought his advice on how to initiate wide-ranging investigations.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-720561
https://m.knesset.gov.il/en/about/lexicon/pages/press10320d.aspx
Protecting the UAE. The United Arab Emirates has deployed Israeli air defenses south of Abu Dhabi to protect against (Iranian) missiles and drones. Satellite images show that two Israeli Barak 8 launchers and an Israeli Aerospace Industries Elta ELM 2084 radar system have been deployed at the Al Dhafra Air Base.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-made-anti-missile-system-protects-arab-ally/
https://worldisraelnews.com/uae-deploys-israeli-air-defense-system-satellite-images-show/
Jumping for joy. (TY Hazel) A delegation of Israeli paratroopers held a joint jump over Bahrain alongside soldiers from the Gulf nation, the UAE, and the United States, to mark two years since the signing of the Abraham Accords. See embedded video on full screen.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/watch-israeli-bahraini-uae-us-paratroopers-make-joint-jump-over-gulf/
Israeli green hydrogen in Morocco. During the COP27 climate conference in Egypt, Israel’s H2Pro (see here previously) signed a strategic agreement with Moroccan renewable energy developer Gaia Energy. Its aim was to assess the feasibility of producing H2Pro’s E-TAC hydrogen electrolyzers in the North African country.
Healing migrating birds. (TY Hazel) Countless wounded birds of prey make their way each year to Israel during the fall migration, most of them shot on the Lebanese side of the border. This article focuses on a lesser spotted eagle suffering a gunshot wound, that was treated at Israel’s Hula Valley wildlife rehabilitation center.
https://www.ynetnews.com/environment/article/hjotpcpbj
Israeli nurse helps victims of global disasters. (TY UWI) Odeda Benin-Goren is the only female Israeli member of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination. The Israeli nurse has traveled the world for the past 30 years to help people in areas that are devastated by floods, earthquakes, fires and wars.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-israeli-nurse-who-travels-the-world-to-disasters/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Climate-tech prize winners. Here are two Israeli startups that won a share of Startup Nation’s $2 million Climate Solutions Prize fund to encourage innovation (see here previously). Marine Edge optimizes fuel consumption and carbon emissions for ships, and SolOr develops solar energy-absorbing paint.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/climate-tech-startups-win-2m-prizes/ https://www.marine-edge.com/ https://www.solor.tech/
More climate-tech prize winners. Other Israeli Climate Solutions Prize fund winners include Copprint (copper inks for circuit boards), Styletech (see here previously), Smart Resilin (see here previously), Red Solar Flower (solar panels for agricultural areas), and Seevix Material Sciences (see here previously).
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-climate-tech-scientists-startups-nab-over-2m-in-prizes-at-inaugural-confab/ https://www.copprint.com/ https://finder.startupnationcentral.org/company_page/red-solar-flower
Prize-winning climate-tech researchers. In addition to startup winners of the Climate Solutions Prize, three Israeli scientists won awards. They were Technion’s Prof Avner Rothchild (green hydrogen), BGU’s Prof. Itzhak Mizrahi (reducing methane from animals), and Bar-Ilan’s Prof. Malachi Noked (sodium ion batteries).
https://climatesolutionsprize.com/news.asp?id=22
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/climate_solutionsprize.aspx
Solar energy on the Moon. Prof Jeffrey Gordon of Israel’s Ben Gurion University presented to NASA scientists his solar power alternative to NASA’s plan to use nuclear energy on the Moon. His polar installation design overcomes the problem that any point on the Moon will be in darkness for two weeks every month.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/israeli-plan-for-solar-energy-on-the-moon
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960148122001550?via=ihub
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/energy_storage.aspx
Solar water heater is upgraded. Millions of Israelis use 1950s tech rooftop solar devices for their hot water. Israel’s Tigi (see here previously) has developed cellulose triacetate insulation that can heat the water to 100 degrees Centigrade, even in freezing winter conditions. It has installed 40 international commercial systems.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/honeycomb-twist-transforms-israels-1950s-solar-water-heater/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NVxGWPUnSY https://www.tigisolar.com/news-resources/news/
Walking on sunshine. (TY Hazel) Israeli sandal maker Shoresh is the first Israeli manufacturing company to go off grid and use only its own solar energy. It saves the company buying a million kwh of electricity, 8,000 gallons of gasoline a year, and cuts pollution. Shoresh employs 300 people at its Tirat Carmel factory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9ILipl6TYg https://sourceoutdoor.com/
Breakthrough in splitting water to produce hydrogen. (TY Ron) Scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University have made a breakthrough at the molecular level that could vastly reduce the energy required to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis. It has major potential ramifications for the fuel industry.
https://www.jpost.com/science/article-721694 https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/solar-fuel-production.aspx
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/EE/D1EE03953A
Environmentally friendly glass. Israel’s Airovation (see here previously) and Phoenicia, Israel’s sole glass manufacturer are to transform the country’s glass production process into a carbon-friendly operation. Airovation Technologies’ patented Superoxide Radical converts CO2 into minerals for the glass industry.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/361981 https://www.phoenicia-ltd.com
https://www.airovation-tech.com/carbontovalue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPNpiWC_MFw
Predicting weather disasters. Israel’s Emnotion analyzes tiny, highly localized variations in temperature, wind, humidity and more to forecast extreme weather events up to three months before they happen. Emnotion uses technology including Big Data analysis and machine learning to provide alerts to companies and the IDF.
Food-tech demo day. Israeli startups Blue Tree, Bountica, Eggmented Reality, Pigmentum, ProFuse Technology, Sea2Cell, and others, starred in the recent Demo Day held by Israeli food-tech incubator Fresh Start. Alteco.ai (energy efficiency) and Sweet Balance (natural sugar substitute) are new to this newsletter.
https://israelactive.com/?s=Sea2Cell https://alteco.ai/ https://www.sweet-balance.com/
Blue-tech. Israeli organizations presenting at last month’s International Conference on Food from the Sea and the Desert in Eilat (see here previously) included Colors Farm (bio-friendly aquaponics); algaenite (nitrogen-fixing microalgae); Brevel (protein-rich microalgae); V-Corals (reefs) and Aquacultech (network).
https://www.agrisrael-sea-desert.org/ https://www.colors-farm.com/ https://www.algaenite.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TOUL_8VSdY https://brevel.co.il/ https://www.aquacultech.org/
Growing tomatoes even in drought. Israel’s Grace Breeding can grow tomatoes even during a drought. Its Wide Defense System (WDS) formula boosts the growth of the tomato root system and improves nutrient absorption from the soil. Trials show that a once-a-season application increases yields by 17%.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/israeli-formula-increases-tomato-yields-even-during-droughts/
https://gracebreeding.com/services/wds/
Water from the air for university students. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Watergen is to install its water-from-the-air generators at Israel’s Reichman University. All visitors, lecturers, and students will be able to drink the cleanest and healthiest water, eliminating high-carbon supply chains and plastic waste.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/university-installs-water-from-air-machines-for-students/
Israel to pilot self-driving buses. Israel’s Innovation Authority has announced the launch of a NIS 61 million, two-year pilot program to study the viability of using autonomous public buses. In Stage 1, four groups of bus companies will test the technology before (in Stage 2) operating self-driving buses on public roads.
https://www.jns.org/israel-to-test-driverless-buses/
A machine is only as good as its components. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Cybord uses Artificial Intelligence and Big Data to check that components of an electronic device are genuine (i.e. not counterfeit) and 100% quality. Cybord has just partnered with Siemens Digital Industries, to expand Cybord’s reach across the industry.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cybord-announces-new-oem-partnership-with-siemens-digital-industries-software-301619167.html https://www.cybord.ai/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
UK-Israel trade up by a third. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Israel was £6.1 billion for the year to June 2022, an increase of 33.1% from the same period last year. Imports included £845 million of Israeli medicines and pharma products, to help counter the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/uk-israel-trade-figures-2022/
Yet more gas discovered. (TY WIN & JNS) Just a month after its discovery of natural gas at its Hermes exploration well (see here previously), Energean plc has discovered some 13 billion cubic meters at its Zeus-1 well off Israel’s coast. Energean also confirmed the presence of an additional 3.75 bcm at its Athena site.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/energy-and-infrastructure/article-721662
Most monthly tourists since start of pandemic. Some 333,500 tourists visited Israel in Oct 2022, the greatest number recorded since Feb 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic began, with its associated travel restrictions. In 2022, some 649,300 visitors arrived from the USA – the most popular origin.
Direct flights to Dublin. Early 2023, El Al is to launch three nonstop flights a week between Tel Aviv and Dublin. They’ll connect Israel’s and Ireland’s high-tech sectors and encourage Christian pilgrimage to Israel. Many Israeli high-tech workers work at Dublin-based multinationals, serving Europe and the Middle East.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/el-al-launches-dublin-route-for-hi-tech-workers-and-pilgrims/
Cleaning up in Manhattan. US real estate giant Durst has just invested in Israel’s Skyline Robotics (see here previously). We soon should see Skyline’s Ozmo robots cleaning the windows of the 104-story One World Trade Center - the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere - and other skyscrapers in New York City.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/skys-the-limit-for-worlds-first-high-rise-robot-window-cleaner/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwzo2lJPzUs
Connections for Deutsche Telekom. Israel’s Teridion (see here previously) has been working with Deutsche Telekom since January, to help build a product that will connect DT’s customers via the cloud. DT has just invested $25 million in Teridion. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bjonzn8hj
Tesco opens autonomous stores. UK retail giant Tesco has announced the opening of three autonomous stores based on the technology developed by Israeli computer vision startup Trigo (see here previously). The first, on Chiswell Street London, has just opened and will shortly be joined by others in Fulham and Birmingham.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s05a0nveq https://new.trigo.tech/how-it-works/
https://www.tescoplc.com/news/2022/tesco-to-open-three-more-getgo-stores-with-new-hybrid-format/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIYZiAJl8lU
New factory for Better Juice. Israeli reduced sugar fruit juice startup Better Juice (see here previously) has launched its first full-capacity manufacturing plant in Israel. The Ness Ziona factory can produce 250 million liters of juice (with 80% less sugar) per year.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/first-factory-for-reduced-sugar-fruit-juice-startup/
Investment in Israeli startups to 13/11/22: Island.io raised another $60 million; AutoLeadStar raised $40 million; Teridion raised $25 million from Deutsche Telekom; Wib raised $16 million; Everybuddy Games raised $15 million; Veriti raised $12 million; Tagado raised $4 million; Apply Design raised $3.3 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Contemporary art met ancient stones. An exhibit merged art with archaeology, in a cistern 20 feet under Jerusalem’s Western Wall. “Arteology: The Power of the Ancients in Contemporary Form,” featured 27 ceramic pieces (vases, plates, disks, and seals) by Israeli Canadian artist Nicole Kornberg Jacobovici.
https://www.jns.org/contemporary-art-meets-ancient-stones-in-jerusalem/
Israeli scouts entertainers return to USA. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Tzofim Friendship Caravan, a song-and-dance performance program from Israel, is returning to the U.S. next summer as part of its 50th anniversary celebration. The Tzofim Scouts perform songs in Hebrew, English and Yiddish.
A diamond quality tour. You can now book a fascinating tour of the Israel Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan, the world’s leading center for buying, selling, cutting, and polishing large diamonds. Wine and lunch are included. https://www.israel21c.org/trolleys-dollars-and-gems-a-tour-of-israels-diamond-exchange/
https://www.israeltours4u.com/luxurytours
More rare species visit Israel. (TY Nevet) Three pink whiprays over 100 cm long were sighted off the coast off Eilat. Whiprays are an endangered species of stingray. Earlier this year a rare guitarfish, an even more endangered species, was spotted off Eilat’s coast.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/pink-whiprays-endangered-in-most-of-the-world-seen-near-eilat/
Israeli woman takes second place in NYC Marathon. Israeli Lonah Chemtai Salpeter has finished second place in Sunday’s New York City Marathon, seven seconds behind the Kenyan winner. It is the best final result for an Israeli man or woman in the history of the race, which is in its 51st year.
https://worldisraelnews.com/israeli-woman-finishes-second-in-new-york-city-marathon/
Two World Cup swimming bronze medals. (TY Nevet) Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko won a second bronze medal in a row at the World Cup competition in Berlin, finishing third in the 50 meters breaststroke. The previous day she finished third in the 100 meters event.
https://newsrnd.com/sports/2022-10-22-second-bronze-medal-for-gorbenko-in-the-world-cup-israel-today.SJ3KNAZEs.html https://swimswam.com/2022-fina-world-cup-berlin-day-2-finals-live-recap/
Jews and Arabs can fly to the FIFA World Cup together. Charter flights will allow Israeli Jews and Arabs to fly direct from Tel Aviv to Doha Qatar for the duration of the FIFA World Cup beginning on 20 Nov. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said “Football has the power to bring people together…”
THE JEWISH STATE
Jerusalem streets are more than elections. (TY Sharon) Israel’s capital in November may have dark nights but it was brightened up by the Zalman Shazar Prize for Jewish History, the preview of Israel’s presentation to COP27, publicity for the Einstein, Animation, and Piano festivals, and the honoring of Walter Bingham.
http://rjstreets.com/2022/11/06/jerusalem-in-november-more-than-elections/
Christians, Muslims & Jews save each other’s lives. New United Hatzalah video emphasizing that the Israeli emergency NGO’s 6,200+ volunteer EMTs come from all Israel’s major religions. The video also highlights that they save the lives of Palestinian Authority residents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmDiFretKqk
Song for Aliya Day. Nov 1 was Aliya Day, coinciding with the Torah portion where Abraham is commanded to go to the Land of Israel. Here is a new song, “Kumi Ulechi Lach” (Get Up and Go) written by Eliad Eliyahu specially to celebrate the event. It combines the lyrics of Rachel the poetess and Rabbi Shlomo Elkabetz.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/362009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-1tjOxVpOw
221106
In the 6th Nov 22 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli paramedics restarted the hearts of two newborn babies.
· International food-tech conferences in Eilat and Tel Aviv.
· Israeli recycling technology removes the ink off printed paper.
· Israel’s economy is literally “up in the clouds”.
· History made by an Afghan cyclist in Israel and an Israeli athlete in Saudi Arabia.
· Israel’s fifth election in 4 years produced some interesting statistics.
· Click here to see the 23rd Oct newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours with a fabulous intro, IsraPundit and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here. Please pass on this newsletter to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page.
· 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 (over 21,400 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
Israel’s first lymph node transplant. For the first time in Israel, surgeons at Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya in Tiberias have performed lymph node transplant surgery. They used lymph nodes from the abdomen of a 34-year-old woman suffering from the lack of a lymphatic system in her leg that caused it to swell hugely.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-720370
HBOT and autism. A new Tel Aviv University study showed that Pressure chamber therapy (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy - HBOT) significantly improved social skills in animal models of autism. It also reduced neuroinflammation, which is known to be associated with autism.
https://neurosciencenews.com/pressure-chamber-asd-21737/ https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/19/11077
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36232395/
Israeli cancer detection expands across France. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Ibex Medical has expanded its partnership with France’s Medipath (see here previously) to cover cancer analysis of multiple tissue types at more of Medipath’s 30 labs. Medipath provides pathology services to 250+ hospitals and clinics across France.
https://ibex-ai.com/medipath-ai-expansion/
10,000+ implants. Israel’s Ossio (see here previously) has reported that orthopedic surgeons have implanted more than 10,000 Ossiofiber implants since their introduction in 2019. Ossio’s biofriendly Ossiofiber, and intelligent bone regeneration technology are designed to solve the shortcomings of conventional metal implants.
https://www.massdevice.com/ossio-closes-38-5m-series-c/ https://www.ourcrowd.com/companies/ossio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvZsgpgfW7s
Twin sisters develop metabolism device. (TY UWI) Israeli twin sisters Merav and Michal Mor, both PhD graduates, were training for an Ironman triathlon and needed to measure their metabolic rate. No device existed, so they invented their own and founded Israeli startup Lumen (see here previously).
https://www.israel21c.org/how-to-hack-your-metabolism-and-improve-your-health/
https://www.lumen.me/home-research
Israeli global medi-tech (TY Louise) A recent Shanghai expo has revealed two Israeli medical technology start-ups that haven’t previously been reported in this newsletter. They are Vitalerter (biosensor care protection), and RuiLuo Technology, part of Israel’s Neurotech Solutions (ADHD diagnosis and treatment).
https://ischam.glueup.cn/event/chinese-investments-in-israeli-medical-tech-33640/
https://www.vitalerter.com/ https://www.neurotech-solutions.com/
Newborn saved in Herzliya mall. Volunteer EMTs from United Hatzalah revived a 3-week-old baby girl who suffered cardiac arrest in a Herzliya shopping mall. The team performed CPR with just two fingers and after 30 minutes the baby’s pulse returned. Later in hospital a heart defect was discovered and treated.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/361365
Preemie delivered and resuscitated. United Hatzalah volunteers have been busy. In Kiryat Gat they delivered a premature baby in the breech position and then used two-fingered CPR and ventilation to restore her pulse. They also treated the mother who had lost a large amount of blood during the emergency.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Three powerful Israeli women. (TY JNS) Three Israeli women - Eynat Guez, Adi Tatarko, and Daphne Koller - are included on Fortune Magazine’s “The 15 Most Powerful Women in Startups” list for 2022. All three head unicorn companies (Houzz, Papaya Global, Coursera, and Insitro) valued at $1 billion or more.
https://www.israel21c.org/3-of-fortunes-most-powerful-women-in-startups-are-israeli/
https://fortune.com/2022/10/06/most-powerful-women-in-startups-2022/
Inclusive hi-tech school. Google and Israel’s Reichman University are establishing The School of High-Tech. It will provide equal opportunities to everyone, based on their personal skills and suitability to the program. Underrepresented populations will be accepted, regardless of their ability to pay for the course.
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/technology-science/1666679141-google-opens-school-for-high-tech-professionals-in-israeli-university https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/skml78nvs
Jewish, Arab, and Druze mayors train together. 20 Israeli heads of municipalities are to attend an intensive one-year executive training program at Tel Aviv University’s Center for City Leadership. They include the heads of Arab Umm al-Fahm, Bedouin Kseifa, Druze Dalit El-Karmel, Judea Binyamin region, and Bnei Brak.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-720795
Eilat could feed the world. The first-ever International Summit on “Food Technologies from the Dead Sea and Desert”, in Eilat, follows Israel’s decision to launch a NIS 170 million, multi-year plan to develop Eilat and the Eilat region into a national and international center for the production of food from the sea and the desert.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-720167
Agriculture accord signed with Bahrain. Israel and Bahrain signed an agricultural cooperation declaration at the recent Eilat Food-tech summit. 25 international delegations participated, including Morocco, Jordan, the UAE, USA, Chile, Ghana, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Iceland.
https://www.jns.org/israel-bahrain-sign-accord-on-agricultural-cooperation/
Solving the world’s biggest problems. The Movement by Good Company invests in Israeli startups “solving the world’s biggest problems” – Climate-tech, Social-tech, Energy, Agriculture, Work and Education, Circular Economy, and Digital Health. It is selecting startups to participate in “Reaching Net Zero (RNZ)” action day.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1zaoadnj https://goodcompanyhq.com/fund
5 Israeli unis in top 50 for producing entrepreneurs. PitchBook’s 2022 ranking of the 100 universities that produce the most VC-backed entrepreneurs, includes Tel Aviv (7), Technion (15), Hebrew U (31), Reichman (38) and Ben-Gurion (45). Besides Israel, only two top 50 universities were from outside of North America.
https://www.aftau.org/news_item/tau-climbs-to-seventh-place-in-global-entrepreneurship-ranking/
https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/pitchbook-university-rankings
Donating telehealth kits. Following its donation of telehealth kits to Ukraine, Israel’s TytoCare (see here previously) has launched a giveback initiative, TytoCareS. It enables the company and its partners to donate devices to other countries in need, significantly expanding global access to clinic-quality healthcare.
https://www.israel21c.org/tytocare-telehealth-kits-donated-to-countries-in-need/
https://www.tytocare.com/tytocares/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
$18 million for Albert Einstein Museum. The Israeli government has approved the construction of an $18 million Albert Einstein Museum on the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Safra Campus at Givat Ram. It will include a reconstruction of Einstein’s library and office and be a scientific and technological education center.
https://www.jns.org/israel-approves-18-million-for-albert-einstein-museum-at-hebrew-university/
Searching for habitable planets. A Hebrew University of Jerusalem-led project has successfully developed a framework to study the atmospheres of distant planets and locate those planets fit for human habitation, without having to visit them physically. The team examined TRAPPIST-1e, a planet 40 light years from the Earth.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ac866f
Seeds that could grow on the Moon. (TY UWI) Plant seeds from Ben Gurion University will accompany Beresheet 2, the next attempt of Israel’s SpaceIL to land on the moon in 2025. The plants were selected to withstand the extreme temperatures they will face in space. (See also here.)
Mega food conference. Tel Aviv’s FoodTechIL conference begins on 7 Nov, in the middle of Israel’s AgriFood Week. It will feature 70 startups and some 1,600 global food industry leaders and investors. One of the startups is Israel’s CreamCol - which converts any alcoholic drink into an all-natural alcoholic cream.
https://www.israel21c.org/foodtechil-mega-convention-in-tel-aviv-to-focus-on-scaleup/
https://www.israel21c.org/who-says-you-cant-get-tipsy-from-a-croissant-or-cookie/ https://www.creamcol.com/
3D-printed marbled beef cut. Israel’s Steakholder Foods (previously known as MeaTech 3D - see here) has produced 3D-printed marbled beef using bio-inks. Steakholder’s Omakase Beef Morsels were inspired by the marbling standard of Wagyu beef and can be printed with any desired marbling ratio, shape, or width.
https://steakholderfoods.com/omakase-cultured-beef-morsels/
A safe preservative for food products. Israel’s Bountica uses bacteria and precision fermentation to create proteins that can preserve food safely. These proteins do not have any of the health concerns associated with the benzoates, sorbates, propionates, nitrites, BPA, and other chemicals that can be seen listed on food labels.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/israeli-scientists-teach-bacteria-to-preserve-food-safely/
Pinpointing wastewater contamination. Israel’s Kando (see here previously) has been busy recently helping locate the source of virus (Covid-19 and polio) and seawater contamination via Israel’s sewer system.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/flush-with-data-kando-transforms-public-health-with-wastewater-intelligence/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb6pbcQu_7E https://www.ourcrowd.com/companies/kando
Sustainable irrigation. The plastic irrigation driplines of Israel’s Netafim (see here previously) are recycled in California, Australia, Israel, Peru, Chile, and Spain. Old pipelines are shredded, washed, pelletized, and then upcycled. Netafim’s 40,000-sqm plant in Culiacán also recycles its wastewater and is powered by solar energy.
https://www.israel21c.org/taking-a-bite-out-of-plastic-agricultural-waste-in-mexico/
Vanishing print. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Reep Technologies uses lasers to completely remove ink from printed pages so that the paper can be reused. Reep has re-invented the “de-printer”, protected it with 20 patents and is now preparing to roll it out globally. It saves trees, water, energy, waste, pollution and is carbon negative.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/now-you-see-it-miracle-de-printer-wipes-the-words-off-a-page/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeGLC8k7ww4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RofKzrXBkOo
Making buildings intelligent. Israel’s Resonai empowers commercial real estate owners and operators to transform their physical properties into virtual assets. Its Vera platform creates a “digital twin” with embedded AI to enable greater operational control, real-time customer insights, and innovative engaging experiences.
https://www.resonai.com/ https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rkxfxvsvs
Giving employees the right answers. Israel’s Ask-AI uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to answer questions from company employees and managers and give them insights as to their business and customers. It monitors emails, chats, databases, call center communications, and more, to improve customer relationships.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1yembseo https://www.ask-ai.com/
Where cybersecurity gurus meet (virtually). Israeli startup WadiDigital has launched Cyfluencer – a platform to connect cybersecurity influencers who wish to share top-quality content, ideas, and insights. The community is comprised of experienced professionals (“influencers”) and cybersecurity companies who want publicity.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-new-platform-made-just-for-cybersecurity-influencers/
Replace heavy copper wiring. (TY Israel21c) Israel’s Yamar develops semiconductor devices that merge data over power lines. The technology reduces wiring cost and weight while increasing reliability. Customers in 51 countries use the devices in a variety of applications in automotive, aerospace, lighting, industrial, and more.
https://finder.startupnationcentral.org/company_page/yamar-electronics https://yamar.com/
A toothbrush-inspired humidifier. Israeli Aryeh Tench has invented an air humidifier with only one moving part. He says it’s cheaper, cleaner, and more efficient than any other. It works like a rotating toothbrush – the filaments break up water into tiny droplets. No heat, condensation, or bacteria. Prototypes are now being tested.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/changing-the-air-we-breathe-with-a-toothbrush-inspired-device/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Clouds of glory. According to US-based consultants Sage Intacct, Israel has the most cloud computing startups per capita in the world – 8.4 per million Israelis. Over $2 billion has been invested into Israel-based cloud startups since 2017. https://www.israel21c.org/israel-leads-world-in-cloud-startups-per-capita/
https://blog.sageintacct.com/blog/cloud-computing-startups-hubs
Israel becomes a Google Cloud Region. Google has opened the Google Cloud region in Tel Aviv (me-west1), joining its network of cloud regions around the world. Google estimates that by 2030, the new region will contribute a cumulative $7.6 billion to Israel’s GDP, and support the creation of 21,000+ jobs in that year alone.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjq7lb67s
Agriculture innovation fund. The Hashomer Hachadash NGO has launched a new investment company, Eretz Noshevet, to support and promote innovative agriculture in Israel. It has also raised $20 million, for supporting ventures of young farmers, agritech technology projects and land development.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rkwsltaqo https://eng.hashomer.org.il/
Global agricultural advice. (TY Louise) Another Israeli start-up exhibiting in Shanghai recently was Etza Agriculture. Its contacts with seed companies, chemical companies, agricultural high-tech companies, and academic institutions, enable Etza to provide fast and creative solutions for emerging problems in the field.
Vegan Whoppers at Burger King Israel. Burger King Israel has begun serving vegan Whoppers and nuggets from Israel’s “Meat The End” at its pop-up branch in Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square. It plans to extend this to nine other locations in the greater Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Several of those branches are certified kosher.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/kosher-burger-kings-to-serve-israeli-startups-vegan-burgers/
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-720439 https://www.meattheend.tech/
FoodTech competition finalists. Six Israeli startups have reached the final of Tnuva and Calcalist's FoodTech competition. BioBetter, Eggmented Reality (vegan proteins for food manufacturers), E-FISHient Protein, Exosomm (milk nutrients for IBD patients), Meala Foodtech, and Watersight.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s17vtwa4o https://eggmented.com/ https://www.exosomm.com/
Protecting Africa from financial crime. MFS Africa, the largest digital payments hub in Africa, has selected Israel’s ThetaRay (see here previously) to protect its network from money laundering and fraud. ThetaRay’s SONAR SaaS solution includes AI-powered transaction monitoring and sanctions list screening.
https://ffnews.com/newsarticle/mfs-africa-selects-thetaray-ai-tech-to-boost-global-expansion/
https://www.ourcrowd.com/companies/thetaray
Vestoo becomes a Unicorn. There have been few new Unicorns in the current economic climate. Israel’s Vesttoo has just become one, having just raised $80 million at a $1 billion valuation. Vesttoo has developed a global insurance risk transfer platform. It is profitable and plans to use the funds to make acquisitions.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hj3h0nbvs
$50 million for AI startups. U.S.-based ICI Fund has announced the closing of ICI Fund II, a new fund set to include $50 million solely for early-stage Israeli AI companies and companies founded by Israeli entrepreneurs. ICI additionally said it will increase investments in women-led funds and in women-led companies.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/ryhooajno
Investment in Israeli startups to 6/11/22: Mobileye raised $861 million (IPO); Selina raised $170+ million (IPO); OpenWeb raised $170 million; Apiiro raised $100 million; Trigo raised $100 million; Vesttoo raised $80 million; Resonai raised $36 million; Ossio raised $35.5 million; Valence Security raised $25 million; Navina raised $22 million; Sepio raised $22 million; Tarci raised $17 million; YOOM (formerly Tetavi) raised $15 million; Revuze raised $12 million; Ask-AI raised $9 million; Arnica Security raised $7 million; Port raised $7 million Forsea raised $5.2 million; Tensorleap raised $5.2 million; Ritual raised $2 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
A balance of alternative and traditional lifestyles. According to many of its 43,000 residents, Pardes Hanna-Karkur has a special charm, an artistic feel, and a down-to-earth quality. The stables house artists’ boutiques, cafes, restaurants and even spaces for therapists. At Festival HaNadiv (10-12 Nov) all events are free.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-slice-of-life-of-the-hipster-israeli-town-pardes-hanna/ https://2021.hanadiv.org/
Visit Tel Aviv Museum of Art on Minecraft. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art has launched a full digital replica of its museum complex in Minecraft, the world’s most popular computer game. Players can view 100 works of art and participate in challenges to win prizes. Some half a million Minecraft players aged 10-24 live in Israel.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/visit-tel-aviv-museum-of-art-virtually-on-minecraft/
Lavender farms turn the Golan purple. Azizo on Moshav Kanaf is one of several lavender farms situated on the Golan Heights, near a 6th-century excavated synagogue. Deep purple Lavendin Grosso covers the 60-dunam (14.8 acre) farm, which conducts tours and produces lavender oil, lavender honey, and more.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-lavender-farm-turns-the-golan-purple/ https://azizolavender.com/
https://www.israel21c.org/10-sights-you-dont-want-to-miss-in-the-golan-heights/
https://www.noviks.co.il/fields
Judo team bronze medal. Israel’s mixed team won a bronze medal by beating the Netherlands 4-2 in the 2022 World Judo Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The championships were originally scheduled for Yom Kippur but were delayed on request by the President of the Israel Judo Association.
Afghan female cyclist joins Israeli team. (TY UWI) Afghan cycling champion Fariba Hashimi has accepted a contract with Women’s WorldTour team Israel–Premier Tech Roland (IPT). It gives Fariba a chance to race the Tour de France Femmes. IPT owner Sylvan Adams helped hundreds of Afghans escape Afghanistan last year.
https://www.israel21c.org/afghan-woman-cycling-champ-to-join-israels-cycling-team/
The first Israeli athlete to compete in Saudi Arabia. (TY WIN) Olympic triathlete Shachar Sagiv became the first Israeli athlete to compete in Saudi Arabia when he took part in the 5th round of the Super League Triathlon in the Red Sea coastal city of Neom. Saudi Arabia only allows specially selected Israeli citizens to enter.
THE JEWISH STATE
Magnetic proof. Using the discovery of the earth's magnetic field recorded in burnt remnants reported here previously, researchers have accurately dated 17 Israeli biblical sites. These findings verify the accounts of the Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian, and Babylonian military campaigns against the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
https://phys.org/news/2022-10-geomagnetic-fields-reveal-truth-biblical.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aEI0kJaqWA https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2209117119
Partial eclipse. On Oct 25, I was on a ship with 2,000 Israelis sailing from Haifa. At 2pm I read that a partial eclipse of the Sun would be visible in Israel, peaking at 2pm. I rushed to the top deck and projected the sun’s image onto a black surface. The ship’s Rabbi walked past, and we said the blessing “Osei Maasei Bereisheet”.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/361672
He voted in every election. Yossi Barash, 94, has never missed a chance to cast his ballot since Israel’s 1948 inception. Barash was born in Tel Aviv in 1927 and now lives in Kfar Yehoshua. He voted in rain, storms and intense heat and never prioritized vacation plans over voting. He says voting is the most important civic duty.
https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/sjo31hseo
The most democratic country. The latest Israeli elections revealed some interesting facts. Israel is now first in the world in terms of frequency of elections since 1996. Voter turnout was 71% - the most since 1999. Voters had the choice of 39 separate parties. And despite being a national holiday, retail sales boomed.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/11-surprising-figures-about-todays-israeli-election/
https://worldisraelnews.com/retail-therapy-israelis-spend-over-a-billion-nis-on-election-day/
221023
In the 23rd Oct 22 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli innovations benefit heart patients and expectant mothers.
· An Israeli startup finds jobs for “invisible” US workers.
· An Israeli company won a World Sustainability award.
· Intel launched its latest Israeli-developed processor, in Israel!
· Six Israeli sustainable innovations.
· An Israeli desalination facility to be built in Azerbaijan.
· Millions of Jews and non-Jews visited Jerusalem during the Jewish festivals.
· Click here to see the 9th Oct newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, IsraPundit and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here, plus posted by Stuart Palmer here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here. Please pass on this newsletter to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page.
· 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 (over 21,400 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
Diagnosing irregular heart rates in high-risk patients. Prof Mahmoud Saliman of Rambam Health Care Campus is the first in Israel to insert an ultrasound device through a vein (without anesthesia) to safely diagnose a patient suffering from atrial fibrillation (AFib). High-risk patients cannot have anesthesia or blood thinners.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-718736
The secret to a healthy heart. Scientists at Israel’s Assuta Ashdod Medical Center found why patients with a high-risk of coronary heart disease (e.g., some diabetics and smokers) have healthy arteries. Their endothelial progenitor cells have longer telomeres and greater function. It can help in developing preventative medicines.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-719269 https://journals.lww.com/coronary-artery/Abstract/2022/11000/Identification_of_protective_biologic_factors_in.4.aspx
OrCam for dyslexics. OrCam Learn (see here previously) is a voice-activated, interactive handheld device designed for people with learning challenges. It combines AI with a high-resolution visual sensor, and laser capture. It reads text aloud from any surface, listens to the reader and provides feedback. And much more.
https://learn.orcam.com/en/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuNvoQGB4VU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6JeNTpAUDE
European approval for bone augmentation material. (TY Atid-EDI) The Ivory Dentin Graft™ dentin graft material from Israel’s Ivory Graft has just received the European CE Mark for use in the repair or augmentation of bone defects. Its similarity to bone makes it an ideal grafting material, e.g., in dental procedures.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/ivory-dentin-graft-the-first-and-only-dentin-graft-receives-ce-mark-301629353.html https://ivorygraft.com/
Animal Assisted Therapy – a win-win. HAMA (see here previously) is among the pioneering organizations in AAI – Animal Assisted Intervention in Therapy and Education in Israel. Many of the animals are rescued from abuse and neglect, and have in turn enriched humans suffering from trauma, deep loss, and abandonment.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/mind-and-spirit/article-719815 http://hama-israel.org/
Detecting fetal anomalies. (TY UWI) More details about Israel’s IdentifAI Genetics (see here previously) and its Hoobari blood test invented by Tel Aviv University’s Professor Noam Shomron. The test separates the DNA of a 10-week fetus from that of its mother and then checks it for mutations. Much safer than amniocentesis.
https://www.israel21c.org/new-blood-test-may-detect-fetal-abnormalities-at-week-10/
Miracle baby. (TY UWI) Before aggressive chemo, Tzvia had ovarian tissue frozen. 20 years later, doctors at Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital defrosted and re-transplanted some of the tissue. It reversed her menopause and Tzvia has now given birth to a healthy baby girl – the longest ever time for a successful post-cancer transplant.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
3 successful Israeli women. Interesting interviews with Jasmin Inbar, VP Corporate Development at Israel’s ASTERRA (see here previously; also, Adva Amir, CEO & Co-founder of Direct and an airline pilot for Skywest Airlines; finally, Yael Ben Arie, CEO of Octopai, which helps companies to control their data.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/b1h1kzlqs
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bk4npiymo
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/symtsgnmo https://www.octopai.com/
Hiring skilled underprivileged workers. Israel’s female-founded TaTiO uses AI to recruit employees based on skills rather than resumes. It aims to hire from the estimated 27 million underprivileged workers in the US who lack the credentials or education sought by recruiters, rendering them “invisible” to the job market.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bjhqxus7j https://www.tatio.io/
Fighting poverty in Africa. Israel’s Tzippora Nusbaum has been helping women in Northern Tanzania add to their income by growing and selling mushrooms. She is now replicating her “Entrepreneurs vs. Poverty” project across Africa. The mushroom farms simply need sterilized agricultural waste, buckets, and dark places to grow.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/women-grow-mushrooms-to-beat-poverty-in-africa/
Treating hurricane victims one survivor at a time. There are several first-hand accounts on the Internet of Israeli NGO United Hatzalah treating survivors from Hurricane Ian in Florida USA.
https://israelrescue.org/blog/treating-the-trauma-of-hurricane-ian-one-survivor-at-a-time/
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-719203
https://themedialine.org/top-stories/help-for-hurricane-ian-survivors-comes-from-israel/
Saving species. (TY WIN) Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo just celebrated the birth of a rare southern three-banded armadillo, classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as “near threatened.” Their flexible bands allow them to curl into tight balls to defend themselves. Link below lists other species the Zoo conserves.
https://www.israel21c.org/jerusalem-zoo-welcomes-armadillo-and-giraffe-babies/
https://www.jerusalemzoo.org/eng/israel-nature-conservation
World Sustainability Award. Israel’s HomeBiogas see here previously) has been awarded the World Sustainability Award in the field of Circular Economy. One judge described it as: “an astonishing innovation, which opens up a new era of possibilities for the under-developed world but also the developed one.”
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1o2krsxo
The 5th most educated country. (TY Rhoda) The Erudera education search platform rates Israel as the fifth most educated country in the world, with over half (50.12%) of people having completed tertiary education. The top four are Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, and South Korea. The OECD average is 39%.
https://erudera.com/resources/worlds-most-educated-countries-their-main-common-characteristics/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-719719
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Intel’s Israeli-developed 13th gen processors. Intel has unveiled 'Raptor Lake' - its 13th generation Intel Core family of processors. It includes the Core i9-13900K - the world’s fastest desktop processor. For the first time, the official launch was held in Israel, with 90 senior tech journalists coming from abroad for the event.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-intel-unveils-israel-developed-raptor-lake-processors-1001425667
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/news/13th-gen-core-launch.html#gs.g2ly0q
Construction Software of the Year. Israel’s Buildots (see here previously) won the “Construction Software of the Year” award at the 2022 London Construction Awards at London Build, the UK’s leading construction and design show. It was also a finalist in the “Product Innovation” and “Technological Innovation” categories.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-ai-product-named-construction-software-of-the-year/
Reducing traffic accidents at Ben Gurion airport. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s SaverOne (see here previously) prevents car accidents by disabling mobile phones while driving. Israel Airports Authorities, operator of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, is to pilot SaverOne’s technology for drivers of vehicles in its operational areas.
Solar panels track the Sun. Israel’s SolarGik tilts solar panels throughout the day with a “smart PV tracker” so they catch more sun and produce up to 25 per cent more energy than standard, fixed panels. The trackers can be installed any place a fixed-tilt panel can be installed.
https://www.solargik.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FBQpCtlTHE
Removing CO2 from the air. (TY Israel21c) Israel’s RepAir Carbon Capture has developed an electrochemical device that utilizes (renewable) electricity to separate CO2 from the air cost-efficiently and ensures that the CO2 captured from the atmosphere is economically viable.
https://finder.startupnationcentral.org/company_page/repair-d-a-c https://repair-carbon.com/
Bio-degradable shoes. (TY NoCamels) Israel’s Belena has developed BioCir™ a compostable and biodegradable thermoplastic material. Belena’s first product is BioCir™ Slides – fashionable, easy to wear, sandals that are fully compostable. Belena even supplies addresses where any worn-out slides can be recycled.
https://balena.science/ https://balena.science/products/il-biocir-slides
Your old smartphone has value. (TY NoCamels) Israel’s Refurbished Smartphone Revolution has automats in Tel Aviv where you can pop in your old smartphone to receive either money, or a gift card redeemable at major retailers and service providers, or a refurbished phone on the spot.
Sustainable quality wall tiles. (TY NoCamels) Israel’s female-led startup Criaterra Earth Technologies (see here previously) is one of 10 companies chosen to represent Israel at COP27, the United Nations Climate conference, at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in November. Criaterra’s tiles are 100% recyclable and biodegradable.
https://criaterra.com/ https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3919838,00.html
The world’s largest sustainability database. Israel’s Continue AI has developed a sustainability intelligence platform to help leading companies reach their environmental goals. The platform utilizes AI to synthesize millions of data points to provide recommended actions that enable corporations to achieve sustainable goals.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rjkrr7nmo https://www.continueai.com/
Join the Technion UK (virtually) on its Israel tour. Register for free to join (virtually) the Technion UK’s "Out of This World" Israel trip (Oct 24-28). Hear from Technion Professors and entrepreneurs; See museums, Iron Dome, and more. Save the date (Jun 4 - 8 2023) for the Israel 75 trip.
https://technionuk.org/israeltrip/
Israeli involvement in diverted asteroid mission. (TY UWI) NASA’s DART mission successfully diverted an asteroid showing it potentially can protect the Earth. Israel’s Ramon.Space (see here previously) provided an important computer processor for the Italian satellite that captured vital images of DART’s impact.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EqB2Z1emc4
Jerusalem’s new water system is completed. After six years of work (see here previously) and some NIS 2.5 billion, Israel’s National water company Mekorot has inaugurated the new 5th water transmission system for Jerusalem. It will be the main water artery for the towns surrounding Israel’s capital city until 2060.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/energy-and-infrastructure/article-718939
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
More offshore gas discovered. (TY WIN) Energy producer Energean has announced the discovery of 7 - 15 billion cubic meters (BCM) of natural gas at its Hermes exploration well in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-energean-declares-gas-discovery-in-hermes-field-1001426242
An Israeli desalination plant on the Caspian Sea. (TY Hazel) The 'Azerbaijan Investment Company' has signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel’s 'I.D.E. Water Assets Ltd' (IDE Technologies - see here previously) to establish a plant for desalinating Caspian Sea water in Azerbaijan.
https://www.azernews.az/business/200587.html
3D-printing of parts for Boeing. (TY Hazel) Back in 2018, Israel’s Assembrix (see here previously) protected Boeing’s intellectual property during the 3D-print manufacturing of parts. Assembrix has now signed an agreement with Boeing to develop a platform that physically prints airplane and space station parts.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-719033
Israeli electric motors for Japan. (TY NoCamels) Israel’s EVR Motors (see here previously) has partnered with Tsukasa Electric to bring EVR’s breakthrough electric motor to Japan. The motor is suitable for electric vehicles, construction equipment, agricultural machinery, industrial robots, small boats, and much more.
Electric partnership for Nigeria and Ghana. Israel’s SixAI (see here previously) is partnering Japan’s Musashi Seimitsu to produce and lease millions of battery-powered motorcycles and auto-rickshaws in Nigeria and Ghana. The cheap, environmentally friendly vehicles will then be rolled out to the rest of Africa.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-719035
Polly goes to Finland. Israel’s Arugga AI Farming (see here previously) has won its first European contract. Agrifutura Oy, the Finnish producer of tomato brand Nams, will deploy Arugga’s robot tomato pollinator on its 4.6 hectares of greenhouse tomatoes. Arugga’s “Polly” pollinator is already in use in the USA and Australia.
https://www.arugga.com/news/arugga-to-start-deploying-pollination-robots-in-finland
Seaweed to Canada and Italy. Israel’s Seakura (see here previously) has launched its seaweed-based products in nine Canadian supermarket chains. They include organic seaweed falafel mix and various seaweed pastas with lentils, corn, or quinoa. Seakura also supplies Italian frozen food manufacturer Rispo with fresh seaweed.
https://www.israel21c.org/get-ready-for-the-next-superfood-high-protein-seaweed/
Dutch government selects Israeli travel platform. The government of the Netherlands has selected Israel’s Atriis as their global managed travel technology platform for the next eight years. The Dutch government will use the Atriis platform to book business travel for more than 12,000 travelers worldwide.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1r4yxemi https://www.atriis.com/
Cost of living moves Israelis into hi-tech. Israelis are finally getting the message that they do not need to slave away at low-paid, dead-end jobs when there are thousands of well-paid hi-tech jobs available. A survey by Practicum Israel showed over 60 per cent of respondents moving into the hi-tech sector due to high living costs.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/cost-of-living-drives-israelis-to-hi-tech-careers/ https://practicum.com/en-isr/
From camel rancher to hi-tech developer. Here is one example of an Israeli embarking on a completely new career. Shlomo is a full-stack developer for the fintech firm Capitolis. But just five years ago, he was a camel rancher with little-to-no technical experience.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-718889
Exits, takeovers and mergers to 23/10/22: Israeli semiconductor startup Banias Labs was acquired by UK’s Alphawave IP for $240 million. Israeli-owned BrainPOP was acquired by Lego’s holding company KIRKBI A/S for $875 million.
Investment in Israeli startups to 23/10/22: TripActions raised $300 million; IronVest raised $23 million; SecuriThings raised $21 million; Classiq raises an extra $16 million; Cipia raised $9 million; Tres.finance raised $7.6 million; Kubiya raised $6 million; Continue AI raised $5.7 million; TaTiO raised $5.3 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
A bird sanctuary in the center of Tel Aviv. The Rosh Tzipor (Bird’s Head) Forest is situated in HaYarkon Park in the heart of Tel Aviv. Inside is the new Ganei Yehoshua park bird watching center at the junction of the Ayalon and Yarkon rivers. It covers 8 acres of trees, green areas, streams and ponds with many species of birds.
https://www.israel21c.org/where-birds-find-a-restful-oasis-in-urban-tel-aviv/ https://park.co.il/en/about-us/
https://www.kkl-jnf.org/tourism-and-recreation/forests-and-parks/rosh-tzippor-birdwatching-center/
Israeli Jazz. Paris-based photographer Raphael Perez is displaying his collection of 80 photos of 65 Israeli jazz musicians from Oct 13-30 at the ZOA House (Beit Ziyonei America), in Tel Aviv. He plans to publish his book of the photos plus biographies of the musicians, in English, French and Hebrew in Feb 2023.
https://www.israel21c.org/french-photographer-spotlights-israeli-jazz-musicians/
After the Chag at Center Stage. Upcoming events at Center Stage in Raanana (Israel’s only professional English language theater) include Eli and the Chocolate factory (25 Oct - Jazz), Iris Bahr’s Comedy Nite (26 Oct), Sorcerers Night (31 Oct), Songtalk (9 Nov), and Chorale Vie Nouvelle (29 Dec – Congolese in Israel).
https://www.centerstageisrael.com/
https://www.centerstageisrael.com/chorale.html
Street musician plays on stage with Maroon 5. Israeli singer-songwriter Coral Bismuth was performing on a Tel Aviv beach when spotted by Adam Levine, lead vocalist of Maroon 5 who were in Israel prior to the band’s concert in Yarkon Park. He invited Coral to join the band on stage and play to 70,000 Maroon 5 fans.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-tel-aviv-beach-musician-discovered-by-maroon-5/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuFfcN5zKno
“False killer whales” sighted near Eilat. A pod of ten “false killer whales” (Pseudorca crassidens) made a rare visit to the Gulf of Eilat. Israel Nature and Parks Authority maritime ranger Omri Amosi swam with them and documented them. The dolphin species is so named because they have skulls like killer whales (Orcas).
https://www.israelhayom.com/2022/10/06/pod-of-false-killer-whales-makes-rare-visit-to-gulf-of-eilat/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_killer_whale
Maccabi Haifa beats Juventus. (TY Hazel & JNS) Maccabi Haifa beat top Italian soccer team Juventus 2-0 in their UEFA Champions’ League group match in front of some 30,000 ecstatic fans in Haifa. Maccabi Haifa’s first win in Europe’s top competition keeps alive their slim chance of qualifying for the final stages.
THE JEWISH STATE
Israelis rescue survivor from Ukraine. Two volunteers from Israeli NGO United Hatzalah rescued a wounded 86-year-old Shoah survivor from the fighting in the Ukrainian city of Lyman. Alexander and Vadim traveled over 2,500 km to bring the woman to the Slovakian border, where she received medical treatment.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israelis-dodge-bullets-to-save-holocaust-survivor-in-ukraine/
Surfside to twin with Samaria. (TY UWI) Surfside, Florida is to establish a twin city relationship with Israel’s Samaria Regional Council. Its purpose is to thank Israel for its help its help in the search and rescue operation at the site of the collapse the 12-storey Champlain Towers South condominium last year.
“Hakhel” at the Kotel. Some 50,000 people attended the once-in-seven-years’ “Hakhel” communal ceremony at the Kotel (Western Wall in Jerusalem). Israel’s President Isaac Herzog participated with Israeli religious and political leaders in the dedication of three Torah scrolls. In Biblical times the King read the whole scroll.
https://www.jns.org/once-in-seven-years-hakhel-celebration-held-at-western-wall/
https://youtu.be/7jgKjyhRYyg?t=3139
The Bible Marathon. Nearly 4,000 men and women ran in this year's International Bible Marathon. The 42.2km race began and finished at Ancient Shiloh, where the original Biblical Tabernacle was sited on entering the Land of Israel over 3,300 years ago. The race always takes place during the Jewish feast of Tabernacles.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/361186
Sukkot on the Real Jerusalem Streets. Sharon captured the colors and crowds of Sukkot (Tabernacles) in Jerusalem; at the Kotel, at the President’s residence and almost everywhere in between. Meanwhile some two million people visited the Western Wall during the holidays.
http://rjstreets.com/2022/10/16/jerusalem-colors-and-crowds-of-sukkot/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLkw7w1pobM https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/361274
They shall all come to Jerusalem. (TY Stuart Palmer) The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) held its annual Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) for 2 nights by the Sea of Galilee and the next 5 days in Jerusalem. The event was attended by more than 1,700 Christians from over 70 countries.
https://haifadiarist.blogspot.com/2022/10/international-christian-embassy.html
https://www.jpost.com/christianworld/article-719040
221009
In the 9th Oct 22 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· An Israeli breakthrough delivers chemotherapy without side-effects.
· An Israeli emergency NGO aided hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and Florida.
· Israeli satellite technology is saving global water supplies.
· Israel’s electric airplane takes off.
· Israel’s Free Trade Agreement with South Korea has been ratified.
· Israeli soccer celebrates two major successes.
· A hundred babies were born at one Jerusalem hospital during the Jewish New Year.
· Click here to see the 25th Sep newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours with New Year message, and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here, plus posted by Stuart Palmer here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here and posted by Stuart Palmer here. Please pass on this newsletter to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page.
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael. (Please note that the donate link is now working and a PayPal account is not necessary!)
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Nanotech to deliver precision chemotherapy. Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have developed a nano-material that can deliver different toxic cancer therapies directly to tumors, without harming healthy cells. Robot chemistry was used to test different materials. The breakthrough can vastly reduce chemo side effects.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-tech-can-reduce-side-effects-and-increase-range-of-cancer-drugs-scientists/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0142961222004409?dgcid=author
Detecting tumors via fungi. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have discovered that most tumors have fungi growing inside them. They have also documented their types using records from 17,000 cancer patients. DNA from fungi is detectable in the blood and can be used to develop a new cancer screening method.
Diagnosing CJD. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) was well known during the “mad cow” epidemic. But it can also be caused by an inherited gene mutation. Tel Aviv’s Sourasky (Ichilov) Medical Center is one of only a dozen hospitals globally to use a 92% accurate spinal fluid test for early onset CJD.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/cutting-edge-test-for-fatal-brain-disorder-now-available-in-israel/
AI startup to assess new treatments. AION Labs - the Israeli innovation lab for startups (see here previously) has itself launched a startup. OMEC.AI aims to predict if a new treatment will succeed following pre-clinical trials. Its next-generation computational platform will gauge effectiveness and expose safety issues.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-innovation-lab-backed-by-pharmaceutical-biotech-giants-mints-1st-ai-startup/ https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/aion-labs-launches-ai-startup-addressing-drug-trial-improvement-301635181.html
AI engine thinks like a doctor. Israel’s Kahun (see here previously) has expanded from merely a Covid-19 diagnosis system to a full “digital medical advisor”. Its XAI engine bases its clinical reasoning decisions on Kahun’s proprietary map of over 30 million evidence-based medical insights.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bkswkgqmo
CE Mark for AR ophthalmic exoscope. Israel’s Beyeonics Vision (see here previously) now has European as well as US approval for its Beyeonics One™ ophthalmic exoscope. The augmented reality (AR) surgical headset gives eye doctors vastly enhanced abilities when performing eye surgery (e.g., cataracts).
Matricelf wins 3rd place in Startup World Cup. Israel’s Matricelf (see here previously) was placed third out of 17,000 contenders for the 2022 Startups World Cup in San Francisco. Matricelf developed the technology for the heart 3D-printed by Tel Aviv University scientists in 2019 (see here).
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1vns800fo
WHO conference in Tel Aviv. For the first time, the World Health Organization came to Israel to hold its 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe. 53 nations attended the conference from Sep 12-14 during which Israel signed bilateral health cooperation deals with Germany, Croatia, Cyprus, and Kazakhstan.
https://www.jns.org/opinion/heart-of-the-middle-east-israel-a-medical-and-ethical-leader/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tvOeu-ETf0
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
No child goes hungry at school. Last year, Israeli charity Nevet-Breakfast for Every Child, discreetly distributed 1.8 million sandwiches for their 10am snack to 11,000 children at 238 schools throughout Israel. (See here previously). The children were from all sectors including secular, Haredi, Arab, Bedouin, and Druze.
Israeli Arab is Intel VP. Intel has named three Israelis to Intel Fellows – technological Vice Presidents. They include global engineering group’s Fadi Aboud who is the first Arab engineer to have been appointed to such a senior position at Intel. Aboud has worked at Intel for 31 years, developing processor performance innovations.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hjwkzkabi
What the Pakistani delegation saw. (TY Myer Green) Here are some details of the recent six-day visit to Israel by a delegation of Pakistani community leaders. They toured the country as part of a regional peace initiative designed to foster deeper ties between the two countries, which do not have diplomatic relations.
Energy cooperation with Morocco. Israel and Morocco have signed an agreement for energy research cooperation. It incorporates 20 groups from Moroccan universities and 33 groups from seven leading Israeli academic institutions. It covers rechargeable batteries, hydrogen, recycling, solar, storage and transportation.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/360558
Israeli tech on display in Buenos Aires. More than 700 people attended the Expo Atid (Future) exhibition in Buenos Aires. They were given a complete overview of Israel’s latest technology, including water management, agriculture, and alternative energies.
https://www.israel21c.org/israel21c-presents-picture-of-future-at-buenos-aires-expo/
More Ukrainian aid. Israel just donated more than one million dollars’ worth of critical medical equipment to the children’s hospital in Kyiv. Israel has also allocated millions of shekels to rehabilitate up to twenty injured Ukrainians and amputees in Israel. Two of the wounded are already at Sheba Medical Center.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-sends-1-million-in-equipment-to-ukrainian-childrens-hospital/
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/360395
Helping hurricane victims in Puerto Rico. Just before Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year), medical and psychological experts from Israel’s emergency medical organization United Hatzalah flew to the south of the island of Puerto Rico. They will provide medical care to victims of Hurricane Fiona and resulting floods.
https://www.israel21c.org/israelis-offer-psychological-medical-aid-in-puerto-rico/
Aid to Florida. Israeli voluntary emergency response organization United Hatzalah has dispatched a second relief team, this time to assist Floridians following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian. The organization previously sent relief missions to Florida after Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the Surfside disaster last year.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-relief-workers-rush-to-aid-florida-hurricane-victims/
Shabbat Shalom from space. International Space Station (ISS) Commander Samantha Cristoforetti posted photos of Israel on her Twitter account last Saturday, punctuated with a "Shalom,". The Italian astronaut is the first woman to command the ISS. https://www.timesofisrael.com/international-space-station-commander-snaps-nighttime-photos-of-israeli-city-lights/ https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/technology-science/1664734480-astronaut-posts-photos-of-israel-taken-from-space
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Detecting water leaks in 65 countries. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Asterra (see here previously) is currently finding water leaks in 65 countries. Its satellite-mounted radar technology is combined with algorithms that look for the signature of drinking water mixed with soil. In the UK, Asterra saves 83 million liters of water every day.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/satellites-spot-leaking-water-pipes-from-way-above-earth/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiG_1lIIYZ8
Next-gen satellite communications. Israeli-founded Scorpio Space is developing affordable and powerful Satcom terminals for space. Its technology allows low-orbit (LEO) satellites to receive and transmit numerous communications beams at once, reducing the cost and power consumption needed to operate them.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/b1zsw9tzs https://scorpio-space.com/
To the Moon. Israel’s Ramon.Space (see here) and Lulav Space are building the navigation system for Israel’s SpaceIL Beresheet 2 lunar lander. Ramon’s radiation-hardened computers will run Lulav’s vision-based landing sensor and algorithms. SpaceIL’s first experiment will examine critical medicines in lunar conditions.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-717218
https://www.jpost.com/science/article-718219 https://lulav.space/
Israel in Space. Ben Gurion University is hosting a virtual webinar “Israel in Our Lives - Innovation & Impact” featuring Israeli scientists who are pioneering innovations in space. Oct 25 12 noon PT. Register here.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-65HsZw2QYm43NSZoMkNXQ
Alice in “wonderland”. Alice - the all-electric plane from Israeli-US startup Eviation - successfully completed its maiden flight from Grant County International Airport, Moses Lake, in Washington State. The plane rose to 3,500 feet during its 8-minute flight. The test pilot commented that Alice’s engines were completely silent.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/first-of-its-kind-israeli-electric-plane-takes-flight-in-us/
https://www.eviation.com/wp-content/themes/eviation/videos/First%20Flight_Option%20A.mp4
Israel’s climate tech on display. This article describes Israel’s first-ever climate tech conference in Tel Aviv. It features Tomorrow.io, SeeTree, Terra Space Lab, which have been previously in this newsletter. New to the newsletter are Solato (ice cream machine) and Cellomat (refurbished smartphones). See links & videos below.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-booths-of-recycled-waste-israels-fast-growing-climate-tech-sector-holds-confab/ https://www.solato.com/ https://vimeo.com/560530434
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha0QL4lmxR8
Robot fruit picker is flying high. Israel’s Tevel Aerobotics Technologies (see here previously) now deploys autonomous drone fruit pickers in Israel’s Golan Heights (Asian pears), Italy (apples, peaches, and nectarines), and California (nectarines and plums). Next markets are Spain, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.
https://nocamels.com/2022/09/flying-robots-pick-fruit-24-7-and-know-exactly-when-its-ripe/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzOf4-WaXzE
Vegan food to be produced in Australia. Israel’s plant-based vegan food company Vgarden (see here previously) is to build its first overseas production facility - in Brisbane, Australia. Vgarden’s customers include Papa John’s, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Costco, and Woolworths.
3 Israeli FoodTech startups shortlisted. The second edition of the UAE’s FoodTech Challenge received 667 entries from 79 countries. Of the 30 short-listed, three are Israeli. Neolithics (see here), FreezeM (insect protein farming), and Yeap (protein from yeast). The four eventual finalists will win prizes worth up to $2 million.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hjoiftgfi
https://www.freeze-em.com/ https://yeap-proteins.com/
New Israeli fruits. Israel’s Ben Dor Fruits (see here previously) has developed unique varieties of stone fruits in its Hula Valley orchards. The latest creations are pomegranate plums, watermelon plums and black apricots. All the new fruit varieties offer added resistance to harsh climate conditions.
Saving “ugly” veg. Israel’s Anina (see here previously) has created the Anina pod - a complete meal made from vegetables that have been rejected for sale due to a less-than-perfect appearance (a major source of fresh produce waste). Each whole meal-in-a-pod is all-natural and full of nutrients.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmGL_04tUeg
Connecting the emergency services. Unlike most countries, Israelis call separate numbers for medical (101), police (102) or fire (103) emergencies. They connect to a service representative who can immediately begin to help the caller. Now, new AI software will automatically decide if any of the other services are also required.
https://www.jns.org/new-ai-software-will-link-israeli-police-ambulance-and-fire-services/
Dyslexia inspires language app developer. When dyslexic Michael asked his dyslexic father how he learned English, his answer was “from the songs of John Lennon and Bob Dylan”. Michael then developed Singit - software for learning English, now used by 60,000 students in 800 Israeli schools.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hyhesik11i
https://welcome.singit.io/english-pages/home-teachers-en https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovp-z59MYnM
The eyes have it. Israel’s EyeJets is developing a platform that will enable the projection of digital information directly into the retina, replacing the need for computer or smartphone screens. The eye-tracking technology will use regular-looking glasses to uniquely align the display, even when the eye is moving around.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/axq23c0k5 https://eyejets.net/
3 European grants for Prof Haick. Professor Hossam Haick of Israel’s Technion Institute has won three prestigious European research grants totaling 4.2 million euros for his research group. He will also serve as chairman and coordinator of one of the projects that has 22 partners and a total funding of 14 million euros.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2022/08/hossam-haick-grants-horizon-europe/
200-year-old problem solved. Over 200 years ago Theodor Grotthuss proposed a theory of how a proton moves through water – the Grotthuss Mechanism. Scientists have tried since to prove or disprove the theory. Now Prof. Ehud Pines of Israel’s Ben Gurion University has discovered and proved the actual mechanism.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/grotthuss_mechanism.aspx
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Free trade with South Korea. A free trade agreement (FTA) between Israel and South Korea goes into effect on Dec 1st. The FTA was signed by Israeli and Korean officials in May (see here previously) and has now been ratified by both parliaments. Over 95% of Israeli goods will be duty free – a NIS 0.5 billion economic boost.
https://worldisraelnews.com/south-korea-ratifies-free-trade-deal-with-israel/
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israel-ratifies-free-trade-agreement-with-south-korea-1001410267
UAE Ambassador opens Tel Aviv Stock Exchange session. (TY Nevet) The opening of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange by UAE’s Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Al Khaja was another sign of the close ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. A rare positive article about Israel, from the BBC.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63045930
Funding breakthrough healthcare solutions. Israel’s OurCrowd and the World Health Organization Foundation have launched a $200 million joint Global Health Equity Fund. It will focus on breakthrough technology solutions that can improve healthcare around the world.
https://info.ourcrowd.com/ghef/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgQN6emqZVI
A rival to Visa and Mastercard. Israel’s SensePass is using the hi-tech revolution to innovate the credit card business. Its payments network operates around any digital payment method or digital wallet. It services the unbanked and younger generation, while reducing costs for retailers.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/b1ifdxvgi
Exits, takeovers and mergers to 9/10/22: Israel’s Guesty acquired Europe’s YieldPlanet, Spain’s Kigo and Australia’s HiRUM
Investment in Israeli startups to 9/10/22: OX Security raised $34 million; CytoReason raised $20 million from Pfizer; Kahun raised $8 million; LayerX Security raised $7.5 million; Onyxia raised $5 million; Anina raised $3.3 million; SensePass raised $3 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Free Jerusalem. Here is an up-to-date list from NoCamels of 18 free activities in Jerusalem. Old City, Teddy Park, Knesset, Supreme Court, Wohl Rose Garden, Bird Observatory, Yad Vashem, Mount Herzl, Gazelle Valley, Montefiore Windmill, Skate park, Ein Karem, First Station, Sacher Park, Machane Yehuda and more.
https://www.israel21c.org/top-18-things-to-do-in-jerusalem-for-free/
Israel Museum – Festivals of Tishrei tours. See this (chargeable) guided tour of the Israel Museum on Oct 11, one of the intermediate days of the festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles). Plus, other things to do in Israel in Oct.
https://www.museumtours.co.il/event-details/festivals-of-tishrei-in-the-israel-museum-english-2022-10-11-10-00 https://www.imj.org.il/en/content/visitor-information
https://www.touristisrael.com/things-to-do-in-israel-in-october/8223/
Israeli at Life-saving World championships. (TY ILTV) Two Israeli athletes were chosen to represent Israel at the World Lifesaving Championships for the first time ever. The championships take place every two years - this year in Italy. Watch one of the athletes, Sarah Vanunu, discussing the historic tournament on ILTV.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-israel-joins-lifesaving-world-championships-for-the-first-time/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ307j4W-2I
Tennis superstar’s love for Israel. Novak Djokovic won the Tel Aviv Open - the athlete’s first time back in Israel since 2008. He talked about the warm welcome has had in the Jewish State and wrote in a guest book at the airport terminal, “Shalom Israel. I am very happy and excited to be back in Israel.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/novak-djokovic-wins-tel-aviv-tennis-tourney-for-89th-career-title/
https://unitedwithisrael.org/love-love-israel-embraces-tennis-champ-who-adores-the-holy-land/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbqqRWcsvD4
Partnering Chicago Bulls. Israeli-founded global multi-asset fintech group Plus500 has announced a new major multi-year sponsorship agreement to become an official global partner of the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. Back in 2015, Plus500 had a successful 7-year partnership with Atletico Madrid (see here previously).
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hkzetrdfs
Israel qualifies for Euro youth soccer championships. Israel’s Under-21 soccer team beat Ireland 3-1 in a penalty shootout to qualify for the under-21 European Championships. See them celebrate the deciding goal.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-youth-soccer-squad-defeats-ireland-to-win-spot-in-european-championships/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI0LTG11o54&t=252s
Israel wins UEFA soccer playoff place. Israel’s senior soccer team beat Albania 2-1 to win a place in the UEFA 2024 qualifying playoffs. Israel’s Tai Baribo scored the decisive goal, two minutes into injury time.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-soccer-team-beats-albania-2-1-securing-spot-in-2024-play-offs/
THE JEWISH STATE
Jerusalem’s festive streets. (TY Sharon) Pre-Yom Kippur services feature prayers to ask for forgiveness – “Selichot”. In Jerusalem, these are major events, taking place at the Kotel, the President’s residence, Sultan’s Pool, and Kikar Safra. After Yom Kippur, preparations for Sukkot (Tabernacles) and tree planting begin.
http://rjstreets.com/2022/10/02/jerusalem-selihot-and-more/
800 orphans celebrate Bar and Bat Mitzvah. As last year (see here previously), 800 children who lost one or more parents celebrated their bar and bat mitzvah at Israel’s Superland amusement park. Israel’s National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) Rehabilitation branch sponsored the event together with Colel Chabad.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/360580
100 babies born at one hospital on Rosh Hashana. 100 babies were born on the Jewish New Year, at Shaare Tzedek Medical Center in Jerusalem - 51 girls and 49 boys. Prof. Sorina Grisaru, Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, said "… there is no greater happiness than starting a new year with a new baby in the family.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/360399
Circle of Life. 50-year-old Eyal, a father of five from Holon, received a stem cell transplant to save his life from an Israeli donor who was a perfect match on Ezer Mizion’s bone marrow database. Eyal’s daughter was so grateful, that she registered with Ezer Mizion and her stem cells recently saved the life of a baby.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/360719
