In the 25th Jun 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· An Israel startup can reverse chronic kidney disease.
· A Druze Arab is integrating his community in Israel’s hi-tech industry.
· Israeli scientists have built an app to translate a 5000-year-old language.
· Six Israeli companies have won awards from the World Economic Forum.
· Intel is investing $25 billion in a new Israeli factory.
· 100,000 attend the world’s largest vegan festival in Tel Aviv.
· Over 5 million Israelis are willing to donate their organs to save lives.
· Click here to see the 18th Jun newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, IsraPundit and United With Israel with extra feature on Jewish State. Also (TY Sandra) 18th June in German here and posted by Stuart Palmer here. Also, 4th Jun in Hebrew posted by Stuart Palmer here. Also (TY Zachy) 18th June in Hebrew here and posted by Stuart Palmer here. Also, 4th Jun in Hebrew posted by Stuart Palmer here. Please forward 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 (now over 22,700 articles).
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
New treatment for chronic kidney disease. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Curespec, founded by Israel’s Avner Spector, has developed Europe-approved Nephrospec. It uses an acoustic wave treatment called eHAT to treat chronic kidney disease (CKD) by promoting new blood vessel formation and restoring damaged tissue function.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-746236 https://www.curespec.info/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_g2b0ufSuU
Detecting pressure injuries before they happen. Israel’s IR-Med has developed an AI device powered by infrared light spectroscopy that spots pressure injuries, bedsores, and ulcers at an early stage. The PressureSafe device noninvasively detects them, preventing infections and even saving lives.
https://www.israel21c.org/prevent-painful-bedsores-by-spotting-them-before-they-happen/
https://www.ir-medical.com/ https://www.ir-medical.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Pressuresafe-Long.mp4
Healing wounds in 30+ countries. Israels RedDress (see here previously) is saving lives with its ActiGraft bandage for chronic wounds in over 30 countries, including Brazil, Turkey, and France. In Israel, it is available to patients of Clalit - the country’s largest health maintenance organization.
https://nocamels.com/2023/06/bandage-made-from-your-own-blood-treats-non-healing-wounds/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1vHe_nJ1Do
US approves synthetic eye tissue. The US FDA has approved a synthetic tissue substitute for the eye that will address the worldwide shortage of donors. The EverPatch from Israel’s CorNeat Vision (see here previously) is made of a polymer that stimulates the cells to accept it and reinforce the sclera (outer layer of the eyeball).
https://nocamels.com/2023/06/fda-okays-worlds-first-non-degradable-synthetic-eye-tissue/
No more peanut allergies. Researchers at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center and Volcani Institute have developed a powder made from unripe peanuts that weans children off peanut allergies. There are no allergenic proteins in unripe peanuts, and food made from their powder (cookies, pancakes etc.) will slowly desensitize the allergy.
https://worldisraelnews.com/no-more-epipens-israeli-breakthrough-will-make-nut-allergies-disappear/
When melanoma becomes dangerous. A new study at Tel Aviv University and Israel’s Sheba Medical Center reveals how melanoma cancer cells metastasize. They change their environment to spread deeper into the skin and to other parts of the body. Research continues and could eventually lead to the development of a vaccine.
https://nocamels.com/2023/06/discovery-on-how-skin-cancer-spreads-raises-hopes-of-vaccine/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022202X23018365
When the ventilator can be removed. Four women students at Ben-Gurion University won the 9th round of the “Students Leading Innovation in the Public Sector” competition initiated by Shoham hospital in Pardes Hanna-Karkur. Their Clarity decision-support model predicts if patients can be weaned off ventilator support.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-746001
https://americansforbgu.org/bgu-students-win-first-prize/
Better training for ADHD sufferers. Trainers at Tel Aviv University’s Constantiner School of Education have developed Computerized Progressive Attention Training (CPAT) that significantly improved the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms of many participating students.
https://www.israel21c.org/training-the-brains-attention-mechanisms-helps-in-adhd/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36794845/
Transforming hospital healthcare. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has signed an agreement with Deloitte Consulting to transform the future of healthcare. Deloitte operates in 150 countries and aims to implement Sheba’s revolutionary ARC (Accelerate, Redesign, and Collaboration) platform worldwide.
https://www.israel21c.org/deloitte-and-israels-sheba-plan-global-healthcare-redesign/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Knesset launches “Waze for the Blind”. On Israel’s Blind Day (Jun 6) Israel’s Parliament (Knesset) launched a system to help the blind, visually impaired, and people with orientation difficulties navigate its premises. It uses the personalized audio guidance from Israel’s RightHear (see here previously).
https://nocamels.com/2023/06/israeli-parliament-launches-waze-for-the-blind-navigation/
Israel’s inclusive soccer team. Who were the Israeli scorers in the 3-2 victory against Brazil in the Quarter Final of the Under 20 World Soccer Cup? Arab Israeli Anan Khalaili from Haifa, Bedouin Arab Israeli Hamza Shibi, and Jewish Israeli Dor David Turgeman. The team returned to Israel wearing their bronze medals.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/06/12/we-are-a-success-israeli-arab-soccer-star-shines-in-israels-youth-world-cup-campaign/ https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/s1k911moun
https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/syxgtaiwn#autoplay
Award for Druze tech revolutionary. Israeli President Herzog presented one of the 2023 Volunteer Awards to Koftan Halabi, founder of DTEC – the Technological Institute for the Empowerment of the Druze Soldier. Halabi has led a technological revolution by helping young Druze to integrate into mainstream Israeli society.
The smallest Koran. (TY TPS) Amir Ohana is first Knesset speaker to make an official visit to the parliament of a Muslim country – Morocco. In honor of the historic occasion, he presented Moroccan Parliament President Rachid Talbi El Alami with a Quran (Koran) printed with Israeli nanotechnology - only 4.7 mm in size.
https://worldisraelnews.com/knesset-speaker-presents-morocco-with-worlds-smallest-koran-made-with-nanotech/ https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkcvazyp2
JNF Denver conference. A reminder to register for the JNF Global Conference for Israel (Nov 30 – Dec 3) in Denver Colorado. A great opportunity to experience Israeli innovation up close and meet dozens of top Israeli personalities including President Herzog, UN rep Gilad Erdan, and JVP’s Erel Margalit.
https://www.jnf.org/global-conference-in-denver
Aid to Ukraine after dam burst. Israeli NGO IsraAID rushed essential aid to tens of thousands of Ukrainians left homeless after the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam and hydraulic power plant. IsraAID is providing urgent medical support, plus hygiene supplies, blankets, and medications. Israel has also given water and food.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-ngo-sends-aid-after-catastrophic-dam-explosion/
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-746032
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Tomorrow launches second satellite. Israeli-founded Tomorrow.io (previously named ClimaCell - see here) has launched its second satellite (R-2) on the SpaceX Transporter-8. It plans to complete a constellation of more than 20 climate satellites over the next two years. Its customers include Uber, Delta, and National Grid.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjl48qndn
Amdocs is powered by Israeli green energy. Israel’s Amdocs (see here previously) is to power its huge new Israeli office campus, with clean solar energy from Israel’s Enlight Renewable Energy (see here previously). Enlight has also begun testing the 39 turbines in its 207 MW Genesis Wind project in Israel’s Golan Heights.
https://nocamels.com/2023/06/amdocs-powering-new-campus-with-israeli-green-energy/
Translating cuneiform at the push of a button. Israeli archaeologists and computer scientists have created an AI-powered neural translation program for 5,000-year-old Akkadian cuneiform. Tens of thousands of digitized cuneiform tablets, that never could be understood before, can now be translated into English instantaneously.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/groundbreaking-ai-project-translates-5000-year-old-cuneiform-at-push-of-a-button/ https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/2/5/pgad096/7147349?login=false
Quantum design for Rolls Royce engines. Israel’s Classiq has partnered with NVIDIA to design and simulate the world’s largest quantum computing circuit for Rolls-Royce engine design. The process uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which deals with complex numerical simulations of fluid and gas phenomena.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-quantum-software-aids-rolls-royce-jet-engine-design/
No texting while driving. (TY Hazel) Universal Trucks Israel has implemented Israel’s SaverOne system (see here previously) in over 100 of its Isuzu trucks. SaverOne’s Cabin Driver Distraction Prevention Solution (DDPS) saves lives by preventing accidents resulting from the use of mobile phones while driving.
No more queuing at the bar. Israel’s NINA gives the consumer control over the ordering and consumption of wines and spirits in a bar. It saves the time normally spent trying to catch the attention of a busy bartender. The technology comes in the form of a smart bottle cap, QR codes on tables and an app full of features.
https://nocamels.com/2023/06/pay-as-you-pour-and-say-goodbye-to-queuing-at-the-bar/
https://www.drinknina.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QseoKxsuyU
The Einstein House Museum. (TY Hazel) The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has launched the project to build the Einstein House Museum (see here previously). It will exhibit some of Einstein’s 82,000 authentic handwritten documents. Famous architect Daniel Libeskind spearheads the project. (2nd video TY Sharon)
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-746322 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bw36XMC4LI
https://en.huji.ac.il/news/einstein-house-hebrew-university https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cis0QSwiHcY
The most advanced simulator. (TY UWI & I24 News) Ben Gurion University is training doctors, nurses, first responders, and soldiers using one of the world’s most advanced and realistic medical simulators. The smart silicon mannequins have simulated anatomies that respond in the same way as a live patient. They even speak!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjGu1CF-fZ4
Technology pioneers. Six previously reported Israeli companies were selected as 2023 World Economic Forum's "Technology Pioneers" who are making progress in sustainability, advanced manufacturing, and inclusive healthcare. They are AIVF, Aporia, Electriq Global, OX Security, Tastewise and Wilco.
https://www.weforum.org/press/2023/06/world-economic-forum-announces-100-new-start-ups-joining-its-technology-pioneers-community-e6f22f01d7 The program shows pupils the world of cyber and gives them the tools to integrate into the high-tech industry.
The future is already here. The ORT Air and Space Technology High School in Ma’ale Adumim hosts the “Bridges” program class of IDF Intelligence Branch Unit 8200 and the IDF Personnel Branch Education Corps. It gives young students exposure to computers and cyber, and tools to integrate into Israel’s high-tech industry.
https://www.jns.org/israel-news/benjamin-netanyahu/23/6/21/297029/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Encouraging innovation in the periphery. A new Israeli initiative will allocate 15 million shekels over five years to each of five innovation centers in the country’s periphery to encourage entrepreneurship in agriculture, food, energy, and climate tech. Each center will promote local innovation, training and employment.
https://nocamels.com/2023/06/israel-invests-nis-75m-to-establish-periphery-innovation-centers/
Israel invests in cultivating food. The Israel Innovation Authority has selected Israel’s YDLabs to establish microorganism fermentation labs for the Israeli food-tech industry. The IIA will also invest up to $14 million in fermentation infrastructure so that all Israeli companies can develop and manufacture their food-tech products.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjb7le2vh https://www.yd-labs.com/
Israeli pavilion at Paris Air Show. 17 Israeli firms participated in the inauguration of the national pavilion at the 2023 Paris Air Show. 150,000 professionals and more than 2,500 companies are participating in this year’s event, showcasing cutting-edge technological solutions in the aerospace, civilian and defense sectors.
https://www.jns.org/startup-nation/israeli-defense/23/6/19/296333/
Intel to build a $25 billion Israeli factory. Global tech giant Intel is to establish a new factory in Israel in the city of Kiryat Gat with a huge investment of about 25 billion dollars. Intel is expected to recruit thousands of workers and make a major boost for Israel’s economy. Intel said Israel was crucial to its global success.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372923
Power station sale to reduce prices. Eshkol Power ENergies has bought the 1,680-megawatt Eshkol natural gas power plant in Ashdod from public-owned Israel Electric for over NIS 12 billion. Part of the proceeds will be used to reduce electricity prices. It is the IEC’s 4th sale, to encourage competition in the energy sector.
As simple as ABC. Swiss-Israeli fintech Okoora has introduced its new AI-driven platform, Automatic Business Currency Management (ABCM) to simplify global payments, banking, and risk management. Okoora‘s 7,000+ business customers process low flat fee global payments in more than 100 currencies.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-746813 https://okoora.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYHmUWd476I
JP Morgan expands operations in Israel. JP Morgan, one of the world's largest banks, is expanding its operations in Israel and entering the commercial banking sector for high-tech companies for the first time. It will focus on helping late-stage high-tech companies raise capital, increase liquidity, and manage payments.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jpmorgan-expands-commercial-banking-business-to-israel-to-cater-to-tech-companies/ https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/skwawdtvh
An on-line Israeli shopping mall. Israelimall is a new online platform where small Israeli companies sell their products to the English-speaking community. Customers in the USA and Canada can buy Israeli products, and pay in dollars, with low shipping costs. From unique Judaica, natural cosmetics to new innovative products.
Exits, takeovers & mergers to 25/6/23: Israel’s Stratasys is merging with US-based Desktop Metal in a deal valued at around $1.8 billion. Stratasys shareholders will hold 59% of the combined company.
Investment in Israeli startups to 25/6/23: Tomorrow.ai (previously ClimaCell) raised $87 million; N-Drip raised $44 million; NVision Imaging raised $30 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
And none shall make them afraid. Rick Richman’s new book tells how Zionism, supported by Americanism, created a modern miracle. Told through the little-known stories of eight individuals who collectively changed history. Herzl, Chaim Weizmann, Jabotinsky, Abba Eban, Brandeis, Golda Meir, Ben Hecht, and Ron Dermer.
https://www.amazon.com/None-Shall-Make-Them-Afraid/dp/B0C2WN3YPF/#customerReviews
Divine trees. The National Library of Israel is exhibiting its collection of 36 kabbalistic maps. The 17th century scrolls are arboreal (tree) diagrams of the Divine, their branches composed of images and words rooted in the fundamentals of Kabbalah, a strain of Jewish mysticism that began in the 12th century.
The Capital of Culture. (TY Sharon) Recent events on the real Jerusalem’s streets include breaking ground at the new Einstein House Museum (see also above), Museum of Tolerance opening, Hebrew Book Week (6,971 books published in Israel in 2022), and the 12th Temech (Haredi women’s business) conference.
http://rjstreets.com/2023/06/18/jerusalem-in-june-tourists-books-sports-and-much-more/
Tel Aviv’s 4th Vegan Fest. The world's largest vegan festival, Vegan Fest, is taking place in Tel Aviv with over 100,000 participants. It features over 100 food stalls, lectures, health booths, activities for children, cooking workshops, and live performances. It even hosts a speed-dating event for vegans looking for love.
https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/rjci6gyon
Three more hours of Guns N’ Roses. (TY Hazel) Legendary hard rock band Guns N’ Roses performed in front of a sold-out crowd of 60,000 at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park. It was their fourth show in Israel over the past 20 years (see here previously). Police closed several roads in Tel Aviv due to congestion ahead of the concert.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/guns-n-roses-rocks-sold-out-crowd-of-60000-in-tel-aviv/
Christina and Bruno Israel concerts. Five-time Grammy-award-winning American pop singer Christina Aguilera will perform in Israel for the first time on Aug. 10 at Live Park in Rishon Letzion. Meanwhile, Bruno Mars has sold all 124,000 tickets for his Oct 4 and 7 shows at Yarkon Park and now may add a third date.
https://www.jns.org/israel-news/music/23/6/15/295506/
Transforming tennis for Israeli children. Philanthropist Stuart Weitzman is making a transformative gift to develop new tennis and athletic facilities as part of the Israel Tennis & Education Centers in Jerusalem and Ramat Hasharon. The ITEC foundation supports children in underserved areas across Israel.
Arab Israeli European beach soccer champions. Arab Israeli Kfar Qassem beach soccer club “Falfala” made history by winning the Euro Winners Cup 2023 in Portugal. They beat Italy’s Lenergy Pisa in the final thanks to a dramatic penalty shootout. Falfala has won Israel’s national league title five times between 2007 and 2019.
THE JEWISH STATE
Webinar to help UK pre- & post- Olim. On Sun 16 July, 5pm UK time, UKAA is hosting two free online talks. The 1st on legal issues including property in Israel. The 2nd on why an Israel based wealth manager is better than a UK one. Register at the link below or email info@ukaliyahadvisors.com with full name and phone.
https://ukaliyahadvisors.com/event/16july2023/
On the beach. (TY WIN) Wherever you walk in Israel you can discover history. An Israeli woman walking on the Palmachim beach in southern Israel found an ancient figurine of Hathor - an Egyptian goddess believed to be more than 3,000 years old. It had been washed up in recent stormy weather.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/palmachim-beachgoer-finds-3000-year-old-egyptian-goddess-figurine/
Route 60 – the Biblical highway. (TY I24 News) The 146-mile road from Beersheva to Nazareth is often in the news for all the wrong reasons. In this video, though, you can see its links to the history of the Jewish State. The “Way of the Patriarchs” includes Hebron, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Bet-El, Shiloh, Shechem, and more.
https://www.israelunwired.com/find-out-why-tourists-will-be-running-to-visit-this-israeli-highway/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF2Jqj_0Qug
A mural of Jewish history. Passengers arriving at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport will walk past a beautiful 50-meter mural depicting 4,000 years of Jewish history. The installation was arranged by ILAN – the Israel-Latin American Network, whose Founder and President Isaac Assa was interviewed on Arutz Sheva.
https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/h1lxop6v3 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373141
Volunteering at children’s home. Every year, Midreshet Torat Chessed welcomes 35 girls from around the world who help at the Emunah Bet Sabah Elazraki Children’s Home in Netanya. They become “older sisters” to 200 children at risk, aged 6-18, referred by the Ministry of Welfare.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372647
1,300 dolls donated. Jerusalem residents Yair and Tali Eisenmann, founders of the Gilat Foundation, presented the gift of 1,300 to Israeli emergency NGO United Hatzalah (UH). They will be given to any traumatized young children at emergencies attended by UH medics. https://www.jns.org/israel-news/dolls/23/6/16/295980/
100,000 sign up for Gift of Life. For nearly 20 years, Birthright Israel has partnered with the Gift of Life Marrow Registry. Participants of trips to Israel register to potentially help a blood cancer patient if they are a suitable match. Birthright recently hit a milestone: 100,000 who have offered to serve as donors.
https://www.jns.org/jns/birthright-israel/23/6/8/293862/
Majority of Israelis want to donate organs. A new study by Israel Transplant has found that the Israeli public’s stated willingness to donate organs has increased from 42% in 1999 to 60% today. Israelis are keen to save lives and believe that their loved one would “continue to live on” in someone else’s body.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-746687
230618
In the 18th Jun 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· An Israeli startup can train the brain to filter out chronic pain.
· Children with psychological problems receive therapy from Israeli dolphins.
· 3 Israeli startups have independently developed solutions to cure insomnia.
· It’s official - another major Israeli natural gas discovery.
· Israel beat Korea to come 3rd in the Under 20 Soccer World Cup.
· An Israeli kidney donor ran a marathon alongside the transplant recipient.
· Click here to see the 4th Jun newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, and United With Israel with extra feature on Inclusive & Global. Also (TY Sandra) in German here. Also, (TY Zachy) 4th Jun issue in Hebrew here, plus 21st May issue in Hebrew, posted by Stuart Palmer here. Please forward 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 (now over 22,600 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
Predicting immunotherapy response. Ben-Gurion University researchers have partnered Israel’s OncoHost to develop a biosensor that safely predicts if anti-PD1 therapy may cure a specific cancer patient. The leading immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy is invasive and other treatments may be better. (see also here).
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/elkabets_porgador_immunotherapy.aspx
https://nocamels.com/2023/06/cancer/ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg2809
Nano-treatment for eye diseases. Israel’s BioNanoSim (see here previously) is joining forces with Greek-based manufacturer RAFARM, to market BioNanoSim’s eye disease treatments globally. Its product, BNSO-1, is a topical medication that will shortly begin trials on patients suffering from Chronic Anterior Uveitis.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/eye-disease/ https://www.bionanosim.com/
The power of sleep. Researchers at Tel Aviv University and UCLA have shown that long-lasting memories are consolidated during sleep by communication between the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. Deep-brain stimulation during sleep improves memory consolidation and provides hope for dementia patients.
https://english.tau.ac.il/memory_sleep https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-023-01324-5
Choose your hospital. From 1st Sep, Israeli patients will be able to pick the hospital of their choice to undergo free or subsidized treatments in neurosurgery, mental health services, gynecological surgery, and in-vitro fertilization. They can already choose hospitals for oncology and obstetrics.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-743221
A chatbot for cancer patients. Israel’s Belong.Life (see here previously) has launched “Dave” – the world's first AI chatbot for cancer patients. Its purpose is to improve access to quality cancer care for patients around the world. It is available free of charge on Belong. Life’s Beating Cancer Together app. “Be well, Belong”.
https://www.israel21c.org/meet-dave-worlds-first-ai-chatbot-for-cancer-patients/ https://belong.life/cancer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkD9i1qzJAo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bEjH6-tiAo
$100 million cancer center. Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center has just opened its new state-of-the art Helmsley Cancer Center. The 12,000-square-meter center houses all Shaare Zedek’s medical, radiotherapy, counseling, spiritual and palliative oncological services under one roof.
Prize for pain treatment. Israeli-founded TrainPain won the Grand Prize in the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) & MIT Hacking Medicine Innovation Challenge. TrainPain measures and retrains sensory neuroplasticity through home-based haptic (body-movement) mobile games, remote monitoring, and training.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trainpain-awarded-grand-prize-in-the-american-academy-of-pain-medicine--mit-hacking-medicine-innovation-challenge-301814260.html https://www.trainpain.com/
https://pain.haifa.ac.il/projects/train-pain/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBMrU7gdGUI
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
IDF soldiers volunteer at children’s hospital. Soldiers from the IDF’s Caracal Brigade volunteer at Safra Children’s Hospital, part of Israel’s Sheba Medical Center. They have been providing care and support to young patients. It’s the same unit that protects Israel’s border with Egypt, that was in the news recently.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/idf-soldiers-volunteer-at-safra-childrens-hospital/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbOpPQpU5oU
Yad Sarah equipment saves Israel billions. Yad Sarah, Israel’s largest volunteer social organization, It estimates that its services save the country’s healthcare system over 5.5 billion shekels per year. Its in-home hospital equipment reduces hospital stays by 14,000, relieving stress on medical centers across the country.
https://www.jns.org/israel-news/health-care/23/6/8/293761/
Israeli dolphins provide emotional therapy. (TY UWI) Every year since 1991, Sophie Donio has provided a unique “Supportive Experience with Dolphins” program to around 35 children at the Dolphin Reef in Eilat. She has helped kids with PTSD, autism, dyslexia, depression, cancer and more. (See also 2012 example here)
https://www.israel21c.org/eilats-dolphins-help-kids-cope-with-emotional-challenges/
Druze girl is Jerusalem Bible quiz runner-up. 11-year-old Mira, originally from the Druze Arab town of Daliyat al-Karmel in northern Israel, won 2nd place in the Bible competition, held to mark Jerusalem Education Week. Mira hopes to compete in the International Youth Bible Competition. More quiz photos (TY Sharon).
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372184
http://rjstreets.com/2023/06/11/five-jerusalem-events-you-should-know-about/
Palestinian Arab saved by Efrat residents. A Palestinian Arab collapsed in Jorat al-Sham'a near Bethlehem. He was brought to Efrat where residents began CPR on him while many of his Arab friends watched. Half an hour later the patient was stabilized and taken to a Jerusalem hospital. Similar incidents occur quite frequently.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372245
Largest visit of Lords. (TY UWI & I24 News) ELNET (European Leadership Network) and the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Britain-Israel arranged for the largest ever official delegation from the UK House of Lords to visit Israel. Their aim was to strengthen bilateral ties between London and Jerusalem.
https://elnetwork.eu/country/uk/britain-and-israel-arent-just-old-friends-they-are-natural-allies-says-stepan-stepanenko/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x62V5SSZ_uo
UK veterans rehabilitate at Israeli Games. (TY Hazel) 62 wounded UK veterans returned from competing at the Veteran Games in Israel. They competed in sports against each other and their Israeli counterparts. They spoke of “miracles”, after a week of building confidence, enhancing family bonds and making lifelong friends.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/wounded-vets-from-israel-and-the-uk-test-their-mettle-at-3rd-annual-veterans-games/ https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/special-report-after-the-veteran-games-i-feel-i-can-achieve-anything/
Zion in Kenya. Kenya will inaugurate its first “Zion Forest” in its Machakos County in September to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary and 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Kenya has a target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032 and “Zion” is very meaningful for the mostly Christian nation.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-744090
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
More solar fields. Israel is to triple the amount of open space dedicated to solar energy production. The National Planning and Building Council has approved a proposal to allocate 10,000 more acres of land in open areas for solar power facilities. Authorization will be granted at National level, to speed up the process.
Air taxi tested. (TY David F, ILTV News, UWI & TPS) Israel’s National Drone Network Initiative (see here previously) has taken a significant step forward with another week of flight tests throughout Israel. They included Israel’s Air Zero flying taxi. https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/sk9wvu08h
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f17oLmjsRr8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggn5m9lL7Ao
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/science-and-tech/first-air-taxis-tested-in-israel/2023/06/05/
See and talk it through. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s TechSee (see here previously) has integrated ChatGPT into Eve - its computer vision AI training system. Combining Visual Intelligence and ChatGPT makes customer interactions and service responses truly multi-sensory, interactive, and accurate.
AR glasses compete with Apple. A review of the Spacetop laptop with Augmented Reality glasses and no screen from Israel’s Sightful (see here previously). While Apple’s Vision Pro costs $3,500 for bulky AR glasses, Sightful’s laptop is just $2,000, more versatile, easy to use, and comes with light prescription glasses.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/1d05z2e18
Sleep solution – IntoSleep. (TY Israe21c) Israel’s IntoSleep uses a finger sensor to measure pulse, sweat, respiration rate, blood pressure & skin temperature. Its app then generates biofeedback through vibrations and audio tones, which the insomniac listens to, either with headphones or (if sleeping alone) via speakers.
Sleep solution – Dormotech. (TY Hazel) Dormotech Medical's Vlab wireless mask, worn in an insomniacs own bed, monitors eye movements, blood oxygen levels, heart and breathing rates, snoring, body movements and more – and delivers an immediate diagnosis of sleep problems.
https://www.dormotech.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO-9c5arm5Q
Sleep solution – NYX. Israel’s NYX has developed a headband that uses tACS (transcranial alternating current stimulation – a form of neuromodulation) to help insomniacs fall asleep. The headband checks your brain’s theta waves via its EEG connection and then trains your brain to increase them to 60% above normal.
https://www.israel21c.org/can-headbands-and-thimbles-cure-insomnia/ https://www.nyx-tech.com/
More efficient water from air generator. Israel’s H2oll generates water from the air by capturing just the moisture molecules – a method more efficient than even Israel’s WaterGen. The moisture is absorbed into a salt solution using liquid desiccant technology.
https://nocamels.com/2023/06/new-generation-of-miracle-water-from-air-machines/
How to make “brilliant white” – learn from a shrimp. Researchers at Israel’s Ben Gurion University have found that the Cleaner shrimp’s brilliant white stripes are due to isoxanthopterin molecules in a liquid crystal, just 5 microns thick that cause extreme birefringence (dual refraction light scattering). Now to replicate it!
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/Shrimp-photonics-Palmer2023.aspx
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41566-023-01182-4
More cultivated fish. (TY UWI & ILTV News) Steakholder Foods (see here previously) has partnered with Singapore-based Unami Meats to cultivate 3D-printed “no-fish” fish from cells taken from a grouper fish. Unami will provide the bio-ink that will produce the flaky texture most associated with cooked fish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fys3CeEtYbQ
Vegetable fat that bakes like animal fat. Israel’s Gavan Technologies (see here previously) has launched FaTRIX ™ - an alternative protein-enriched fat ingredient for chef pastries that slashes saturated fat by 80%. The plant-based non-GMO fat-protein matrix replicates animal fat - sustainable, clean label, and trans fat-free.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
More natural gas. (TY UWI) A 68 billion cubic meter natural gas deposit discovered last year has been officially recognized as Israel’s 4th largest gas reserve. Katlan (also known as Olympus) is located between existing fields Karish and Tanin and will now be developed for supplying gas to Israel, Egypt, and Europe.
Gateway to the East is wide open. So many positive international business connections were made at the recent Israel-Japan Conference in Tokyo. These articles feature Japan’s Toyota Tsusho, Japan’s Dentsu Israel, Israel’s J-Ventures, and Israel's Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/f87ncuq9s
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/aq6ibsmce
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/cgip6xzfi
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/k12gshjp0
The world’s first digital government bond. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and Israel’s Finance Ministry have completed the proof-of-concept phase for a digital Israel Bond – the world’s first. A “go-live” event with world banks took place on May 31. When launched, the bond will be traded on a dedicated blockchain platform.
https://www.jns.org/israel-news/finances/23/6/7/293369/
Land Rover seeks Israeli tech. Luxury automobile manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (see here previously) has announced it will tap Israel’s ecosystem for digital technologies, security, and mobility software. The company’s parent Tata already has 1,100 employees at its TCS IT services and consulting firm in Petah Tikvah.
Luxury metal design. Israel’s Adam Steel (born Adam Perez) designs and installs walls, doors, staircases, and more, made of metals including iron, steel, aluminum, zinc, and copper. His luxury commissions include in the US, the UK, Canada, Turkey, and Italy. Most are for private homes, but also for corporates such as Microsoft.
Flying robots pick fruit in Chile. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s Tevel Aerobotics (see here previously) has won its first order in South America. International fruit producing giant Unifrutti is using Tevel’s drones to pick apples in Linares, Chile. Great video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYl_1TMVwjw
https://www.tevel-tech.com/press-release-tevel-partners-with-unifrutti-expands-to-south-america/
Combating financial crime in Europe & Africa. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s ThetaRay (see here previously) has won two major orders for its AI-powered, anti-money laundering platform. The first is from French e-payments leader Sylq. The second is from Nigerian digital payment provider VigiPay.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230525005020/en/Sylq-Selects-ThetaRay-AI-to-Automate-AML-Transaction-Monitoring-and-Customer-Screening https://www.intelligentcio.com/africa/2023/05/30/nigeria-based-vigia-selects-thetaray-ai-solution-for-anti-money-laundering/
Exits, takeovers & mergers to 18/6/23: Israeli-founded cybersecurity Unicorn Snyk is acquiring Israel’s Enso Security for an estimated $50 million. Israeli applicant tracking and candidate management platform Comeet is merging with US-based Spark Hire in a $50 million deal. US Industrial giant Ingersoll Rand is acquiring Israel’s EcoPlant for $50 million; Israeli fintech Lightico has acquired Europe’s Vizolution.
Investment in Israeli startups to 18/6/23: Percepto raised $67 million; Incredo (previously DouxMatok) raised $30 million; Hyro (see here) raised $20 million; Ariga raised $18 million; Kodem Security raised $18 million; Onebeat raised $10 million; Humanz raised $5 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Two Israeli photographers reach “the heavens”. (TY UWI) The works of Israelis Leo Shatz and Kfir Simon are included in “Astronomy Photographers of The Year 2022,” an exhibition of 32 award-winning photos and others from the 14th Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest by the Royal Museums in Greenwich, UK.
https://www.israel21c.org/astro-images-that-are-literally-out-of-this-world/
https://science.nasa.gov/spiral-galaxy-m66-hubble https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210624.html
https://www.flickr.com/photos/leoshatz/51348999155/
The most expensive Bible. Alfred Moses explains why he bought the Sassoon Codex Bible for $38.1 million and donated it to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
https://www.jns.org/world-news/washington-d-c/23/6/6/292983/
Special In Uniform’s 500th show. The Special in Uniform Band of the Israel Defense Forces rocked the popular Zappa Club in Tel Aviv with their 500th performance in less than two years. The band’s upbeat concert, comprising IDF soldiers with special needs, had the audience on its feet for most of the evening.
https://www.jns.org/israel-news/idf/23/6/7/293337/
Isn’t Good News newsworthy? Interesting article about the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report. It highlights that Israel’s rise from 11th happiest to 9th, to 4th in three years was ignored by the Mainstream Media. Apparently only bad news about Israel interests them. More reasons to keep reading this newsletter!
https://worldisraelnews.com/opinion-why-are-israelis-so-happy-and-why-isnt-it-newsworthy/
Has Israel’s celebrity seal made Aliyah? Yulia, the extremely rare and endangered Mediterranean monk seal, reported here previously, has been spotted recently again ashore in Rishon LeZion, despite leading marine biologists’ predictions that she would not return. She seems quite happy to visit Israel regularly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRI-vuI8mBY
The youngest Israeli to conquer Everest. Israel’s Aviad Sido, 26, became the youngest Israeli to ascend Mount Everest. The former IDF special forces commander compared the journey to life itself, filled with sadness, determination, courage, tragedy, and the hope of starting anew.
https://www.jns.org/israel-news/sports/23/6/6/292872/
Israel comes 3rd in U20 World Soccer Cup. The Israeli team beat Korea 3:1 to finish third in the U20 World Soccer Cup. Their amazing run of last-minute victories (see here previously) came to an end in the semi-finals with a narrow 1:0 defeat by Uruguay. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372626
THE JEWISH STATE
Ancient Jewish fortress being excavated. Archaeologists and volunteers have begun to dig and research the magnificent Hyrcania fortress in Judea. Its history begins in the 2nd century BCE Hasmonean period. It is linked to Herod the Great, and also to the treasure mentioned in the Copper scroll from the Dead Sea scrolls.
Rare ancient Jewish coin recovered. A rare coin depicting the last Hasmonean king of Judah, Antigonus Mattathias II (40 BCE – 37 BCE) has been recovered in East Jerusalem. The coin features a cornucopia – a horn of plenty, with a Hebrew inscription reading, “Mattia Kohen Gadol,” as the king was also High Priest.
Immigrant from New York is Outstanding Volunteer. Emily, an Olah from New York, came to Israel to volunteer as a nurse's assistant at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center. She has just received a National Civic Service Outstanding Volunteer award. Emily’s ambition is to become a doctor.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372186 https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/sj2n11o7h2
Record Birthright participants at the Kotel. History was made recently when a record 1,127 Birthright-Israel: Mayanot participants spent Friday night together at the Western Wall. Days earlier, another record was shattered with the largest group of US college students (almost 800) to ever arrive in Israel on a single day.
From first Birthright trip to CEO. Elias Saratovsky, who participated in Birthright’s inaugural trip to Israel in 1999-2000, has been named the new president and CEO of the Birthright Israel Foundation. “I remember standing at Birthright’s Mega-Event in Jerusalem ….. that trip shaped my identity.”
https://www.jns.org/us-news/aipac/23/6/5/292452/
Webinar to help UK pre- & post- Olim. On Sun 16 July, 5pm UK time, UKAA is hosting two free online talks. The 1st on legal issues including property in Israel. The 2nd on why an Israel based wealth manager is better than a UK one. Register at the link below or email info@ukaliyahadvisors.com with full name and phone.
https://ukaliyahadvisors.com/event/16july2023/
160-year-old butterflies return to Israel. A box of butterflies has been donated to the Steinhardt Museum in Tel Aviv to mark the International Congress of Middle Eastern Butterflies. The 160-year-old butterfly box contained specimens collected by the Anglican Church's delegations to the Holy Land from 1863-1865.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372325
40 years’ work of the IFCJ. For four decades the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has helped less fortunate people in Israel, - Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, or any other religion. The IFCJ devotes 70% of its resources to food aid. It has also brought over 5,000 new Ukrainian immigrants to Israel.
https://www.jns.org/world-news/international-fellowship-of-christians-and-jews/23/6/5/292888/
Running a marathon with his kidney donor. When 29-year-old Israeli Guy underwent a kidney transplant, he never imagined that just a year after the life-saving surgery, he would run a marathon – and do so with Yael, the person who donated the kidney that saved his life. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372335
230604
In the 4th Jun 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Global hospitals rush to join pivotal trial for Israeli cancer treatment.
· Women can restore their lost hair in less than one hour.
· An Israeli wheelchair user is a lifesaver.
· 3 Israeli startups will help Innovation: Africa build clean water systems.
· Israeli-built computers will be the fastest in the world.
· Israeli technology will help rid Cincinnati of crime.
· Israeli gymnasts win gold and silver at European championships.
· A strictly kosher Arab restaurant has opened in a Jewish city.
· Click here to see the 21st May 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) 14th May in Hebrew here, plus posted by Stuart Palmer here and 21st May in Hebrew here. Please forward this newsletter to German and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL Facebook page.
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Please can we join your trial. Following the 100% success of Israel’s Alpha TAU’s last clinical trial of Alpha DaRT on recurring skin cancer (see here previously) medical institutes around the world are clamoring to participate in the upcoming pivotal trials. Alpha TAU has also begun clinical trials for pancreatic cancer.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/new-cancer-radiation-therapy-kills-tumors-from-the-inside/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbhntcM-Oic
Weighty cancer discovery. Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have analyzed the build-up of ammonia that impairs immune cells in 50% of cancer patients. It blocks the protein regulator HNF4-alpha, causing weight loss and tumor growth. In lab tests, restoring HNF4-alpha production stops weight loss and shrinks the tumors.
https://www.israel21c.org/why-cancer-patients-suffer-weight-loss-and-how-to-stop-it/
A remedy for alcohol addiction. Israel’s Clearmind Medicine has been granted permission to begin trials at Sheba Medical Center of MEAI (5-methoxy-2-aminoindane) - a synthetic compound developed in Canada to treat alcoholics. Clearmind spent years making the MEAI-based oral capsules conform to medical standards.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/biotech-firm-using-psychedelics-to-treat-alcohol-addiction/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RQikn6O3qw https://www.clearmindmedicine.com/
Link between Nitric Oxide and Autism. Hebrew University researchers have discovered in lab tests that autism indicators increase as Nitric Oxide increases in the brain. Conversely, inhibiting production of NO increased “social” behavior, and interest in new objects while reducing repetitiveness and anxiety.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/mind-and-spirit/article-743947
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371790 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202205783
Restore hair in one hour. Israel’s Hairstetics has developed an injector to implant multiple strands of hair to the scalp, under local anesthetic, to instantly restore hair to women struggling with baldness. Women suffering from androgenic alopecia receive non-allergenic synthetic hair to match their own hair color.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/instant-implants-give-balding-women-their-hair-back/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ace-qdakjs https://hairstetics.com/
AstraZeneca pilots Israeli heart disease detection AI. (TY OurCrowd) AstraZeneca and the Bellvitge University Hospital in Spain are launching the first pilot program of the HearO™ app developed by Israel’s Cordio Medical (see here previously) which can detect heart disease when the patient speaks on a smartphone.
Extending burns wound treatment to children. (TY Atid-EDI) The US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has awarded $10 million to Israel’s MediWound (see here previously). Part of the funding will be used to extend its NexoBrid license to pediatric burns - 30% of the total burn population.
Elderly Jewish Ukrainian woman rescued. Volunteers from emergency NGO United Hatzalah in Ukraine brought a sick, elderly Jewish woman from Mykolaiv to Israel for life-saving treatment. She was taken in a UH ambulance by ferry across the Black Sea to Bucharest and then flown by El Al in a medical cabin to Israel.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371822
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israeli farmers feed the poor. Last year over 1,000 Israeli farmers donated 26,450 tons of surplus fruit and vegetables to Israelis in need through Leket Israel-the National Food Bank. Leket, now in its 20th year, also rescued 1.9 million hot meals last year. The surplus produce feeds some 234,000 Israelis in need each week. https://www.jns.org/israel/food-security/23/5/24/290461/
Videos for special children. Israel’s Poppins is a video solution that allows autistic children and their parents to filter the content of videos to accommodate the child’s visual preferences and prevent sensory overload. Poppins is licensing a range of TV programs and will also be producing its own educational content.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/netflix-for-neurodiverse-worlds-first-tv-channel-for-autistic-kids/
https://www.poppins.media/ https://vimeo.com/721363748
Wheelchair EMT Saves lives. United Hatzalah EMT Chen uses a wheelchair to respond to emergencies on ambulance shifts in and around Acre. His crew unloads and loads his wheelchair quickly and he uses knee pads when performing CPR. He is living proof that someone with a disability can do what any other person does.
https://israelrescue.org/blog/surmounting-disability-to-save-lives/
Faster acclimation for Ethiopian immigrants. In a pilot project, Ethiopian olim who landed in Israel on May 16 were immediately placed in new apartments in Kiryat Gat rather than absorption centers. Many came with academic degrees from urban centers and will now be able to move quickly into the tech industry, academia etc.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371566 https://video.i24news.tv/#/content/6328080723112
NIS 2 billion for Jerusalem Arabs. Israel has approved a new NIS 2 billion 5-year plan to benefit Jerusalem’s Arab residents. Its aim is to improve roads, public transport, water, sewage and electricity provision, develop employment opportunities, and build additional educational, cultural, sports and health facilities.
Six new Ambassadors to Israel. Israeli President Isaac Herzog officially received new ambassadors from Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Uruguay, and Portugal at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. Guatemala is one of four countries to have an embassy in Jerusalem.
https://www.jns.org/jns/isaac-herzog/23/5/24/290445/
Cleaner water for Africa. Three Israeli startups won a contest run by Israel’s Innovation: Africa (see here) and DeserTech (see here) to pilot their clean water technology. They are EZMEMS, NanoClear Water Solutions, and SoLED. Their systems will be implemented at various Innovation: Africa sites.
https://israelactive.com/?s=EZMEMS https://nanoclearwatersolutions.com/ https://israelactive.com/?s=SoLED
What does Israel do for US? Yoram Ettinger’s latest article “Foreign Aid” to Israel is bonanza for the US” shows that the U.S.-Israel strategic relationship constitutes a classic case of a mutually- beneficial two-way street. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370636
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Israeli environmental winner in Morocco. 780 startups from across the Middle East competed for the Aviram Awards in Marrakesh to solve global health, environment, and sustainability problems. It was won by Israel’s QD-SOL & its hydrogen from water (see here previously). Israel’s Carbon Blue (CO2 from seawater) was 2nd.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/u94vut7ca https://carbonblue.cc/
How Israel makes the desert bloom. (TY Ron M) Noa Zer, Central Arava Regional Council's Director of Resource Development, explains how Israel can grow 50% of its fresh vegetable exports in one of the most arid regions in the world. It is largely due to Israeli hi-tech and the work of the Jewish National Fund-USA.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-743781
Upgrading Israel’s desalination plants. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel has been gradually replacing the original reverse osmosis membranes at four of its seawater desalination plants. The new membranes filter most of the salt on first pass, extending the life of secondary filters and reducing overall energy requirements.
https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/lg-water-solutions-wins-ashdod-desalination-project-301828065.html https://www.lgwatersolutions.com/en/company/media-center/newsroom/344
The world’s fastest AI supercomputer. US-based Nvidia Corporation has announced that, by the end of 2023, it will start to build one of the world’s most powerful AI supercomputers at its facilities in Israel. Designated “Israel-1”, it is expected to deliver up to 8 exaflops of peak AI performance (i.e., extremely fast!)
https://www.jns.org/jns/artificial-intelligence/23/5/29/291335/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/ryfcv6zl3
Even faster than quantum computers. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s LightSolver (see here previously) unveiled the first pure laser-based processing unit (LPU), a new computing paradigm poised to outpace and outperform quantum and supercomputers. Small, scalable, low power, low temperature, and commercially available parts.
Do not touch. Touch screens used to be all the rage. Now Israel’s Wearable Devices has developed the Mudra Band - an AI-powered wristband that lets users control digital devices with finger and hand gestures alone. It can even detect the different amount of force exerted when pressing their fingertips together.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/startup-develops-touch-free-tech-for-mobile-gaming/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ2pAqwIG6o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnY1QzwFIKE
https://www.wearabledevices.co.il/
Using Israel AI to build in NYC. Israel’s Buildots (see here previously) is being used to construct the new Columbus Circle Building in central Manhattan. It will be the first building in New York City to be built using Israeli Artificial Intelligence, comprising hardhat-mounted 360-degree cameras and AI data analysis.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/new-york-city-constructs-first-building-with-israeli-ai-tech/
A sound alternative to sugar. New information about the innovative technology of Israels Torr Foodtech (see here previously). Sugar is usually used to bind ingredients in so-called “healthy” snacks. But Torr uses ultrasonic sound waves plus mechanical pressure to press dried fruits, nuts, and other ingredients together.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/snacks-switch-out-sugar-with-sound-wave-technology/
Low-cost vegan meat. The alternative meat lamb chop from Israel’s Moon Steak was given a public debut at the OurCrowd Global Investor Summit in Jerusalem. Moon Steak’s metamaterials emulate the aroma and flavor of animal meat via an injection-molding technology at a fraction of the cost of technologies such as 3D printing.
https://www.ourcrowd.com/companies/moon-steak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWwVPfeXEAQ
Come fly with us. (TY UWI & I24 News) This video contains the highlights of Israel’s presentation at the United Nations of the Jewish State’s drone technology (see here previously). Israeli UAVs can deliver medical supplies, survey construction sites, reduce road congestion and help the UN reach its sustainability goals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TO4b5lElQE
A hawk that never sleeps. Israel’s Robotican (see here previously) has launched the Goshawk, to defend against rogue UAVs (drones). The 120km/hour Goshawk captures its “prey” in a net and either drops it (to continue patrolling) or transports it to a designated area. The autonomous Goshawk operates around the clock.
https://www.jns.org/jns/drones/23/5/22/289816/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmZRb3I_3yw
The future of 3D sensing. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Lidwave has developed a unique LIDAR sensor on a chip that can provide a detailed real-time 3D map up to distances of hundreds of meters. The technology is low cost, low bandwidth, high performance, has high resolution and high sensitivity. Lidwave is now seeking partners.
https://www.lidwave.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdL5ca_3Q0Q
Brilliant Weizmann minds. Read the achievements of eight top Weizmann researchers who have been making discoveries in the areas of agri-tech, IVF, medical algorithms, the microbiome, embryos, quantum science, genetic tools, and marine algae, https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/celebrating-great-minds/
Scanning 2,000-year-old Egyptian coffin lids. (TY TPS/WIN) In a meticulously planned operation that took five months to organize, a pair of 2,000-year-old coffin lids from Egypt was transferred from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem to undergo a CT scan. https://www.jns.org/ancient-egyptian-coffin-lids-undergo-ct-in-jerusalem/
Uncovering the good, bad and the ugly fakes. (TY OurCrowd) Markets wobbled recently after a verified Twitter account published a news photo of smoke billowing from a building apparently near the Pentagon. But it was fake, as exposed by Israel’s Cyabra (see here previously). https://abcnews.go.com/US/verified-accounts-helped-make-fake-images-pentagon-explosion/story?id=99541361
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
GDP increases higher than forecasts. Israel’s economy grew by an annualized 2.5% in the first quarter of 2023. This exceeded the 1.5% forecast by the IMF and beat S&P’s forecast of negative growth per capita. Unemployment in April fell to 3.6% from 3.8% in March.
Boosting links with Morocco. Israel and Morocco have signed three new transportation agreements. They are to allow Israeli driver’s licenses to be used on the roads in Morocco, to encourage direct shipping between the two countries, and to facilitate exchanges related to road safety and transportation innovation.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-inks-three-transportation-deals-boosting-links-with-morocco/
EcoMotion 2023. The 11th annual EcoMotion conference welcomed more than 3,600 participants from more than 60 countries to Tel Aviv. Key topics were batteries, energy storage and cybersecurity. Top executives from Audi, BMW, Renault, and Toyota heard a “white” hacker identify security weaknesses in many vehicles.
https://www.jns.org/jns/topic/23/5/29/291221/
Four Israeli startups star in CNBC top 50 list. CNBC’s latest Disruptor 50 List of outstanding startup companies includes Israel’s BeeHero (technology for healthier commercial beehives), Orca Security (agentless cloud security), Snyk (app security products for developers) and Wiz (cloud cybersecurity).
https://unitedwithisrael.org/4-israeli-companies-make-cnbc-disruptor-50-list/
https://israelactive.com/?s=beehero https://israelactive.com/?s=Orca+Security
https://israelactive.com/?s=Snyk+ https://israelactive.com/?s=Wiz+cloud+security
1 million happy IT developers. (TY OurCrowd) Israeli AI software development platform Tabnine (see here previously) is now used by a million IT professionals every month. This should increase significantly as Tabnine has just been made available on Google Cloud Marketplace. https://apnews.com/press-release/globe-newswire/generative-ai-globe-newswire-business-e448b9acff71bf8afdaec2ad85e2b4f4
Startup+ winner. Cloud company Qubex won the Calcalist and Poalim Hi-Tech's StartUp+ competition. Qubex is building a platform that allows companies to adjust the size of their cloud to their actual consumption. Runners up included Faireez, ANINA Culinary Art, Exosomm, and NOF - Natural Offset Farming.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rjcbvbir2 https://www.qubex.ai/ https://faireez.com
Making Cincinnati a safer city. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Ceragon Networks (see here previously) has won a multi-year contract worth $4.2 million with the city of Cincinnati to upgrade its public safety network. Ceragon will increase network capacity, efficiency, and lifespan, while supporting AI, automation, and real-time video.
https://www.ceragon.com/news/ceragon-signs-multi-year-multi-million-dollar-contract-with-city-of-cincinnati-for-city-wide-public-safety-network-upgrade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3AQU5N6mKE
Partner goes electric. Always good to read initiatives to reduce pollution on Israeli roads. Israeli telecoms company Partner is switching most of its employees’ cars from gas to electric. Dozens of charging stations are installed at Partner's Rosh Ha'ayin HQ as it already has one of Israel’s largest corporate electric car fleets.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/energy-and-infrastructure/article-743742
Better Place put Israel in a better place. 10 years ago, in May 2013, Israeli electric car network pioneer Better Place went bankrupt. But it has had a huge impact on the global EV market and positioned Israel at the forefront of autonomous vehicle and battery charging technology.
https://www.israel21c.org/impact-of-better-place-crash-still-felt-10-years-later/
Cleaning solar panels in India. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Airtouch Solar (see here previously) will supply its waterless cleaning robots to Adani Green Energy Limited, the leading Indian energy developer in a deal worth $2.5 million. It will boost energy production and save hundreds of thousands of liters of water.
3D metal printing startup to go public. Israel’s XJet (see here previously) which develops inkjet technology for 3D printing of small metal and ceramic parts, is seeking to raise about $10 million from an initial public offering (IPO) of shares on the Nasdaq. XJet’s 100 employees doubled revenue to $6 million last year.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-3d-printing-firm-xjet-seeks-to-raise-10m-from-nasdaq-ipo/
Investment in Israeli startups to 4/6/23: Reddress raised $26 million; Firmbase raised $12 million; Faye Insurance raised $10 million; Unity SCM raised $8 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Tower of David Museum opens. After years of planning and renovations, the new Tower of David Museum has just opened in Jerusalem. With accessibility ramps, elevators to the historic fortress, reservoirs, tunnels, 10 galleries, scale models, digital tools, films, touch-control history wall, interactive games for children, and more.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-tower-of-david-museum-in-jerusalem-to-reopen-tomorrow/
What to do with the kids in Israel this summer. Israel is the most child-friendly destination for tourists on the planet. Here is Israel21c’s guide to 32 summer activities for visitors with children. Beaches, animals & birds, adventure playgrounds, water parks and activities, digging up history, caves, tunnels, science, art & much more.
https://www.israel21c.org/top-32-summer-activities-for-kids-in-israel-2/
Robbie Williams in Tel Aviv. UK pop star Robbie Williams performed at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park on Jun 1 as part of Tel Aviv’ Summer in the City festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmbDnI2DD7M
Watch “From Israel with Love”. The Technion UK offers free viewing of its Israel 75th Anniversary celebration show – but only until 11:30pm on Mon Jun 5th (UK time). Register below.
https://technionuk.org/event/from-israel-with-love-online-show-screening/
Better results. Israel beat Japan 2-1 in the last minutes of their last group match to qualify for the knockout stages of the Under 20 World Cup in Argentina. They then beat Asian Cup champions Uzbekistan in injury time of their next game, to reach the quarterfinals where they beat favorites Brazil in extra time!
https://www.jns.org/jns/sports/23/5/28/290970/ https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372134
https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/byuq3gb8h https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-745114
European Gymnastics champions. (TY Sarita) Israel’s women’s rhythmic gymnastics team won a gold medal in the 5 hoops event at the European Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. They also won 3 silver medals.
THE JEWISH STATE
Easy access to Israel. 30 residents of Connecticut, including adults with disabilities, their parents and staff members who work with them, spent nine days in Israel learning about accessibility in the Jewish state. They visited Nazareth, the Kinneret, the Hula valley, Tel Aviv, the Kotel, Tower of David, and even Masada.
https://www.jns.org/israel-trip-aims-to-forge-ambassadors-for-accessible-travel/
UK Jews raised funds for emergency center. The British Friends of United Hatzalah dinner in London raised £630,000 to help fund the Israeli EMS NGO’s future Southern Command Center. The bomb-proof command center will include a dispatch center, medical supply and equipment base, and volunteer sleeping facilities.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371626
A kosher mehadrin Arab restaurant. (TY Israel Unwired & I24 News) Yoseph Haddad shows viewers a different side of Israel to the one the MainStream Media wants to portray. Abu Hani opened his shawarma restaurant in Afula and obtained the top kosher license so that all Jews could enjoy his food.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY9234l8xyY
230521
In the 21st May 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli alpha radiation skin cancer trial was 100% successful.
· Israeli medics saved the life of a Palestinian Arab heart attack patient.
· A revolutionary new Israeli laptop needs no computer screen.
· Veterans of one IDF unit have founded 25% of Israel’s most valuable companies.
· An Israeli swimmer located a Roman cargo ship that sank 1,800 years ago.
· An Israel won a world championship gold medal for Thai boxing, in Thailand.
· A man named Moses has donated the world’s most valuable Bible to Israel.
· Click here to see the 14th May newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours and United With Israel with extra feature on Medical. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here. Please forward 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 (now over 22,600 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
Successful skin cancer treatment. (TY OurCrowd) A small trial of Alpha DaRT from Israel’s Alpha Tau (see here previously) was 100% successful in treating 10 patients with skin cancer. All were 100% clear at 12 weeks with no recurrence or toxicities in 24 weeks.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2804784
Proton cancer therapy trials. Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center has partnered Israel’s P-Cure (see here previously) and has begun trials of its focused proton radiation therapy for cancer patients. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv’s Sourasky (Ichilov) Medical Center is to install proton radiation machines from Belgium’s IBA.
Preventing strokes from CAD. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s InspireMD (see here previously) has just completed the first in-human trial of its CGuard Prime stent that opens blocked Carotid Arteries and traps dangerous emboli released. Carotid Artery Disease (CAD) can stop blood flow to the brain and cause a stroke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6xXfhcT4zs
Why female Alzheimer’s patients rapidly decline. Hebrew University researchers have discovered that women lose certain mitochondria (maternally inherited) RNA molecules in their brains much faster than men. This adversely affects the neurotransmitter that plays a role in memory, learning, attention, and more.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-study-reveals-molecular-basis-for-female-alzheimers-patients-rapid-decline/ https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371219
https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/alz.13095
Where does creativity come from? A study at Israel’s Beilinson hospital is looking at why many Parkinson’s patients develop an obsessive desire to take up art or creative writing for the first time. Researchers are investigating if the area of the brain affected by the disease is also responsible for creativity.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/mrkqcjrrt
Hospital testing goes virtual. Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has partnered with Israel’s Mpcheck and Israel’s Teva to allow Teva’s employees to perform medical tests at their workplace or at home. Sheba Virtual Hospital’s "Beyond" tests include blood, urine, cervical cancer, hearing and more.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-741898
One number to call them all. Israel is to unify the emergency medical hotline number. Currently, each medical emergency service has its own number – 101 for Magen David Adom, 1221 for United Hatzalah etc. Subject to Knesset approval, the public will just call 101, which all services can respond to.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-742420
Biomed Israel 2023. One of the sessions at Biomed 2023 is personal nutrition. It is a field of technology based on multidisciplinary research that utilizes AI and machine learning to tailor unique nutrition recommendations.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-742081
https://kenes-exhibitions.com/biomed/
Speak to an AI expert anytime. Israel’s Wolfson Medical Center in Holon is using artificial intelligence to monitor female cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in partnership with Israel’s XOLTAR ai. Patients receive personal, round-the-clock support tailored to their individual needs based on AI analyzed data.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/cancer-patients-get-revolutionary-ai-carers/
https://xoltar.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flYMdOfz7pQ
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Hospitals to speak our language. Israel’s Yad L’Olim has obtained permanent state funding for public hospitals to employ medical experts who speak the languages of Olim as their mother tongues to assist Olim patients with translations. They include English, French, Russian, and Amharic (Ethiopian).
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371517 https://www.yadlolim.org/
Bad guys doing good. On 4th May (“May the Fourth be with you”) in an Israeli capital city not so far away… Star Wars fans flocked to the Tower of David Museum. They met villains from the 501st legion of Star Wars fame who call themselves “Bad Guys Doing Good”, visiting children in hospitals, schools, and the periphery.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-742730
Training Bedouin to save lives. Israeli emergency NGO United Hatzalah, with support from the Rifman Institute, have been giving first aid training to students in Bedouin communities in the south of Israel. They are then able to respond to emergencies, assist UH responders and be ambassadors to the Bedouin community.
https://www.israel21c.org/first-responders-team-up-with-bedouin-teens-to-save-lives/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlAcrahJnnI https://www.rifman.org/english
Lifeless PA Arab revived. A 63-year-old Palestinian Arab man was brought to the Hashmonaim Crossing by relatives after suffering a cardiac arrest. Israeli security guards immediately initiated CPR. United Hatzalah volunteer EMTs plus other paramedics eventually managed to get a pulse and the patient was taken to hospital.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371468
Jerusalem Post Conference in NYC. The Jerusalem Post’s annual conference takes place in New York City on Jun 5. The extensive list of scheduled speakers includes top Israeli diplomats, politicians, entertainers, high-tech innovators and thought leaders. Tickets are available at the following site.
https://congress.jpost.com/the-jerusalem-post-new-york-conference-2023/
Visa agreement with Japan. (TY Atid-EDI) A work-vacation visa agreement has been signed between Japan and Israel. Each year 200 young Israelis aged 18 - 30 can combine work and studies in Japan for up to one year. In addition, Israeli high-tech, cyber, health, and agriculture personnel will be able to work in Japan.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjudikyxh
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Israel Space Week. (TY I24 News) The first Israeli mission to the Moon ended in a crash landing. But the new generation of Moon landers for SpaceIL’s Beresheet 2 is inspiring a new generation of Israelis. https://video.i24news.tv/#/content/6327467640112
Futuristic Israeli transportation. Mobility 360 is the theme for the 11th annual EcoMotion Week (May 22 – 24) at Expo TLV. It is where the smart mobility sector intersects with the development of smart cities, transportation, connectivity, automobiles, infrastructure, logistics, supply chain and much more.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-742723
https://www.ecomotionweek.com/
Igniting deep tech. Intel has selected 10 more Israeli startups for its 8th Ignite accelerator cohort, covering tech areas of AI/ML, cybersecurity, hardware, and Web 3.0. They are Akooda, Hossted, InsidePacket, Ox Security, Pelanor, Phononics, PVML, Speedb, Tweed, and VOCAI.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rjisirmr2 https://www.akooda.co/ https://hossted.com/
https://www.insidepacket.com/ https://www.pelanor.org/ https://phononicstech.com/ https://pvml.com/
https://www.speedb.io/ https://www.paytweed.com/
The Volcani agriculture center. Israel’s Volcani Center Agricultural Research Organization, the brainchild of, Yitzhak Elazari Wilkanski, has helped turn Israel into one of the world’s champions for agricultural innovation. Today it encompasses Animal and Plant sciences, Soil, water & environment, Agri-engineering, & Postharvest.
https://www.israel21c.org/100-years-of-innovation-turns-israel-into-an-agricultural-leader/
Israeli agriculture can feed the world. Tel Aviv University scientists have made a technical breakthrough that can massively improve the yields of crops and their resistance to drought, disease, and pests. Their research promises to reveal the previously hidden role of families of genes that make up 80% of the genome of plants.
https://www.jpost.com/science/article-743120 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-023-01374-4
For your eyes only - the world’s first AR laptop. Israel’s Sightful has revealed its revolutionary new Spacetop laptop with no physical screen. It comes with augmented reality (AR) glasses, almost the size of regular eyeglasses. For spectacle wearers, they are manufactured with lenses tailored to the user’s prescription.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1q1l6xrh https://www.sightful.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSBESw3a_tc
Global InfoSec Award. Israel’s Backslash Security (see here previously) won “Editor’s Choice for Application Security” in the 11th Annual Global InfoSec Awards in San Francisco. Backslash also won the Cyber Top Innovations award, presented by Enterprise Security Tech.
https://www.backslash.security/about
Firefighting planes. Elbit Systems (see here previously) will provide aerial firefighting services until 2031 to Israel’s Ministry of National Security through a fleet of 14 aircraft. The squadron will be operated under the guidance of the Israeli Police in coordination with the Fire and Rescue Authority.
Disaster response systems for Asia. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Gilat Satellite Networks (see here previously) is to provide VSATs for an advanced disaster response network in Asia. It will enable voice services, video feeds, multicasts, emergency alerts, mobility services, and more, for governments, individuals and first responders.
NIS 1 billion for solar projects. Israel’s Doral Energy (see here previously) has signed a financial agreement to fund Israel’s largest portfolio of solar-integrated storage projects. The lenders' consortium led by Mizrahi Bank will provide financing of over NIS 1 billion. Doral will connect its network to Israel’s electricity grid.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/energy-and-infrastructure/article-742843
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Gas pipeline to Egypt to be expanded. Israel's cabinet has approved a new 65km pipeline between Ramat Hovav and the border with Egypt that will allow an extra 6 billion cubic meters of natural gas to be exported to Egypt annually. It will increase annual revenues from royalties and taxes by hundreds of millions of shekels.
Cyber security accord with Korea. The Israeli High-Tech Association has signed an agreement with the Korea Information Security Industry Association (KISIA) aimed at fostering ties and encouraging business cooperation between cybersecurity and information security companies in both countries.
Jerusalem’s new rail stations. Ahead of Jerusalem Day, Israel’s Transportation Ministry published new sketches of two new train stations planned for the center of Jerusalem. See also here previously.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/energy-and-infrastructure/article-743140
Business with US state of Georgia. (TY Hazel) Brian Kemp, the governor of the US state of Georgia, is making an economic development trip to Israel. Israeli companies employ more than 1,000 Georgians. Georgia exported $280 million and imported $650 million in goods and services to Israel last year.
An accelerator for IDF veterans. The IDF’s Mamram technological unit, founded in 1959, has a network of some 12,000 alumni who have founded around a quarter of Israel’s $1 billion Unicorn startups. The Mamram Alumni Association’s Mamram Space accelerator program (now in Batch 6) is helping to grow Israeli startups.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bk0ohgzh2 https://www.mamram.space/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOlsNVi7XE8
Are you drinking enough? Another NoCamels article about Israel’s impacX (see here previously) with its smart bottle, vibrating top, and app that reminds you to drink more water. impacX has partnered several distributing companies and recently launched the smart bottle in Israel “as a full country pilot”.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/smart-water-bottle-boosts-healthy-hydration-habits/ https://water.io/shop/
Look who’s developing quantum computers. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is joining the board of directors of Israel’s Quantum Source (see here previously) which is developing an Israeli quantum computer. Before entering politics Bennett co-founded Cyota ($145 million exit) and was CEO of Soluto ($100 million).
https://www.calcalist.co.il/ctechnews/article/rjcthljh2
Exits, takeovers and mergers to 21/5/23. Australia’s Aristocrat has acquired Israeli-founded NeoGames for approximately $1.2 billion. IBM has acquired Israel’s Polar Security for $60 million.
Investment in Israeli startups to 21/5/23: Sightful raised $33 million; Laguna Health raised $15 million; SWAPP raised $11.5 million; Spinframe raised $8 million; Visual Layer raised $7 million; CryptoHub raised $6 million; Entro Security raised $6 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Open House. Open House Tel Aviv (May 18-20) offered more than 180 tours, meetings and talks at public buildings, private homes, and public spaces throughout the city. They included the Yitzhak Sadeh Park urban renewal project, Bloomfield Stadium, the French Ambassador’s residence, and the Islamic Court of Justice.
https://www.israel21c.org/urban-forest-and-other-wonders-of-open-house-tel-aviv-2023/
Roman cargo ship discovered off Netanya coast. A swimmer has discovered a rare cargo of 1,800-year-old marble artifacts on an ancient merchant ship shipwrecked off the coast of Beit Yanai near Netanya. The swimmer was awarded a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371444
https://www.jns.org/swimmer-finds-1800-year-old-marble-artifacts-near-netanya/
The Rest of the World votes for Israel. Noa Kirel’s ‘Unicorn’ may have finished 3rd in the Eurovision Song Contest, but she received ‘maximum points’ from “The Rest of the World” – an additional nonparticipating “country”. It comprised audiences voting for the first time, including both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-didnt-win-eurovision-but-it-did-win-the-rest-of-the-world/
The first Israeli to star solo at MSG. Orthodox singer Ishay Ribo will be the first Israeli to star solo at Madison Square Garden. The concert is scheduled for the middle of the Hebrew month of Elul, when Selichot, special penitential prayers, are said in anticipation of the High Holy Days.
Luxury cruising. (TY Hazel) MSC Musica, weighing 92,409 tons and carrying over 3000 passengers, is the largest ship to sail from Israel this summer. It will depart from Haifa port every Thursday until November, visiting Limassol (Cyprus), Mykonos, Piraeus, and Santorini (Greece), and Kusadasi (Turkey).
https://www.jpost.com/j-spot/article-742257
Rare visitor to Israeli beach. (TY WIN) The Israel Nature and Parks Authority reported that, for the first time, a rare Mediterranean monk seal has come ashore onto a beach in central Israel. It has been basking in the warm sunshine for 3 days, with volunteers protecting it until it decides to return to sea.
https://www.jns.org/in-first-rare-seal-makes-landfall-on-israels-shore-watch/
The best summer location. (TY Hazel) Club Méditerranée, also known as Club Med, named Jerusalem, the best destination for a sunny summer vacation worldwide. Israel’s capital city topped the list with an overall score of 74 out of 100. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-742176
Muay Thai gold medal. (TY Nevet) An Israeli won gold in the Under-57kg men’s category at the International Federation of Muay Thai Associations (IFMA) World Championships in Bangkok, Thailand. His name is Ruach Hashem Bichayanu Gordon! Another Israeli, Maxim Branis, won silver in the Under-67kg category.
https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1136937/ifma-world-champs-senior-finals
THE JEWISH STATE
A 2000-year receipt. A stone tablet fragment was recently discovered during excavations in the City of David, Jerusalem. It bears the name “Shimon”, the letter Mem (for ma’ot – money) and symbols for numbers. It has been identified as a receipt and allows a glimpse into everyday life in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371555
So much is happening on Jerusalem streets. (TY Sharon) Recent events in Israel’s capital include the International Writers’ Festival; an official visit by the President of Kenya; Lag B’Omer, weddings, the show “Dare to Dream”, mass cyclist ride; and the opening of the new suspension walking bridge.
http://rjstreets.com/2023/05/14/life-goes-on-in-jerusalem-for-lag-bomer-and-future/
Only in Israel. When Israeli star musician Idan Raichel performed in Ramat Gan, he admitted to the audience that he had forgotten to buy diapers for his twin 2-year-old boys. At the end of the concert, Ramat Gan’s Mayor presented Idan with a pack of diapers. And when he got backstage, he found two more packs, bought by fans.
https://www.israel21c.org/when-a-pop-star-forgets-to-buy-diapers-for-his-twins/
Moses buys bible for $38 million. Alfred Moses purchased the Codex Sassoon at Sotherby’s in New York for $38 million. It was the most ever paid for a book at auction. He then generously donated it to Tel Aviv’s ANU Museum of the Jewish People where it will be displayed as part of the permanent collection.
https://www.jns.org/tel-aviv-anu-museum-of-the-jewish-people-buys-codex-sassoon-for-38-1-million/
The largest donation to an Israeli hospital. Californians Dr. Susan and Dr. Henry Samueli made a $25 million donation to the Rabin Medical Center’s Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva. It will be used to establish an integrative cancer pioneering institute at the Davidoff Center which treats one in seven Israeli cancer patients.
https://www.jns.org/beilinson-hospital-receives-israels-largest-ever-donation-for-cancer-research/
Be positive. (TY ILTV News) Both in good times and in difficult times, this message needs to be publicized and emphasized. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVHxTFuL-eA https://www.yadlolim.org/
March of Nations celebrate Israel 75 in Jerusalem. Thousands of participants from around the world joined the “March of Nations” event in Jerusalem to celebrate Israel’s 75th year of independence. It was led by Arie Itamar who originally arrived in pre-state Israel, at the age of seven, on the ship Exodus.
https://www.jns.org/march-of-life-honors-israels-75th-anniversary-with-national-events/
Jerusalem Day and Shavuot (Pentecost). Jacob Richman has been updating his website resources for the recent festivals. Please have a look, use, and share.
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/jerusalem.htm https://jr.co.il/hotsites/shavuot.htm
Six days of miracles. Please watch this inspiring video to accompany Jerusalem Day – Yom Yerushalayim.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i3uIz7hoYs
Celebrate Israel on June 4th. If you are in around New York and Long Island, don’t miss the opportunity to join the festivities at the “Celebrate Israel Parade” on Sunday, June 4. This year’s theme of “Israel @ 75: Renewing the Hope”. Floats, bands and performers will parade up Fifth Avenue from 57th Street to 74th Street.
https://www.jns.org/opinion/a-celebration-of-israel-to-bring-all-jews-together/
https://www.jns.org/large-delegation-of-israeli-ministers-headed-to-new-york-for-annual-parade/
230514
In the 14th May 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli doctors used trail-blazing gene therapy to save a girl from India.
· Two Israeli medical startups have won three awards.
· An Israeli-founded company has created the first 100% solar capital city.
· See how fast Israeli technology distinguishes humans from inanimate objects.
· Israeli study shows vertical walls of vegetables can also cool indoor spaces.
· More Israeli vegan meat substitutes reach hungry consumers.
· The Israeli national anthem is played in Qatar.
· Click here to see the 7th May newsletter on IsraelSeen, IsraPundit, Ruthfully Yours and United With Israel (Apr 30 here and May 7 here) plus feature on Inclusive & Global. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here. Please forward 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 (now over 22,500 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
Historic gene therapy operation. (TY Atid-EDI) Doctors at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center made history with a 7-hour operation to deliver Upstaza gene therapy directly to the brain of a 4-year-old girl from India. The NIS 10 million cost per vial was the most expensive single Israeli surgery ever and was given free of charge.
The origin of red blood cells. Researchers led by Professor Ido Amit of Israel’s Weizmann Institute, have discovered that the kidney is the source of the hormone EPO (erythropoietin), which turns cells in the bone marrow into oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Increasing EPO in kidney disease patients could prevent anemia.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/breakthrough-discovery-on-the-origin-of-red-blood-cells/
US approves portable 3D X-ray device. Israel’s Nanox (see here previously) has received US FDA approval for its light-weight imaging system for clinics and hospitals. The Nanox.ARC can employ up to five separate X-ray-emitting tubes at once for a 3D image. The FDA approved Nanox’s single-source X-ray bed in early 2021.
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/nanox-scores-clearance-cloud-connected-x-ray-bed-after-years-fda-review https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-nanox-wins-fda-approval-for-cloud-based-xray-system-1001445270
Schizophrenia treatment gets US approval. The US FDA has approved UZEDY (risperidone), developed for the treatment of schizophrenia by Israel’s Teva and France’s Medincell. In a Phase 3 human clinical trial, UZEDY demonstrated up to 80% reduction in risk of schizophrenia relapse versus a placebo.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-fda-approves-innovative-teva-schizophrenia-drug-1001445160
Diagnosing children with fever. The 15-min BV test from Israel’s MeMed (see here previously) accurately diagnosed over 90% of bacterial versus viral infections at Israel’s Schneider Children’s Medical Center, reducing Emergency Department physician error. The study tested 287 children from 3 months to 18 years.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281018
Relieving post-op pain. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s PainReform has just completed a Phase 3 human trial of its PRF-110 post-operative pain relief. The oil-based, viscous, clear solution is deposited directly into the surgical wound bed prior to closure to provide localized and extended post-operative analgesia.
Modifying gut bacteria to fight disease. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Trobix Bio is using CRISPR, phage, and synthetic biology technologies to develop precision microbiome oncology therapeutics. TBX101 counters anti-biotic resistance; TBX201 reduces chemotherapy side-effects; TBX301 tackles gut inflammation.
https://www.trobix.bio/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1MsWkhBAyM
Israeli partnership to bio-print organs. Israeli startups Stratasys (see here previously) and CollPlant (see here previously) are jointly to create human tissues and organs. They will use Stratasys’ P3 bioprinter and CollPlant’s rh-Collagen-based bioinks. The first project will be to produce reconstructive implants.
Award-winning skin therapy. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s SofWave Medical (see here previously) has won two recent international awards. At the 13th Annual NewBeauty Awards it won Best Noninvasive Cellulite Treatment. Then it won the Good Housekeeping Magazine Award for Best Anti-Aging Pro Treatment.
Prize-winning pain relief. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s TrainPain has won the Grand Prize in the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) & MIT Hacking Medicine Innovation Challenge. TrainPain uses neurotechnology to retrain sensory the brain through engaging haptic mobile games.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trainpain-awarded-grand-prize-in-the-american-academy-of-pain-medicine--mit-hacking-medicine-innovation-challenge-301814260.html https://www.trainpain.com/
https://pain.haifa.ac.il/projects/train-pain/
Reduction in Israeli skin cancer rates. In the 1990s, Israel had the 3rd highest rate of melanoma (skin cancer) per capita in the world. In 2020, Israel was not even in the top 20. Reasons include the Chacham B’Shemesh (Smart in the Sun) programs from preschool to 12th grade. Plus, annual checkups and early excision.
https://www.israel21c.org/melanoma-deaths-are-dropping-in-israel-heres-why/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Millions for education. Israel’s Azrieli Foundation (see here previously) has donated NIS 180 million to the Darca Network - a group of 47 Israeli high schools. Darca was founded 12 years ago to strengthen schools in the socio-geographical periphery of Israel. 93.5% of its students have achieved matriculation certificates.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/banking-and-finance/article-742300
Dog unit rescues lost woman. Yehuda, a volunteer with the non-profit Israel Dog Unit (IDU), together with his search dog Cobra, located a 78-year-old woman, missing for 40 hours in a forest near Sderot. She was found suffering from heat exhaustion. 150+ volunteers, plus drones, took part in the search, including on Shabbat.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371031
Unpaid caregivers. Researchers at Ben Gurion and Haifa Universities have reported that 1.2 million Israelis (over 20% of the adult population) provide free care for their relatives and others with disabilities. In the Haredi sector, this increases to 34%. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-742475
Israel’s first hydrogen refueling station. Israel's first hydrogen fuel station opened in Sonol Yagur near Haifa Bay, putting Israel among the leading countries in the world seeking to replace combustion engines with hydrogen-based fuel cell technology. See also here (Sonol) and here (hydrogen).
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/energy-and-infrastructure/article-742546
13th World Congress of Baha'is in Haifa. Some 1,300 delegates from 176 countries participated in the International Bahá’í Convention. The event takes place every 5 years in Haifa - the administrative and spiritual center of the community. The Bahá’í have enjoyed freedom of worship in Israel from the beginning of the State.
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/culture/1682942056-over-1-300-representatives-convene-from-170-countries-for-baha-i-convention-in-israel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Pfs8jvMPo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXzHLkcDLTA
Medical incubator launched in Arab-Israeli city. (TY Hazel) The Israel Innovation Authority and Education Ministry have launched a health care startup incubator in the northern city of Sakhnin, the first in an Arab city. However, another Medical Incubator was launched in the area in 2022 – see here.
Female Druze player lifts National hoops trophy. When she was 6 years old and playing basketball in Isfiya, Noor dreamed she would lift the Israeli Female Basketball Premier League championship plate. 15 years later, the Israeli Druze girl’s dream came true. https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/hy8oj4w43
Israeli-organized women’s business conference. Israeli non-profit Start-Up Nation Central co-organized the “Women Connect to Innovate” conference in Morocco. It was attended by some 100 female business leaders from Israel, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, UAE, USA, and elsewhere.
https://www.jns.org/female-business-leaders-gather-in-morocco-to-forge-regional-connections/
The first capital city to be 100% solar powered. Israeli-founded Gigawatt Global (see here previously) has installed a solar power plant in Burundi, Africa, that makes Gitega the only capital city powered 100% by solar energy during the daytime. Further solar fields will provide Burundi with 20% of its power requirements.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/energy-and-infrastructure/article-742580
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Satellites for Azerbaijan. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel Aerospace Industries is to supply Azerbaijan with two satellites worth $120 million. One of the Azerbaijan’s previous satellites failed after colliding with space debris or a small meteorite. https://www.1lurer.am/en/2023/04/21/Israel-and-Azerbaijan-are-expanding-cooperation-in-field-of-economy-and-security/917691
Better development of AI vision apps. Israel’s Deci (see here previously) has developed YOLO-NAS – a deep learning computer vision model to detect objects in real time much faster than other models. YOLO (You Only Look Once) technology allows driverless cars to distinguish between people and inanimate objects.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/ai-deep-learning-gets-upgrade-with-new-object-detection-model/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msPQNeP7jms
Intelligence award. Israel’s Aurora Labs (see here previously) was selected for an Artificial Intelligence Excellence Award in the Business Intelligence Awards’ Vehicle Infrastructure Integration category for its Line-of-Code Intelligence technology. The technology helps engineers fix errors in automotive software.
https://www.auroralabs.com/news/aurora-labs-line-of-code-intelligence-technology-wins-the-2023-artificial-intelligence-excellence-award/ https://www.bintelligence.com/posts/5-people-30-companies-and-65-products-awarded-for-excellence-in-artificial-intelligence
Off-road vehicles on road to success. Israel’s Mia Dynamics has developed the MIA FOUR - an electric four-wheeled transport vehicle, intended for a complex terrain. Its top speed is 45km/h and has a 50km range. Germany’s Mayer Group has just ordered hundreds of the vehicles, costing a total of $1.3 million.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-742533 https://www.miadynamics.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gXUSmxkUcQ
BBC reports on Israeli safe nuclear fusion. A rare BBC non-bias report on Israel’s NT-Tao (see here previously). It hints at some of the features of the company’s nuclear fusion technology, specifically its methods of magnetic plasma containment (tokamak plus stellarator). Also, denser plasma allows a smaller reactor core.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65123116
Data Breakthrough. Israel’s Satori (see here previously) won the Data Security Solution of the Year Award in the fourth annual Data Breakthrough Awards program. Satori automates “just-in-time” data access while enforcing security policies and offering real-time visibility into the location of sensitive data.
Microsoft helps Israeli ag-tech startups. US tech giant Microsoft has partnered with Israeli non-profit Start-Up Nation Central to help Israeli agrifood tech startups augment their AI-powered models for sustainable farming solutions and get exposure to global markets.
Green vertical walls save energy. Hebrew University scientists have found that “Vertical green-living walls” (VGWs) - plants growing vertically on a wall - can save up to 20% of the energy used for air circulation in closed offices and spaces. They reduce carbon dioxide levels and cool the air around the green wall.
Mushroom diet saves overweight pig. Israel’s Freedom Farm rescued Yossi as a piglet from a pig farm but the factory farming conditions had made him grossly overweight, needing constant painkillers. Then a new diet of Cordyceps mushrooms from Israel’s Mycospring gave Yossi a new lease of life. They also work on humans.
https://www.israel21c.org/medicinal-mushrooms-give-rescued-pig-new-lease-on-life/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
The economy is strong. The International Monetary Fund issued its summary report on Israel for 2022. Bank of Israel Governor Prof. Amir Yaron said, “The report points to the strong economic fundamentals of the Israeli economy”. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371226
More flights to Israel. (TY Routesonline) Travel to Israel has increased significantly following the start of Delta Airlines’ Atlanta to Tel Aviv route (3 times a week). El Al has begun twice-weekly flights from Tokyo and from Porto Portugal, plus thrice-weekly from Dublin and from Istanbul.
GoForIsrael. The 30th annual GoForIsrael international investment conference on May 3 at the Tel Aviv Hilton included a record 60 presenting startups and a record 1,100 registrants. 40% of them from overseas and 40% of them investors. It highlighted that Israeli entrepreneurs succeed despite the many challenges.
https://www.israel21c.org/bullish-mood-prevails-at-investor-event-in-tel-aviv/
https://goforisrael.com/ https://goforisrael.com/goforisrael2023-tel-aviv/
Carrefour opens 50 stores. Fifty branches of Yeinot Bitan, Mega, and Super around Israel have been converted to Carrefour stores at a cost of NIS 250 million and opened to the public this week. They include 3 Carrefour Hypers - each between 2,500-4,000 square meters in size, plus an on-line sales site.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/french-retail-chain-carrefour-opens-50-stores-across-israel-vowing-to-disrupt-prices/ https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-carrefour-opens-50-stores-in-israel-on-tuesday-1001445803
Whole chunks from plants. Israel’s Chunk Foods (see here previously) creates whole-cut meat substitutes that are now available in restaurants in New York City and Los Angeles. Chunk Foods recently completed the biggest seed round of funding ever for an Israeli plant-based protein company, securing $15 million.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-plant-based-meat-startup-scores-record-seed-round/
Redefining meat at the supermarket. Israel’s Redefine Meat (see here previously) launched its alternative meat products in 300 Shufersal branches across Israel. The range includes shredded meat in pulled-beef style, ground meat, merguez sausage, lamb-style kebab, and a premium burger. All with no animal components.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-742289
Vultr launches in Tel Aviv. (TY Atid-EDI) Florida's Vultr, the world’s largest privately-held cloud computing company, has opened a cloud data center in Tel Aviv. It called the city “a hot spot for tech companies thanks to its highly-skilled workforce, innovation-friendly policies, and extensive access to funding.”
https://www.vultr.com/news/vultr-tel-aviv/
Stop clients from disappearing. (TY OurCrowd) The new ad campaign of Israel’s Honeybook (see here previously) humorously shows the difficulty of small businesses in getting paid. 100,000+ independent businesses have booked more than $9 billion worth of business on Honeybook’s platform.
https://www.lbbonline.com/news/honeybook-taps-performance-art-to-launch-first-major-us-campaign
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE48cVg1ZmM
Exits, takeovers and mergers to 14/5/23. Israel’s Tipa has acquired Germany’s compostable packaging company Bio4Pack for $8 million. It promises to further reduce plastic pollution. US giant Qualcomm is acquiring Israeli road safety startup Autotalks for $350-400 million. Hewlett Packard Enterprises acquired Israel’s Axis Security for $500 million. US Zscaler acquired Israel’s Canonic Security for an estimated $20.3 million. Philips is acquiring Israel’s DiA Imaging for nearly $100 million.
Investment in Israeli startups to 14/5/23: 8fig raised $140 million; UVeye raised $100 million; Weebit Nano raised $40 million; Avalor raised $30 million; LeapXpert raised $22 million; Chunk Foods raised $15 million; Infinidome raised $9 million; Trobix Bio raised $3 million; Admonis raised $1.6 million.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
International Museum Day. Israel gave free entry to dozens of museums to mark International Museum Day 2023. It was a great opportunity for children who also had a holiday from school to celebrate the Jewish festival of Lag B’Omer. https://www.icom.org.il/event/3503 https://www.icom.org.il/1454
Biblical Sebastia to be restored. Israel is to restore and develop the archeological park of Sebastia (Shomron) which was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel in 879 BCE (see Kings 1, ch 16 v 23-25).
https://www.jns.org/israel-to-turn-biblical-sebastia-into-archaeological-park/
http://allaboutjerusalem.com/tour/sebastia-national-park https://www.jns.org/opinion/why-sebastia/
The best Israeli content to watch on Netflix. From war epics and comedy, action-filled adventures to family dramas, there are plenty of amazing Israeli TV shows and films. Here is Israel21c’s top 10.
https://www.israel21c.org/best-israeli-content-to-catch-on-netflix/
Noa makes Eurovision final. Israel’s Noa Kirel succeeded in reaching the Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool with a dynamic performance in the semi-final of Israel’s entry “Unicorn”. She is now the 6th favorite to win. “Unicorn” was written by Doron Medalie, who also wrote Netta Barzilai’s 2018 winner “Toy”.
https://www.israel21c.org/israels-noa-kirel-makes-eurovision-final-with-unicorn/
Judoka Gold in Qatar. Israel’s Inbar Lanir on Friday won the women’s 78kg gold medal at the World Judo Championships in Doha, Qatar. She dedicated her win to the Israelis forced into bomb shelters this week due to the rocket fire from Gaza. See Hatikvah played in a country that has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371368
THE JEWISH STATE
Reminder – webinar to help UK pre- & post- Olim. On Tue 16 May, 7pm UK time, UKAA is hosting two free online talks. The 1st concerns insuring your shipment to Israel. The 2nd is on where to buy your home. Register at the link below. or email info@ukaliyahadvisors.com with your full name and phone number.
https://ukaliyahadvisors.com/event/16-may-2023/
111 new Ethiopian Olim. A group of 111 new immigrants from Ethiopia have arrived in Israel, joining more than 95,000 Ethiopian Olim including previous Operations 8,000 (Moses 1984), 14,000 (Solomon 1991), 7,000 (Doves Wings 2013), and so far 2,250 (Zur 2020-23).
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371167
Interview with an Arab Muslim. This video is an excellent response to Amnesty International. There are many hundreds of similar examples.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIVat97QND4 https://www.algemeiner.com/list/the-top-100-people-positively-influencing-jewish-life-2018/muhammad-kabiya/
From Israel with Love. You might still be able to book for the Technion UK’s London event to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary. But hurry – It’s on the 14th May. All proceeds go towards the Integrated Cancer Research Centre at the Technion. Or support Christians United For Israel and get 75th anniversary gifts.
https://technionuk.org/event/israel75/ https://www.cufi.org.uk/donate75/
Free entry to National Parks for Gaza border residents. People living within 40 km of the Gaza Strip will be granted free entry into Israel's national parks and gardens, including the night parking lots. The purpose is to allow them to have a respite over the weekend. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-742831
Whose Land. The video series’ definitive history of the rights of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.
230507
In the 7th May 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israelis have developed and implanted the world’s smallest heart pump.
· Medical experts come to Israel to learn about healthy aging.
· Israelis show the Jewish State in its true light to the United Nations.
· Israeli technology can solve the problem of unrecyclable plastic.
· Israeli airport security scanning is keeping our skies safe.
· Oil from Jerusalem is used to anoint King Charles.
· Click here to see the 30th Apr newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours with a beautiful message. Also (TY Sandra) in German here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew. 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 22,400 articles). It would have helped avoid a media headline error (see here) that the JUICE space mission is the first to carry Israeli tech into deep space (see this previous occasion and also this).
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israeli surgeons perform innovative skin cancer treatment. For the first time in Israel, plastic surgeons and oncologists at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center used electrochemotherapy to treat skin cancer tumors. An electric current disrupts the cellular membrane of the tumor cells, allowing chemotherapy to enter.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-740208
Successful trial of world’s smallest heart pump. Israel’s Magenta Medical has completed the First-In-Human trial, in Tbilisi, Georgia, of its Elevate percutaneous Left Ventricular Assist Device (pLVAD) – the smallest heart pump in the world. Magenta has just raised $55 million and US clinical trials are now being planned.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/magenta-medical-closes-55m-funding-round-led-by-orbimed-301814419.html https://www.tctmd.com/slide/magenta-elevatetm-high-output-low-french-size-percutaneous-left-ventricular-support-device https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjv57t14h
Cold cure. (TY Hazel) A study used the cryoablation system from Israel’s IceCure Medical (see here previously) to treat 42 women with the chronic, painful, incurable disease endometriosis. 93.75% had no pain after six months, and 82.72% remained pain-free up to three years later.
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/freezing-tech-could-treat-painful-womens-disease/
Israel closes last Covid-19 ward. Jerusalem’s Herzog Medical Center has closed the hospital’s coronavirus ward, the last one operating in the country. The ward’s closure means that future COVID-19 patients will be treated in regular hospital wards. Herzog’s coronavirus ward opened in August 2020, and treated 2,000 patients.
https://www.jns.org/israel-shuts-down-last-covid-specific-hospital-ward/
Sheba saves mother and daughter. (TY UWI & I24 News) When an Israeli woman discovered that she and her daughter were suffering from a dangerous genetic heart condition, Sheba Medical Center found innovative ways to save their lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_0IfKRI0As
Biomed Israel. 6,000 delegates are expected at Biomed Israel in Tel Aviv - the 21st annual networking event to explore life-sciences and health-tech topics ranging from medical robots to longevity. The event (May18 – 18) will attract healthcare industry executives, scientists, engineers, physicians, and investors from 45 countries.
https://www.israel21c.org/global-health-industry-stakeholders-coming-to-biomed-israel/
https://kenes-exhibitions.com/biomed/agenda/
Can lucid dreaming be harmful. The normally anti-Israel BBC has credited the medical research of scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University. Lucid dreaming is when you realize that you are in a dream and then use the opportunity to control the dream.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230425-can-lucid-dreaming-be-harmful
Live longer in Israel. The Longevity Nation conference, (Movement for Longevity and Quality of Life in Israel) in March highlighted 5 factors to healthy aging. Energized cells, good arteries, removal of old cells, SIRT6 prevents frailty, and methylation counters stress. The Sheba Longevity conference is on May 10 - 11.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-scientists-seeking-secrets-to-longer-healthier-lives/ https://longevitynation.org/
https://www.longevityisrael.org/ https://slcc.co.il/
Not the oldest. A previous newsletter (see here) reported that Israeli doctors put a pacemaker into 102-year-old Rachel Kafri. As remarkable as it sounds, Rachel isn’t the oldest Israeli recipient of a pacemaker. The same medical team has implanted pacemakers inside at least three other Israelis older than 100. The eldest was 107.
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/israel-middle-east/why-israelis-live-so-long
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Providing education for hospitalized Israeli children. Since its inception in 2009, SASA Setton (see here previously) has provided educational solutions to nearly 2 million hospitalized children from all parts of Israeli society in every hospital in Israel – some 140,000 children annually in Hebrew, English, Arabic, and Ukrainian.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-740068
Dog-training therapy for wounded soldiers. New York-based belev echad has established a program Dogs 4 Soldiers. It provides therapeutic puppies to love and assist wounded IDF warriors. The soldiers learn to train their puppies by professional dog trainers who then certify the soldiers to become professional dog trainers.
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/idf-veterans-best-friend-dogs-ease-pain-of-ptsd/
https://belevechad.nyc/programs/israel/dogs-4-soldiers/
The faces of Israel. The Jerusalem Post partnered Jerusalem’s Museum of Tolerance to organize the “Celebrate the Faces of Israel” conference. The Israeli speakers included The President, Jerusalem’s Mayor, Nobel Laureates Aumann and Shechtman; MKs and business leaders, plus US Ambassadors past & present, and more.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370662 https://congress.jpost.com/faces-of-israel-23/
Urban renewal projects up by 200%. In 2022, urban renewal permits increased by 200% (28,630 units) over 2021. Most of these were to reinforce apartment buildings built before 1980 to withstand earthquakes, and add amenities such as an elevator, enlarge the apartments and add a protective security room.
Showing the UN the benefits of drone technology. Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, together with Israel’s National Drone Initiative, held an event at the UN headquarters on drone technologies. Israeli startups presented the "sky of tomorrow,” featuring smart transportation, security, safety, health, commerce and more.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370980
Shalva Band plays at the UN. To celebrate Israel’s 75th Anniversary, Israel’s Shalva band performed to hundreds of diplomats on the stage of the United Nations in Geneva. The band comprises disabled performers including two blind singers. One of them sung a song in Arabic that she dedicated to all the mothers in the hall.
https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/hjkpz6jv2
All at sea in Singapore. Israel inaugurated its national pavilion at Singapore’s IMDEX Asia Naval and Maritime Defense Exhibition. The event was attended by over 11,000 delegates from more than 60 countries and regions. Israeli companies included Controp, DSIT, Elbit, IAI, Israel Shipyards, Orbit and Rafael.
https://www.jns.org/israel-inaugurates-national-pavilion-at-singapore-defense-exhibition/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
How Israel became the Innovation Nation. (TY WIN & I24 News) A new video which explains how Israel has grown to an innovation powerhouse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oNjVyCKEGY
SpaceTech growing at Light Speed. This OurCrowd webinar highlights how SpaceTech is changing the way people work on Earth. Hear speakers from Axiom Space. Balerion Space Ventures, Edgybees and Ursa Major.
https://events.ourcrowd.com/project/spacetech-growing-at-lightspeed/
Edison award winner. Israel’s Innoviz (see here previously) has been awarded the Edison Award for technology in the Smart Transportation category. Its latest product, InnovizTwo, provides high-performance, automotive-grade LiDAR sensor for all levels of autonomous driving at dramatically lower cost.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-740032
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwi8wTTcnGM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zskIHfyVXM
https://innoviz.tech/innoviztwo#top
A beam of light on the horizon. A most comprehensive article about Magen Or (Light Shield or Iron Beam) the laser defense system being developed by Israel’s Rafael and the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/t7ac5asht
Turning sludge into fertilizer. Lodologic the Brazilian affiliate of Israel’s Paulee Cleantec. has signed a contract with SABESP, one of Brazil’s largest sanitation providers, to treat over 310 tons of wastewater sludge every day from 4 million residents. It will be turned into organo-mineral fertilizer, in high demand by farmers.
https://www.israel21c.org/turning-tons-of-brazilian-sludge-into-odorless-fertilizer/
Returning plastic to its origins. Israel’s Plastic Back can reverse engineer any type of plastic waste into its original oil, wax, and chemical components. It will buy any plastic waste that cannot be recycled and pilot a chemical process developed at the Hebrew University, to upcycle the waste back to the petrochemical industry.
https://www.israel21c.org/novel-system-reverse-engineers-plastic-waste-for-upcycling/
https://www.plastic-back.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npp9-vYYx7Q
Biodegradable plastic. (TY Hazel) Interesting video featuring Israel’s Biotic (see here previously) and its bio-degradable polymer produced from naturally grown algae. The algae is ocean grown, so no arable land is used; and sea-water, rather than treated water is also used in the process, minimizing resources used.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM8QhUtGU7U https://www.biotic-labs.com/
A breath of fresh water. Israel’s Mayu aims to produce healthy and sustainable water, accessible to anyone, anywhere. Its water filtration devices purify, through filtration; aerate, to balance oxygen levels; and mineralize, by “micro-dosing” the water with minerals. Mayu’s first product – The Swirl is available on its website.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-startup-aiming-to-fix-the-water-we-drink/ https://mayuwater.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxsWaEChE7M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOrwa6Mo4VM
A sunscreen that is good for corals. In a previous news story (see here) Israeli scientists had issued a global warning that sunscreen ingredient BP-3 was harmful to coral reefs. Now Eilat has partnered with marine and skincare specialists to develop Reef Relief, a sunscreen that includes nourishing minerals to help reefs grow.
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/worlds-first-sunscreen-that-nourishes-coral-reefs/
https://www.reefreliefsunscreen.com/
Thermal storage factory opens. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Brenmiller Energy (see here previously) has opened its first production plant in the southern Israeli city of Dimona. The factory, built with the help of EU funds, aims to produce storage systems capable of holding four gigawatts of energy by the end of the year.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-green-thermal-storage-company-opens-first-factory-in-dimona/
Better airline security. (TY Nevet) The security scanning system from Israel’s SeeTrue (see here previously) is now deployed at several European airports. In 2022 it detected 500,000+ prohibited items, from scissors and screwdrivers to drugs and banknotes. It is 10 times faster than a human and has half the error rate.
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/ai-bag-scanner-is-faster-and-more-accurate-than-airport-staff/
Grapes originated in the Land of Israel. Scientists previously (see here) traced the domestication of grapes to Israel and the Caucasus. Now researchers from Tel Aviv and Haifa universities have confirmed the original findings by genetic tests on ancient wine seeds discovered by archeologists in the Negev.
https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/rkk72kxv2
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Trade with New Jersey is worth billions. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority reports that trade between New Jersey and Israel increased by 11% in 2022 to $1.72 billion. It also highlighted that Israeli investments were valued at approximately $551m. and had created 1,900 local jobs since 2003.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-740242
https://www.jns.org/despite-economic-headwinds-new-jersey-israel-trade-increased-11-in-2022/
One of the fastest growing companies in the world. The annual revenue of Israeli cybersecurity Semperis (see here previously) has grown to nearly $100 million in just 9 years. Its disaster recovery system knows how to detect cyber-attacks, neutralize them, and restore the organization's activities automatically.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s1yug0x7n
A growing Unicorn. Optibus (see here previously) is a billion-dollar Israeli private company whose value is increasing, despite the current financial market downturn. In 2022 it doubled its revenues and workforce. Its public transportation management software is now used in 2,000 cities worldwide.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sk8hzaxq3
Permit to sell cow-free milk. Israel’s Remilk (see here previously) has received regulatory approval from Israel’s Health Ministry to sell its cultured protein-based cow-free milk products to Israeli consumers. Remilk already has permits to sell its products (chemically identical to cow’s milk) in the USA and Singapore.
How 7th Heaven was invented. 7th Heaven chocolate (see here previously) was conceived in the kitchens of two vegan Israeli chocoholics Daniel and Elya, who were dating. They have just raised $3 million to market the creamy non-dairy, kosher chocolate beyond its current retail locations of New York, Miami, and California.
https://www.7thheavenchocolate.com/
Volvo invests in Israeli driver safety startup. (TY OurCrowd) Volvo Cars Tech Fund joined the current $6M target funding round for CorrActions (see here previously). Its CEO said “CorrActions fits the bill perfectly and focuses on a mission that is close to our heart: making cars and traffic safer.”
https://www.media.volvocars.com/uk/en-gb/media/pressreleases/310402/volvo-cars-tech-fund-invests-in-ai-startup-corractions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StZoharC4VQ
49 more startups in MassChallenge II. Israel’s largest equity-free accelerator program, MassChallenge IL, brought together 49 startups in Jerusalem recently to learn business essentials, a first step towards enabling companies to complete its four-month “investor-ready” program.
https://www.jns.org/49-israeli-startups-learn-business-basics-in-masschallenge-program/
Rolling out smart shopping carts. Israel’s A2Z Smart Technologies (see here previously) has signed an agreement to roll out 1,000 of its smart pick-and-go, self-checkout shopping carts at Israel’s Hastok home design and household concept stores across the country in a deal valued at NIS 30 million ($8.3 million).
Exits, takeovers and mergers to 7/5/23. US-based Blink Mobility acquired Israel’s Envoy for $34 million. Israel’s Youappi has been acquired by an unnamed US company for around $110 million.
Investment in Israeli startups to 7/5/23: Pinecone raised $100 million; Healthy.io raised $50 million; Magenta Medical raised $55 million; Novidea raised $50 million; Coro.net raised $45 million; Foretellix raised $43 million; ADASKY raised $30 million; Trullion raised $15 million; Neteera raised $13 million; Ctrl raised $9 million; Aligned raised $5.8 million; Viridix raised $4.1 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Prize for Jewish Literature. Israeli writer Iddo Gefen has won the $100,000 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for his short-story collection, “Jerusalem Beach.” Iddo is a cognitive psychology doctoral student at Columbia University. His book is a series of snapshots of contemporary life in Israel - some to become movies.
https://www.jns.org/iddo-gefen-wins-sami-rohr-prize-for-jewish-literature/
Visit Arad. The desert city of Arad has changed since the article’s author first visited in 1989. Its coffee bars, healthy environment, wellness therapy, art studios, wineries, brewery, restaurants, hiking trails, hotels and glamping sites provide plenty to interest tourists and visiting Israelis. Search “Travel Arad Israel” for more.
https://www.israel21c.org/experience-relaxed-desert-tourism-in-arad/
Tour Jerusalem on a Red Bus. The new Red Bus City Tour offers narrated sightseeing tours of Jerusalem in a choice of 29 languages. The 90-min tour visits the Old City, Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus. Or 2.5 hours to City Hall, Sacher Park, Knesset, Israel Museum, Yad Vashem, National Library, Mount Herzl and more.
https://www.israel21c.org/tour-jerusalem-in-a-red-double-decker-bus-with-narration/
FIFA supports Israeli soccer programs. FIFA - the top governing body in the world of soccer – has awarded $30,000 to Israeli non-profit “The Equalizer” (see here previously) for its 3 soccer programs. FIFA has also renewed its support for the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation’s sports program (see here previously).
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-740087?utm_source=jpost.app.android&utm_medium=share
THE JEWISH STATE
Practical advice for UK Anglos pre- and post- Aliya. On Tue 16 May, 7pm UK time, UKAA is hosting two free online talks. The 1st concerns insuring your shipment to Israel. The 2nd is on where to buy your home. Register at the link below. or email info@ukaliyahadvisors.com with your full name and phone number.
https://ukaliyahadvisors.com/event/16-may-2023/
Jewish and Democratic. (TY Nevet) The latest edition of the annual Democracy Index from the prestigious Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranks Israel 23rd of 167 countries. Israel is by far the most democratic country in the Middle East, and it is also ahead of Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the United States.
Digitizing ancient Israel inscriptions. US Brown University, and the University of Virginia before that, have digitized over 5,000 texts and their translations from the land of Israel between 500 BCE and 514 CE. They were written mostly on mosaics and stone, and are largely in Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek and Latin.
https://www.jns.org/brown-university-project-is-digitizing-10000-ancient-israel-inscriptions/
http://www.inscriptionsisraelpalestine.org/
Israeli archeologists excavate in Morocco. The Abraham Accords have allowed Israeli researchers to excavate two huge ‘genizas’ found in rural Morocco. Israelis who once lived in abandoned Moroccan villages are now able to investigate remnants of their Jewish life in Morocco and that of their ancestors. https://www.timesofisrael.com/abraham-accords-allow-israelis-to-excavate-two-huge-genizas-found-in-rural-morocco/
75 Ambassadors plant 75 trees for Israel 75. To commemorate Israel’s 75th anniversary of independence, the KKL-JNF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs encouraged the whole diplomatic corps in Israel to plant 75 trees as a symbol of growth, development, and a strong connection to the land of Israel.
King Charles is anointed with Jerusalem oil. The oil used to crown King Charles III on May 6th comes from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Israel. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, noted the “deep historic link” between the oil for the coronation and that of biblical kings.
https://www.jns.org/king-charles-to-be-anointed-with-oil-from-mount-of-olives/
Lucy Dee’s heart. When Lital woke up after the transplant surgery with the heart of Lucy (Leah) Dee, she couldn’t stop crying. “How much love does the Creator of the world have to give me the heart of such a woman? The power of this woman of grace, I feel it inside my body.” Then Lucy’s family came to visit Lital.
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In the 30th Apr 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Innovative Israeli therapy causes cancer cells to collapse.
· A simple Israeli device will save numerous babies from suffocation.
· Israel opens a permanent embassy in another Muslim country.
· Three Israeli startups have won awards for hydrogen-based technology.
· A record number of passengers used Ben Gurion Airport in March.
· Israelis are “all a flutter” from a heavy dose of butterflies.
· Some great stories to celebrate Israel’s 75 birthday.
· Click here to see the 16th Apr newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours with another great intro, IsraPundit, and United With Israel with extra feature on Medical. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and posted by Stuart Palmer here. Also (TY Zachy) for Hebrew translation of 2nd Apr newsletter here and 16th Apr here and (TY Stuart) posted 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 22,400 articles). It would have helped avoid a media headline error (see here) that the JUICE space mission is the first to carry Israeli tech into deep space (see this previous occasion and also this).
· 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
Cancer therapy breakthrough. (TY WIN) Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed nanoparticles containing RNA that silences the protein CKAP5 – essential to the stability of many types of cancer. The therapy causes the cancer cells to collapse and is 80% effective in lab tests targeting ovarian cancer.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370420 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade4800
Diffusing radiation therapy for inoperable cancer. Israel’s Alpha Tau Medical (see here previously) has used its Alpha DaRT radiation therapy to treat its first patient with advanced inoperable pancreatic cancer. The Montreal trial will treat 30 patients with Stage II, III, or IV pancreatic cancer or an inoperable pancreatic tumor.
https://www.alphatau.com/single-post/alpha-tau-jgh-announce-alpha-dart-treatment-of-first-patient-in-pancreatic-cancer-clinical-trial https://www.ourcrowd.com/companies/alpha-tau
Preventing mosquito bites. Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have discovered that a thin coating of natural, sustainable, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) applied to human skin, decreases the number of mosquito bites by 80%. In combination with the naturally occurring amino acid Indole, it is over 99% effective.
https://www.jns.org/hebrew-u-researchers-develop-new-method-to-prevent-mosquito-bites/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37056470/
Relieving social anxiety without pills. An Israeli-led study of 105 adults with social anxiety disorder used therapy based on eye-tracking, combined with a musical reward. The “gaze-contingent music reward therapy” (GC-MRT) was just as successful (50%) as the standard psychiatric medicine.
https://www.israel21c.org/musical-technology-relieves-social-anxiety-without-drugs/
https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/appi.ajp.20220533
Relieve stress with an AI-based nutrition coach. April is Stress Awareness Month in both the USA and UK, Israeli-US startup myAir has marked it by launching its stressless routine smart food platform. It includes 24/7 personal support from an AI-based nutrition coach to supplement its nutrition bars (see here previously).
https://myair.ai/landing/coach/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz_AMupe9wQ
Turning out alright. It took an Israeli - Dr Abraham Yaari - to invent the Yaari Extractor™- a simple device that solves shoulder dystocia – an emergency where a baby’s shoulders are preventing safe delivery. The device allows the obstetrician or gynecologist to turn the baby 45 degrees, thus preventing its suffocation.
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/super-simple-device-that-frees-trapped-babies/ https://yaariextractor.com/
Matching patients to the best treatments. The normally anti-Israel BBC has discovered Israel’s Genetika+ (see here previously) which is developing a precision tool that uses Artificial Intelligence to determine if a particular antidepressant will work for an individual. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65260592
Super-paramedic. Benny, a United Hatzalah volunteer EMT, treated two victims of a terrorist stabbing. Before that, however, he helped immobilize the terrorist. A real life Israeli super-hero.
Israeli doctor saves passenger. For the second newsletter in a row, another Israeli doctor saved an airline passenger. This time it was a teenager who suffered a severe anaphylactic attack. United Hatzalah volunteer Dr. Natan Ungar used adrenaline to treat the patient, and the El Al plane continued from Tel Aviv to New York.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370205
Robotic surgery saves Jerusalem doctor. When Dr. Ariel Lipschuetz fractured his back skiing in France, he called Dr Schroeder, Director of Hadassah’s back unit. Amazingly, he was skiing only 26km away and arranged for robotic percutaneous fixation surgery at Hadassah. It saved Dr Lipschuetz from almost certain paralysis.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-739194
Celebrating the Remarkable 3. I highly recommend watching this inspiring video of some of the pioneering medical science and researchers at Israel’s Ben Gurion University. It describes BGU’s groundbreaking discoveries and innovations in 3D printed science, cancer research, biomedical engineering, and so much more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv81QOBhdrY
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Helping to feed the vulnerable. Israeli charity Sayeret Hessed Yihudit - SAHI (see here previously) has grown to 1,500 volunteers ages 13 to 19. Comprising 44 chapters with 80 leaders, they perform voluntary community service in depressed communities. SAHI’s Ofri Butbul lit a Yom Ha’Atzmaut torch in 2021.
https://www.israel21c.org/saving-at-risk-teens-by-making-them-givers-not-takers/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMlQCWevpy0
Five examples of Israeli Jewish-Arab partnership. (TY UWI & I24 News) Yoseph Hadded reminds everyone about the partnership between Arabs and Jews in Israel. You won’t see this in the Mainstream media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAWvaaGojhI
Israeli soldiers rescue trapped camel. When a camel got itself stuck in between rocks in the desert, soldiers from an IDF unit helped extricate the distressed animal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XELMqMfZ4M
Eurovision contestants plant saplings in Israel. 36 participants in the Eurovision Song Contest in May have planted saplings in the KKL Eurovision Forest, halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. KKL-JNF’s Karine Bolton complimented the musicians, “Your music is like a seed of hope being planted for the future.”
https://www.jns.org/eurovision-participants-plant-saplings-of-hope-healing-and-harmony/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2023
Saving billions of plastic bottles. Israel’s SodaStream (now owned by PepsiCo) says it has prevented five billion single-use plastic bottles from being used last year. SodaStream systems use pressurized cylinders to add carbon dioxide to water and create soda at home, thereby not wasting single-use bottles.
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/sodastream-saves-five-billion-single-use-plastic-bottles/
Moroccan diplomats hold “Mimouna” celebration. (TY WIN & I24 News) Morocco’s liaison office in Israel – soon to be expanded to a full-fledged embassy – marked the Moroccan Jewish tradition of ending Passover festival with a “Mimouna” gathering. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1fov_hBWfg
Opening Israeli embassy in Turkmenistan. Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen landed in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, to inaugurate the permanent building of the Israeli embassy in Turkmenistan and meet with the Jewish community. This year Israel and Turkmenistan mark 30 years of diplomatic relations.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370236 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC7lv4CZG7U
70 years of diplomatic relations with Mexico. 1,200+ people attended a concert in Mexico to celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and Mexico. The soloists were Israel’s Evgenia Epshtein and Mexico’s Adrián Justus, who has given two performances at Monday concerts in Netanya.
https://www.jpost.com/365days/music/article-735738
Heroes. Israeli NGO Heroes for Life (see here previously) is sending dozens of ex-IDF personnel to volunteer in deprived areas of Brazil. Israel also just held a ceremony for Outstanding Soldiers. Three are Haredi Jews. https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/hktpffyzn
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370562
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Jupiter mission launches with Israeli tech on board. The European Space Agency’s JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) mission launched on Apr 14. It carried an Ultra Stable Oscillator made by Israel’s AccuBeat (see here previously) which will measure the composition of Jupiter’s atmosphere when it arrives there in 2031.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-made-atomic-clock-to-measure-jupiters-atmosphere/
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369960 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlR3VeDg_1Y
Hydrogen’s rising star. Israel's GenCell (see here previously) received the Rising Star in the Hydrogen Field award, in the framework of the Hydrogen Future Awards 2023. Presented at the Connecting Green Hydrogen MENA conference in Dubai, it recognizes GenCell’s zero-emission hydrogen and other technologies.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-739585
Another Hydrogen award winner. Bloomberg’s New Energy Finance energy-transition research arm has awarded a BloombergNEF Pioneer award to Israel’s H2Pro (see here previously). H2Pro is building a plant capable of producing 73 tons a year of hydrogen from water electrolysis, for commercial deployment in 2025.
https://blog.ourcrowd.com/12-climate-tech-innovators-building-a-net-zero-world/
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2023-green-tech-startups-bnef-pioneer-award-winners/
Hydrogen-powered drones. Israel’s Heven Drones has unveiled its H2D55 hydrogen-powered UAV. It can fly for 100 minutes with a 7kg payload. HevenDrones won the Monaco Hydrogen Alliance Award for Disruptive Hydrogen Mobility. https://www.hevendrones.com/ https://uasweekly.com/2023/01/26/hevendrones-wins-monaco-hydrogen-alliance-award-for-disruptive-hydrogen-mobility/ https://www.jns.org/israeli-hydrogen-powered-drones-could-prove-revolutionary/
Israel’s largest solar project. Israel’s Teralight has launched the “Ta’anakh” - the country’s largest solar project - in the Jezreel Valley. It is expected to provide electricity for around a quarter-million Israelis living in more than 60,000 households by the end of the first half of next year. https://www.teralight.co.il/
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/energy-and-infrastructure/article-739978
Reversing the flow of water. The Israel Water Authority (Mekorot) Reverse Water Project is complete, and water can now flow from Israel’s desalination plants back into Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). It is the first project of its kind and will ensure that the world’s lowest freshwater lake will never be at risk of running dry.
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/new-pipeline-brings-water-from-mediterranean-to-sea-of-galilee/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv2kwTzAaU4
Soil sensor launched. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s DOTS (Data Of The Soil) has now launched its electro-optical soil sensor and information system (see here previously). Real-time nitrate monitoring can significantly reduce the use of fertilizers. https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-738875
AI and Beyond. Some 500 experts, students, and guests attended the annual Tech.AI conference of Israel’s Technion Institute, focusing on ways to translate AI theories into useful applications. Companies involved included Microsoft, IBM, Mobileye, Nvidia, Harel, and AI21 Labs, plus many Israeli university professors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtW4NZJmniQ
The future – one circuit at a time. (TY UWI & I24 News) The 7th Israeli Conference on Robotics featured many innovative Israeli startups including Cogniteam (software for autonomous robots), Israeli founded Momentis (Anovo surgical robot), and Forsight Robotics (eye surgery). https://www.cogniteam.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=919_r67LtIY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq4-G8d4ESo
https://www.momentissurgical.com/
Green MED diet is great for the heart. Studies of the Green Mediterranean (high polyphenols) diet (see here previously) show its benefits for the gut and brain. Now, Ben Gurion University research shows it is twice as good as the standard Mediterranean diet for the heart aorta that carries oxygenated blood throughout the body.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/nutrition/article-739497
Reduced sugar berry juices. Israel’s Better Juice (see here previously) has completed successful trials of its technology to lower the sugar content (sucrose, fructose, and glucose) of natural berry and other fruit juices. It also works on fruit products such as jams. These products are predicted to reach the shelves next year.
Look who’s eating vegan. At a visit to Israel’s Steakholder foods (see here previously) a high-profile Israeli politician said “Today we ate fish produced without fish, meat produced without cows. This is a global revolution. Soon we will bring new approvals and new heights that will change the world,"
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370229
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-first-israeli-startup-to-get-permit-to-produce-cow-free-milk/
Green Product award. Israel’s Balena (see here previously) won a Green Product Award in the fashion category from the Green Future Club at a ceremony in Berlin. The international award program, now in its 10th year, recognizes products and services in sustainability, innovation, and design.
https://www.israel21c.org/compostable-shoe-material-wins-green-product-award-in-berlin/
All the medals at Maths Olympiad. (TY Nevet) In a historic first, a team of Israeli students took home every medal possible at the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) for grades 10 - 12 in Slovenia. Noga Friedman beat 214 from 54 countries to win gold with a "perfect score." Israelis also won silver and gold.
https://www.jpost.com/j-spot/article-740091
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Ben Gurion Airport’s busiest ever month. Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport saw its busiest month in history during Mar 2023. A total of 1,983,428 passengers passed through on 13,490 international and domestic flights – 57% more than in Mar 2022. El Al flew 432,365 passengers – its highest monthly total and 50% more than in 2022.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-738805
Toyota prize to fund Israeli gardens. Israeli non-profit Venatata has won Toyota’s NIS 1 million Israel Earth Prize. The prize money will be allocated towards Venatata's 100 Gardens Project, which aims to establish 100 therapeutic gardens in medical and social rehabilitation centers across Israel.
https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-736392 https://venatata.org/en/home-page/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V5B-_p6ZWQ
Fish for Morocco. A consortium of Israeli-based startups is partnering with Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University to produce high-protein fish food for Morocco’s fish farms. They are Seakura (seaweed), Shachar Group (recycled waste), FreezeM (insect protein), and Hungary’s Celitron (organic waste).
https://www.shachar.biz/en/home-page/
Managing wastewater down under. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s Kando (see here previously) is partnering Australia’s Detection Services to deliver Kando’s wastewater management technology to customers in Australia and New Zealand. It follows a successful Proof of Concept project at Rotorua New Zealand.
Controlling drone deliveries in Brazil. Israel’s High Lander (see here previously) is partnering Brazil’s Speedbird - one of Brazil’s largest UAV operators - to safely steer drones delivering fast-food and groceries across Brazil. Locals order with the app iFood and a High Lander-controlled Speedbird UAV delivers the food.
Intelligence for brokers. Israel’s Capitola offers a productivity and market intelligence platform for broker teams. Its platform brings together brokers and underwriters, removing many of the operational inefficiencies around manual processes and repetitive tasks.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rj9izbtzn https://www.capitola-ins.com/
Wind farms in Poland. Zephyrus Wing Energies is the first company to list on the TASE since August; raises NIS 145 million at a company valuation of NIS 935 million. Zephyrus’ projects in Poland include Potegowo - the largest wind-energy project in the country, comprising eight wind farms at multiple sites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0img9G5_J0
Israel is a critical market. Vesey Ventures, based in the US and Israel, has launched a $78 million fund investing in early stage fintech companies. Vesey was founded by three former female Managing Directors at AMEX Ventures, focusing on Israel as a critical market for enterprise software, cybersecurity and data and AI.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1ulbx1m3
Exits, takeovers and mergers to 30/4/23. US-based Akamai Technologies is acquiring Israel’s NeoSec for “several dozen millions of dollars”.
Investment in Israeli startups to 30/4/23: Zephyrus Wing Energies raised $40 million (IPO); CropX raised $30 million; Quantum Source raised $27 million; Volumez raised $20 million; Capitola raised $15.6 million; Safeguard (construction) raised $8 million; Floodlight raised $6.4 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
A summer of music. Israeli performances this summer include Shlomo Artzi, Gidi Gov, Static, Nunu, Marina Maximillian, Idan Raichel, Ishay Ribo, and Chava Alberstein. International stars include Backstreet Boys, Robbie Williams, Sam Smith, Papa Roach, Guns N’ Roses, The Black Keys, Buddy Guy, & Imagine Dragons.
https://www.israel21c.org/top-live-shows-to-catch-in-israel-this-spring-and-summer/
From Israel with Love. The Technion UK will be holding an event in London on May 15 to celebrate Israel’s 75th Anniversary. All proceeds from the show will go towards funding the Integrated Cancer Research Centre at the Technion. https://technionuk.org/event/israel75/
Butterfly exodus. (TY UWI) The fields surrounding Israel’s Hula Lake are currently covered in Pink Lady butterflies enroute from the Arabian peninsula to Europe. Its an intergenerational migration, as the butterflies that arrived from Saudi Arabia lay eggs in Israel that eventually turn into butterflies that continue onto Europe.
https://www.israel21c.org/feast-your-eyes-on-thousands-of-butterflies-at-festival/
https://static.israel21c.org/www/uploads/2023/04/video-2.mp4
National butterfly. With its colors matching the Israeli flag, the common blue butterfly has been voted Israel’s national butterfly. It joins the hoopoe (national bird), the anemone (national flower), the olive (national tree), and the Canaan dog (national dog), as symbols. Tens of thousands of Israeli schoolchildren voted.
Sportstech Emmy winner. Israeli sports-tech company WSC Sports (see here previously) won an “AI-ML Curation of Sports Highlights” award at the 74th Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards. The awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-sports-tech-company-wins-emmy-award/
THE JEWISH STATE
4 sets of twins in 24 hours. Four women each delivered twin babies within the same 24-hour period at Israel’s Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba. Prof Shantal, director of the Women's and Midwives department said that when the mother embraces two babies, the room is double happiness and magic.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-740085
Toronto friends celebrate in Israel. 300+ members of UJA (United Jewish Appeal) of greater Toronto have been touring Israel (Apr 24 - May 1) on an “Israel @ 75” mission. It explores Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Sderot, the Dead Sea, and much more, with a variety of tracks. It ends with a gala in Tel Aviv for 1500+ Israel supporters.
https://www.jewishtoronto.com/missions/israel-at-75
Why I love Israel. (TY Jacob Richman) To celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Jacob has updated his hot-sites of Israel links. I particularly recommend Barbara Sofer’s 75+1 new reasons I love Israel.
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/israel-resources.htm
https://jr.co.il/articles/75+1-new-reasons-why-i-love-israel.htm https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-739802
Babies in Blue & White. For Israel’s Independence Day, Israel’s Assuta Hospital in Ashdod dressed the newborns in its maternity ward in the colors of the Israeli flag. "Our flag symbolizes our inseverable connection to this land and our responsibility to stay united for the sake of the children of tomorrow," the hospital wrote.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370508
Happy 75th birthday Israel. Some new videos and recent photos to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the declaration of Israel’s Independence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I9R4d1KR_k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFNc_dwXoY4 (Omri Caspi – We Had Faith)
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370521 (Knesset in Blue & White)
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370556 (Israeli flag in Eilat)
Here forever. Ofra Haza and Zohar Argov were two of Israel’s most loved singers. They never sang together, until now. For Israel’s 75th birthday, their families agreed that a team of Israeli producers could use Artificial Intelligence to create a new song and a video of the two, performing a duet “Kan Le’Olam” (“Here Forever”).
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ai-brings-2-distinctly-israeli-voices-to-life-for-israels-75th/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ND1Pw6QD_0
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In the 16th Apr 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli high pressure oxygen treatment cures traumatic induced fibromyalgia.
· A 102-year-old Israeli woman is the oldest known recipient of a pacemaker.
· Israeli Foreign minister hosts Iftar meal for Muslim diplomats.
· Israelis aid “forgotten” hurricane & cholera victims in Malawi.
· Israeli scientists have discovered that plants can “talk”.
· Major boosts to Israeli trade relations with UK and Vietnam.
· An Israeli whisky is named the best single malt in the world.
· The organs of two Israeli victims of terror saved 10 lives.
· Click here to see the 2nd Apr newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, IsraPundit, and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here and posted by Stuart Palmer here. Also (TY Zachy) for Hebrew translation of 19th Mar newsletter 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 22,300 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
HBOT is effective for fibromyalgia. Tel Aviv University researchers have found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is more effective than medication in reducing fibromyalgia pain caused by a traumatic head injury. 40% of the HBOT group were cured of fibromyalgia, compared to none receiving standard medication.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0282406
Health monitor is a lifesaver. (TY Hazel) Israel’s BioBeat (see here previously) has just completed a study of its wearable chest monitor in use on 521 patients. It reported a 77% success rate for detecting those at high risk of deterioration. This compared with 20% monitored using current alternative methods.
https://nocamels.com/2023/03/wireless-device-monitors-patients-vital-signs/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2023.1138647/full
AI emergency system saves more lives. A unique, artificial intelligence-based system is helping paramedics in Israel save lives by transcribing poor-quality emergency phone calls to save precious time. The technology was developed by Israel’s AudioCodes (see here previously) and is now installed at MDA’s 101 dispatch center.
https://www.mdais.org/en/news/230923 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTi3v_AHfdw
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-735640
US approval for PTSD brain modulator. Israel’s GrayMatters Health (see here previously) has received US FDA clearance to market its Prism system, for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The patient wears Prism’s cap fitted with special electrodes. Software plus an audio-visual interface then helps calm emotions.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/fda-okays-israel-developed-brain-modulation-device-to-treat-ptsd/
Shortening the healing time for dental implants. (TY Israel21c) The implant activation device, Active+ from Israel’s Nova Plasma gives dental implants a 30-sec deep-cleaning cold plasma bath immediately before they go into the patient’s mouth. Clinical results show a 50% improvement in integration and healing time.
https://novaplasma.com/using-cold-plasma-to-improve-the-outcome-of-dental-implants/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s85eOmG-vKY https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34907458/
mRNA vaccine center for Jerusalem. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion has announced that the German company BioNTech intends to open a factory in Jerusalem where mRNA vaccines will be developed and produced. BioNTech partnered Pfizer in developing its mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369031
Grant for autism research. Hebrew University of Jerusalem Professor Haitham Amal has received a $400k grant from the Philadelphia Eagles Autism Foundation to develop treatments based on his nitric oxide research for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Amal is the first researcher outside the US to be awarded the grant.
102-year-old receives pacemaker. Doctors at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya implanted a cardiac pacemaker in Rachel Kafri who was born in Tel Aviv under the British Mandate 102 years ago. Rachel said. “I have been through so much in my life, but I am probably not ready to say goodbye to the world yet.”
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-738807
Is there a doctor on the plane? On a flight from Tel Aviv to Chicago? - of course there is! A pediatric doctor from Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital, and a United Hatzalah EMT, treated a 60-year-old man who fainted and fell over. Then they were called to stabilize a woman suffering from dehydration. All in a day’s work!
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369535
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Foreign Minister hosts Iftar meal for Muslim diplomats. Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen hosted Muslim diplomats from Turkeye (Turkey), Egypt, Morocco, Albania, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Tanzania, Azerbaijan, and Chad for the traditional Iftar break-fast meal. He spoke about expanding the 2020 Abraham Accords.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-fm-hosts-muslim-diplomats-for-ramadan-break-fast/
First Iftar in Israel for UAE Ambassador. (TY Hazel) UAE ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Al Khaja, hosted Iftar for the first time in Israel. Leaders from Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze communities also attended the event.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/look-uae-ambassador-organises-iftar-in-israel-for-first-time
Israeli doctors save Palestinian Arab girl. 4-year-old Ayla from PA controlled Kalkilya suffered a stroke after many brain events. She was admitted to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center where advanced brain catheterization saved her from a life-threatening cerebral aneurysm.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-734877
SACH saves children’s lives everywhere. Israeli Arab Yoseph Haddad describes how Israeli NGO Save a Child’s Heart performs free surgery to repair the hearts of children everywhere. 50% are Palestinian Arabs. SACH has just received children for the first time from Guinea Bissau and Gabon – its 67th and 68th countries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOdfUH5G5M4
Middle East & Africa conference in Jerusalem. (TY Hazel) The 3-day Jerusalem conference “Trusted Regional Partnerships at a Time of Shifting Alliances” included representatives of Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Djibouti, Tunisia, and Mauritania – countries that do not have diplomatic ties with Israel.
https://www.jns.org/jerusalem-parley-focuses-on-israeli-ties-with-africa-gulf/
https://www.jns.org/israel-arab-africa-summit-shows-path-forward-for-new-diplomatic-strategy/
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjfql2fb2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZvKTGlNS3Y
UK influencers visit Israel. Vibe Israel brought six British non-Jewish social media influencers to see Israel and document their 7-day trip. As Luke Vernon explains to his millions of followers - it is not possible to understand what’s going on here without seeing it for yourself. “It’s nothing like you see in the media.”
https://video.i24news.tv/#/content/6323648769112
Thai Princess visits Israeli hospital. The Princess of Thailand, a.k.a. Prof. Dr. H.R.H. Chulabhorn Mahidol, visited Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem to get to know first-hand technological developments and innovative and advanced treatments in the field of cancer. The Princess holds a PhD in biochemistry.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369234
Drip irrigation system for Indian children’s park. (TY Hazel) On World Water Day (22 Mar) Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon donated and inaugurated a drip irrigation system at the New Delhi India Gate Children’s Park. https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/israel-donates-drip-irrigation-system-to-childrens-park-in-delhi-on-world-water-day20230322140200/
The oldest copper fishhook. An ancient copper fishhook, found in 2018 excavations in the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon, has been dated to at least 5,000 years old – one of the oldest in the world. It was exhibited for the first time at Israel’s 48th Archaeological Congress, along with rare Roman-era jewelry discovered in 1971.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369375
https://www.israel21c.org/roman-era-jewelry-from-jerusalem-coffin-now-on-display/
Disaster aid to Malawi. There’s not much international news about the cholera epidemic in Malawi that has been compounded by the aftermath of hurricane Freddy. Israeli NGO IsraAID has sent an 8-person team there to set up cholera prevention points, including water filtration systems and hygiene kits, in the city of Blantyre.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-aid-group-sends-relief-to-malawi-following-cyclone/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Technion’s Summer School. SciTech 2023 (17 Jul - 10 Aug) at Israel’s Technion Institute offers international high school students in grades 11 and 12 a unique opportunity to develop entrepreneurial skills and knowledge in fields at the frontier of science and technology, including robotics, space, biotechnology, and food!
https://int.technion.ac.il/programs/scitech/
$100,000 prizes for top Israeli scientists. This year’s $100,000 Blavatnik Awards (see here previously) for Young Scientists in Israel went to Shai Carmi (IVF egg screening for diseases); Rina Rosenzweig (protein misfolding); Zvika Barkerski (data encryption).
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/israeli-scientists-awarded-100000-for-groundbreaking-research/
Technion in Space. The Adelis-SAMSON nanosatellite mission successfully launched in Mar 2021, thanks to the partnership between Israel Aerospace Industries and Israel’s Technion Institute (see here previously). See the launch in the first video, a video overview of Technion’s space projects, plus an update of the partnership.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P-0rmUkHuk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rSUbbz-nzY
We speak your language. Finally, Israel is using its own AI systems to enhance (some may say begin) its PR. The Foreign Ministry has engaged Israel’s D-ID (see here previously) to enable its staff and Ambassadors to give out messages in languages they do not know. The embedded video has an avatar speaking fluent Persian.
What we want, what we really want. Israel’s Tastewise (see here previously) has launched TasteGPT – an instant AI response to any questions from food innovators about what eaters and drinkers are ordering, cooking, and eating right now. No need to waste time and money developing products that are not currently popular.
https://nocamels.com/2023/03/tastegpt-the-chatbot-thats-transforming-the-food-industry/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4n6NwKZnTU
Securing the perimeters. (TY Hazel) The V-Alert perimeter intrusion detection system from Israel’s GM Afcon (see here previously) protects borders, airports, ports, database servers, industrial sites, power plants, and more, in Israel and internationally. Its sensors activate a pinpoint precision alarm when moved by an intruder.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-perimeter-detection-tech-spreading-around-the-world/
Designing safer roads. Israel’s RDV (Rapid Design Visualizations) Systems is a 3D design visualization firm specializing in planning highways and is now focusing on road safety. It has worked with around 20 US state departments of transportation. It also fixed six design deficiencies on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway.
https://worldisraelnews.com/meet-the-israeli-company-bringing-safer-driving-to-the-us/
https://www.rdvsystems.com/ https://vimeo.com/674308130
Sustainable non-plastic packaging. Israel’s Melodea (see here previously) has launched VBseal™, its new sustainable packaging solution to cut back plastic waste in consumer-packaged goods. The green coating solution is resistant to water vapor, oil, aroma and has heat-sealing properties.
https://melodea.eu/melodea-vbseal/ https://spnews.com/melodeas-new-solution/
Plants emit sounds. Tel Aviv University researchers have recorded and analyzed sounds distinctly emitted by plants. The click-like sounds resemble popping popcorn, emitted at frequencies beyond the hearing range of the human ear. The sound varies according to the plant species and stress factors – e.g., lack of water.
https://english.tau.ac.il/plants_emit_sounds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOWaXi0I2YE
Another plant-based egg protein. Israel’s PoLoPo is developing a plant-based alternative to ovalbumin, the main protein in egg whites. PoLoPo's product will be identical to ovalbumin from eggs, which means that no food technology adjustments are required. See also Israel’s Fabumin, and other vegan egg substitutes here.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hjbpvbgmn
https://finder.startupnationcentral.org/company_page/polopo
Identifying on-line gambling addicts. Israel’s Optimove (see here previously) has developed AI software that helps betting websites identify users with a potential gambling addiction. These users then receive messages encouraging them to take a break, reduce their bet, or get help. The online betting company is also alerted.
https://nocamels.com/2023/03/israeli-ai-can-identify-people-with-gambling-addictions/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
UK & Israel sign landmark agreement. Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and the UK’s James Cleverly signed “the 2030 Roadmap for Israel-UK Bilateral Relations.” It covers trade, cyber, science and tech, R&D, security, health, and more. It includes around £20 million in joint funds for technology and innovation projects.
Free trade with Vietnam. Talks about a Free Trade Agreement between Israel and Vietnam have been in progress since 2013 (see here previously). They have now concluded, and an agreement will be signed later this year. During the 10 years, Israeli exports to Vietnam have risen from some $350 million to $1 billion.
https://www.jns.org/israel-vietnam-conclude-free-trade-talks/
Tel Aviv – 2nd most valuable ecosystem outside the US. According to Intelligence company dealroom.co, Tel Aviv tech startups had a combined value of $393 billion at the end of 2022 - second only to London among Europe, Middle East, and Africa. In the last 5 years, Tel Aviv businesses have more than tripled in total value.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/tel-aviv-startup-ecosystem-ranks-2nd-in-europe-mideast-and-africa-behind-london/ https://dealroom.co/startup-ecosystem-benchmarking
Israel in Texas. Israeli entrepreneurs made a big impression at the SXSW (South by Southwest) tech and music festival in Austin, Texas. They included NeuraLight, which beat 1,000 startups to win the Innovation Award for Health and Med Tech. The festival covered technology, education, film, music, and comedy.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-entrepreneurs-flock-to-austins-sxsw-tech-and-music-festival/
A Quantum alliance. KPMG's Global Quantum Hub announced its partnership with Israeli quantum software company Classiq (see here previously) to bring innovative quantum solutions to clients. They will target financial services, automotive, medical, energy, telecommunications, and logistics.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bjs4asowh
Inspecting vehicles at Haifa Port. Israel’s Ravin AI (see here previously) has partnered with Haifa Port to inspect new vehicles entering Israel, pinpoint damage during transport, offloading, and storage and help identify the responsible parties. Ravin’s customers include Avis Budget, Sixt, Mercedes Benz, and Toyota-Lexus.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s1qihwbbh https://www.ourcrowd.com/companies/ravin-ai
High flying deliveries. Israel’s Flytrex (see here previously) has reported a huge surge in its delivery orders in 2022. It delivered more than 85,000 items across 21,350 orders – seven times the numbers in 2021. Flytrex now delivers to 140,000+ households in the United States.
https://dronedj.com/2023/03/28/flytrex-reports-enormous-surge-in-2022-drone-delivery-activity/
https://thespoon.tech/french-fries-bananas-top-the-list-for-popular-drone-delivered-items-in-2022/
https://www.flytrex.com/highflights-2022
Heading for the Judean hills. Michael Fertik, founder of US Fund Heroic Ventures said that his “decision to continue to invest in Israeli startups is not just a matter of principle: there has never been a better economic moment to invest in startups in the Jewish State.”
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s100gviizn
Exits, takeovers and mergers to 16/4/23: Entain, one of the world's largest sports betting and gaming groups, is acquiring Israeli sports results application 365Scores for $200 million. Cisco is acquiring Israel’s Lightspin for $200-250 million. BP and Abu Dhabi National Oil have offered $2 billion for 50% of Israel’s NewMed Energy.
Investment in Israeli startups to 16/4/23: Japan’s Softbank has invested another $100 million in Cybereason; Fetcherr raised $12.5 million; Otterize raised $11.5 million; Redefine.dev raised $8.5 million; Rupert raised $8 million; Entrio raised $7.5 million; PxE Holographic Imaging raised $5.4 million; Wilk raised $3.5 million; PoLoPo raised $1.75 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Contest to perform at Israel’s 75th. A new song competition comes with a free trip to Israel for the winner, who will perform with Nicole Raviv and others at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Competitors will submit renditions of “The Whole Entire World Is a Very Narrow Bridge” in their native language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6fNGxPlfmw
The best archeological site. (TY Nevet) GIST, Italy's foremost tourism press agency, has awarded the ACTA Archeological and Cultural Award for the best foreign archeological site, to Caesarea. Israel’s northern city was chosen for its coastal harbor, underwater sites and scientific and archeological studies taking place there.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-735610
The best single malt whisky in the world. Israel’s M&H Distillery (Milk and Honey – see here previously) won “Best Single Malt Whisky in the World” for its Element Sherry Cask at the prestigious World Whiskies Awards 2023 competition in Britain. It beat thousands of whiskies from the world’s top distilleries.
https://worldwhiskiesawards.com/winner-whisky/whisky/2023/worlds-best-single-malt-43632-world-whiskies-awards-2023 https://www.jns.org/israeli-offering-named-best-single-malt-whisky-in-world/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-736133
Only for the birds. 150+ participants from as far afield as Colombia, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Finland, and the UK competed in Israel to photograph as many bird species as possible in 24 hours. They raised over $35,000 to protect the illegally hunted rare, red-breasted goose. The winning group photographed 181 different species.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/birders-gather-in-southern-israel-for-24-hour-spotting-contest/
THE JEWISH STATE
The Way to Jerusalem. Two Israelis, Golan and Yael have revived the ancient 400km road from Jaffa to Jerusalem, used by Jewish Pilgrims in the second Temple period. They say that the route exposes the traveler to the tremendous power that comes from a long, physical walk, through history, characters, and symbols.
https://www.israel21c.org/new-pilgrimage-route-revives-ancient-path-from-jaffa-to-jerusalem/
https://aleteia.org/2023/03/01/after-centuries-the-way-to-jerusalem-makes-a-comeback/
Helping more medics make Aliyah. Nefesh B'Nefesh’s Medex event aims to help a record number of doctors make Aliyah from the USA. Some 400 medical professionals attended the event in Teaneck, New Jersey. Some 100 of the 120 physicians were under 35. They were able to open files with Israel’s Ministry of Health.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369194 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369019
Where did wine originate? A recent multinational study on the genetic makeup of grapevines, suggests that the harsh climate during the Ice Age enabled the domestication of grapes in Israel and the Caucasus. Ariel University’s Elyashiv Drori says that Israeli wild grapevines are the source of all cultivated table grapes.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/its-in-the-dna-israeli-grapes-are-the-mother-of-all-european-wines/
https://www.israel21c.org/israel-the-origin-of-the-worlds-grapevines/
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add8655
Bar Mitzvah celebration for 120 orphans at the Kotel. Colel Chabad sponsored and organized a joyous Bar Mitzvah celebration at the Western Wall for more than 120 orphans who had lost at least one parent. The Kotel event was followed by a gala celebration in Jerusalem’s International Convention Center.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369300
70 UN Ambassadors attend Israeli Passover Seder. Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan, in collaboration with Aish Global, hosted a model Passover Seder at the UN that was attended by 70 global Ambassadors. It included traditional Passover foods, Haggadah readings, and explanations of Seder customs.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369393
Everything is Kosher for Pesach. Avi Abelow stops to fill up his car with gas at a gas station in Israel and shares his amazement that all the products sold in the shop are Kosher for Pesach. Everything!
https://pulseofisrael.com/2021/03/31/passover-proof-israel-home/
Let’s get packing. Tel Aviv’s Chabad center enlisted the help of protestors in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square to pack food boxes for the needy before the Passover festival. Many passersby also joined in the humanitarian initiative to help and connect the entire Israeli Jewish nation.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369539
Victims of terror saved lives. Organs donated by Or Ashkar and Lucy Dee have been transplanted into 10 patients. Their corneas have given sight to even more. The wife of one of the heart transplant patients said, “I heard that Or Ashkar had a heart of gold. I promise his family that his heart reached a man of gold.”
https://worldisraelnews.com/family-of-tel-aviv-terror-victim-donates-organs-to-five-people/
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369538 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369874
230402
In the 2nd Apr 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· An Israeli-led team has discovered the cause of metastatic pancreatic cancer.
· 100,000 Muslims say Ramadan prayers at the holiest Jewish site.
· The first Shiite Muslim country to open its embassy in Israel.
· Israeli scientists create a robot the size of a microscopic cell.
· Israeli researchers greatly enhance the health properties of seaweed.
· Toyota, Ford, and Volkswagen adopt Israeli EV and navigation technology.
· Jerusalem’s Tower of David is a “World’s Greatest” site.
· See why two women (Jewish and Muslim) have formed a special friendship.
· Click here to see the 19th Mar newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, and United With Israel. Also (TY Sandra) in German here. Also (TY Zachy) for Hebrew translation of 5th Mar newsletter 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 22,300 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
Breakthrough discovery about pancreatic cancer. (TY Nevet & I24) An international study let by Hebrew University researchers has discovered that pancreatic cancer spreads (metastasis) due to reduced levels of the RNA controlling protein RBFOX2. The finding provides a new target for pancreatic cancer treatments.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-735101
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05820-3
How the gut impacts cancer treatment. A Weizmann Institute-led international team of researchers has found how bacteria in the gut microbiome affects the body’s response to cancer immunotherapy (see also here previously). Also, patients treated with specific antibiotics had a poor response to CAR-T cancer treatment.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368694
Diagnosing pre-diabetes from gut microbes. Bar-Ilan University scientists have been able to early diagnose gestational diabetes – glucose intolerance that 10% of women suffer during pregnancy. Analysis of gut bacteria highlights inflammation even in the first trimester, giving vital time for treatment and lifestyle changes.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369075
No-pill treatment for acid reflux. (TY Hazel & Sidney) Specialists at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Centre have performed a simple endoscopic procedure, for the first time in Israel, that successfully treats patients suffering from heartburn acid reflux. It reconstructs a valve, avoiding more complex surgery or pills.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-734163
Hereditary disease treatment may cure statin pain. Researchers from Ben Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center developed Methylmevalonolactone to save sufferers of a rare deadly hereditary muscle disease. They are now testing it as a treatment for tens of thousands of sufferers of chronic muscle pain due to statins.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/muscle_disease.aspx https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2217831120
https://nocamels.com/2023/03/new-israeli-drug-combats-deadly-muscular-disease/
Biological defibrillator. (TY Hazel & Sidney) Researchers at Rambam hospital and Israel’s Technion Institute have developed a biological receptor to treat heart rhythm disorders. If arrythmia is experienced, the patient takes medication that triggers the receptor to awaken the cells that regulate electrical activity in the heart.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-734381
The Waze of dental implants. (TY Israel21c) The Image Guided Implantology (IGI) system from Israel’s Image Navigation uses a CT scan and LED motion tracking to fix dental implants, even when a patient is moving. Red and green lights tell the dentist exactly where the drill tip is, thus reducing surgical treatment time.
https://jlm-biocity.org/image-navigation-to-launch-worlds-most-advanced-image-guided-dental-implant-technology/ https://image-navigation.com/
Laser treatment for jaw pain. (TY Israel21c) The cold laser therapy device from Israel’s B-Cure Laser treats many forms of pain due to inflammation. Two clinical trials in Italy proved its ability to treat pain in the jaw, known as chronic TMD and TMJ. Laser light promotes blood circulation to bring nutrients to affected muscles.
https://bcurelaser.com/temporo-mandibular-joint-disorder/
Remote lung analysis device approved. The US FDA has approved Tyto Insights™ for Wheeze Detection from Israel’s TytoCare (see here previously). The device uses a database of lung sounds to help clinicians accurately diagnose respiratory conditions remotely in adults and children aged 2+.
Pioneering brain cooling saves Philippine woman. (TY UWI) Doctors at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek hospital saved Philippine caregiver Nurila, who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Medication, catheter, and surgery didn’t stop blood flow, so her brain was cooled to 33 deg C for 8 days. The bleeding stopped and Nurila is now well.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-734996
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
The impact of English-speaking volunteers. In 2022, the Israeli NGO ESRA (English Speaking Residents Association) benefited over 4,700 Israeli schoolchildren, special needs and students. Its 18 projects enhance education achievements, strengthen personal skills, and create opportunities for the less privileged in Israel.
https://esra.org.il/images/2023/ESRA_Impact_Report_2022.pdf
Accommodation for 120 students. Israel’s Technion Institute has inaugurated the Marc Hamon Anières House – a dormitory designed to house 120 male and female students studying at the Technion in the Anières program, which supports students from the geographic and socioeconomic periphery in Israel and lone soldiers.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2023/02/a-warm-home-for-students/
100,000 Muslims pray on Temple Mount. 100,000 Muslims enjoyed freedom of worship in the Temple Mount Al Aqsa complex on the first Friday of Ramadan -an increase of some 20,000 compared to the previous year. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-735311
https://honestreporting.com/ramadan-in-israel-theres-more-than-meets-the-eye/
Israeli Druze trained Syrians to remove landmines. Part of Syria is free of ISIS and Iranian influence but landmines prevent it returning to agricultural use. On Zoom, Israeli Druze Majd Thabet teaches Syrian civilians including how to build robots that pinpoint landmines for removal. Very positive video below.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/when-an-israeli-trained-syrians-to-clear-landmines/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rimydp6MmuI
Promoting space science to girls. Dr. Shimrit Maman, Director of Israel’s Ben Gurion University Earth and Planetary Image Facility, created She Space International – a program that encourages girls to get involved in space science. Eight countries participate in educational programs for girls 14 to 16 years old.
Israeli drones to protect Dubai. Following an agreement with the Dubai Police, Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems plans to install and operate its “DRONE DOME” C-UAS system in Dubai, to protect the Gulf city from incursions from unmanned aerial vehicles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPkdOis1p_Y
https://www.jns.org/israeli-developed-drone-dome-to-secure-dubai-from-aerial-attacks-watch/
World Water Day. Coinciding with World Water Day (22 Mar) the Dead Sea Revival Project launched eco-educational boat excursions in the Dead Sea. Earlier, The Atlantic Council's N-7 Initiative hosted a conference in the UAE to promote cooperation between Israel and the Arab world in finding solutions to water scarcity.
https://www.israel21c.org/on-world-water-day-boat-undertakes-maiden-dead-sea-voyage/
https://www.dailyalert.org/rss/Mainissues.php?id=85906 (TY Fox News)
Gone but not forgotten. Israel’s National Sea Turtle Rescue Center has released two more brown sea turtles (an endangered species) back into the Mediterranean six months after rescue and treatment for injuries. One now wears a transmitter to track its journey. A previously released turtle swam to Italy, France, and Sardinia.
Baby saved by SACH is now a pediatric nurse. (TY Hazel) Aklil Woldegiworgis from Ethiopia was treated by surgeons from Israel’s Save a Child’s Heart in 2001 as a 2-year-old. Now 24, she is a pediatric cardiac nurse and has returned to Israel, accompanying 10 Ethiopian children needing urgent cardiac procedures.
https://www.israel21c.org/saved-as-tot-nurse-brings-african-kids-for-israeli-heart-care/
Azerbaijan opens embassy in Israel. Azerbaijan is the first Shia Muslim country to open an embassy in Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said he plans to lead an economic delegation to Baku in April. 114 Israeli companies operate in Azerbaijan, which provides Israel with 30% of its oil.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-735852
https://www.jns.org/azerbaijan-first-shiite-country-to-open-embassy-in-israel/
The 4th happiest country! Well, what do you know? The U.N. affiliated Sustainable Development Solutions Network rated Israel fourth happiest in the world based on 2020-2022 data of social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption. Israel’s rating rose from 9th in the previous report.
https://www.jns.org/israel-ranked-fourth-happiest-country-in-world/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Eye in the sky. Israel successfully launched the "Ofek 13" reconnaissance satellite into space from an Israeli launch site using an Israeli "Shavit" launcher. The SAR (synthetic-aperture radar) observation satellite has advanced capabilities to provide better-quality images than its predecessors. Initial testing has gone well.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369366 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cUpbgmku5U
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-launches-new-ofek-13-spy-satellite-into-orbit/
Micro robot can capture cells. (TY UWI & WIN) Tel Aviv University scientists have developed a tiny robot, only 10 microns across, that can navigate within a biological sample, identify different types of cells, capture them selectively (e.g. damaged ones), and transport them for further analysis.
https://english.tau.ac.il/hybrid_micro_robot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoZit8v9gdA
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202370044
Israel’s AI language. Israel’s AI21 Labs (see here previously) has launched Jurassic-2, its next generation Artificial Intelligent language that can be understood by computers. It is a rival to Open-AI, the developer of ChatGPT, and can be used as a basis to answer questions, rewrite an essay, summarize text, or write a poem.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ai21-labs-rolls-out-new-advanced-ai-language-model-to-rival-openai/
AI to reassemble the past. Ohad Ben-Shahar of Israel’s Ben-Gurion University is one of the founding scientists of the RePair (Reconstructing the Past AI) program to reconstruct fragments of ancient broken relics, similar to solving a jigsaw puzzle. RePair is now helping Italian archeologists reassemble frescos from Pompeii.
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/ancient-pompeii-frescoes-assembled-ai-robot
Robot-made pizzas. (TY Hazel) The fully automated Israeli Pizza Hut store in Bnei Dror (see here previously) is now fully open. Customers order on-line and the pizza is ready in nine minutes. No human intervention is necessary; however, fascinated customers often stand outside the store to watch the robots make the pizzas.
https://nocamels.com/2023/03/pizza-perfection-made-entirely-by-robots/
Powering AI cameras. Israel’s Hailo (see here previously) has launched its new Hailo-15™ family of high-performance vision processors, designed for integration directly into intelligent cameras. It will enable smart city operators to detect and respond to incidents and even locate lost children and misplaced luggage.
Another Quantum leap. Chip giant Nvidia has teamed up with Israel’s Quantum Machines to develop the Nvidia DGX Quantum. The new hardware system will connect a quantum computer with classical computers and is expected to be deployed at Israel’s quantum computing research center at the end of 2023.
Less red tape, more solar panels. Israel’s Energy Ministry has removed a key barrier to installing rooftop solar panels – the need to present “Form 4” proving completion of construction. Many older buildings pre-dated Form 4 but now want to install solar. The removal of bureaucracy could add hundreds of megawatts to the grid.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/red-tape-slashed-to-ease-rooftop-solar-panel-installation/
Recycling lithium-ion batteries. The Israel Electronics Recycling Corporation (M.A.I.) has started rolling out recycling receptacles for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in electric bicycles and scooters. They will be sent to Europe where the lithium cobalt, aluminum, nickel and copper components can be re-used.
Super seaweed. Researchers from Tel Aviv University and Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute have enhanced seaweed to double its antioxidants and triple its natural sunscreens while purifying seawater. The results will benefit the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, and nutritional supplement industries.
https://english.tau.ac.il/super_seaweed_2023 https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/20/12/767
Monitoring pollution in the Kinneret. Israel’s Olive Diagnostics (see here previously) is to develop an optical system for online analysis of chemical and biological pollutants in water. The system will be used by Mekorot – Israel’s national water company, which is also investing in Olive Diagnostics.
New air purifier launched. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Tadiran (see here previously) has launched the air purifier for wall-mounted air conditioners that it has been developing for the last five years. The Airow converts moisture to hydrogen peroxide, which kills 99% of viruses (e.g., Covid), bacteria and mold. It requires no maintenance.
Cheese from chickpeas? Israel’s ChickP (see here previously) has created prototypes of chickpea-powered cream cheese and firm cheddar cheese. The new innovations match real dairy cheese in appearance, flavor, and are said to be highly nutritious. The hard cheese works well on sandwiches, melts on toast, pizza, and in sauces.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/chickp-protein-stars-in-compelling-dairy-cheese-analog-301778357.html https://nocamels.com/2023/03/cream-cheese-and-cheddar-cheese-made-from-chickpeas/
A digital genius. Israel’s Jacob Ziv (see here previously) just passed away at the age of 91. He created many of today's digital technologies, co-inventing the mp3, PDF and zip formats. He studied at Israel’s Technion Institute (later becoming a professor) and MIT. His career included Bell labs and Israel’s Defense Ministry.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369361
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Unemployment falls to 3.9%. Israel's unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted, fell to 3.9% in Feb 2023 from 4.3% in Jan. https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-unemployment-fell-below-4-in-february-1001441734
Innovating with Bahrain. 300+ Bahraini and Israeli business leaders attended the opening ceremony of the three-day Connect2Innovate forum in Manama, capital of Bahrain. The conference focused on challenges in fintech, logistics, supply change, water, energy, and climate.
https://www.jns.org/bahraini-israeli-business-leaders-meet-in-manama/
New factory for cultivated meat. Plurinuva / NewCo, the partnership between Tnuva and Pluristem (see here previously), is now rebranding itself under the name Ever After Foods. It has built a production capable of supplying cultured meat products to the market on an industrial scale.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bjztu1r0i
A super supermarket revolution. Food prices in Israel are expected to fall thanks to the imminent opening of new supermarkets SPAR, 7-Eleven and Carrefour. US giant Costco has also been invited to join the party. Israeli supermarket Shufersal has invested NIS 28 million in SPAR and will sell its lower-priced products.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/shufersal-injects-nis-28-million-to-open-dutch-spar-chain-in-israel/
Israeli tech to wirelessly charge Toyota EVs. Israel’s Electreon (see here previously) is partnering Toyota Motor Corporation and automotive component manufacturer DENSO to develop Electreon’s wireless charging kits for Toyota Electric vehicles. The EVs will eventually have the charging technology built in.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-735170
In-car cultural navigation. Israel’s Mappo is an AI-powered voice-based software that integrates cultural landmarks, songs, movies, and podcasts into the car's navigation system. It uses the car’s location to play material according to driver preferences. It has been installed by Ford and now Volkswagen are adding it.
https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/skhfxbm1n https://mappo.world/#
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-startups-app-installed-in-german-vehicles/
Personalizing financial healthcare benefits. Israel’s Zorro is a financial management services provider for employees, employers, and brokers. It offers a mobile application to help employees manage their expenses, track their bills, and receive financial guidance. It enables employers to offer personalized schemes to staff.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hk2hpzlzn https://myzorro.co/
https://myzorro.co/blog/era-of-personalization
A marketplace for hospitality. Israel’s Reeco has developed a marketplace that connects hospitality buyers and suppliers. Hotels and other buyers order anything from food and beverage to cleaning supplies. Reeco’s AI system fulfills the order from its network of hundreds of suppliers, based on price, availability, and timescale.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1s9npebh https://www.reeco.io/
Automated procurement for contractors. Israel’s StructShare develops a construction procurement and inventory platform for specialty contractors. It aims to solve chronic inefficiencies across the supply chain using digital tools and data analysis to simplify materials purchasing and associated accounting processes.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bkxfkqoxn https://structshare.com/
One dashboard to rule them all. Israel’s Jigso helps filter out unnecessary notifications and irrelevant organizational information by aggregating and mining the business’s applications, enterprise systems, and data. After removing all the noise, it then presents employees with only the specific information they need.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjtx05zb3 https://www.jigso.io/
Deloitte launches 10 more. The Deloitte Launchpad accelerator (see here previously) has named 10 Israeli startups for its fifth cohort. Alison.ai (video analysis), Browsi (customer views), Datricks (risk mining), Medasense, Mine (privacy), Nimble (KPIs), Ox Security, ReturnGO, Sedric, and Wizdome (cyber risks).
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hjt7fotg3
Moving assets to Israel. Australian entrepreneur and investor Kevin Bermeister announced that he will move more assets to Israel, in response to calls by some to do the opposite. Bermeister founded the Jerusalem Development Fund and was a founding investor in many successful companies such as Skype.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368454
Investment in Israeli startups to 2/4/23: eToro raised $250 million; env0 raised $18 million; SCADAfence raised $18 million; TripleW raised $16.5 million; Zorro raised $11.5 million; CodiumAI raised $11 million; daily.dev raised $11 million; SupPlant raised $11 million; Reeco raised $10 million; Spera Security raised $10 million; Backslash Security raised $8 million; StructShare raised $8 million; Jigso raised $7.5 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Free events in the Festival of Freedom. Bank Hapoalim will once again be sponsoring over 170 sites and museums across Israel so citizens and visitors can visit them for free over Pesach 2023! (Site list in Hebrew). Many other free events and workshops – see third link below.
https://www.loveloveisrael.com/post/free-sites-and-museums-sponsored-by-bank-hapoalim-pesach-2023
https://www.bankhapoalim.co.il/he/pesahatarim https://mailchi.mp/loveloveisrael/pesach2023
The Tower of David is a great place. (TY Nevet) Time Magazine has included Jerusalem’s Tower of David Museum in its annual list of the 50 World’s Greatest Places. The award comes even before the museum reopens to the public on 1st Jun after a transforming 3-year, $50 million, renewal and conservation project.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368857 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-734705
Israeli product in Oscars’ gift bag. Selected nominees for this year’s Academy Awards received a gift bag worth $126,000 (if the recipient uses all the vouchers). One of the gifts was an Israeli Reflect Orb stress management device worth some $200. https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-733431
Rare Chinese visitor spotted. The black-faced bunting - an extremely small songbird weighing roughly just 17 grams, was sighted for only the second time in Israel. It normally resides in eastern Siberia, northern Mongolia north-eastern China and was some thousands of miles off course.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-733463
The Jerusalem Marathon was more than just winning. (TY Sharon) Thousands of runners took to the streets for the 12th Jerusalem Winner Marathon races. Sharon’s photo essay shows that most of the participants were running to raise money for good causes and didn’t worry too much about their finish time or position.
http://rjstreets.com/2023/03/19/see-highlights-of-the-jerusalem-marathon-2023/
Israeli woman wins world paddleboarding medal. (TY I24 News) 52-year-old Diva Hatami won a medal at the World Championships for standup paddling (SUP). She overcame a serious accident, childhood disorders and many other life challenges. She helped her mother survive cancer and hopes to inspire others.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/world-champ-52-year-old-israeli-wonder-woman-wins-gold/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5AJjhW00mM
Ice hockey winners. (TY Nevet) With a 5-1 victory over hosts Iceland, Israel won the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division III Group A, ahead of Iceland, Turkiye, Mexico, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Luxembourg. They have now been promoted to Division II in which they last competed in 2008.
https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2023/wm18iiia/news/42536/israel_ices_u18_winner
THE JEWISH STATE
Where in the US to celebrate Israel 75. (TY JPost) Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, begins on the evening of April 25 and continues the following day (5th Iyar). The new website “Celebrating Israel at 75” provides information about communal celebrations of Israel’s 75th anniversary (and more) in the United States.
The oldest coin with the menorah. A 40 BCE coin bearing the oldest-known depiction of the Temple menorah has been displayed to the public for the first time at Jerusalem’s recently renovated Davidson Center. The coin was minted during the reign of the last Hasmonean king – a century before the destruction of the 2nd Temple.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/coin-with-oldest-depiction-of-temple-menorah-displayed-for-first-time/
The 3 best things on Jerusalem’s streets. (TY Sharon) The Mainstream Media ignored the good events happening in Israel’s capital. Such as at the National Library where the first Jewish astronaut, NASA’s Dr. Jeff Hoffman, donated his space diary and memorabilia. Also, the Primavera designer festival and Diaspora Week.
http://rjstreets.com/2023/03/26/three-best-things-that-happened-in-jerusalem/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUpXtLGydRs
https://www.jns.org/national-library-of-israel-gets-a-celestial-space-diary/
Muslim and Haredi women form special bond. Two Israeli women - one a Haredi Jew and the other a Bedouin Arab Muslim - formed a special friendship after receiving kidney transplants from the same donor. Lilach from Be’er Sheva and Nama from near Rahat converse in Arabic and meet at regular checkups.
IDF pilot reunited with medic who saved his life. An IDF pilot whose helicopter crashed in the 2006 Second Lebanon War has finally met the Magen David Adom paramedic who raced to the scene 17 years ago, pulled him from the wreckage, and initiated medical treatment that contributed to him surviving the ordeal.
