In the 19th Oct 25 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
l The remaining 20 live hostages have been reunited with their families.
l Israeli immune research discovery is “food for thought”.
l Exciting new Israeli-developed Intel Panther Lake AI microprocessors.
l Israeli-educated Professor wins Nobel Prize for Economics.
l Watch US Ambassadors Huckabee and Friedman make music in Jerusalem.
l The Jewish “Season of Rejoicing” returns to Israel.
· Click here to see the 5th Oct newsletter on (TY Steve) IsraelSeen, (TY Ruth) Ruthfully Yours, (TY Peloni) IsraPundit, and Joan Swirsky (email her to get daily news). Also (TY Barbara) for translating it into Spanish here. (Please forward this newsletter to Spanish-speaking contacts. Also please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL.
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POSITIVE NEWS IN A WAR
Hostages released. After 738 days, all living Gaza hostages are back in Israel. A timeline and videos and photos of some of the emotional reunions. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/416200
https://www.jns.org/israel-set-to-redeem-hostages-in-first-phase-of-trump-peace-plan/
https://www.jns.org/watch-israelis-gather-at-hostage-square-to-celebrate-return/
Giving thanks. US President Donald Trump had a tumultuous welcome when he spoke at the Israeli Knesset (parliament). His first words were, “We gather on a day of profound joy, of soaring hope, of renewed faith, and above all, a day to give our deepest thanks to the almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPAkvSgxDWY
Bereaved father seeds “honoring” startups. After Izhar Shay lost his son on 7 Oct 2023, he launched “Next October” to support early-stage businesses that agree to commemorate one of the approximately 2,000 people, killed on 7 Oct and in the ensuing war, in perpetuity. In two years, the project has enlisted 450 startups.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/bereaved-by-october-7-an-entrepreneur-seeds-startups-with-memorials-to-those-lost/ https://www.nextoctober.org/ https://www.nextoctober.org/ourstartups
Seeds of renewal. More about the 3-year initiative to rehabilitate and redesign 32 early childhood educational centers of excellence for ages 3–6 across the Gaza Envelope and northern Israel. (See here previously)
Maintaining Mankai production. Israel is the only country in the world where the superfood Mankai (see here previously) is grown commercially. So it was vital that the man managing the Mankai at Kibbutz Be’eri returned two days after the Hamas 7 Oct 2023 invasion. Otherwise it might have disappeared from the world.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/skur8qytll
Hummus in Damascus. Israelis used to speak about the day when we’d be eating hummus in Damascus as a longed-for era of peace. We’re now eating kosher hummus in Damascus, says Mendy Chitrik, the Safed-born rabbi of Turkey’s Ashkenazi community and the chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States.
PM Prize to Mossad operatives. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Prize has been awarded to the Mossad operatives involved in the “beepers” attack against Hezbollah, and the 12-day Operation Rising Lion war against Iran. https://www.jns.org/netanyahu-barnea-award-mossad-operatives-pm-prize/
Zikim Beach reopens. The IDF is reopening to the public, Zikim Beach, located near the Gaza border, on Oct. 16, marking the first time the area has been accessible since the start of the war two years ago. The IDF views the opening of the beach as an additional step in the rehabilitation of the area.
https://www.jns.org/idf-reopens-zikim-beach-for-first-time-since-oct-7/
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Combat medicine advances. Wounded Israeli soldiers are surviving serious injuries that would have been impossible just a few years ago. E.g., drones parachuting temperature-controlled whole blood units into the battlefield; or a portable device that separates oxygen from the air and uses it to ventilate wounded soldiers.
https://www.kosu.org/world-news/2025-09-18/how-israels-combat-medicine-has-changed
Why the immune system ignores food. (TY David Fieldstone) I missed this discovery in May by scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute. They identified that ROR-gamma-T cells trigger a chain reaction of four types of immune cells, which stop the body’s attacking cells (CD8 cells) from responding to food proteins.
https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/life-sciences/food-friend-not-foe-%E2%80%93-new-study-explains-why
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-856867
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09173-x
Oxygenating patients during lung transplants. (TY Atid EDI) Israel’s Inspira Technologies (see here previously) announced that a top U.S. hospital has expanded its clinical use of the INSPIRA ART100 system to lung transplantation procedures, one of the most demanding applications in advanced respiratory care.
Restoring vision in a shingles-blinded eye. (TY Atid EDI) Israel’s CorNeat Vision (see here previously) has implanted its KPro artificial cornea to restore perfect vision in a patient blinded by corneal scarring from the Shingles virus. In addition, the eye, once deformed by shingles, now looks remarkably natural and healthy.
Partnering to diagnose Huntington’s. (TY Atid EDI) Israel’s NeuraLight has partnered with New York's CHDI Foundation to build one of the largest eye movement datasets for Huntington’s Disease. It will support CHDI’s work to develop sensitive, trial-ready tools with the potential to develop HD therapies.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
The largest US flag ever hoisted in Israel. The largest American flag ever flown in Israel has been raised in the Binyamin Regional Council in a gesture of gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump. Measuring 26×36 feet, the red and blue striped flag is visible to passengers on planes landing at Ben Gurion International Airport.
International Jerusalem march. Thousands, from 70 countries, gathered in Sacher Park for the International Jerusalem March, hosted by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) during the Sukkot holiday. The ICEJ represents millions of Christians around the world who support Israel.
https://www.jns.org/the-international-jerusalem-march-brings-joy-and-friendship-to-the-capital/
Tourism to Tajikistan launched. Israel’s Tourism Minister Haim Katz made the first official visit by an Israeli Cabinet member to the Muslim state of Tajikistan. There he signed the first bilateral tourism accord with Tajikistani Committee for Tourism Development Chairman Jumakhonzoda Jamshed Jurakhon.
https://www.jns.org/israel-and-tajikistan-sign-tourism-agreement-in-landmark-visit/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Powering Intel’s AI laptop revival. Intel has unveiled its first 18A-based processors, developed in Israel. They will form the basis for Panther Lake, a new Israeli-developed family of 900 AI models that will support real-time translation, image recognition, and much more, while maintaining strict user privacy.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hkwnfmhpex
Israel’s largest AI cloud. Israel’s Vast Data (see here previously) has entered a strategic partnership with Israel’s Shonfeld Data Services (SDS) to power what is being described as Israel’s most advanced sovereign AI infrastructure. It will be built on Vast’s AI Operating System.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/uz6dlauqi
National AI HQ. Israel has appointed Brig. Gen. (res.) Erez Askal to head its newly established National Artificial Intelligence Headquarters. It will oversee the creation and execution of Israel’s AI strategy, focusing on innovation, regulation, infrastructure and research while bolstering Israel’s international standing in the field.
https://www.jns.org/netanyahu-appoints-general-to-lead-national-ai-initiative/
More cool data centers. Israel’s ZutaCore has established another cool partnership (see here for previous one) this time with Taiwan’s Compal. The integrated server and cooling solution aims to “revolutionize data center efficiency, reliability, and sustainability”. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zutacore-and-compal-transform-ai-data-center-cooling-at-yotta-2025-302548739.html
Mapping Israel’s semiconductor industry. Israel’s startup ecosystem is punching far above its weight in the global semiconductor race. With $5.5 billion raised collectively, 70 startups are positioning Israel as a key player in next-generation chips and AI models.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1yxvtznel
https://www.earthandbeyond.ventures/deeptech-explained-semiconductors
Better desalination membranes. Researchers at Israel’s Technion Institute, and at University of Texas Austin, have mapped the nano-properties of desalination membranes in their wet state – never achieved before. The information will help design membranes that will desalinate seawater more efficiently, using less energy.
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-desalination-characterizing-membranes-dry-states.html
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.5c01190
Scaling up green hydrogen production. (TY Nevet) Israel’s Technion is part of an international team that has determined how to scale up decoupled water electrolysis (DWE, see here previously) - a technique that produces green hydrogen without carbon emissions or expensive hardware.
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/green-hydrogen-industrial-scale-affordable-dwe/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44359-025-00061-1
Automating the greenhouse. (TY Atid EDI) Israel’s GrowDirector has developed a modular greenhouse automation system to reduce input costs, water, electricity, fertilizers, and labor. Farmers can track crop details, schedule planting, spraying, receive reminders, analyze and refine protocols to avoid repeating mistakes.
Seeing through the layers. Latest progress of Israeli archaeologists in the City of David, using muon particle detectors to map ancient sites underground without digging (see here previously). Jerusalem’s historic layers are revealed, from the Iron Age / First Temple period through the Roman era and into the Early Islamic period.
A better defense. (TY Atid EDI) Israel's Ministry of Defense has bought dozens of EdgeUAV systems from Israel’s Axon Vision (see here previously) to detect nearby air threats (e.g. drones). The systems analyze and classify data collected by cameras mounted on armored combat vehicles or stationary installations.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-idf-using-axon-visions-ai-to-combat-drones-1001489208
Securing entrance to arenas. Barclays Center in New York has selected the advanced artificial intelligence software from Israel’s SeeTrue to detect prohibited items at visitor checkpoints. The system enables faster throughput, reducing long lines at entry points, while providing detection across a wide range of threats.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Optimistic economic indicators. The Israeli Shekel rose strongly on the news that Israel and Hamas have signed the first phase of the plan to end the war in Gaza. The Israeli stock market also rose with the TA-35, TA-90, and TA-125 closing at record highs. The construction index soared, and the risk level fell sharply.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hjagmxr6lx
Nobel Prize for Economics. Dutch-born, Israeli raised, US Professor Joel Mokyr has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics together with two other economists, for showing how useful knowledge, mechanical competence and institutions conducive to technological progress has led to sustained economic growth.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-870390
https://www.jns.org/tel-aviv-university-economist-among-3-nobel-prize-laureates/
$0.5 billion for Israeli startups. Israel’s Glilot Capital Partners has raised $500 million to invest in Israeli cyber and AI software startups. The fresh capital was raised mainly from large financial institutions in the US and Europe. Glilot says it “we deeply believe in the Israeli ecosystem.”
Gas pipeline to Egypt. The partners that own the Leviathan reservoir off the Israeli coast have inked a $610 million deal with state-owned pipeline operator Israel Natural Gas Lines to build a 40-mile pipeline to export natural gas to Egypt. When complete in 2028 it will deliver 600 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.
El Al in top 25. El Al earned a five-star APEX rating for the fifth consecutive year and, for the first time, entered the global top 25 airlines for in-flight passenger experience based on millions of traveler reviews. Fewer than 7% - around 40 airlines—earned a five-star rating. https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/r13p9rgsgl
Swiss & Delta are back. Swiss International Air Lines has resumed flights to Israel with a daily non-stop return service from Zurich to Tel Aviv Ben-Gurion International Airport. Delta Airlines resumed daily flights from JFK to Tel Aviv on 1st Sep. https://www.jns.org/swiss-air-resumes-flights-to-tel-aviv/
https://news.delta.com/delta-resumes-tel-aviv-service-jfk-sept-1
$1.2 billion aero engine parts deal. Israel’s Bet Shemesh Engines (see here previously) has won a $1.2 billion 15-year contract to supply critical jet engine components to one of the world’s leading aircraft engine makers. Only a few weeks ago Norway’s sovereign wealth fund divested its 2% stake in Bet Shemesh Engines.
Botanical-enhanced functional soft drinks. Israel’s SolvEat (see here previously) has partnered with Israel’s Central Bottling Company subsidiary Gat Foods, to develop functional beverages infused with SolvEat patented natural herbal formulations. They will target metabolic support, blood sugar control, and more.
Using AI to sell industrial machinery. Israel’s Corbel aims to replace manual quoting and PDF-based workflows with AI-driven intelligence for the trillion-dollar manufacturing sector. Corbel is targeting one of manufacturing’s most persistent bottlenecks: outdated sales and quoting systems.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1axzfaplg https://corbelpay.com/
Exits, takeovers, and mergers to 19th Oct 25. Israel’s CropX has acquired Israeli Crop Supply Intelligence Company Acclym. US insurance giant Penn-America Group (part of Global Indemnity Group) is acquiring Israeli insurance agency Sayata. LevelBlue (formerly AT&T Cybersecurity) has acquired Israel’s Cybereason. Israel’s Pentera acquired Israel’s DevOcean for $30 million. Amazon's Annapurna Labs has acquired the entire core engineering team of Israel’s NeuroBlade.
Startup investment – to 19th Oct 25: Deel raised $300 million (valuation $17.3 billion) Sensi.ai raised $45 million; Sola Security raised $35 million; Prisma Photonics raised $30 million; OneLayer raised $28 million; Omnix Medical raised $25 million; Second Nature raised $22 million; Siddhi Capital has invested $9-12 million in Israel’s Fresh Start foodtech incubator. Corbel raised $6.7 million; ARGU AI raised $2 million.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT,
An Ethiopian Israeli restaurant in Harlem. Beejhy Barhany was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Israel. She has opened Tsion Cafe - a kosher, vegan cafe in Harlem, New York. She describes it as a place of Pan-African love and Black Israeli pride. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/at-this-harlem-chefs-table-the-rosh-hashana-menu-is-full-of-ethiopian-spices-180987378/
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/720855/gursha-by-beejhy-barhany-with-elisa-ung/
US Ambassadors rock Jerusalem. (TY INN) US Ambassadors Mike Huckabee and Daniel Friedman wowed the crowd at the United Hatzalah Sukkot concert, playing “Sweet Home Yerushalayim”. Great new lyrics.
https://www.jns.org/huckabee-friedman-perform-sweet-home-yerushalayim-in-jerusalem/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh6Z6Hk3cAk
Acrobatic dolphins. Some 15 dolphins, including mothers and calves, gave an acrobatic display off the Israeli coast near Haifa. They performed for over an hour to a team of Haifa University marine scientists conducting an exploration project, 10 miles from the shore. It was the most exciting display ever seen by the scientists.
https://www.jns.org/dolphin-pod-puts-on-acrobatic-display-off-haifa-shore/
Golden gymnast. Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat won gold in the floor exercise at the Challenge Cup in Paris. With one Olympic gold and one silver, Dolgopyat is Israel’s most successful Olympian. He also holds a World Championship title. https://www.jns.org/this-week-in-israeli-sports-2/
First NHL goal by an Israeli. Israeli American hockey player Zeev Buium scored his first NHL goal on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets; Buium, a defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, is believed to be the first Israeli hockey player to ever score a goal in the US National Hockey League.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6709728/2025/10/12/wild-blue-jackets-zeev-buium-nhl-goal/
https://x.com/THEREALJEW613/status/1977206806108905773?s=08
Gold paralympic swimmer. (TY Yanky) Paralympic swimming champion Ami Dadaon (see here previously) claimed his first world title in the 50m breaststroke SB3 in Singapore, setting a new Israeli record of 48.17 seconds. In the 2024 World Championships in Paris, Ami won 4 gold medals.
https://www.ynetnews.com/sport/article/h1eltqajel
THE JEWISH STATE
Ancient Jewish synagogue unearthed in the Golan. Another historical Jewish link to the Land – in the Golan Heights recaptured by Israel in the 1967 Six-day War. Excavations at the Yahudiya Nature Reserve revealed lintels and basalt columns of a 1,500-year-old synagogue – the 26th discovered in the Golan.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/10/05/ancient-underground-synagogue-discovered-in-golan/
A home in Israel. Reminder - Marina Shear, wife of Newsletter subscriber Glen, can help any reader wishing to make Aliyah or purchase a property in Israel. She has teams of English-speaking lawyers, mortgage brokers, builders, property managers, inspectors and designers. Read her guide and see her website for more details.
https://marinashear.com/ https://marinashear.com/2025-guide/
Delayed passengers break into song. After a 4-hour delay on a Delta Airlines flight from New York to Tel Aviv, two musicians led passengers in singing “Adon HaSelichot” and then “Am Yisrael Chai”.
https://www.jns.org/hold-passengers-on-delayed-delta-flight-to-israel-break-into-song/
Exciting times in Jerusalem. During Sukkot, Jerusalem was full of hope for the release of the hostages. The schools were on vacation so families were enjoying holiday activities.
https://rjstreets.com/2025/10/12/exciting-times-in-jerusalem-on-chol-hamoed-sukkot/
50,000 Jews celebrate Sukkot in Hebron. 50% more worshippers than last year visited Judaism's second-holiest site during the first days of Tabernacles. The Cave of the Patriarchs was bought by Abraham more than 3,000 years ago. and is the burial place of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and matriarchs Sarah, Rabecca and Leah.
https://www.jns.org/nearly-50000-jews-celebrate-sukkot-in-hebron/
On Simchat Torah we dance. Israelis are determined to dance, even overcoming physical and spiritual barriers. And on the second anniversary of the Hamas invasion, the IDF danced at the Nova festival site.
https://worldisraelnews.com/wounded-idf-soldiers-joyfully-celebrate-simchat-torah-despite-injuries/
https://www.jns.org/how-an-oct-7-amputee-refuses-to-stop-dancing-this-simchat-torah/
https://www.jns.org/idf-soldiers-dance-with-torah-at-nova-festival-massacre-site/
251005
In the 5th Oct 25 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
l Kibbutz Be’eri has turned its devastated fields into whisky production.
l Israeli surgeons are successfully using hypnosis instead of anesthetics.
l Bipartisan lawmakers from all 50 US States made a solidarity visit to Israel.
l An Israeli high school graduate won an International University competition.
l Israeli technology is inside Google driverless taxis and Nasdaq fraud detection.
l Massive ancient hoard of gold coins unearthed in the Golan Heights.
l Celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the Abraham Accords.
· Click here to see the 21st Sep newsletter on (TY Steve) IsraelSeen, (TY Ruth) Ruthfully Yours, (TY Peloni) IsraPundit, and Joan Swirsky (email her to get daily news). Also (TY Sandra) for translating it into German here, and Hebrew here, and with (TY) Claude into French here. Also (TY Barbara) into Spanish here. (Please forward this newsletter to German-speaking, Spanish-speaking, French-speaking and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL.
· Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
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· If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name, and the subject “Subscribe”) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
POSITIVE NEWS IN A WAR
Eden to return to IDF service. American-Israeli Edan Alexander, who was held hostage in Gaza for 584 days, said that he intends to continue his IDF service next month. “I will once again put on the IDF uniform, and I will proudly serve alongside my brothers. Serving in the IDF is one of the greatest honors of my life.”
https://worldisraelnews.com/freed-hostage-edan-alexander-says-hes-returning-to-the-idf-next-month/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-868112
Yuval is a hero. Yuval Raphael, Nova Festival survivor and Israel’s 2025 Eurovision contestant, received the United Hatzalah Hero Award at the organization’s Los Angeles annual gala. Her rendition of resilience anthem “New Day Will Rise,” won the global audience vote and 2nd place overall, despite suffering anti-Israel abuse.
https://www.jpost.com/j-spot/article-868140
Water of Life. (TY Scott & Yanky) Two years after the 7 Oct 2023 Hamas massacre, Kibbutz Be’eri turned its bloodied fields into 139 tons of barley to make single-malt whisky, “Single Be’eri”. It featured at Whisky Live Tel Aviv (Sep 10-11) together with other local whiskies plus “SuperNova”, blended by Israel’s nine distilleries.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/whisky-event-will-join-israeli-enthusiasts-and-distillers-launch-oct-7-single-malt/ https://www.ynetnews.com/food/article/bjpqk00aceg
Robotic vehicles in Gaza. The IDF has deployed dozens of robotic armored vehicles in Gaza. They carry an explosives container, place it at the target, and retreat before detonation. They are a dramatic combat tool, neutralizing thousands of explosive devices and saving the lives of many soldiers.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/415257
Academic support for IDF soldiers. Serving IDF soldiers enrolled in further education, will continue to receive benefits in the new academic year. In addition, all lectures will be recorded and made accessible to students who are serving in the military. More benefits for those serving over 300 days, plus STEM subjects.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-868174
New rehab center in Ramla. Construction has begun on ALEH Zahav, an $81 million, 15-story, 420-bed rehabilitation facility in the Israeli city of Ramla. It will provide inpatient care, trauma therapy, hydrotherapy, adaptive sports, advanced imaging, and family support for soldiers and civilians wounded in the Gaza conflict.
https://www.jwire.com.au/new-420-bed-rehab-facility-in-ramla-to-aid-israels-injured-soldiers/
$7.8 million for recovery projects. The UJA-Federation of New York announced a fresh round of grant allocations to Israeli initiatives on Monday totaling $7.8 million, mainly to recovery projects in the north and the Western Negev. Half the funds will go to communities attacked by Hamas terrorists on 7 Oct 2023.
https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/uja-federation-of-new-york-issues-7-8-million-in-grants-to-israel/
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Hypnosis before brain surgery. (TY Nevet) Surgeons at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya have been using hypnosis instead of anesthesia prior to drilling holes in the skull for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). Psychologist Dr Udi Bonshtein says it helps shorten and improve medical treatment.
https://www.jpost.com/science/article-868234
Technion’s medical breakthroughs. (TY Nevet) Latest news from Israel’s Technion Institute includes AI analysis of imperfect ECG images to pinpoint critical heart problems (see here) plus how dopamine rewires the brain to help learn new movements (see here).
https://ats.org/our-impact/todays-breakthroughs-for-the-next-generation-of-treatment-part-2/
Obese children can still be healthy. A new study from Tel Aviv University and Dana Dwek Children’s Hospital shows that obese children with illnesses had over twice the fat in their liver than healthy obese children. A Mediterranean diet may provide protection against metabolic illness, even in the case of obesity.
https://english.tau.ac.il/research/liver-fat-predicts-health
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1559271/full
More European funds for Israeli research. Two Technion faculty members have been awarded prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants. Prof Efrat Shimron for her development of a low-cost, small portable MRI machine, and Prof Ariel Rapaport for his work on fractal geometry.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Women’s summit in Tel Aviv. (TY Hazel) 30 women leaders, from or with roots across the Middle East and North Africa, met in Tel Aviv for the inaugural Women Champions for Change summit. Israelis, Lebanese, Iranian, Tunisians, Saudis, Afghans, Moroccans, Emiratis, and Iraqis, discussed collaborating on social change.
Day centers for adults with disabilities. Israel Elwyn (see here previously) has just opened a $7 million day center in Herzliya for people with disabilities aged 21 and over requiring constant comprehensive support. It is funded by the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, Bituach Leumi, and the Shalem Fund.
https://israelelwyn.org.il/activity/day-programs/
Fast entry for students. Foreign visitors arriving in Israel with valid student visas will now be able to enjoy a streamlined entry process. Upon scanning their passport at the automatic machines, they will receive a printed “VIP” slip and may proceed directly to the exit gates without stopping at the counter.
From beauty queen to pro-Israel influencer. Israel’s Noa Cochva represented Israel at Miss Universe in 2021. In 2023, when Hamas launched the Oct. 7 attack, she was called up as a reservist. Her message is that Israeli women are both soldiers and beauty queens - strong and feminine at the same time.
https://www.jns.org/noa-cochva-from-beauty-queen-to-pro-israel-influencer/
Memorial garden in Majdal Shams. The “Peace Team Garden” was inaugurated in Majdal Shams in memory of the 12 Druze children killed by a rocket fired by Hezbollah terrorists. The garden’s funders include pro-Israel Jerusalem-based Christian organization Bridges for Peace and Toronto-based One Free World International.
https://www.jns.org/memorial-garden-dedicated-to-12-angels-of-majdal-shams/
250 legislators from all 50 states. The largest-ever delegation of US lawmakers, representing all 50 US States, attended the “50 States, One Israel” event in Jerusalem. Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the “Democrats and Republicans alike”. Delegates visited Gaza border towns, met US lone soldier immigrants and planted 50 trees.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/saar-urges-250-visiting-us-state-legislators-to-pass-anti-bds-laws-in-their-states/ https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-867559
New York police chiefs train in Israel. (TY Yanky) 13 senior police officials from the New York area returned to the U.S. after an intensive week in Israel designed to increase their counterterrorism training and understanding of antisemitism. They also visited the Nova music festival site and several kibbutzim.
Top entrepreneurial universities. (TY Hazel) Two Israeli universities are listed among the world’s top 10 academic institutions for producing the most entrepreneurs, according to financial research firm PitchBook’s 2025 rankings. Tel Aviv University maintains its 2024’s 7th position. Technion Institute rose 6 places to 10th.
https://english.tau.ac.il/news/tau-maintains-7-place (Highest non-US University)
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjjpqw00ogg (unstoppable)
Climate Solutions Prize Tour. The Climate Solutions Prize Tour, in partnership with the Jewish Climate Trust, arrived in Israel on 14 Sep, after launching in the United Arab Emirates on 10 Sep. It connects builders, investors, and changemakers to forge meaningful partnerships, and explore transformative technologies.
https://climatesolutionsprize.com/CST25/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
More help for the bees. Israel’s Technion is helping Israel's - and the world's - dwindling bee populations thrive. From AI-monitored hives to robotic honeybees, Israel's brightest minds are ensuring that Jewish tradition and nature's sweetness endure for generations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8n8Iv2DkpE
University prize-winner. 18-year-old Raz Dvora won the top prize at the International Mathematics Competition for University Students, just weeks after graduating high school. He had simultaneously been studying undergraduate mathematics at the Open University of Israel’s Academia in High School program.
https://www.jns.org/wire/open-university-of-israel-program-launches-teen-to-global-math-victory/
Engineering a new future for Haredim. Israel Sci-Tech Schools has inaugurated a new ultra-Orthodox hesder yeshiva, thanks to Chedvata (see here previously). Netanya’s Hermelin College combines Torah study with academic excellence in practical engineering tracks. There are now four Chedvata yeshivot.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-867220 https://chedvata.org/
Filling the Sea of Galilee. As planned (see here previously) for the first time in the world, desalinated seawater is being pumped into a freshwater lake, as Israel transfers Mediterranean water into the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret). The “Reverse Carrier” initiative will keep the level of the Kinneret above the “Red line”.
https://www.ynetnews.com/environment/article/skadez43xl
Eilat corals survive heatwaves. An Israeli university study has revealed that corals in the Gulf of Eilat have survived four consecutive and intensifying marine heatwaves without experiencing mass bleaching. These include the world’s most extreme event in 2024 - a resilience unmatched anywhere else on the planet.
https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-868441
Vegan eggs from pea protein. Israel’s Meala FoodTech (see here previously) has unveiled Groundbaker, a single-ingredient pea protein that replicates eggs’ multi-functional performance in baked goods. It enables food manufacturers to reduce costs, decrease reliance on eggs (due to avian flu), and simplify formulations.
https://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/meala-egg-replacer-groundbaker.html
Strawberry fields not needed. Israel’s Novella Innovative Technology has used its AuraCell platform to develop Novella Strawberry, a patent-pending, new generation of bio-actives derived from whole strawberry cells. Novella bypasses the need to grow the whole plant, saving time, cost, waste and the environment.
Hard cheese. Israel’s SCIO has launched its handheld Cheese Analyzer (see here previously). No need to prepare the sample, the portable near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy device provides fast, accurate, and non-destructive analysis of fat, moisture, and protein content in all types of cheese and curd in under 10 seconds.
https://www.scionir.com/solutions/dairy/ https://farming.co.uk/news/scio-introduces-handheld-cheese-analyzer
Satellite communications in the palm of your hand. Israel’s Commcrete has developed a suite of ultra-compact satellite communication systems (Flipper, Stardust & Bittel) to work without clear sky access or heavy antennas, enabling secure voice, text, data, and location-sharing globally, in any environment or weather.
https://www.commcrete.com/ https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rkzk00fthlx
Science that makes you laugh and think. A team of Ben Gurion University Professors and students has won an Ig Nobel – the international science prize for making people laugh and then think. They published a study to reveal what happens to bats when they get drunk. They won ten trillion Zimbabwe dollars (60 cents in 2008).
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376635710000446?via%3Dihub
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israeli hi-tech had a record year. Despite the war. Israel’s high-tech industry posted a record year for exits and cemented its global leadership in Deep-Tech. The “Status Report on Israeli High-Tech 2025,” from Dutch database management company DealRoom, totaled 1,500 active Deep-Tech companies in Israel.
https://www.jns.org/despite-war-israeli-high-tech-has-record-year-new-report-finds/
AIR ONE can fly. (TY OurCrowd) The AIRONE all-electric eVTOL aircraft from Israel’s AIR (see here previously) has successfully received FAA Experimental Airworthiness Certification.
ElliQ for Japan. (TY OurCrowd) Japan’s Kanematsu will develop a Japanese version of ElliQ, the interactive AI companion for seniors developed by Israel’s Intuition Robotics (see here previously) Japan has 36 million seniors. Kanematsu is also investing in Intuition Robotics to raise its total equity funding to date to $85 million.
https://blog.ourcrowd.com/ai-companion-robot-says-hello-to-japans-36-million-seniors/
https://www.jobtorob.com/elliq-japan-launch
Partnering Nasdaq to prevent fraud. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s BioCatch (see here previously) has partnered with Verafin (a subsidiary of Nasdaq). They will combine their fraud detection technologies to combat rising payments fraud. Verafin is used by over 2,600 financial institutions.
Managing autonomous taxis. The technology of Israel’s Via Transportation (see here previously) is to serve as the backbone of the autonomous taxi service of Google subsidiary Waymo. Via’s platform will allow for pooling multiple passengers into a single ride.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/lrmoww2qt
No worries for Elbit. Israel’s Elbit Systems has secured a $120 million contract to supply its Hermes 900 unmanned aerial system (UAS) for long-range maritime surveillance to an undisclosed international customer.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/b1zvead3gx
Living financially smarter in Israel. The third annual Living Financially Smarter in Israel (LFSII) conference, at Nefesh B’Nefesh’s Jerusalem campus attracted some 350 new and veteran immigrants, plus English-speaking Israelis. They heard practical strategies on how to build financial stability and thrive in Israel.
https://www.jns.org/nefesh-hosts-living-financially-smarter-in-israel/
Free banking in Israel? In early 2026 Israel’s newest digital bank, Esh Bank Israel, promises to offer accounts completely free of fees for both retail customers and small businesses. It also will share 50% of the interest earned on their current account balances. The bank will be entirely digital, offering basic banking services.
https://finder.startupnationcentral.org/company_page/esh
Exits, takeovers, and mergers to 5th Oct 25. US Datavant has acquired Israeli medical document analysis startup DigitalOwl for just over $200 million. Israel’s Kela Technologies has acquired Israel’s Pelanor for tens of millions of dollars. Israel’s Honeybook has acquired Israel’s Fine.dev. Brazil’s Unico has acquired Israel’s OwnID.
Startup investment – to 5th Oct 25: Via Transportation (value $3.65 billion) raised $493 million (IPO); Descope raised an additional $35 million; Commcrete raised $29 million; Datawizz raised $12.5 million; Gain raised $12 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Oldest church organ makes music again. A pipe organ crafted some 1,000 years ago for Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity made music once more, as the instrument was unveiled at Jerusalem’s Terra Sancta Museum. It was hailed as the “oldest organ in Christendom.” It was rediscovered in 1906 during construction work.
Ancient gold hoard unearthed. University of Haifa archaeologists have uncovered a Byzantine-period (6th or 7th century CE) hoard of 97 pure gold coins and jewelry at Sussita National Park. They believe it was buried in fear of the Sasanian-Persian conquest. It includes a rare 610 CE tremissis (gold coin) of Emperor Heraclius.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/415383
World’s largest fish visits Israel. Ashdod authorities recorded the the first documented sighting of a whale shark along Israel’s Mediterranean coast and only the third confirmed sighting in the entire Mediterranean. Whale sharks are occasionally seen in the Gulf of Eilat – this one is thought to have swum up the Suez Canal.
https://www.ynetnews.com/environment/article/skadez43xl
Israel reached Euro baseball quarterfinals. The Israel Baseball National Team beat Switzerland 9-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 European Championship. Pitcher Justin Alintoff dedicated the victory to all the Israelis fighting in the war and those who have lost their lives. Israel finished 7th in the competition.
https://israfan.com/p/alintoff-leads-israel-euro-baseball-quarterfinals
Good results. Israel finished 7th at the European Softball Championships. Israel placed 8th at the Women’s European U-18 Water Polo Championships. And Israel’s men’s U18 water polo team won the European Championship Division 1, having already secured promotion to the Elite tier.
https://www.wbsceurope.org/en/events/2025-womens-softball-european-championship/teams/34606
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_women%27s_national_water_polo_team
https://www.instagram.com/isrswimming/p/DNyJ9LJ2BIu/
THE JEWISH STATE
Bringing youths from FSU to Israel. (TY Yanky) The NGO Naale (its acronym means Youth Immigrating Before Parents) has brought 40 Jewish teenagers from the Former Soviet Union to pursue a new life in Israel. They are being supported by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) including its Ireland branch.
https://www.icej.org/blog/naale-nurturing-the-next-generations-connection-to-zion/
Training young advocacy leaders. 25 young leaders from four continents completed KKL-JNF’s Zionist Leadership Academy in Israel with a week of training, advocacy and resilience building. Now in its fourth year, the program combines about 10 months of online sessions with a mandatory intensive week in Israel.
https://www.jns.org/young-diaspora-leaders-attend-zionist-leadership-academy/
New home for lone soldiers. A new residential facility for lone soldiers was inaugurated at the Hannaton Educational Center in northern Israel (see here previously), welcoming 30 young immigrants from North America as its first residents.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/new-home-for-lone-soldiers-opens-in-northern-israel/
Future-proof in Jerusalem. (TY Sharon) Jerusalem is busy preparing for future. Construction continues at a pace. Conferences included Living Financially Smarter in Israel, the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference (including discussion on the rise of global antisemitsm), and the Michael Levin Base gala.
https://rjstreets.com/2025/09/28/from-rosh-hashanah-to-yom-kippur-on-the-jerusalem-streets/
5th anniversary of Abraham Accords. Several articles mark the five years since the Abraham Accords were signed on the White House lawns between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and the USA. Despite the current war, international cooperation still continues. Jewish religious events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been restored.
https://themedialine.org/top-stories/asher-fredman-on-abraham-accords-fifth-anniversary-continuation-depends-on-peace-as-a-strategic-choice/ https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/the-abraham-accords-offer-a-model-and-a-means-for-countering-antisemitism-on-campus/ https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/414969
