5777 - What a Year That Was

The Jerusalem Post included two reports on the events of 5777 in its 20th September edition. Gill Hoffman wrote “very little of significance actually ended up happening in Israel” so he described the Top 10 stories that didn’t happen.  Amotz Asa-el struggled to find a “Person of the Year” – there was “no celebrity thinker, captivating artist or high-flying statesman”.

I would like to challenge these rather negative articles by providing a summary of just a few of the many hundreds of positive events of the past year.  Most of these news articles appeared in the Jerusalem Post. Where appropriate, I will name the exceptional people involved.

Tishri-Cheshvan 5777 / Oct-Nov 2016:-

Readers will know about IsraAID’s relief work after recent Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and Maria, but may have forgotten that IsraAID’s Navonel (Voni) Glick and Yotam Polizer were organizing volunteers back in 2016 to help Haitian survivors of Hurricane Matthew. IsraAID has since helped survivors of the Italian earthquakes, refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos, Sierra Leone, Peru, Yazidis in Iraq and more.

In November, the IDF announced that Avraham Yitzhak will be the first colonel of Ethiopian descent in IDF history when he becomes chief medical officer of the IDF Southern Command. Yitzhak came to Israel in 1991, graduated in medicine at Ben Gurion University and was the first Ethiopian-Israeli combat doctor.

Kislev-Tevet 5777 / Dec-Jan 2016:-

Israel received rare recognition from the BBC in December, when (after protest for their initial snub) BBC News finally interviewed Weizmann Institute’s Professor Avigdor Scherz, co-developer of the globally acclaimed TOOKAD prostate cancer treatment. Also in December, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his series of global trips to improve Israel’s international relations and bilateral trade by visiting two Muslim countries - Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. He subsequently visited London, Singapore, Australia, West Africa and of course, the USA and the UN.  In January the PM announced that Member of Knesset Ayoub Kara would become the first lawmaker from Israel’s Druze community to serve as a cabinet minister. In his previous role as Deputy Minister of Regional Cooperation, Kara was instrumental in setting up Israeli help for Syrian refugees in Syria, Israel and Jordan. Also in January, Israel’s leading crowdfunding organization OurCrowd, founded by entrepreneur Jon Medved, hosted Israel’s largest investment event with over 6,000 attendees. Most of OurCrowd’s portfolio of 110 startups were on view.

Shevat-Adar 5777 / Feb-Mar 2017:-

In February new judges chosen to sit on Israel’s Supreme Court of Justice included a Christian Arab, George Kara, and Yael Vilner - the first orthodox Jewish woman to get a permanent seat on Israel’s highest court. In the same month Dr. Michal Kaufmann of Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital performed cochlear implant surgery on 16 Palestinian Arab deaf and mute children to allow them to hear for the first time in their lives.  Then in March, Israeli scientists announced one of the biggest breakthroughs in cancer treatment when they used derivatives of Phenanthridine to make tumor cells self-destruct in the most resistant and incurable cancers.  Also in March Intel purchased Israel’s Mobileye, founded by Ziv Aviram and Amnon Shashua, for $15 billion. Mobileye continues to be managed in Israel and expand through partnerships with Fiat-Chrysler and China’s Yutong and Nio.  Another Israeli company, SodaStream, led by David Birnbaum, unveiled its new packaging in March. It includes a picture of the Israeli flag, accompanied by the caption: "This product is made by Arabs and Jews working side by side in peace and harmony."

Nissan-Iyar 5777 / Apr-May 2017:-

One of April’s highlights was when Israeli President Rivlin invited Arab teacher Jehan Jaber to his Jerusalem residence, to praise her for teaching Hebrew to Arab elementary school children. The video of Jehan teaching catchy song “Geshem, Geshem Metaftef” (“Rain, rain is dripping”) went viral, with over two million views. In May Yehiel Tal, CEO of Israel’s CollPlant, which has been developing collagen-based bio-ink, made a major announcement.  He said that CollPlant is now “working with several large international companies, with the aim of collaborating in the development of organs and tissues printing.” Meanwhile, Israeli NGO Innovation: Africa, founded by Sivan Ya’ari, publicized its work installing solar power systems to provide electricity for Africans to pump water, illuminate homes and power medical centers. Sivan’s 8-year-old daughter then visited Uganda to see her mother’s work at first hand.

Sivan-Tammuz-Av 5777 / Jun-July-Aug 2017:-

In June, researchers at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital, led by Professor Benjamin Rubinoff, transplanted retinal pigment cells from embryonic stem cells to prevent five sufferers of retinal degeneration from going blind. In the same month, Jerusalem Rabbi Dov Benyaacov-Kurtzman setup the UK National Emergency Response, Resilience and Treatment Program for Stress and Trauma. Its first work was with the victims of the Manchester UK bombing. In July Eli Beer, founder and President of United Hatzalah, explained his organization’s revolutionary model of life-saving at the largest dedication of emergency vehicles in Israel’s history. Later, in August United Hatzalah despatched its Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit to Houston, Texas.

Ellul 5777 / Sept 2017:-

In September, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon took up his new position as Vice President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly (GA). Earlier in the year, as chair of the United Nations Legal Committee, Danon increased respect for Israel at the UN. He saw two Israeli-sponsored resolutions passed by the GA and arranged a co-operation agreement with United Nations Women - the world body’s institution for the empowerment of women. He even organized a UN event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Israel’s reunification of Jerusalem. Then just before this Rosh Hashana as the presiding GA chair, he proudly invited Israeli PM Netanyahu to speak to the General Assembly.

In fact, it was a Very Good News Year.

Michael Ordman writes about positive news stories from Israel. www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com and a searchable archive www.IsraelActive.com

 

Israel says “No” to the Status Quo

http://blogs.jpost.com/content/israel-says-no-status-quo

http://blogs.jpost.com/print/4262

I will continue last week’s theme where I ridiculed UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon’s speech, blaming Israel for the stagnation of the Arab World.  Last week we saw Israel’s neighbors continuing to self-destruct and PA Chairman Abbas extending his obstructive preconditions for restarting peace talks. In contrast, Israel was busy pushing ahead with its technological advances to make the world a better place.

Even at walking pace, Israel is making giant strides.  Israeli start-up SensoGo has developed a device that, when strapped to a patient’s leg, performs medical gait analysis.  It records and uploads data about factors such as the patient’s gait, speed, and style of walking. Doctors can diagnose a patient more quickly and efficiently than from current video methods.  Next, here is a news update about the ReWalk exoskeleton from Israel’s Argo Medical that allows paraplegics to walk upright.  Version 2 of ReWalk has just been released to help them walk even better.  New software programs make the device easier to use.  Also one device can now be resized to fit and help train different users.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xd27c-pz4Y&feature=player_embedded

When aging bones are too fragile for fast walking, Israel’s Bonus Biogroup can generate new bones from a patients’ own fat cells.  Hospitals in Tzrifin and Afula, have agreed to trial the implanting of engineered bones back into patients. Meanwhile, Weizmann Institute researchers have solved a major piece of the puzzle as to why one in 4000 babies is born with DiGeorge syndrome, the cause of various abnormalities in the heart and face.

The top medical story of the week really emphasizes the message that we must never stand still and become self-complacent.  Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center screened 1,000 apparently healthy Israelis for 11 of the most common cancers. 2.4 percent (24) were diagnosed with early stage malignancies and then treated successfully – potentially saving their lives.  And don’t stick with the notion that a fatty diet is always bad for you.  A five-year study at Israel’s Beilinson Hospital says that for the elderly, higher levels of cholesterol mean a longer life, not a shorter one. Patients of average age 82 with higher cholesterol levels (including high LDL) lived longer than those with lower levels.

Israel’s Council for Higher Education continues to invest in building research institutions that will make tomorrow’s breakthroughs.  It has added 11 more research centers into its ICORE research excellence program, to reinforce Israel’s intellectual capacities and promote synergy among Israel’s leading research centers at universities, colleges, hospitals and research institutes.  And in the Israeli-Arab town of Sakhnin, NASA’s administrator Charles Bolden, participated in the launching of the Moona science, environment and space center.  Also in the Arab sector, the Wadi Attir eco-village project completed its “preparation phase” with the inauguration of the Arab Bedouin village of Hura in the northeast Negev desert. Ironically, one of the village’s main sponsors is KKL-JNF - a current target of anti-Israel BDS campaigners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QwH34JffFE

Israel keeps stimulating innovation by investing in start-up companies. To get a feel for how funding works, read this excellent article in TechWeekEurope, which described how the Tel Aviv Time Incubator brings the Israeli government and venture capitalists together to maintain the momentum of the country’s technological advances.  And should you be worth several million dollars and have the odd $10,000 available to invest, you may be interested in joining OurCrowd.  Israeli entrepreneur Jon Medved has founded this exclusive club to fund and grow Israeli start-ups into global giants.  Over at one of Israel’s flagship companies, Strauss Coffee, the caffeine buzz may have been responsible for the company’s rapid rise to become the world's fourth largest coffee company, even prior to their recent Russian acquisition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_W7Y9DVeu8

Israelis, of course, are also pushing the boundaries in the International arena.  A team of eight scientists from the Hebrew University, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Tel Aviv University are participating in the Human Brain Project, chosen by the European Commission as one of its flagship projects.  And Israeli professor Jonathan Rabinowitz, of Bar-Ilan University has been appointed to the European Medicines Agency’s Advisory Group. He will also co-chair of the Program Committee for the Biennial Schizophrenia International Research Society Conference to take place in Florence, Italy.

Visitors to Jerusalem from June 13-14 will witness the fastest race ever around the timeless city.  Herod’s chariot races are long gone – to be replaced for two days, by sleek Formula 1 cars screaming past the Old City walls, going through Mamila, and buzzing by the King David hotel.

Finally, he could have submitted to his fate, sat back and simply received an honorable discharge, but Captain Ziv Shilon was not going to give in to the Gaza terrorists who planted the bomb that blew off his arm in October.  Today, the Givati IDF officer is back with his soldiers and in a special ceremony he presented them with their combat soldier pins.

Israelis never accept “no” for an answer!

Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing Good News stories about Israel.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

For a free subscription, email a request to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com