Building a New World

In synagogues this week, Jews read about Noah and the Biblical flood, which tells of the destruction of the ancient world.  Today, there are many evils that again threaten to flood the planet, but at least now we have a nation - Israel - busy re-constructing the world to prevent disease, thirst, hunger, pollution and terrorism from submerging mankind.  Here are some of Israel’s most recent activities.

In the new world no one will have Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or Type 2 diabetes.  Ben Gurion University researchers have just discovered that these diseases have a common link in the build-up of a peptide, for which treatments now can be developed.  Another Israeli innovation facilitates damaged hearts to be repaired by building replacement tissue impregnated with gold atoms.  The electrical conductivity property of gold carries signals to and from the heart until the new tissue grows sufficient amounts of protein to do the same job. 

Complex fractures are often repaired by regenerating the bone using grafts taken from somewhere else in the body.  But now the damaged bone can be rebuilt from coral grown in the laboratory by Israel’s OkCoral.  And during breast cancer awareness month we are building our hopes up for a world without this deadly disease.  Among many Israeli discoveries and treatments is the vital Octava early diagnosis cancer test from Israel’s Eventus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV2-IM4Vo_w

The excitement has been building for three international conferences showcasing world-changing Israeli technology.  The International Polymer Processing Society (PPS) is holding its annual conference in Israel for the first time in its 30-year history.  Top experts will discuss 3D printing, nano-technology, biodegradable polymers, super-hygrophobicity, medical polymers, smart materials and much more.  At the International Astronautical Congress in Toronto, over 200 leaders in the “space business” gathered at the Israel exhibit.  Israel is one of only seven countries to launch and maintain its own satellites and works closely with both NASA and the European Space Agency.  And the Israel Conference in Los Angeles at the end of October will feature 75 stellar speakers from Israel-facing hi-tech companies building the technologies and products of tomorrow.

Most computers are now built with Israeli technology inside.  Intel’s latest Core M chip was designed in Israel, as is its successor - the SkyLake due to be released in 2015.  Meanwhile, Israel’s Stratasys has built a factory described as the most advanced in the world for the production of 3D printers.  And Israel’s Nano Dimension is building a desktop-sized 3D printer that prints electrical circuit boards so that one day you may be able to print your own computer or mobile phone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4m5skH0sGw

Israel is helping to build a world free from polluting chemicals.  The Jewish State has joined a group of 41 countries that have agreed to drop all customs duties on goods that contribute to a cleaner environment.  The global deal will also make Israel’s vast range of clean technology products cheaper abroad.  Israel is also building a new clean technology hub at Kibbutz Ketura near Eilat. The hub will allow companies to build and test products that provide energy and water to poor populations that are not connected to their national grids.  The waste digesters from Israel’s HomeBioGas already do this for Bedouin residents of the Arab town of Umm Batin near Beersheva. Israel’s environment ministry even subsidizes the 8,000-shekels cost per unit.  Additional units are heading overseas as part of a pilot project in the Dominican Republic.

In the new world, discrimination would be non-existent.  The Jewish State leads the way, for the head of Ziv Medical Center is Dr. Salmaan Zarka - a Druze Arab, and women are in charge of Hadassah, HaEmeq and Carmel hospitals.  Arab states would have good relations with Israel.  Already, hundreds of individual Syrians happily trust Israeli doctors with their lives; the Arab media praises Israel’s treatment of its Palestinian Arab workers; and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and even Turkey are negotiating to buy Israeli natural gas.

Away from the Middle East, there is even more cause to be optimistic about relations with countries that have large Muslim populations.  According to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, “the sky’s the limit” to Israel-India ties as evidenced by the warm meeting in New York between the leaders of the two states.  Turning next to Azerbaijan - the biggest supplier of oil to Israel and its closest Muslim ally.  Moshe Ya’alon was the first Israeli Defense Minister to visit the majority Shiite nation since diplomatic relations were established 22 years ago. And finally, Israeli eye doctors performed 55 operations and examined over 250 patients at the Eye Microsurgery Department of Osh Interregional Hospital in Kyrgyzstan. 

There are no doubts amongst many of Israel’s supporters that Israel is key to a better world.  Every year thousands of Zionist Christians express their belief in the Biblical prophet Zechariah’s vision that “all nations of the world will come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles”.

Finally, even Noah might have been impressed by the efforts of six Israelis to reach Israel in time for Tabernacles.  They swam the 236 miles (380km) from Cyprus to Tel Aviv to make a new world record and build awareness for protecting the environment of the Mediterranean. 

Israel – making a world of difference.

Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

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

Israel begins a New Year

The Jewish New Year is a time of exciting new beginnings, and there is no better place to observe them than in the Jewish State itself.

Israeli medical discoveries and advances are announced every week, but the impact of the most recent innovations is simply staggering.  Technion scientists are the first in the world to manufacture cancer-killing chemicals inside the tumor itself.  These directly target the tumor, fooling the cancer’s defense mechanisms and avoiding the usual harsh side effects of chemotherapy.  Over at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Yotam Bar-On has developed new antibodies to attack the flu virus.  These antibodies disrupt virus’s ability to evade the immune system’s natural killer cells.

At Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center, a cutting-edge brain catheterization procedure was broadcast live to thousands of doctors attending the world’s largest cardiovascular conference in Washington DC.  And at the same hospital, doctors have begun using a robot to unblock arteries remotely.  The robot is more accurate than human hands and avoids any radiation risk to surgeons.  The robot is manufactured by Corindus – founded by two Israeli scientists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ErvOPeUTxo

Further new Israeli treatments include the bladder cancer product BC-819, developed by Israel’s Biocancell Therapeutics, which has just completed a successful clinical trial.  Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, sufferers of severe Glaucoma will now be able to receive treatment using the innovative CO2 laser IOPtiMate manufactured by Israel’s XLVision Sciences.  Finally, scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a new cocktail of genes that are extremely effective in turning adult cells back into stem cells. These stem cells, when transplanted, can renew previously damaged tissue or organs.

The New Year will see the culmination of hundreds of new Israeli technological ventures.  Israel will build its first bio-waste power plant at Neot Hovav in the Negev that will generate 5 megawatts of clean energy and process over one hundred thousand tons of organic waste per year.  A new National Photonics and Electro-Optics Research Center will allow professionals and students to delve into the exciting new science of light and optics. 

The Israeli government will establish a new hi-tech authority - the National Technical Innovation Authority - to enhance Israeli innovation and bolster economic growth. And Israel’s Algatechnologies is to build a new factory at Kibbutz Ketura that will grow new forms of beneficial micro-algae for use in foods, medicines and cosmetics. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcEjEztv11c

The New Year promises to enhance relationships between the Jewish State and other forward-thinking countries.  “The sky’s the limit” when it comes to new ties between Israel and India, as Israel’s Prime Minister stated at his meeting with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi in New York.  Israel’s Economic Office in Delhi has already been busy matchmaking Israeli and Indian companies.  Even a well-established relationship was strengthened when the US Senate unanimously adopted the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act that will lay the foundation for expanded US-Israel cooperation in defense, energy, agriculture, and other key sectors. 

We can only wish that future Israeli-Arab relations mirrored the words of exiled Syrian opposition leader Dr. Kamal Al-Labwani, who visited wounded Syrians being treated at Israel’s Ziv Hospital. "This moving humanitarian gesture is an opening for rapprochement between the two peoples and hope for peace on quieter days," he said.  And if other Arab leaders visited Israeli hospitals, such as Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center, they would see young Israeli patients start the school year.  Jews, Moslems, Christians, Druze, plus Arabs from Gaza - all study together in their year groups.  And whilst we are dreaming of new beginnings, listen to the “Dream it. Do it” New Year message from the students of Israel’s Technion – in 14 languages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2vBAPg0YJk

Finally, there is no better way to start a new year than by starting a new life.  24,800 new immigrants to Israel did precisely that in the last 12 months - a 28% increase on the previous year and the highest number in the past five years.  For the first time in history, more immigrants arrived from France (nearly 6,000) than from any other country, and many more are expected in 5775.  An even larger number of new arrivals had far less distance to travel. A record 176,230 Israeli babies were born in 5774 - the next generation of new beginnings.

Happy New Year.

Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

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

The Future is in Israeli Hands

http://blogs.jpost.com/content/future-israeli-hands

http://blogs.jpost.com/print/4872

The rituals that accompany the Jewish festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles) almost require us to have an extra pair of hands.  Holding 4 species of plants together, assembling a booth, carrying food up and down stairs etc.  So it is appropriate that many of the recent positive news items from the Jewish State can be connected to our hands.

We begin in Haifa, where medical experts at the University of Haifa and Rambam Medical Center have developed a non-invasive handwriting analysis technique to detect the onset of Parkinson’s disease.  Changes in handwriting occur years before a clinical diagnosis can be made, providing early treatment options.  In a similar vein, a finger is all that diabetics need in order to receive an accurate, painless reading of their blood-sugar levels using the TensorTip Combo Glucometer from Israel’s Cnoga.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxXnjY7jy9g

One day, stem cell technology will be able to regenerate damaged limbs and organs.  Thanks to the handiwork of Israeli scientists at the Weizmann Institute, that day is now much closer. They discovered that removing the protein MBD3 from adult cells re-programs them into stem cells in just 8 days instead of the current 4 weeks.  Israel’s depth of expertise in this technology can be seen in the speaker list for Jerusalem’s 5th International Stem Cell conference in October. It includes 22 Israeli professors and six specialist Israeli doctors.

The technology development arm of Cancer Research UK has received a hand from Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals with the signing of a multi-project alliance agreement to research and develop first-in-class cancer drugs. Whilst this was happening, the US Food and Drug Administration handed out approval for two of Teva’s cancer medications - for the treatment of secondary cancers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Parkinson’s disease often cannot control their hands. The Deep Brain TMS treatment from Israel’s Brainsway is having much success in this area.  Trials at Sheba Medical Center have shown a 27 percent improvement in OCD patients that had previously failed to respond to both pharmacological and psychological therapy.  Meanwhile, more wounded Syrians have been waking up in Israeli hospitals to find themselves in safe hands. 

Israeli technology is transforming farmers in the developing world from their previous “hand to mouth” existence.  Israeli brothers Gilad and Yonatan Shilo founded Israel for Africa (IFA) to promote better sustainable agriculture in Kenya.  And in Brazil, Israel’s Evogene has successfully completed three years of field trials to transform castor beans into bio-fuel.  The crop is sown after the soybean harvest, when rainfall is insufficient for other crops, providing farmers with “handy” extra revenue.  However, farmers everywhere would like to get their hands on Tal-Ya trays, now that the Israeli innovation has gone into production.  The agricultural trays achieve a dramatic increase in crop yield and prevent weed-growth, whilst saving farmers over 50 percent in water and 30 percent in fertilizer resources.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v58Pcg-LTmU

Research institutions and science museums across the country handed the Israeli public hundreds of opportunities to participate in this year’s “Night of the Scientists”.  Space exploration was the theme, as 2013 is the tenth anniversary of the flight of the first Israeli astronaut - Ilan Ramon.  The event was entitled “Israelis touch the stars” and included “hands-on” activities for all the family.

The marketing message for the new plug-in from Israeli start-up Curiyo is that it “puts the data you want at your fingertips”.  Curiyo will display a subtle link to instantly available details about interesting subjects in any web page you visit.  And Israel’s “invisible touchscreen” maker SnapKeys has updated its SI Revolution keyboard app to fit your fingers.  Say goodbye to the QWERTY keyboard.  One-finger typing just got even easier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqo6cuthFIk
 

We should use our hands to applaud two exceptional individuals.  In Acre, Uri Jeremias’s single-handed determination has been responsible for the reconstruction of two abandoned Ottoman palaces and their transformation into a handsome boutique hotel.  On the other hand, Maestro conductor Zubin Mehta is used to waving his hands around more than most of us.  But he put his fingertips together Indian style in gratitude for being bestowed with an honorary Technion doctorate.  Professor Lavie, President of Israel’s world-class innovation university, described Dr Mehta as an exceptional man who has made a unique contribution to the betterment of Israel and the entire world with the magic of music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-mTBJuWO6Q&feature=youtu.be

Returning to the festive season, and although they missed out on a world record, many hands made light work of Haifa youth’s Sukkot project to make Israel’s longest paper chain. Decorated paper chains are a popular feature of the booths built for the festival of Tabernacles / Sukkot. 

Finally, prominent Israelis shook hands with some of the thousands of Christian supporters of Israel from over 100 countries who made sure they were on hand in Jerusalem this week to celebrate the most inclusive of Jewish festivals.  It is a handy reminder that the last time Israel’s capital city saw more representations from nations of the world was in King Solomon’s time.

More people need to know what is truly happening in the Jewish State.

Please give a helping hand!

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