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