On the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Law) we
read how the universe was created – starting with the four words “Let there be
light”. Today, Israeli solar energy
projects light up countless homes.
However, the Jewish State also has found another way to illuminate
millions of lives – by removing the darkness itself.
It is sad to see the shadowy effects of
aging on previously brilliant minds.
Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute may therefore have opened up
the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
They have discovered that the protein interferon beta impairs the
cognitive ability of the brain – common in old age. New treatments that block or remove
this protein may one day prevent or reverse cognitive decline and
rejuvenate the brain. Israeli biotech
Compugen has discovered another “murky” protein, codenamed CGEN-15049 that
prevents the immune system from destroying tumors. Attacking
CGEN-15049 could prevent cancers of the lung, ovaries, breast, colon,
stomach, prostate and liver. A new
treatment may already be underway
thanks to FutuRx - a new Government-funded incubator for Israeli bio-techs.
Watching someone being treated successfully
for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) is like seeing a dark cloud lifted.
So we hope for only
blue skies from now on, now that the US FDA has fast-tracked the NurOwn
ALS treatment developed by Israel’s Brainstorm. On the other hand, those suffering from the dry form of age-related
macular degeneration (dry-AMD) may develop dark areas on the retina of
the eye, causing progressive blindness. OpRegen, developed by Israel’s CellCure NeuroSciences is hoping
to become the
first approved therapy for dry-AMD.
Irrespective of whether the forces of darkness are biological, social or man-made, Israel will try to defeat them. The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Mashav department is sending three Israeli-manufactured mobile emergency clinics to West Africa to help try to prevent the Ebola virus from spreading. Meanwhile, at home, the Israeli Government has approved a budget increase of NIS 1.7 billion to fight poverty. And then Israeli surgeons toiled for hours in order to save the life of a Syrian boy who was shot in the neck during Syria’s civil war. The doctors at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center removed a bullet, just millimeters from the main blood vessels in the five-year-old’s neck.
Scientists believe that a mysterious Dark
Matter comprises much of the known universe, but cannot prove it. Dr Ran Budnik of Israel’s Weizmann Institute
is lead scientist on the project to build the prototype of a device to detect
the result of dark
matter particles colliding with liquid xenon. In a more practical context, Mekorot, Israel’s national water
company doesn’t want its engineers to
work in the dark. It is the
first firm in the world to equip its field workers with smart glasses – Epson’s Moverio BT-200 devices. It’s also the first to be deploying a
commercial app - by Israeli startup FieldBit - to receive specific guidance and
instruction when they repair high-tension electricity installations at
Mekorot’s facilities.
Israel leads the world in defending against
criminal forces. Two products of Israel’s Magal-Senstar
won awards at the 2014 ASIS Accolades Competition: Security’s
Best Award. Its RoboGuard robot
patrols security fences and its CyberSeal protects against cyber attacks. Meanwhile, Russian software giant Kaspersky
Lab, known for its popular anti-virus system, is to open a development
center in Jerusalem next year - one of its few outside of Russia. Then Israel’s CyberSpark initiative received
a boost when Carole and Marcus Weinstein donated $5 million to sponsor the
building of a new Cyber
Security center at Ben Gurion University. But it was a low-tech Israeli security solution that caught the
eye when Israel’s Seatylock
announced its neat way to turn a bicycle saddle into a
bike lock.
The forces of darkness have nothing to
match the force protecting the Jewish State from above. Readers, however, may be amused to know that
Israel even has a
law for Angels. The Government
is amending the Angel Investors Law, granting tax incentives to those investing
in start-ups at the seed stage of research and development. Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said it
“will ensure that the New Year will be one of entrepreneurship and
encouragement of investment in high tech.”
That should demoralize the dim-witted Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
thugs even further. The UK’s evil BDS
losers are already distraught over the latest economic news that bilateral
trade between Israel and the UK rose by 28% between January and August, reaching
record levels. Israeli exports
to the UK were worth £1.6 billion, up 38%.
Finally, the
light dawned on 19-year-old twins Fatima and Zukra Islambakov who were
born in Uzbekistan and even attended Muslim schools. Then they discovered their Jewish roots, immigrated to Israel and
joined the IDF where they are currently helping to protect the Jewish State
against the forces of darkness.
Israel – everyone's best hope for a bright
future.
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
