A Healthy and Good News Year (Part 2)

I have made 12 major predictions regarding major Israeli medical achievements that will happen in the new Jewish Year of 5776.  Three of those predications have been described in detail in Part 1 of this blog.  Part 2 contains the detailed links for my remaining 9 medical predictions.

Here is the summary list of all 12 predictions.  Part 2 predictions are in RED.

1. There will be numerous major breakthroughs by Israelis in the search for a cure for cancer.

2. There will be huge Israeli advances in the treatment of brain diseases.

3. New Israeli treatments will be found for diabetes.

4. Israeli innovations and research will give heart to cardiology patients.

5. Israelis will make major discoveries about the immune system and auto-immune diseases.

6. Israelis will find new ways to fight resistant strains of bacteria

7. Israelis will pursue treatments for rare diseases and conditions.

8. Israeli doctors will personally intervene to save the lives and limbs of thousands of non-Israelis.

9. New Israeli medical innovations will improve the lives of disabled people.

10. There will be new Israeli medical treatments for the relief of pain.

11. New Israeli devices and techniques to diagnose disease and injuries earlier and quicker.

12. New Israeli medicines, devices and techniques will save and change lives and give hope to millions.

2. There will be huge Israeli advances in the treatment of brain diseases. 

In the past year, Israel’s Avraham Pharmaceuticals has been successfully testing its ladostigil treatment that slows the progression to Alzheimer’s; Israel’s Kadimastem had successful pre-clinical trials of its stem-cell treatment for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS / Lou Gehrig’s disease); Israeli biotech Pharma Two B had positive results in its trials of P2B001 for the treatment of early stage Parkinson’s disease.

More of last year’s Israeli advances in brain disease treatments can be found by clicking on these links.

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/two-israeli-arabs-develop-app-to-treat-adhd/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/brain-disease-mechanism-discovered/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/brain-neurons-study-can-help-fight-alzheimers/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/the-nose-to-brain-express-route/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/als-treatment-trial-shows-success/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/parkinsons-treatment-trials-success/

3. New Israeli treatments will be found for diabetes. 

5775 saw Israeli researchers working to isolate the active ingredient of the Israeli shrub Chiliadenus iphionoides that increases sugar absorption and reduces blood sugar levels; Israel’s TouchéMedical is developing the world’s smallest, cheapest and smartest patch pump, for patients with diabetes; Kadimastem’s stem cells (see above) can also generate pancreatic cells that secrete insulin.

More of last year’s new Israeli treatments for diabetes can be found by clicking on these links.

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/hope-for-millions-of-diabetics/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/diabetic-technology-goes-global/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/an-artificial-pancreas-implant/

4. Israeli innovations and research will give heart to cardiology patients. 

Israel’s Eximo has developed a catheter connected to a pulsed laser system, for the treatment of blocked arteries associated with Peripheral Artery Disease;

More of last year’s Israeli cardiology innovations and research can be found by clicking on these links.

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/light-stimulated-genes-may-replace-pacemakers/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/a-traffic-light-pacemaker/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/treating-sleep-apnea-and-heart-disease-2/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/pomegranate-juice-and-dates-for-healthy-arteries/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/heart-muscle-re-grown-after-heart-attack/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/device-to-prevent-heart-failure/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/an-even-bigger-heart/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/understanding-irregular-heartbeats/

5. Israelis will make major discoveries about the immune system and auto-immune diseases. 

Last year’s Israeli immunology-related discoveries can be found by clicking on these links.

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/pluristem-stem-cells-control-the-immune-system/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/new-smart-anti-inflammatory-protein/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/how-the-lymphatic-system-forms/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/bacteria-use-dna-memory-to-stop-viruses/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/arthritis-treatment-can-stop-hair-loss/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/vaccines-from-your-own-cells/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/immunotherapy-to-fight-cancer/

6. Israelis will find new ways to fight resistant strains of bacteria. 

Last year’s Israeli work to fight resistant bacteria can be found by clicking on these links.

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/bacteria-or-virus/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/protection-against-microbial-infections/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/fighting-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/successful-trials-for-treatment-of-gastric-infections/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/a-virus-that-kills-resistant-bacteria-infections/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/preventing-hospital-infections/

9. New Israeli medical innovations will improve the lives of disabled people. 

Last year’s Israeli medical innovations for the disabled can be found by clicking on these links.

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/calming-autistic-children/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/new-center-for-autism-in-jerusalem/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/rewalk-makes-paraplegics-healthier/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/6000-disabled-kids-can-now-walk-tall/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/the-blind-can-see-sounds/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/kids-in-sync-physically-and-socially/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/beit-issie-launches-disabilities-tech-center/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/a-smartphone-for-the-disabled/

10. There will be new Israeli medical treatments for the relief of pain. 

Last year’s Israeli medical treatments for the relief of pain can be found by clicking on these links.

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/high-pressure-oxygen-to-treat-fibromyalgia/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/success-for-treatment-of-back-pain/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/successful-trials-for-novel-treatment/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/revolutionizing-the-management-of-pain/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/apostherapy-marches-on/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/treatment-to-stop-pain/

11. New Israeli devices and techniques to diagnose disease and injuries earlier and quicker. 

Last year’s new Israeli diagnostic devices can be found by clicking on these links.

The genetic mutation tests of Israel’s Rosetta Genomics to detect lung cancer;

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/non-invasive-test-for-bladder-cancer-2/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/blood-test-detects-early-colon-cancer/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/internet-tool-to-analyze-genes/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/early-detection-of-colon-and-uterine-cancer/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/eilat-coral-can-help-cancer-research/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/micro-antenna-to-treat-gastro-cancer/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/cancer-detection-proven/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/tb-skin-patch-wins-gates-award/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/a-sniff-test-for-autism/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/an-app-to-detect-adhd/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/app-can-diagnose-adhd-2/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/voice-monitoring-to-diagnose-brain-disease/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/monitoring-mental-illness-by-smartphone/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/one-device-to-check-them-all-anywhere/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/simple-test-for-smoke-inhalation-damage/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/diagnosing-malaria-in-only-3-minutes/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/bacteria-test-in-minutes/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/test-your-dog-for-diseases-in-minutes/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/new-devices-to-diagnose-pneumonia/

12. New Israeli medicines, devices and techniques will save and change lives and give hope to millions. 

Last year’s Israeli life-changing medical news can be found by clicking on these links.

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/protection-against-future-flu-strains/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/fooling-the-malaria-parasite/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/doctors-revive-mother-with-amniotic-embolism/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/doctors-remove-tumor-from-womb-of-pregnant-woman/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/sealing-up-after-surgery/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/robotic-needle-steering/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/medical-aid-for-taipei-burns-victims/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/patent-for-lung-disease-treatment/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/50-young-spines-straightened/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/10000-operations-for-spinal-surgery-guidance-system/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/trials-for-dry-amd-treatment-begin/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/a-cure-for-addiction/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/cupid-prevents-falling/

http://israelactive.com/israels-medical-achievements/and-baby-makes-three/

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

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com and a searchable archive www.IsraelActive.com

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

Who Cares? Israel Does

It’s clear from recent anti-Israel resolutions that the United Nations doesn’t care what happens in the Middle East.  In contrast, Israel continues unfazed to perform the good deeds that a caring world really should be cheering.

Another two wounded Syrians were brought in for emergency care last week at the Baruch Padeh Medical Center in Poriya near Tiberias in Northern Israel.  One of the injured, a 17-year-old, was treated for shrapnel wounds.  Israeli doctors have cared for thousands of Syrians wounded in the endless civil war across the border.  Meanwhile, Israeli surgeons in the South of the country saved the life of Yara - a 4-year-old girl from Gaza - after doctors serving the Hamas government amputated Yara’s leg but allowed necrosis to set in.  Israeli doctors took care of the injury and fitted a prosthetic leg that meant she could walk again.

I almost choked when Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch showed that he could not care less when he mocked Israel for sending medical teams to Nepal.  I strongly urge him to read this article, from Israel’s Dr Giora Weiser, who saved many lives whilst witnessing the appalling devastation and trauma.  Fortunately the local Nepalese have been far more grateful than HRW for Israel’s care and support.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2NGEOJ_FyY

Anyone with even an ounce of care and compassion knows that Israel will go far beyond the call of duty to save innocent lives.  East Timor just became the 50th country to send child patients to Israeli charity Save A Child’s Heart, whose surgeons successfully repaired the congenital heart defect in baby Lisa.  SACH doctors have saved over 3,500 children’s lives.

Israelis care for the disadvantaged in society far more than any other country.  Where but in Israel would the government appoint a Minister for Minorities in order to oversee that pensioners, students, women and the young are sufficiently cared for.  And here are three recent features about organizations that care for specific disadvantaged sections of Israeli society.  First is the Alon Center in Kibbutz Alonim, which caters for the needs of teenagers of normal intelligence with emotional and/or behavioral issues who have been unable to successfully integrate into the regular school system.  Second is ALEH Negev that cares for the severely disabled – founded by Maj Gen Doron Almog, who gave up his army career in order to establish the village.  Finally, here is an amazing video from ESRA that highlights what the English Speaking Residents Association is doing to help the 30,000 plus Ethiopian community in my home city of Netanya.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Z43qyS4do

Israel is well known for its innovative devices that enhance the medical care of patients and the disabled.  One of the most famous of these is the ReWalk exoskeleton that gives paraplegics the ability to walk upright.  And a newly discovered positive side effect is that users become healthier physically and mentally, as the device exercises their body and boosts their self-image.  You would expect mothers to care for their children, but in Israel this goes further.  Israel’s Debby Einatan invented the Upsee harness in 2014 because her son couldn’t walk unaided.  Thanks to her, over 6000 disabled kids can now walk tall with their parents.  The harness can even normalize the child’s hip joint and improve head control.

Care for the elderly is another Israeli priority.  Israel’s EarlySense makes sensors that detect when the vulnerable are at risk of falling from beds or chairs and has just announced a strategic cooperation agreement with Japanese giant Mitsui that will help launch the distribution of EarlySense products in Japan.  On a much larger scale, Korean giant Samsung and Israeli startup Mybitat together are to develop an innovative smart home solution aimed at helping the elderly stay safe while at home.  It combines cloud-based software, advanced sensors and behavior analytics to monitor seniors' daily routine and wellness. 

But even a low-tech solution provides adequate care for the majority of seniors.  Which is why Israeli charity Yad Sarah distributed emergency beepers to 20,000 people who live alone.  Users can contact Yad Sarah, relatives or the emergency services at any time using a button on a bracelet.

No matter how careful you are, accidents can happen, often with painful results.  Israel’s MedaSense Biometrics has developed a monitor to help in the management of pain.  It uses a finger sensor to record vital signs and a unique algorithm to measure pain mathematically.  MedaSense won the title of most innovative medical startup at the IATA Biomed exhibition in May.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeQ7KNWKzWQ

To conclude, here are two examples of the uniqueness of Israeli’s caring attitude to the more vulnerable. 

When a student’s baby started crying in one of the Organizational Behavior lectures of Professor Sydney Engelberg, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem professor picked up the baby, calmed it down and continued the lecture whilst holding the baby.

And finally, Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport halted international flights for 30 minutes when a nest with five hatched falcons was discovered in a navigational antenna. As the worried adult birds circled overhead, the baby falcons were carefully removed and taken to the nearby Ramat Gan Safari to be raised and then returned to the wild.

Israel – where everybody cares.

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

Far Out Miracles From Israel

The festival of Purim celebrates a series of remarkable events over 2500 years ago when the exiled Jewish people were delivered from annihilation.  Having returned home, the Jewish State is now delivering astonishing life-enhancing treatments, products, services and technologies to far-flung regions of the world.

Israel has recently been reaching out far and wide to tackle some of the most devastating diseases affecting mankind.  We could soon see the end of malaria, thanks to researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who have developed a method for disrupting the defense mechanism of the parasite that killed over half a million people in 2013 - 90 percent in Africa.  The treatment of heart disease could be revolutionized in a joint Israeli-UK project to use pulsating light to regulate newly implanted heart tissue generated by stem cells. 

Brain disease treatments will be advanced following the international BrainTech 2015 conference in Tel Aviv.  Also by the 21 countries participating in the Human Brain Project, co-directed by Professor Henry Markram, formerly of Israel’s Weizmann Institute.  And take a look at this long-range system from Israel’s LifeGraph to allow psychiatrists anywhere in the world to monitor the mental illness of their patients by smartphone.

Israel’s far-sighted assistance has been crucial in supporting international efforts to fight Islamist extremists as testified by the Nigerian Government, which thanked Israel for its provision of training and support in tackling Boko Haram.  Israeli aid organization IsraAid has been helping Kurdish, Yazidi and Christian refugees in northern Iraq who have escaped Islamic State rule.  Israeli doctors are also treating desperately sick Iraqi Kurds and Christians who have made the long, dangerous journey to the Jewish State. 

Israel is bringing its technical expertise to far-away countries that are currently undergoing upheaval.  In Ukraine, a new joint program, entitled “Israel-Ukraine Tech Bridge” aims to help the troubled country become a “high-tech miracle” like Israel.  Meanwhile, Kosovo’s former foreign minister Enver Hoxhaj sees the rise of the State of Israel as a model for Kosovo in its struggle for independence and expressed admiration for the achievements of the Jewish state.  And in the Muslim state of Azerbaijan, Israel is helping the government defend itself against a growing number of cyber security attacks.  Finally, the East African nation of Rwanda has selected Israel as its “country of choice” to strengthen business ties, innovation and promote investment.

Moving on, we heard good news recently about to some far-out Israeli innovations.  It can be difficult for the disabled to keep in touch over long distances when they are unable to touch the buttons of their phone.  But they can operate the Israeli-developed Sesame Enable smartphone simply by moving their head.  The Sesame Enable has just won a $1 million Verizone Powerful Answers Award. 

The appropriately named Israeli startup Beyond Verbal has opened new pathways to how humans interact with machines.  Its new Empath app recognizes human moods, attitudes and emotional characteristics from human voice intonations in real-time. 

And just look how far Israel’s IronSource has come in its miraculous five-year journey to become a billion-dollar company.  Every day global multinationals use IronSource’s software to install over 7 million applications onto desktops and mobiles from any location in the world.

Israel has been using its “magic touch” internationally.  Top U.S. Latino Media and Entertainment leaders have come to Israel in order find out how to bring the ‘magic of the movies’ back to the Latino community.  Meanwhile, 248 international chess stars from 33 countries were treated to Israeli mind-reading magic acts at “the best opening ever” of the 2015 European Chess Championship in Jerusalem.  Israel has even worked its magic in persuading Jordan to sign a major water agreement that may bring the Dead Sea back to life. 

Finally, you don’t have to go very far in Israel to travel huge distances in time.  Standing at the top of the new Kishle building exhibition, adjacent to Jerusalem’s Tower of David, you can gaze down through 3000 years of history.  Layer upon layer, back to the foundations of the First Temple, built when Jews first came to the Land of Israel.

We’re back – and the miracles continue. 

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 Educates for Life

Having read so many recent stories of schoolchildren around the world being radicalized by Islamic extremists, here is a collection of contrasting education-related activities and news articles I’ve collected over the past few weeks concerning the Jewish State.

I will begin in the Israeli school system itself. Whereas 100 countries marked Feb 11 as Safer Internet Day, Israel’s Ministry of Education, on Feb 8, launched Annual National Week for Online Safety Education in Israel.  Throughout the entire state educational system, students engaged in classroom and online activities designed to increase awareness for Internet safety, reduce potential risks, and deal with any harmful online incidents. 

100,000 Israeli kids attend a Sci-Tech school – that’s 10 percent of all Israeli high school students (including Muslims, Christians and Druze).  The Sci-Tech network builds curricula based on the demand for professionals in various Israeli industries, and it currently has 18 industrial vocational schools.  This Bloomberg report shows how Israeli-Arabs (especially women) continue to flourish educationally, at Technion Institute of Technology – one of Israel’s top class higher education establishments.

Technion’s President Peretz Lavie has been describing the importance of Technology and Education.  Technion graduates have either founded or are managing two-thirds of the Israeli companies on NASDAQ.  And the trend is bound to continue with initiatives such as the brand new development lab that the Technion and Microsoft have built together. It has facilities that allow students to develop innovative technologies to rival anything a hi-tech company can design.  They might even eliminate cancer, thanks to a recent multi-million dollar donation for educational research into the disease.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrS_0cYm7iE

Life-changing discoveries continue to be made at other Israeli establishments of higher education.  Researchers at Tel Aviv University have been receiving large numbers of small public donations (known as “crowdfunding”) to allow them to conduct DNA sequencing tests. These have identified the genetic mutations responsible for severe educational developmental delays in children.  Meanwhile, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot have embarked on a project with a group of Japanese scientists to discover how autistic spectrum disorder progresses in the brain.  Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem are also studying the brain – this time those of blind people, in order to shed new light on how our brains can adapt to the rapid cultural and technological changes of the 21st Century.  This led to the discovery that reading Braille utilizes “visual” areas of the brain.  Finally, Ben-Gurion University hosted “Light and Blindness” - an exhibition of research-and-development activities in Israel designed to improve the quality of life for people with visual impairment.  It included a startup contest and the opening of a trail for the blind.

Two Israeli companies recently reported achievements with their medical “education” technologies. First, Israel’s Pluristem Therapeutics announced that its stem cells help to educate the body to build muscle after a hip replacement.  Then Israel’s Meditouch demonstrated its wearable movement biofeedback devices and dedicated rehabilitation software, which are used in hospitals, clinics and at home to motivate patients to exercise and improve movement.

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

Israel’s medical education programs are making a difference across the globe.  According to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, eight joint UK-Israeli stem cell research projects have “the potential to change the lives of hundreds of millions of people.”  In West Africa, Israeli humanitarian organization IsraAID has set-up a program entitled “Ebola Heroes” to provide psychosocial education and training to health workers, teachers, burial teams, policemen, social workers involved in treating Ebola cases. 

So before the Jewish State is delegitimized by billions of radicalized individuals, let’s use positive news like this to re-educate the world about Israel.  We are helped by the international education non-profit StandWithUs, which has launched its “Social Media Ambassadors” program. StandWithUs is educating university students in the use of multiple platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more.  In another initiative, Israel’s Technion (again) brought over 50 university and secondary students from Hong Kong to educate them about Israeli entrepreneurial success.

We also need to educate ourselves so that we champion those who safeguard the future of the Jewish State. We need to publicize the message of the non-Jewish student visitor who is “awed by pluralistic, diverse Israel” and who leaves determined to educate the world about the democratic Jewish State.  We need to fight alongside people like Irish Catholic Belinda “Don’t judge Israel before you’ve seen it” Hickey who counters uneducated bigotry in Ireland.

Finally, here is another piece of good news. You may have heard already about Israel’s educational bus stop libraries that are still expanding locally.  Well what do you know?  The concept has just been adopted in Istanbul.  And guess what? The Turkish media report proclaims that it was inspired by Israel!

We learn something new every day.

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

Matters of Life and Death

When the regular news is full of distressing events, such as the recent terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, I try to focus my weekly positive news feature on the many life-affirming stories from Israel that barely get any attention in the international media.

Israeli scientists at Tel Aviv University stumbled onto a discovery that can help bring new life into the world.  Whilst researching the protein Interleukin-1 (IL-1), they discovered that its genetic deletion actually improves fertility.  It could help increase the effectiveness of IVF treatment.  If a baby is born prematurely and needs to be placed on a ventilation machine, Israeli medical device manufacturer, Pneumedicare, has developed a potential lifesaver.  The Pneumonitor detects the common dangerous condition pneumothorax, in which the preemie’s tiny air sacs can over-inflate and burst.  Pneumonitor’s alarm sounds an hour before any problem arises.

Staying with children, the bio-artificial pancreas, developed by Israel’s Beta-O2, can vastly improve the quality of life for sufferers of Type-1 (juvenile) diabetes.  The BetaAir delivers oxygen to newly transplanted islet cells in the body in order to produce insulin and avoid the need for regular injections.  Finally, Israel’s MediWound has commenced a Phase 3 study in around 25 sites in Europe and Israel to evaluate its innovative NexoBrid treatment for severe burns in children.  NexoBrid removes dead or damaged skin without harming viable tissue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQdIB6Ziqf0 

Many Israeli families cannot imagine life without Beit Issie Shapiro, Israel’s leading disabilities organization.  BIS is to set up the country’s first Center of Excellence for Cerebral Palsy and severe motor disabilities.  And since mobile phones are such a part of everyone’s life, Israel’s Sesame Enable is developing a smartphone for those who have limited or no use of their hands. The “Sesame Phone” can be controlled with a combination of small head movements and voice recognition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx3iiIapSPY

All life is sacred to Israelis.  Quick-acting Israeli border police on routine patrol in Hebron found a Palestinian Arab youth who had been electrocuted, was unconscious and had no pulse.  They saved his life, performing CPR until the emergency services arrived.  And with the constant life-threatening risk of an Ebola virus outbreak, Israel responded to a request by the Palestinian Authority for Ebola screening tools. They will help PA officials to diagnose the virus among those entering from Jordan and also into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing.  Israel has also sent six cargo containers of specialist equipment to set up portable field hospitals for treating Ebola victims in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

Water is vital for sustaining life in Africa.  Israeli companies Waterways, Tahal and Anyways Solutions are providing water solutions in Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana. Waterways recently signed an agreement with the Water and Sanitation Organization of Africa, which links 36 African countries under its umbrella.  Israelis are also helping to save Kenyan wildlife.  Israel’s Dr Bill Clark works with the Kenya Wildlife Service to combat poaching.  He uses Israeli dog-handlers, restores old Israeli planes and trains wardens and pilots to detect and pursue poachers. He also employed Israel’s Maisha Consulting - specialists in countering environmental crime.

Among the many recent Israeli technological achievements, two Israelis took only 24 hours to develop a potentially lifesaving facility for sending messages in regions of the world where there is limited cellular reception.  The AirHop won them the $100,000 grand prize at the global hackathon competition held at PayPal’s California HQ.  And several Israeli scientists are eagerly awaiting the results of their work on the Rosetta project that could determine whether life exists on a comet millions of miles away.

Back in Jerusalem - the center of planet Earth - life goes on.  So here are some news items relating to the capital of the Jewish State.  One Jerusalem family chose to hold their baby’s life-cycle brit milah (circumcision ceremony) as planned, in the synagogue where terrorists murdered five Israelis. "Judaism is all about moving from tragedies to happy days", said the baby's grandfather.  Meanwhile, on Nov 12, the moat surrounding Jerusalem’s Tower of David, just a stone’s throw from Temple Mount, was opened to the public after 15 years of careful excavations.  It reveals centuries of Jewish life, going right back to King Hezekiah in the 8th Century BCE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alaGuJvnE4s

I will briefly mention that Israeli doctors have to make life and death decisions every day - such as treating a critically wounded terrorist before one of his less-injured Jerusalemite victims.  But there is good news about Rabbi Yehuda Glick, who was shot 4 times at point-blank range in the stomach, lungs, neck and arm by a terrorist in Jerusalem on Oct 29.  On his release from hospital, less than 4 weeks later, Rabbi Glick thanked the Jewish and Arab doctors at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek hospital who worked side by side to save his life.

Finally, the numbers of lives saved thanks to the Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) are incalculable.  Its funding successes include 3 top cancer treatments, two major genetic discoveries and the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. In the last 12 months, the ICRF has made 94 new research grants, totaling a record $3,453,332. 

The Jewish State is for life.

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