This Week’s Sanity Report from Israel Oct. 9, 2022
The Jewish New Year 5783 is only 2 weeks old and already Israeli ingenuity is reaching new heights of innovation and recognition. Israeli satellite and space technology is literally “out of this world”; Israel’s electric plane had a successful maiden flight; and Israeli drones are harvesting fruit in Israel, the USA, and Italy.
Israeli scientists have made major medical breakthroughs in cancer treatments and disease diagnostics. Delegates from 53 countries flew into Israel for a World Health Organization conference and Israel began flying in war-wounded Ukrainians for medical treatment. Meanwhile Israel’s United Hatzalah flew volunteer medics to aid hurricane victims in Florida and Puerto Rico.
Israeli relations are soaring with the UAE, Morocco, Argentina, and South Korea. Israel won two vital international soccer games in high drama. And after the High Holidays, Israelis will soon be looking up to the skies from their outdoor tabernacles.
The photo (TY Sharon) is of sukkot (tabernacles) clinging to the sides of buildings high over the Jerusalem streets in preparation for the Jewish Feast of Sukkot. Wishing all who celebrate it, a very good Chag Sameach.
the highlights include:
- An Israeli breakthrough delivers chemotherapy without side-effects.
- An Israeli emergency NGO aided hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and Florida.
- Israeli satellite technology is saving global water supplies.
- Israel’s electric airplane takes off.
- Israel’s Free Trade Agreement with South Korea has been ratified.
- Israeli soccer celebrates two major successes.
- A hundred babies were born at one Jerusalem hospital during the Jewish New Year.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Nanotech to deliver precision chemotherapy. Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have developed a nano-material that can deliver different toxic cancer therapies directly to tumors, without harming healthy cells. Robot chemistry was used to test different materials. The breakthrough can vastly reduce chemo side effects.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Detecting tumors via fungi. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have discovered that most tumors have fungi growing inside them. They have also documented their types using records from 17,000 cancer patients. DNA from fungi is detectable in the blood and can be used to develop a new cancer screening method.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Diagnosing CJD. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) was well known during the “mad cow” epidemic. But it can also be caused by an inherited gene mutation. Tel Aviv’s Sourasky (Ichilov) Medical Center is one of only a dozen hospitals globally to use a 92% accurate spinal fluid test for early onset CJD.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
AI startup to assess new treatments. AION Labs – the Israeli innovation lab for startups (see here previously) has itself launched a startup. OMEC.AI aims to predict if a new treatment will succeed following pre-clinical trials. Its next-generation computational platform will gauge effectiveness and expose safety issues.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
AI engine thinks like a doctor. Israel’s Kahun (see here previously) has expanded from merely a Covid-19 diagnosis system to a full “digital medical advisor”. Its XAI engine bases its clinical reasoning decisions on Kahun’s proprietary map of over 30 million evidence-based medical insights.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
CE Mark for AR ophthalmic exoscope. Israel’s Beyeonics Vision (see here previously) now has European as well as US approval for its Beyeonics One™ ophthalmic exoscope. The augmented reality (AR) surgical headset gives eye doctors vastly enhanced abilities when performing eye surgery (e.g., cataracts).
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/
Matricelf wins 3rd place in Startup World Cup. Israel’s Matricelf (see here previously) was placed third out of 17,000 contenders for the 2022 Startups World Cup in San Francisco. Matricelf developed the technology for the heart 3D-printed by Tel Aviv University scientists in 2019 (see here).
https://www.calcalistech.com/
WHO conference in Tel Aviv. For the first time, the World Health Organization came to Israel to hold its 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe. 53 nations attended the conference from Sep 12-14 during which Israel signed bilateral health cooperation deals with Germany, Croatia, Cyprus, and Kazakhstan.
https://www.jns.org/opinion/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
No child goes hungry at school. Last year, Israeli charity Nevet-Breakfast for Every Child, discreetly distributed 1.8 million sandwiches for their 10am snack to 11,000 children at 238 schools throughout Israel. (See here previously). The children were from all sectors including secular, Haredi, Arab, Bedouin, and Druze.
https://www.jns.org/nevet-ngo-
Israeli Arab is Intel VP. Intel has named three Israelis to Intel Fellows – technological Vice Presidents. They include global engineering group’s Fadi Aboud who is the first Arab engineer to have been appointed to such a senior position at Intel. Aboud has worked at Intel for 31 years, developing processor performance innovations.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
What the Pakistani delegation saw. (TY Myer Green) Here are some details of the recent six-day visit to Israel by a delegation of Pakistani community leaders. They toured the country as part of a regional peace initiative designed to foster deeper ties between the two countries, which do not have diplomatic relations.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Energy cooperation with Morocco. Israel and Morocco have signed an agreement for energy research cooperation. It incorporates 20 groups from Moroccan universities and 33 groups from seven leading Israeli academic institutions. It covers rechargeable batteries, hydrogen, recycling, solar, storage and transportation.
https://www.
Israeli tech on display in Buenos Aires. More than 700 people attended the Expo Atid (Future) exhibition in Buenos Aires. They were given a complete overview of Israel’s latest technology, including water management, agriculture, and alternative energies.
https://www.israel21c.org/
More Ukrainian aid. Israel just donated more than one million dollars’ worth of critical medical equipment to the children’s hospital in Kyiv. Israel has also allocated millions of shekels to rehabilitate up to twenty injured Ukrainians and amputees in Israel. Two of the wounded are already at Sheba Medical Center.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.
Helping hurricane victims in Puerto Rico. Just before Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year), medical and psychological experts from Israel’s emergency medical organization United Hatzalah flew to the south of the island of Puerto Rico. They will provide medical care to victims of Hurricane Fiona and resulting floods.
https://www.israel21c.org/
Aid to Florida. Israeli voluntary emergency response organization United Hatzalah has dispatched a second relief team, this time to assist Floridians following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian. The organization previously sent relief missions to Florida after Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the Surfside disaster last year.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Shabbat Shalom from space. International Space Station (ISS) Commander Samantha Cristoforetti posted photos of Israel on her Twitter account last Saturday, punctuated with a “Shalom,”. The Italian astronaut is the first woman to command the ISS. https://www.timesofisrael.com/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Detecting water leaks in 65 countries. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Asterra (see here previously) is currently finding water leaks in 65 countries. Its satellite-mounted radar technology is combined with algorithms that look for the signature of drinking water mixed with soil. In the UK, Asterra saves 83 million liters of water every day.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Next-gen satellite communications. Israeli-founded Scorpio Space is developing affordable and powerful Satcom terminals for space. Its technology allows low-orbit (LEO) satellites to receive and transmit numerous communications beams at once, reducing the cost and power consumption needed to operate them.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
To the Moon. Israel’s Ramon.Space (see here) and Lulav Space are building the navigation system for Israel’s SpaceIL Beresheet 2 lunar lander. Ramon’s radiation-hardened computers will run Lulav’s vision-based landing sensor and algorithms. SpaceIL’s first experiment will examine critical medicines in lunar conditions.
https://www.jpost.com/
https://www.jpost.com/science/
Israel in Space. Ben Gurion University is hosting a virtual webinar “Israel in Our Lives – Innovation & Impact” featuring Israeli scientists who are pioneering innovations in space. Oct 25 12 noon PT. Register here.
https://us02web.zoom.us/
Alice in “wonderland”. Alice – the all-electric plane from Israeli-US startup Eviation – successfully completed its maiden flight from Grant County International Airport, Moses Lake, in Washington State. The plane rose to 3,500 feet during its 8-minute flight. The test pilot commented that Alice’s engines were completely silent.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.eviation.com/wp-
Israel’s climate tech on display. This article describes Israel’s first-ever climate tech conference in Tel Aviv. It features Tomorrow.io, SeeTree, Terra Space Lab, which have been previously in this newsletter. New to the newsletter are Solato (ice cream machine) and Cellomat (refurbished smartphones). See links & videos below.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.kioskmarketplace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Robot fruit picker is flying high. Israel’s Tevel Aerobotics Technologies (see here previously) now deploys autonomous drone fruit pickers in Israel’s Golan Heights (Asian pears), Italy (apples, peaches, and nectarines), and California (nectarines and plums). Next markets are Spain, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.
https://nocamels.com/2022/09/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Vegan food to be produced in Australia. Israel’s plant-based vegan food company Vgarden (see here previously) is to build its first overseas production facility – in Brisbane, Australia. Vgarden’s customers include Papa John’s, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Costco, and Woolworths.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
3 Israeli FoodTech startups shortlisted. The second edition of the UAE’s FoodTech Challenge received 667 entries from 79 countries. Of the 30 short-listed, three are Israeli. Neolithics (see here), FreezeM (insect protein farming), and Yeap (protein from yeast). The four eventual finalists will win prizes worth up to $2 million.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.freeze-em.com/ https://yeap-proteins.com/
New Israeli fruits. Israel’s Ben Dor Fruits (see here previously) has developed unique varieties of stone fruits in its Hula Valley orchards. The latest creations are pomegranate plums, watermelon plums and black apricots. All the new fruit varieties offer added resistance to harsh climate conditions.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Saving “ugly” veg. Israel’s Anina (see here previously) has created the Anina pod – a complete meal made from vegetables that have been rejected for sale due to a less-than-perfect appearance (a major source of fresh produce waste). Each whole meal-in-a-pod is all-natural and full of nutrients.
https://www.labiotech.eu/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Connecting the emergency services. Unlike most countries, Israelis call separate numbers for medical (101), police (102) or fire (103) emergencies. They connect to a service representative who can immediately begin to help the caller. Now, new AI software will automatically decide if any of the other services are also required.
https://www.jns.org/new-ai-
Dyslexia inspires language app developer. When dyslexic Michael asked his dyslexic father how he learned English, his answer was “from the songs of John Lennon and Bob Dylan”. Michael then developed Singit – software for learning English, now used by 60,000 students in 800 Israeli schools.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://welcome.singit.io/
The eyes have it. Israel’s EyeJets is developing a platform that will enable the projection of digital information directly into the retina, replacing the need for computer or smartphone screens. The eye-tracking technology will use regular-looking glasses to uniquely align the display, even when the eye is moving around.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
3 European grants for Prof Haick. Professor Hossam Haick of Israel’s Technion Institute has won three prestigious European research grants totaling 4.2 million euros for his research group. He will also serve as chairman and coordinator of one of the projects that has 22 partners and a total funding of 14 million euros.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/
200-year-old problem solved. Over 200 years ago Theodor Grotthuss proposed a theory of how a proton moves through water – the Grotthuss Mechanism. Scientists have tried since to prove or disprove the theory. Now Prof. Ehud Pines of Israel’s Ben Gurion University has discovered and proved the actual mechanism.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Free trade with South Korea. A free trade agreement (FTA) between Israel and South Korea goes into effect on Dec 1st. The FTA was signed by Israeli and Korean officials in May (see here previously) and has now been ratified by both parliaments. Over 95% of Israeli goods will be duty free – a NIS 0.5 billion economic boost.
https://worldisraelnews.com/
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
UAE Ambassador opens Tel Aviv Stock Exchange session. (TY Nevet) The opening of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange by UAE’s Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Al Khaja was another sign of the close ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. A rare positive article about Israel, from the BBC.
https://www.bbc.com/news/
Funding breakthrough healthcare solutions. Israel’s OurCrowd and the World Health Organization Foundation have launched a $200 million joint Global Health Equity Fund. It will focus on breakthrough technology solutions that can improve healthcare around the world.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://info.ourcrowd.com/
A rival to Visa and Mastercard. Israel’s SensePass is using the hi-tech revolution to innovate the credit card business. Its payments network operates around any digital payment method or digital wallet. It services the unbanked and younger generation, while reducing costs for retailers.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Exits, takeovers and mergers to 9/10/22: Israel’s Guesty acquired Europe’s YieldPlanet, Spain’s Kigo and Australia’s HiRUM
Investment in Israeli startups to 9/10/22: OX Security raised $34 million; CytoReason raised $20 million from Pfizer; Kahun raised $8 million; LayerX Security raised $7.5 million; Onyxia raised $5 million; Anina raised $3.3 million; SensePass raised $3 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Free Jerusalem. Here is an up-to-date list from NoCamels of 18 free activities in Jerusalem. Old City, Teddy Park, Knesset, Supreme Court, Wohl Rose Garden, Bird Observatory, Yad Vashem, Mount Herzl, Gazelle Valley, Montefiore Windmill, Skate park, Ein Karem, First Station, Sacher Park, Machane Yehuda and more.
https://www.israel21c.org/top-
Israel Museum – Festivals of Tishrei tours. See this (chargeable) guided tour of the Israel Museum on Oct 11, one of the intermediate days of the festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles). Plus, other things to do in Israel in Oct.
https://www.museumtours.co.il/
https://www.touristisrael.com/
Israeli at Life-saving World championships. (TY ILTV) Two Israeli athletes were chosen to represent Israel at the World Lifesaving Championships for the first time ever. The championships take place every two years – this year in Italy. Watch one of the athletes, Sarah Vanunu, discussing the historic tournament on ILTV.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Tennis superstar’s love for Israel. Novak Djokovic won the Tel Aviv Open – the athlete’s first time back in Israel since 2008. He talked about the warm welcome has had in the Jewish State and wrote in a guest book at the airport terminal, “Shalom Israel. I am very happy and excited to be back in Israel.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Partnering Chicago Bulls. Israeli-founded global multi-asset fintech group Plus500 has announced a new major multi-year sponsorship agreement to become an official global partner of the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. Back in 2015, Plus500 had a successful 7-year partnership with Atletico Madrid (see here previously).
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Israel qualifies for Euro youth soccer championships. Israel’s Under-21 soccer team beat Ireland 3-1 in a penalty shootout to qualify for the under-21 European Championships. See them celebrate the deciding goal.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Israel wins UEFA soccer playoff place. Israel’s senior soccer team beat Albania 2-1 to win a place in the UEFA 2024 qualifying playoffs. Israel’s Tai Baribo scored the decisive goal, two minutes into injury time.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
THE JEWISH STATE
Jerusalem’s festive streets. (TY Sharon) Pre-Yom Kippur services feature prayers to ask for forgiveness – “Selichot”. In Jerusalem, these are major events, taking place at the Kotel, the President’s residence, Sultan’s Pool, and Kikar Safra. After Yom Kippur, preparations for Sukkot (Tabernacles) and tree planting begin.
http://rjstreets.com/2022/10/
800 orphans celebrate Bar and Bat Mitzvah. As last year (see here previously), 800 children who lost one or more parents celebrated their bar and bat mitzvah at Israel’s Superland amusement park. Israel’s National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) Rehabilitation branch sponsored the event together with Colel Chabad.
https://www.
100 babies born at one hospital on Rosh Hashana. 100 babies were born on the Jewish New Year, at Shaare Tzedek Medical Center in Jerusalem – 51 girls and 49 boys. Prof. Sorina Grisaru, Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, said “… there is no greater happiness than starting a new year with a new baby in the family.
https://www.
Circle of Life. 50-year-old Eyal, a father of five from Holon, received a stem cell transplant to save his life from an Israeli donor who was a perfect match on Ezer Mizion’s bone marrow database. Eyal’s daughter was so grateful, that she registered with Ezer Mizion and her stem cells recently saved the life of a baby.
https://www.
