Photo: Moshik Brin. Highlights include: Emotional Israeli reunion for 10 Yemenite children and their parents. An Israeli sensor can make artificial skin sensitive to touch, temperature and humidity. The latest Pillcam internal camera is giving new life to Crohn’s sufferers. 1 million Palestinian Arab tourists visited Israel during Ramadan. Weizmann scientists have built microscopic wires for more powerful microchips. Israeli crops are “the solution to the world food crisis” IBM has bought its 13th Israeli company.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
An e-skin breakthrough. Scientists at Israel Technion have fused resin and gold particles to make a sensor that can detect pressure (touch), temperature and humidity. The sensor could be integrated with the current electronic skins applied to a prosthetic limb to give the wearer more life-like sensations.
Another Israeli treatment for Hep C. Dr Leslie Lobel of Ben Gurion University has identified antibody clones from patients who have recovered from Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infections. BGU has now entered into an agreement with San Diego-based Sorrento Therapeutics to develop the clones into anti-HCV therapeutics
A new Israeli stent. Israel’s Allium Medical produces stents that avoids the need for those with blocked urinary tracts to go through invasive surgery. Allium has just won a NIS 58-million distribution deal with a Chinese health company. In March Allium won a similar deal to distribute the stents in Brazil.
Antibodies to fight cancer. The healthcare giant Bayer is funding Israeli biotech Compugen’s development of antibody-based therapeutics for cancer immunotherapy. The Israeli company is at the forefront of promising cancer treatments that stimulate the body’s own immune cells to fight cancer cells.
World’s first HIV patient transplant. Surgeons at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center successfully carried out the first ever transplant between two living HIV carriers. A woman donated a kidney to her husband, who has since returned to work. The main problem was to prevent rejection by the man’s compromised immune system.
New resolution Pillcam is changing lives. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Pillcam SB 3 – Given Imaging’s latest internal intestine camera – for monitoring sufferers of Crohn’s disease and other intestinal problems. Its use has already changed the treatment of 62 percent of Crohn’s patients.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Gaza weekly deliveries: In the week ending 10th Aug 2013, 1062 trucks carried 29,750 tons of goods into Gaza from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing. They included 178 trucks of food and 254 trucks of construction materials. The crossing was closed for the Eid al–Fitr holiday.
On the beach. Israeli Arabs and Palestinian Arabs celebrated the end of the Moslem holy month of Ramadan, at the beaches of Tel Aviv. Approximately one million Palestinian Arabs received permits to enter Israel as tourists during Ramadan and its concluding holiday – 200,000 more than last year.
Shiloh trauma center caring for children. The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem is to support a post-traumatic center for children deeply impacted by terror. The center is in Shiloh – the 3400-year-old site of the biblical Temple. Children are rehabilitated using art, music, movement, plus interaction with animals.
SACH is saving 22 young hearts. Surgeons at Israel’s Save A Child’s Heart hospital are currently treating twenty-two children who desperately need the heart operations that only Israel provides. They include three children from Iraq and seven from the Palestinian Authority.
“Historic” Israel-Greece-Cyprus agreement. (Thanks to Hazel) Israel, Cyprus and Greece signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on energy and water issues, paving the way for the further strengthening of relations between the three countries.
Israel to host international disability conference. Israel is making great strides in enhancing well-being for people with disabilities. In September, leading experts from the USA, Spain, Australia and the Netherlands will join Israelis for the International Symposium on Quality of Life and Well-being of People with Disabilities.
Israeli wins US highest civilian honor. Israeli Professor Daniel Kahneman, who teaches at Princeton University, has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The White House described him as a “pioneering scholar” who “applied cognitive psychology to economic analysis, laying the foundation for a new field of research”.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Making the smallest wires. Weizmann Institute scientists have managed to control the production of microscopic nano-wires. Using gallium nitride (GaN) Professor Ernesto Joselevich and his team have built a tiny microprocessor component, which makes possible a whole new world of powerful microchips.
Every picture tells a store-y. The Israeli development center of Trax Technology Solutions has taken picture-processing technology to a new level. A supplier photographs the shelves at a store and the pictures are analyzed by Trax’s software. A report is written on the status of the goods (quantities, forecasts, and meeting agreements with the retailer), including insights on competing products.
http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2013/08/05/goods-tracking-technology-solutionstrax-raises-6-6-million/
Disease-free bananas. Two Israeli companies – Evogene and Rahan Meristem (1998) have developed and successfully field-tested banana varieties that are resistant to Black Sigatoka (aka Black Leaf Streak Disease), the most damaging disease threatening commercial banana plantations. It removes the need for fungicides
A whole new dimension. (Thanks to Israel21c) 3D printing labs across Israel will spark a new age of innovation, says Roy Keidar, CEO of the Reut Institute. At Reut’s first Communal Technological Space (CTS) 3D printing lab you can wake up in the morning, sketch an invention, put it on your computer and then print it. In Reut’s XLN project, students manufacture inexpensive helpful devices for people with special needs.
The idea just blew him away. (Thanks to Israel21c) Israeli outdoor events planner Ilan Elmaliach’s failed attempts to erect a tent gave him the inspiration to design a portable aerodynamic sunshade that no sea breeze can dismantle. Similar to a parachute, the Israeli-made, Otentik flows with the wind rather than fights against it.
Israelis are top in AI. Dr. Aviv Zohar and Dr. Ariel Procaccia, both PhD graduates of computer science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, have been named in ‘AI’s 10 to Watch‘ by IEEE Intelligent Systems magazine. The list recognizes 10 researchers who are rising stars in the field of artificial intelligence (AI)
Silent pipes are a hit in Europe. Residents of apartments no longer need to hear the sound of sewage through their neighbors’ waste pipes. Huliot of Kibbutz Sde Nehemia makes acoustic insulated pipes from a unique plastic compound that does not pollute the environment. Six European countries have just purchased them.
http://www.jpost.com/Enviro-Tech/Israeli-firm-brings-green-sewage-pipes-to-European-countries-323046
Sun shines on Israeli solar home. The Israeli team of university students participating in China’s international Solar Decathlon this year came in fourth place overall and in second place for architecture and structure of their solar powered eco-home. 22 teams came from a total of 35 universities in 13 countries across the globe.
Israel “solves the world food crisis”. The Indo Asian News Service has hailed Israel’s Technion for developing “super plants” that resist drought. Modifying a longevity hormone in the genes known as zytokinin produces more crops on less water. The fruit and vegetables produced also have a much longer shelf life.
Capture the moment in 3 lines of text. (Thanks to Size Doesn’t Matter) Israeli start-up Heyku helps you to transform a special event or thought into three lines of creative writing. You then share this on facebook, Instagram or twitter, together with an optional picture of what inspired you.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel has a NICE big successful company. Israel’s NICE systems announced strong first half growth and profits, plus the acquisition of California-based real-time big data analytics developer Causata Ltd.
Lucky 13 for IBM. Just two weeks after buying Israel’s CSL, IBM has spent over $300 million on its 13th Israeli purchase. Trusteer provides software solutions to protect companies from financial fraud and security threats. IBM will subsequently form a cyber security software lab in Israel.
Record foreign currency reserves. The strength of Israel’s economy and its importance as a world trading partner was emphasized with the publishing of Israel’s deposits of foreign currency as at the end of July. Israel now holds the equivalent of a massive 79 billion dollars of foreign currency.
Hot property in Netanya. A French immigrant paid a record NIS 8.58 million (approx 2.45 million dollars) for a new apartment in Netanya. Similar offers for our much more modest apartment will be viewed favorably.
Tel Aviv – World no. 2 for tech startups. The Boston Globe (another newspaper with a poor political balance on Israel) has named Tel Aviv the world’s second best city for tech startups, after Silicon Valley in California. Tel Aviv was also stated to have the highest density of tech startups in the world.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
“Tiny Dynamo” Marcella Rosen has written a book (hardback and Kindle) described as “A fascinating collection of 21 stories detailing Israel’s inventions that benefit all of mankind.” I look forward to reading it.
Israelis are world backgammon champions. (Thanks to Israel21c) A team of three Israelis in their seventies beat 32 other countries to win the Fortis World Team Backgammon Championships in Monaco. Team member Shimon Kagan said of the game, “You need to plan the next move, understand all the possibilities and theories.
Shahar Pe’er wins Suzhou Open. Israeli tennis star Shahar Pe’er won her first tournament in four years, defeating unseeded Zheng Saisai 6:2, 2:6, 6:3 in the final of the Suzhou Ladies Open in Suzhou China. The win will move Pe’er back into the top 100 table of women tennis players.
The cycle of non-violence. The normally anti-Israel UK Independent newspaper has discovered that there is another side to Israel. “From vibrant Tel Aviv to the Negev Desert, Israel’s network of bike tracks is growing.” It even publicizes how to travel there and the best places to stay.
THE JEWISH STATE
Three of the best. Three Israeli universities have been placed in the top 100 of the 2013 Academic Ranking of World Universities. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is at 59, the Technion is at 77 and the Weizmann Institute is at 92. The Hebrew U is also one of the top three universities in Asia.
Yemenite children and parents reunited in Israel. In 2011 six children from one Jewish Yemenite family and four children of another were evacuated from Yemen to Argentina. Last week they were flown to Israel, whilst simultaneously their parents were brought to Israel from Yemen in a secret operation.
Going the extra mile. (Thanks to Geoff) Thirty Israeli children suffering with cancer were about to depart Ben Gurion airport for Camp Simcha in the USA. But 11-year-old Imbar had to disembark in tears as she had lost her passport. Just as the jet taxied along the runway, someone found Imbar’s passport. El Al’s management made an unprecedented decision and authorized the plane to return to pick her up. A beautiful story.
Thanks to friend Michael Ordman Good News from Israel
