ALEH facilities that care for Israelis with severe mental and physical disabilities. An Israeli university has produced the first atlas of the human brain. An Israeli paramedic rushes from synagogue on his wedding Sabbath to save 97-year-old man. An Arab woman has become commander of an Israeli combat unit. Read about ALEH Negev – a lifelong facility for severely disabled children and adults. Israeli technology goes to work on the Red Planet. Momentous trade agreement signed to bring vital Israeli medication to Europe. Tel Aviv is one of the three finalists of the “World’s Most Innovative City” contest.
Thanks to Very Good News from Israel
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
MRI atlas of the human brain. The Tel Aviv University CONNECT project has scanned 120 healthy brains with a magnetic resonance instrument (MRI) to build the world’s first “atlas” of the microstructure of white matter. The data could help identify signs of neurological and psychiatric diseases and lead to early treatment.
Protein has link to Alzheimer’s. University of Haifa researcher Yifat Segev has discovered a link between dementia and the activity level of a protein called eIF2alpha. Head of Neurobiology Prof. Kobi Rosenblum said that altering the performance of this protein through medication could treat the incurable, progressive disease.
Polymer to extend life of medical implants. Israel’s MMATech has developed a unique polymer for use in hip replacements, dental implants and other operations. MP-1 is a tough, low-friction polyimide that will preserve implants for longer than their current average lifespan in the body.
Preventing heart failure. (Thanks to Israel21c) Israel’s BioControl Medical is currently testing its CardioFit electrical stimulation device on 200 patients at risk of heart failure at 50 US medical centers. CardioFit already has the CE mark from the European Union.
$10 million for heart centre. Irene Pollin, founder and chairman of Sister to Sister, announced her donation at the 100th anniversary celebration of the Hadassah Women’s Zionist Organization of America in Jerusalem. The new cardiovascular wellness institute will counter heart disease – the leading cause of death among women.
Israel turns skyscrapers pink for breast cancer awareness. The University of Haifa’s tower and the Neve Nof tower on the boardwalk of Bat Yam – the tallest residential building in Israel – were bathed in pink light to remind the public of breast cancer awareness month.
Groom saves 97-year-old on his special Sabbath. Hatzalah paramedic Arie Jaffe had just finished reading the Torah to celebrate his forthcoming wedding when his emergency (Israeli-made) MIRS device started vibrating. He rushed outside in time to save an elderly congregant who had been run-over whilst crossing the road.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Arab woman commands IDF combat unit. 20-year-old Christian Arab Mona Abdo has just made history by graduating from the Israeli Defence Forces’ Commanders training course. She will become a commander in the Caracal combat unit, which has both male and female, Arab and Jewish soldiers serving alongside each other.
Memorial for Muslim Arabs in IDF. Yousef Juhja from Arara in Wadi Ara has sent three of his sons into the Israel Defence Forces. One son, Staff Sgt. Sa’id Juhja, was killed by Gaza terrorists in 2004. Shortly after, the bereaved father built a memorial at his own expense, to his son and seven other Arab soldiers killed in uniform.
Arab teen is top Israeli student. Hamza Murad, 18, from Bueina Nujeidat in northern Israel is the student with the highest psychometric score and will commence medical studies at the Hebrew University. Hamza’s mother is a paediatrician, his older sister is studying dentistry, and his older brother is studying pharmacy.
Jerusalem street named after Egyptian female singer. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat named a street in Beit Hanina, “Umm Kultum” after the greatest female singer of Arabic music. In 2012 the Naming Committee approved 145 new street names submitted by local Mukhtars, religious leaders and residents.
4,642 truckloads of goods entered Gaza last month. September deliveries included 1,444 truckloads of construction materials. 1,308 exit permits were issued for medical patients and people accompanying them.
ALEH opens new school. Israel’s largest network for children with severe physical and cognitive disabilities last week dedicated a new school for special students in Jerusalem. ALEH provides 24/7 rehabilitative and medical care for 650 children around the country.
I was also privileged to visit ALEH’s Negev village two weeks ago.
Italian army chief is honoured. The Chief of Defense Staff of the Italian Armed Forces, General Biagio Abrate made his first visit to the Jewish State. After visiting several sites across Israel, General Abrate discussed military cooperation and mutual security challenges with IDF’s Lieutenant General Benny Gantz.
US counter-terror experts visit Israel. A delegation of 10 senior counter-terrorism experts from NYC, LA, Houston, Austin, Oakland and Montgomery County (MD) are in Israel through an educational institute of AJC. The program will showcase Israeli technological and operational advances in counter-terrorism tactics.
Six new ambassadors arrive in Israel. Egypt’s Atef Mohamed Salem Sayed Elahl and Jordan’s Walid Khalid Abdullah Obeidat presented their credentials to Israeli President Shimon Peres. The ambassadors from Armenia, Ivory Coast, Italy and Malta were also received.
Israel strengthens PA economy. Just see all the measures that the Israeli government took last month.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Israel’s Mars equipment begins its work. Israel’s cooler for the Chemin chemical analyser was brought into action for the first time when the Mars Curiosity Rover began to analyse its first soil samples. The first results confirmed that some strange bright particles were of Mars origin and not debris from the landing.
Smart photos on your Smartphone. (Thanks to NoCamels) Israel’s Flayvr is a free application that accesses your photo library and then automatically organizes your photos into separate albums and offers tools for quick, one-click sharing to social networks.
Generate your own electricity. Israelis will soon be able to generate electricity independently, channelling electricity from solar panels directly into their homes. Eitan Parnass, director of Israel’s Renewable Energy Association, praised the Public Utility Authority decision. “This is the beginning of a revolution,” he said.
India wants Israeli renewables. Representatives from both the Indian and Israeli governments, as well as leaders from around 50 Israeli renewable energy companies, gathered in Tel Aviv and agreed that India would be an ideal place for Israeli renewable energy innovators to take their business.
We can communicate. There used to be tremendous hostility to Israel on UC Irvine’s campus. But earlier this month over 300 attended “From Bluetooth to Brain Waves: the extraordinary ways we’ll communicate in 2025” – the launch event of a 2-day Communications and IT conference in association with Tel Aviv University.
Germany gives 10m Euros for Israeli science. Germany’s Federal Minister of Education and Research promised that her country is to contribute 10 million euros to the Minerva Centres fund. The Minerva Foundation funds high-quality research at 30 university centres in Israel, with partners from Germany.
Driverless cars. (Thanks to NoCamels) Israel’s Mobileye, which specializes in driver-assistance-systems, now is developing an automated driving system based on a combination of cameras, radars and audio sensors, which navigate the car even in a tight urban environment.
Israel’s “big data” technology. The American-Israel Chamber of Commerce organised a big event at IBM in Atlanta to explore Israeli innovations around “Big Data” – an area of interest major corporations. C-B4, Personetics and SafePeak explained their solutions to the big issues of data warehousing and large databases.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Making it easier to trade. Israel and the USA signed a mutual recognition agreement that will ease burdens on US and Israeli companies seeking to export telecommunications products to each other. E.g. product tests performed in one country will satisfy the regulations of the other. This should lower prices and boost exports.
EU approves trade pact with Israel. The European Parliament has approved the Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products with Israel. Technical trade barriers will now be removed, bringing thousands of Israel’s life-saving medications to the continent.
And an excellent article by a UK MEP on why this is of major importance.
Hair removal at home. The US FDA has cleared Israel’s Syneron Medical to market its home-use hair removal system to customers “over the counter”. Retailers are expected to sell the systems, with Syneron’s patented Intense Pulse Light (IPL) and Radio Frequency (RF) energy technology, to consumers early in 2013.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli pilots explain reality. Some of Hollywood’s greatest stunts have been performed using aircraft. Here, experts from the Israeli Air Force explain why some of the scenes were “pushing the boundaries” of truth ever so slightly.
Kreator returns. The German heavy metal band first performed in Israel in 1992. They returned in 2006 and are due to reappear at the Barby Club in Tel Aviv on January 18th.
THE JEWISH STATE
The marbled duck is back. In the 1990s the marbled duck was in danger of extinction. A study conducted in the Jezreel valley showed only four of them to be in existence. But thanks to the successful clean up of the Kishon River, this year, 72 of these beautiful ducks were found living in one reservoir alone.
Russia blocks anti-Israel UNESCO votes. Nothing that the corrupt UN Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization does matters, but it was nice of Russia anyway. Syria had protested the treatment of Golan Druze, Jordan about Jews praying on Temple Mount and the PA about poor education in Gaza. The chutzpah!
Many talents. One of the 129 new Israeli Air Force officers is Second Lieutenant Nerya, who together with his friend Gal Oren (who is also an IDF officer) invented a system to identify and stop water leaks, an invention for which he won three awards.
It doesn’t make sense. Coincidences or Divine Providence, whatever you want to call it is a common occurrence in Israel. Just ask anyone that lives in Israel or has been here. They will tell you the most amazing stories. Listen to some of them on Aliya Fever on Israel National News Radio.
“How good it will be next year.” The Israeli song “Od Tireh” was chosen by six-year-old bone cancer victim Shachar when the charity Ezer Mizion fulfilled his dream of performing in a recording studio. He brought a few of his friends along – also cancer patients.
Please vote for Tel Aviv. The White City has made it to the final of the “Most Innovative City of the Year” competition. Please vote for it every day until December 31st. http://online.wsj.com/ad/cityoftheyear
