Israeli police officers evacuate a family from a site hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel. © Tsafrir Abayov, AP
It is an extremely difficult time for Israelis but Here is Our Sanity Report
In the 8th Oct 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
- First Israeli patient given Israeli treatment for inoperable pancreatic cancer.
- The first official visit of an Israeli government minister to Saudi Arabia.
- Any company can now install an Israeli waste-to-energy system.
- 145-acres of solar panels have been installed on top of an Israeli reservoir.
- Israel’s unemployment rate is the lowest in over a decade.
- A workshop that made stone vessels for the 2nd Temple has been unearthed.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
First inoperable pancreatic cancer patient treated. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s Alpha Tau (see here previously) has used its Alpha DaRT technology to treat the first Israeli patient with advanced inoperable pancreatic cancer in a clinical trial at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem.
Making intubation a relic of the past. Although still in development, the ART500 blood oxygenator from Israel’s Inspira (see here previously) could save millions of lives, making it unnecessary to induce coma and intubate patients who cannot breathe on their own. Worth watching the video.
https://www.israel21c.org/intubation-could-become-a-relic-of-the-covid-era/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJTlImtPY54
PA girl gets same type of pacemaker as PM. (TY Hazel) Doctors at Israeli NGO Save A Child’s Heart have, for the first time, implanted an innovative pacemaker into a teenage Palestinian Arab girl from Gaza, via her neck rather than groin. The pacemaker is identical to that recently implanted into Israel’s Prime Minister.
Brain disorder treatment for US military. (TY Hazel) Some 8 years ago (see here) the US Navy bought several Deep TMS therapy helmets made by Israel’s Brainsway to treat service personnel with PTSD and other conditions. The US military will now provide them to soldiers and veterans for a range of brain disorders.
https://nocamels.com/2023/09/us-soldiers-vets-to-get-israeli-made-helmets-to-treat-depression/
Measuring iron levels in the brain. (TY Hazel) Israeli researchers have developed a new method for assessing the level of iron in the brain – only possible previously post-mortem. They turned the MRI machine from a camera into a measuring device. Iron is vital for protein binding, but non-binding iron can be toxic.
Remote monitoring saves hospital costs. Israel’s CatAI has won Start-Up Nation Central’s clinical capacity tech challenge aimed at reducing administrative tasks for healthcare providers. CatAI’s app and a smartphone camera monitor blood pressure, oxygen saturation level, pulse, temperature, etc., from a patient’s home.
Twice saved. Some 18 months ago, senior MDA medic Meir Shalev rushed on his motorcycle to save 4-year-old Ofri. Just three weeks ago, Meir was called out again to the same address where Ofri was having an acute allergy attack. Meir used an EpiPen to save Ofri’s life. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/377009
Nobel Prize winners also won Technion prize. The 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded jointly to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. Both scientists previously won Israel’s Technion Harvey Prize in Human Health.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2023/press-release/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Weissman
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2023/08/harvey-prize-recipients-announced/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
10 startups pitch solutions for autistic people. Hundreds of people gathered recently at Israel’s College of Management-Academic Studies in Rishon LeZion, to hear 10 entrepreneurs show off their fledgling startups designed to make life easier for people with autism. They included DiVE and Poppins.
https://nocamels.com/2023/09/israeli-organization-autistic-people/
Funding for AI in Hebrew and Arabic. The Israel Innovation Authority is investing NIS 30 million in 17 projects that advance the development of artificial intelligence applications in spoken Hebrew and Arabic. It is part of the National Artificial Intelligence Plan to encourage R&D in natural language processing (NLP).
Haredi campus. Israel’s Ben-Gurion University has won a tender from the Council for Higher Education and the Ministry of Education for the establishment of a campus for the ultra-Orthodox population. The campus is scheduled to open in October 2024. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryxzjmgla
7 new ambassadors to Israel. Israel’s president recently received the credentials of seven newly appointed ambassadors to the Jewish State. They were the envoys of the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Brazil, Cyprus, Peru and Côte d’Ivoire. https://www.jns.org/israel-news/isaac-herzog/23/9/19/319938/
World Number 4 for AI startups. Tiny Israel has the fourth highest number of AI startups in the world, according to infographic publishing company Visual Capitalist. Israel’s 402 AI-based startups have received a total of $11 billion of private investment over the past decade.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/global-ai-investment/
https://nocamels.com/2023/09/israel-fourth-in-the-world-for-ai-startups-says-study/
Israeli clinics in the mountains of Morocco. Israeli volunteers of United Hatzalah have opened medical clinics in remote villages of the Atlas Mountains to aid victims of the Moroccan earthquake. The Muslim and Jewish volunteers include two doctors, a dozen EMTs and paramedics, Arabic and French speakers.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/377021
Israeli Ministers visit Saudi Arabia. Tourism Minister Haim Katz attended the UN World Tourism Organization event in Saudi Arabia – the first Israeli minister to lead a delegation to the kingdom. Then Israeli Communications Minister Dr. Shlomo Karhi spoke in Arabic at Universal Postal Union’s Congress in Riyadh.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-first-israeli-minister-leads-official-delegation-to-saudi-arabia/
https://www.israelunwired.com/israelis-publicly-celebrate-sukkot-in-saudi-arabia/
https://worldisraelnews.com/praying-in-riyadh-towards-jerusalem-israeli-politician-reads-from-torah-in-saudi-arabia/ https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/377893
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
UK and Israel sign tech innovation deal. (TY Hazel) Israel signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK for “faster and deeper collaboration” on science, innovation, and technology. It includes £1.7million in support to research focused on technologies critical to future prosperity and quality of life, like quantum.
Landmine-detecting bacteria. (TY Hazel) Hebrew University scientists developed bacteria 3 years ago (see here previously) that illuminated when spread over a minefield. Israel’s Enzymit (see here previously) has now commercialized the technology, comprising tiny pellet-sized biosensors. Drones photograph the luminescence.
https://www.israel21c.org/using-e-coli-bacteria-to-detect-deadly-landmines-safely/
Energy from trash. Israel’s Zohar Cleantech has developed a compact modular waste-collection system that produces energy from the trash at the customer’s site and turns the remainder into construction material. The ZoharX system won the Arena Challenge competition, part of Herzliya Municipality’s 2030 climate program.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-waste-collection-system-that-produces-energy-from-trash/
AI to reduce food wastage. Israel’s Blue Circle uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data to maximize food production and prevent waste in the supply chain. It identifies issues, from the climate and environment, through harvest, production, inventory, sales, and distribution all the way to the consumer.
https://nocamels.com/2023/09/a-cybersecurity-approach-to-cutting-food-waste/ https://www.bluecircle.ai/
Clean swimming pools without chlorine. Israel’s Coppter Water Technologies is developing a non-toxic, no-chlorine, cost-efficient solution for disinfecting swimming pools and other water systems. The system uses the antimicrobial sterilization properties of low-concentration monovalent copper ions.
https://www.israel21c.org/copper-provides-safe-way-to-disinfect-pools-and-wastewater/
Electrolysis to kill Legionnaires’ disease. Israeli-founded CET Enviro uses electrolysis to purify the water circulating through power plants and the air conditioning systems in businesses, hotels, and other residential facilities. Electrolysis generates strong oxidizing agents to inhibit the growth of Legionella bacteria.
https://nocamels.com/2023/09/thwarting-deadly-lung-disease-by-electrifying-water-reserves/
New floating solar record. Back in Nov 2021 (see here) Israel installed its largest floating solar energy field, covering 112 acres of the Habonim reservoir. Israel’s Teralight (see here previously) has just exceeded that with a 145-acre field on the reservoir at Kibbutz Ma’ayan Zvi. It will have the capacity to power 6,500 homes.
https://nocamels.com/2023/09/israel-inaugurates-countrys-biggest-floating-solar-energy-field/
A powerhouse of software solutions. Israel has over 100 startups developing solutions that help software engineers become more productive. The budgets have of these startups been largely unaffected by the recent slowdown in the hi-tech environment. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hyfs0yk1p
One communications app to rule them all. Israel’s Spike is an all-in-one communications platform that aims to centralize instant messaging, emails, and video calls. It will end the chaotic task of having to switch between Gmail, Yahoo, Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage, Slack, Microsoft Teams. Google Meet, Zoom, etc.
https://www.israel21c.org/is-this-the-solution-for-all-those-confusing-communication-apps/
Who didn’t start the fire? Excellent OurCrowd article that suggests that the FireDome platform from Israel’s mPrest (see here previously) would have prevented the deadly wildfire that devastated Maui in Hawaii. Alerts from smart grid management software include when faulty equipment might be about to spark a deadly blaze.
https://www.ourcrowd.com/startup-news/who-didnt-start-the-fire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g (Link to Billy Joel video)
$27 million donation for science. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has received an unprecedented $27 million donation from the Paulson Family Foundation. It will fund the construction of a new building with state-of-the-art research labs at the Givat Ram campus of the School of Computer Science and Engineering.
https://www.jns.org/wire/paulson-family-foundation-donates-27m-for-new-building-at-hebrew-us-school-of-computer-science-and-engineering/ https://www.afhu.org/2023/09/28/the-paulson-family-foundation-donates-27-million-for-hebrew-university-school-of-computer-science-and-engineering-building/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Unemployment at new low. (TY Rhoda) Israel’s unemployment rate fell to 3.1% in August 2023 from 3.4% in July. It is the lowest rate since the current method of measuring unemployment was introduced in 2012.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-unemployment-in-israel-falls-to-new-low-1001458188
New Israeli airline. Israel has approved a new low-cost commercial airline, dubbed “Air Haifa” to operate from Haifa airport on short-haul flights to Eilat, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. Haifa Airport resumed international flights in June after a four-year gap.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/air-haifa-new-airline-set-to-launch-out-of-northern-israel/
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-759613
Air taxi test flight over Jerusalem. Dronery, a subsidiary of Israeli company Cando Drones (see here previously) has conducted a test flight of its air taxi at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem as part of the Israel National Drone Initiative (INDI).
https://nocamels.com/2023/09/israeli-air-taxi-takes-to-jerusalem-skies-for-first-time/
New metro line approved. Israel has approved the 26km, 22 stations, M2 east-west Metro Line. The line will pass through nine local authorities from Petah Tikva in the east, via Givat Shmuel, Bnei Brak, Givatayim, and Central Tel Aviv, to Holon near Wolfson Hospital.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israels-metro-m2-line-approved-budget-released-1001458104
Accelerating Israeli & US SEAL veterans. Traditionally, US and Israeli navy SEALs find work in security after finishing military service. Now the Israeli startup accelerator Version Bravo has been established, to help former special operators take their military leadership and decision-making skills into the business world.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-and-us-navy-seals-dive-into-startup-world-together/
On a roll. The solar panels on a roll, manufactured by Israel’s Apollo Power (see here previously) have been independently tested and certified as safe for US and European use. It also allows them to connect to the Israeli electrical grid. Apollo has just done a deal with a Turkish company to fit panels on the top of buses and trucks.
https://nocamels.com/2023/09/solar-panels-on-a-roll-certified-as-safe-for-use-in-us-europe/
Merck partners Israeli toxicity predictor. Israel’s Quris-AI (see here previously), which uses AI to predict treatment toxicity, has extended its partnership with German giant Merck KGaA. Quris-AI cuts the cost of treatment development and avoids testing on animals.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/b1repomxp
Big funding for Israeli Unicorns. Despite the global slowdown, two Israeli billion-dollar companies attracted confident investors in their latest funding rounds. First HR management firm HiBob raised $150 million at a valuation of $2.7 billion. Then Cato Networks raised $238 million at a valuation of over $3 billion.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hjlobxdjp
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rjtztfv1t
NIS 700+ million fund for local tech companies. Israeli financial services firm Value Base has secured NIS 700 million ($182 million) for its new private equity fund VBF to target investments into local, mainly publicly traded tech companies. It expects to increase the fund to NIS 1 billion by the end of this year.
Israel’s satellite industry is booming. Israeli space companies are experiencing a surge in demand. Since Dec 2022 Israel has launched four satellites. The upturn is led by Israel’s ImageSat International (ISI – see here previously) which provides satellite services to governments around the world.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hkofw8zg6
Swiss bank expands in Israel. Swiss private bank EFG International has launched a wealth management subsidiary in Tel Aviv, after opening representative office in Israel last year. It “aims to capture the significant wealth management opportunities in this market” and offer investment advisory services to clients in the region.
Millions for Israeli startups. Israel’s Cyberstarts, a venture capital fund that invests in early-stage Israeli cybersecurity startups, raised $480 million to make follow-on investments. Meanwhile Apax Israel raised $600 million for its second fund AMI 2. Its first fund’s $21 million of Global-e Online realized $729 million.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-cyberstarts-closes-480m-fund-for-cybersecurity-investment
Exits, takeovers & mergers to 8/10/23. US cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike has acquired Israeli cybersecurity Bionic for approximately $350 million; Israel’s Playtika is acquiring Israeli gaming studio Innplay Labs for $80 million. Israeli blockchain unicorn Fireblocks has acquired Australia’s BlockFold for an estimated $10 million; Israel’s NICE Systems has acquired US-based LiveVox for $350 million;
Investment in Israeli startups to 8/10/23: Lendbuzz raised $345 million; Cato Networks raised $238 million; HiBob raised $150 million; Stampli raised $61 million; Legit Security raised $40 million; Darrow raised $35 million; Gem Security raised $23 million; qbiq raised $10 million; Senser raised $9.5 million; Cydome raised $8 million; PerfectScale raised $7.1 million; Creednz raised $7 million; Fhenix raised $7 million; Vyzer raised $6.3 million; Digma.ai raised $6 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Israeli Stav Festival in New York. The Israeli Artists Project is holding the Stav Festival, named after the Hebrew word for “fall” or “autumn”, from Sep 28 to Oct 29 in New York City. It features 100-plus Israeli artists, a mix of theatrical plays, live music, an art exhibit, children’s activities, and interactive workshops.
https://www.jns.org/stav-festival-to-fuse-israeli-art-stage-and-musical-performances/
https://www.jns.org/arts-festival-encourages-new-yorkers-to-meet-the-israeli-artist-next-door/
https://www.israeliartistsproject.org/ https://stavfestival.org/
Leonard Cohen sings for the IDF again. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur war, IDF singer Orr Amrami sang an AI-powered “duet” with the late Leonard Cohen. In 1973, Cohen made a special trip to Israel to perform for soldiers at the front. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/377485
More medals at Invictus Games. (TY Hazel) Israel’s IDF disabled veterans increased their tally of medals from five (see here previously) to fourteen by the end of their first Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany. They added another two more table tennis golds including in the men’s doubles finals between two Israeli pairs.
First Israeli Para Sport shooting gold. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Yulia Chernoy won her first gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event at the World Parasport Shooting Championships in Lima.
https://www.paralympic.org/news/lima-2023-first-gold-azerbaijan-and-israel
Euro baseball quarterfinalists. (TY Hazel) Team Israel advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Baseball Championship on Tuesday with an 11-8 victory over Belgium in Prague. Israel eventually finished in sixth place in the competition. https://www.jns.org/israel-places-6th-in-european-baseball-championship/
https://baseball.org.il/english-news/689-israel-beats-belgium-to-clinch-quarterfinal-berth
Israel advances to Davis Cup tennis playoff. (TY Hazel) Israel’s national tennis team scored a surprise 3-2 win against Japan in the Davis Cup World Group, advancing to playoffs that could see it reach the tournament’s final 16. Singles wins by Daniel Zukerman and Yishai Oliel on Sunday overcame a 2-1 deficit.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-tennis-team-in-surprise-win-over-japan-in-davis-cup-moves-to-finals-playoff/ https://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-2023-WG1-M-ISR-JPN-01
THE JEWISH STATE
Selichot prayers in sign language. For the first time, Selichot prayers at the Kotel (Western Wall) were translated into sign language. Dozens of groups of hearing-impaired individuals, in cooperation with the Hushim Ben Dan Association, came to the Western Wall from all over the country and took part in the prayers.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/377284
Summer program attracts hundreds of high schoolers. 367 students, mostly from the USA, attended the JNF-USA-run summer program at the Alexander Muss School in Israel (see here previously). The school’s two campuses teach 1,500+ students about Israeli history and its connection to Judaism and Jewish peoplehood.
https://www.jns.org/jewish-diaspora/beersheva/23/9/20/320214/
2,000-year-old workshop for stone utensils unearthed. Israeli archeologists have discovered Second Temple period (516 BCE-70 C.E.) workshop for the manufacture of stone utensils just outside Jerusalem. Stone does not attract impurity and therefore stone utensils were frequently used and re-used in Temple services.
https://www.jns.org/archaeology/judea-and-samaria/23/9/19/319664/
Not just children of Abraham. Some of the residents of the Palestinian Authority may have closer links to the Jewish people than you might have expected.
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-palestinians-may-descendants-of-jews-converted-to-islam/
Congo to move embassy to Jerusalem. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has announced that it will move its embassy to Jerusalem. Israel will correspondingly open an embassy in Kinshasa. The two countries will strengthen cooperation in the fields of agriculture, trade, defense, cyber and more.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/377327
The blessings that Israel brings. Hear Israel’s PM at the United Nations General Assembly extol the blessings that Israeli innovation has given to the world and the promise of much more in the future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNH85jgzJ0Y&t=1260s
The tallest Oleh. At 7.119-feet (217cm) 18-year-old Georgi Krimantsky is the tallest Oleh (new immigrant to Israel) in decades – probably ever. He already is the star center player for Be’er Sheva’s youth basketball team. It certainly highlights Israel’s new heights of 65,000 immigrants since last Rosh Hashana.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-759469
The world’s largest sukkah. The Mayor of Jerusalem’s Sukkah in Safra Square was, at 800-square meters, the largest sukkah in the world. It hosted a variety of activities, such as workshops, plays and other performances for all ages and sectors, with free admission. The sukkah has a capacity of 650 and was open to all.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/377728
50,000 receive priestly blessings. Some 50,000 people received the traditional priestly blessing (Birkat Kohanim) at the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem on Monday. There was such a high demand that a second event was held on Wednesday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVliRVf89cM&t=2718s
https://www.jns.org/thousands-receive-priestly-blessing-at-western-wall/ https://thekotel.org/en/29377/
60.000 march to celebrate in Jerusalem. Over 60,000 participants from 90 countries took part in the 68th Jerusalem March during the Sukkot holiday – a record number of countries and participants. They included marching bands, IDF soldiers, street artists, dance groups, flag bearers, giant dolls, and dancers.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/377887
Don’t leave your lulav unattended. Doctors averted a tragedy when they removed a foreign object from the cornea of the eye of a 3-year-old boy. It was the tip of a lulav that the boy’s twin brother had thrust into his eye. Touché! https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/377885
