This Week’s Sanity Report from Israel Dec. 22, 2024
Since the last Positive Israel newsletter the Middle East has seen some monumental changes. Israel’s borders have been strengthened and many hostile threats to Israel’s citizens have been eliminated or vastly reduced. In other areas Israel’s recent achievements also have been awesome. Israel’s phenomenal medical researchers can now detect and potentially eliminate many severe genetic diseases. More groundbreaking Israeli technological innovations are bringing immense benefits to the environment, agriculture, energy efficiency, security, commerce, and transportation. Meanwhile, we thank the leaders of Paraguay and Uruguay for their powerful support to the Jewish State.
The photo of Mount Hermon is from the poster display at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. The entire monumental strategic site is under Israeli control for the first time in 50 years.
The highlights include:
- With two children in the IDF, mum joins the reserves.
- Israeli research into a genetic mutation may lead to cure for brain diseases.
- A Bedouin is the first female Muslin EMT deputy branch head at United Hatzalah.
- Look who’s interested in Israeli wave energy.
- Israel is building a green facility to process organic waste.
- Venture funds are investing heavily in Israeli defense startups.
- Israel’s national parks are re-opening.
- The President of Paraguay opened his country’s embassy in Jerusalem.
POSITIVE NEWS IN A WAR
Thousands help farmers rebuild. The HaShomer HaChadash (“The New Watchman”) agricultural volunteer organization aims to bring at least 100,000 volunteers to help farmers in the north repair hundreds of acres of orchards. The nonprofit has already mobilized some 300,000 volunteers to help farmers in the south.
https://www.jns.org/seeds-of-
Eyeglasses for soldiers & evacuees. Since Oct 7 2023 Israeli nonprofit RE-SPECS has assisted thousands of evacuees from southern and northern Israel as well as soldiers with subsidized corrective eyewear. RE-SPECS takes inquiries via WhatsApp and after processing, the spectacles are sent to a local volunteer for collection.
https://www.jns.org/re-specs-
https://www.respecsframes.com/
Mother of two IDF soldiers, enlists. (TY Yanky) Liora Lubovitz Batan has a daughter and a son in the IDF. Instead of sitting home and worrying, she enlisted in the IDF reserves, decades after completing her army service. she has since served 14 months in logistics positions and in combat support in the northern sector.
https://haipo.co.il/en/item/
Religious Zionist towns lead reserve duty. The IDF has reported that residents from religious Zionist towns in Judea, Samaria, and The Golan were leaders in the average number of days of military reserve duty served in 2023. Moshav Ramat Magshimim in the Golan Heights led with 53.94 days per resident on average.
https://www.jns.org/religious-
Finding hi-tech jobs for wounded IDF soldiers. Israeli nonprofit Atidim (see here previously) has established the “Warriors for High Tech” program to help IDF veterans transition to technology careers. It is especially attentive to the employment requirements of ex-soldiers who have suffered physical injury or trauma.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
NIS 200 million for victims of Hamas. Israel’s Merit Spread Foundation has raised over NIS 200 million in US-tax-exempt donations since the Oct 7 2003 Hamas invasion. It advertises as having unprecedented zero cost overheads and the fund has financed various projects covering multiple social benefit causes relating to the war.
https://www.
Teen Oct 7 survivors play basketball in LA. 15 Israeli high-schoolers from Gaza envelope kibbutzim went on a week-long trip to Los Angeles to watch NBA games, tour Universal Studios and play against a local Jewish day school. The program was organized by Project 24, connecting Israeli and North American communities.
https://www.jns.org/they-
https://www.project24israel.
Baby shower for 40 pregnant army wives. Forty wives of IDF reserve soldiers gathered in Modi’in, between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, recently for a collective baby shower (pre-birth party). They received hundreds of gifts from companies and individuals, including essentials for the hospital. Most of all, they made new friends.
https://www.jns.org/our-
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Detecting 250 genetic diseases. The non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) technology from Israel’s IdentifAI (see here previously) can detect any of 250 hereditary genetic disorders from a maternal blood sample. It isolates and performs full genetic sequencing of fetal DNA as early as nine weeks of pregnancy.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Decoding rare brain disease. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed an research model to decode the mechanism underlying a severe and rare neurological disease. A mutation in the protein TIMM50 causes epilepsy, developmental delay, and intellectual disability. It could lead to new treatments for many diseases.
https://english.tau.ac.il/
https://elifesciences.org/
US & Europe approve focused ultrasound scanners. Israel’s Insightec has received both FDA approval and the CE mark for its Exablate Prime focused ultrasound system integrated with MR scanners from medical equipment giant Philips. It extends Insightec’s treatment of essential tremor and Parkinson’s patients.
https://www.ourcrowd.com/
New private medical school. (TY Atid-EDI) The Council for Higher Education in Israel has granted approval to the independent Reichman University in Herzliya to establish a Medical School. Eighty medical students will be enrolled in the first four-year program, which will begin in February 2025.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
First-ever MedEx LA event. Dozens of Jewish doctors, many planning to make Aliyah in the near future, gathered in Los Angeles for the inaugural MedEx LA fair. It follows recent MedEx events in London, Paris, Buenos Aires, and New Jersey, addressing Israel’s shortage of doctors plus easing the Aliya process for them.
https://www.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
More accessible public transport. NGO Israel Elwyn is the largest network of programs and facilities serving people with disabilities. To mark Dec 3 International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the NGO launched the initiative #Love_Kav to highlight the challenges facing people with disabilities regarding public transportation.
https://www.jns.org/wire/love_
https://israelelwyn.org.il/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?
President hosts Israeli Arab leaders. President Isaac Herzog hosted a meeting at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, with Muslim religious leaders and influential imams from Arab communities in Israel. Since Oct 7 2024, these exceptional Israeli imams have been working to strengthen coexistence within their communities.
https://www.
Trailblazing female Muslim EMT. Doa Al Aubra, a 30-year-old primary school teacher from the Israeli Bedouin city of Rahat, made history when she was appointed deputy head of United Hatzalah’s Rahat branch. She is the first Muslim woman to hold this leadership position in the emergency medical services organization.
https://israelrescue.org/
Floyd Mayweather’s gifts to widows & orphans. American Boxing Champion Floyd Mayweather together with philanthropist Shai Graucher, have launched the “Floyd Mobile,” initiative to deliver tailored gifts to Israeli widows and orphans on their birthdays. https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Global Conference for Israel. The JNF-USA’s 2024 Global Conference for Israel in Dallas attracted 2,500 delegates. Nearly 400 additional college students joined its College Summit and received essential tools to help them become effective advocates for Israel on college campuses and beyond.
https://www.jns.org/wire/
https://www.jnf.org/our-work/
A pro-Israel, left-wing Latin American President. (TY Yanky) Uruguay’s new president-elect Yamandu Orsi is left wing, but unlike many of his fellow Latin American leaders he has expressed admiration for Israel’s multicultural society after visiting last year. He even suggested he could self-identify as a Zionist.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Making waves. Israel’s Eco Wave Power’s wave energy plant at Jaffa Port (see here previously) has attracted enquiries from companies in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and even Iran. And EWP’s CEO Inna Braverman, is another (see here) successful Israeli woman who nearly died when the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Turning a swimming pool into a spa. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Maytronics has produced some cutting-edge technology for swimming pools. Mineral Swim combines ozone–to–oxygen purification technology and 100% Dead Sea Minerals. Meanwhile, Maytronics’ Dolphin Liberty autonomous robots ensure a sparkling clean pool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.roboticreviews.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Stopping a runaway train. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Rail Vision (see here previously) has unveiled its Active Control System. This transforms Rail Vision from a developer of passive train driver warning systems to being able to take control of the throttle and brakes of a semi-automatic train, stopping it if danger is detected.
https://ir.railvision.io/news-
Transporting greener vegetables. Israel’s Stepac (see here previously) is changing the way broccoli and other vegetables are transported in the USA and Japan. Long-haul shipping mostly uses non-recyclable polystyrene or waxed containers. StepacPPC’s packaging is environment-friendly and holds up to 60% more vegetables.
https://www.stepacppc.com/
Recycling organic waste. Israel is to build its first anaerobic waste facility, near the Dia landfill site close to the Gaza border. It will use sealed containers of microbes to break down 200,000 tons of agricultural and household waste annually. It will produce biogas, for the national grid, as well as high-quality fertilizer.
https://thejudean.com/index.
Above and beyond. Dr. Shimrit Maman of Israel’s Ben-Gurion University has been appointed Vice Chair of the Earth Observation Committee at the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). This committee oversees remote-sensing satellite activities around Earth. Dr Maman was a scientist on the “Venus” satellite project.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
https://davidson.weizmann.ac.
How iron dome tech extinguishes fires. A recent article about Israel’s Firedome (see here previously) that merges traditional fire suppression methods with cutting-edge aerospace, military, and AI technology. Firedome is advised by Pini Yungman, one of the founders of Iron Dome and David’s Sling.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.israeldefense.co.
More integrated data for farmers. Israel’s CropX (see here previously) has integrated its agronomy platform with the digital farm and fleet management platform of German agricultural machinery manufacturer CLAAS. The data can be visualized and used to plan seeding, fertigation, and irrigation, to increase harvest yields.
https://www.ourcrowd.com/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Hi-tech exits soar to $13.4 billion. Despite the ongoing war 2024 has seen a 78% surge in the value of exits by Israeli companies. The total amount reached (up to Dec 8) is $13.4 billion, compared to $7.5 billion in 2023. Excluding IPOs, it is 9% higher than the historic record exits of 2021.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Israel Tech Mission. (TY OurCrowd) A delegation of 44 overseas entrepreneurs and investors joined the third Israel Tech Mission (see here previously) to connect with Israel’s high-tech sector. They visited LEO AI at Tel Aviv’s Google for Startups branch. See comments of newsletter subscriber Nathan Low MD of Silan Ventures.
https://themedialine.org/life-
Investing in defense. Israeli VC fund, Protego Ventures, investing in military tech startups, has already secured $70 million in just two weeks and is expected to close at $200 million. It is in high demand, primarily from U.S. institutional investors. Protego is founded by two dynamic female entrepreneurs Lital Leshem and Lee Moser.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Defense tech is hot for VC funds. No longer is defense technology shunned by investors as speakers emphasized at the DefenseTech Summit, hosted at Tel Aviv University.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Securing Miami port. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Waterfall Security (see here previously) has partnered with Florida’s GoCloud to install Waterfall’s security technology at Miami Port, the largest marine port in North America. One priority is to protect the port from threats that might exploit equipment supplied by China.
https://waterfall-security.
Saving energy on thousands of radiators. Israel’s Solchip (see here previously) has won an order for 20,000 of its SolRad energy-saving IoT devices from one of Europe’s largest publicly traded real estate companies. The low-cost device can be retrofitted to any radiator in minutes to reduce energy consumption by up to 35%.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/
Global e-commerce for Harrods. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Global-e Online (see here previously) has partnered with Harrods – the world’s leading luxury department store, to enhance its international online operations. Global-e partners over 1,000 brands and retailers across the United States, Europe and Asia.
https://investors.global-e.
Fighting fraud in Australia. Israel’s BioCatch (see here previously) has brought together five of Australia’s largest banks to tackle financial fraud. ANZ, CBA, NAB, Suncorp (Norfina), and Westpac join BioCatch Trust Australia in the first inter-bank, behavior- and device-based fraud and scam intelligence-sharing network.
https://www.biocatch.com/
Monetization for engineers. Israel’s Stigg.io has developed a platform for software engineers to build monetization functionality into their companies’ business systems that enables them to bill customers for their services (Systems as a Service – SAAS).
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Exits, mergers & acquisitions – to 22/12/24: US cybersecurity giant Fortinet has acquired Israel’s Perception Point.
Startup investment – to 22/12/24: Astrix Security raised $45 million; Riverside raised $30 million; OSSIO raised $27.6 million; Stigg raised $17.5 million; Gavan Technologies raised $8 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
100 years of Franz Kafka. (TY Yanky) To mark 100 years since the passing of the Franz Kafka, the National Library of Israel is launching “Kafka: Metamorphosis of an Author,” a collection of Kafka’s letters, books, drawings and notebooks. In 2016 Israel’s Supreme Court designated Kafka’s archive an Israeli cultural asset.
https://www.nli.org.il/en/
https://www.nli.org.il/en/
https://www.jns.org/kafkas-
Tel Aviv Jazz Festival. The second annual Tel Aviv-Jaffa Jazz Festival (Dec 12 – 14) included events at Beit Romano compound, including the central Teder Plaza, the Kissa jazz club, Matmon and Juanita Garden. Also acoustic performances at Park HaMesila and a jazz piano performance at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
https://www.jns.org/tel-aviv-
Stars and lights in Jerusalem. (TY Sharon) December began with new lights on the streets of Israel’s capital. They illuminated the President’s residence, Tower of David, Botanical Gardens, Museum of Tolerance, Friends of Zion museum, Talbiyeh’s Rose Garden, Mamilla Mall avenue, YMCA and more. Can’t wait for Chanukah!
https://rjstreets.com/2024/12/
Re-opening northern national parks. (TY TPS) National parks and reserves in northern Israel have begun reopening to the public for the first time since Hezbollah rocket barrages forced their closure. Parks now open include Baram, Hula Reserve, Achziv, Yechiam, Tel Hazor, Nahal Amud Reserve, and Nimrod Fortress.
https://worldisraelnews.com/
https://www.israel21c.org/7-
Rihanna gives birth again. Ramat Gan safari’s Rihanna is building a large family of rare white rhinos (see here previously). Her fourth calf, a male, has been named “Re’i,” (“My friend” in Hebrew). He is the 34th rhino born in the Safari and weighs 50 kilos (110 pounds). He joins siblings Ruvi, Rami and Rainy Rafiki.
https://www.jns.org/rhino-
THE JEWISH STATE
500-year-old Torah scroll found in Syria. A 500-year-old Torah scroll has been discovered hidden in the basements of Bashar Al Assad’s palace in Damascus. As only three Jews remain in Syria, it is hoped that the scroll will be brought to Israel for the descendants of some of the 30,000 pre-1948 Syrian Jewish community.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Where religious public worship began? A pre-historic ritual complex has been discovered in the Manot Cave in northern Israel. According to researchers, the siting of an engraved rock deep inside the cave, ashes and fine acoustics signifies the transition from unstructured worship to the dawn of institutionalized public rituals.
https://www.
Mazal Tov. The granddaughter of the Gerrer Rebbi was married in Jerusalem in front of a crowd of thousands. The Chupah (wedding) ceremony was held on the rooftop of the old wing of the Great Beit Midrash on Yirmiyahu Street in Jerusalem, and was broadcast on screens for all participants.
https://www.
From TikTok to sem. TikTok sensation Ellie Zeiler, who boasts over 10 million followers, traded the hustle of Los Angeles for a life of purpose, spirituality and discovery of Judaism in Israel.
https://worldisraelnews.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Birthright raises age limit to 50. Birthright Israel is raising the age limit for its subsidized volunteer program in Israel to 50 (was 40) starting in 2025. The aim is to encourage more people to visit the Jewish state and help rebuild Gaza border communities impacted by the Oct 7 2023 Hamas invasion.
https://worldisraelnews.com/
Reopening Paraguay’s Jerusalem embassy. Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña called the return of his country’s embassy to Israel’s capital a “tipping point” in the South American country’s history. Israel’s President Herzog thanked Paraguay for the move and for its history of support for Jews and the Jewish State.
https://worldisraelnews.com/
https://www.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
History unfolding before our very eyes. The events of the past few weeks have been literally earth-shattering. All of Israel is hoping and praying that it will all turn out for the best. Several relevant articles here.
https://worldisraelnews.com/
https://www.
How to help Israel. Here are some sites where newsletter readers can donate to Israeli organizations that provide vital help to Israelis at this difficult time. Many thanks to those who have already contributed and to those who are helping by donating their own valuable time and resources.
Friends of the IDF (US donors): https://www.fidf.org/
or IDF Soldiers Fund in Israel: https://www.ufis.org.il/en/
American Friends of Magen David Adom (US donors): https://afmda.org/
or Magen David Adom (Israel): https://www.mdais.org/en/
Zaka (US donors): https://donate.zakatelaviv.
or (Canadian donors): https://www.canadahelps.org/
United Hatzalah: https://israelrescue.org/
(New – Donate a medic bag, save a life https://israelrescue.org/
Leket Food Israel: https://www.leket.org/en/
JNF USA – https://my.jnf.org/gaza-
Orthodox Union – https://www.charidy.com/
Schneider Children’s Hospital: https://www.fos.org.il/en/
https://system.smartgiving.
https://chaischneider.org/
Rambam Medical Center (Haifa) https://aforam.org/ways-to-
https://www.rambam.org.il/en/
Hadassah Hospital Israel: https://www.hadassah.org/
Laniado Hospital (Netanya) https://my.israelgives.org/en/
Buy Israel Bonds to support the Jewish State. (TY Larry B)
https://www.
USA – https://www.israelbonds.com/
Europe – https://israelbondsintl.com/
Canada – https://www.israelbonds.ca/
