This Week’s Sanity Report from Israel Dec. 29, 2024
The lights of the Jewish festival of Chanukah are a metaphor for many of the articles in this week’s newsletter.
Patients suffering from serious chronic diseases will be de-lighted by the results of recent Israeli medical trials which could be the light at the end of a long tunnel. Separately, one Israeli tech system illuminated the path for surgeons to extract a bullet from a Nova survivor’s brain, while another helped them remove a tumor from a teenager’s spine. A pregnant Israeli woman will now be able to see the light, thanks to the removal of a tumor from her optic nerve. And at the other end of the spectrum, Israeli doctors used a groundbreaking single dose of radiation to cure a patient from a deadly heart condition.
Israeli continues to be a Light to the Nations by repairing children’s hearts in Zambia; opening an innovation center in France; showcasing climate tech in Paris; winning research prizes in Belgium; celebrating 75 years of ties with Argentina; protecting Christians, Druze and Kurds in Syria and Lebanon; donating Christmas trees in Jerusalem; and delivering defense systems to the USA and Europe.
Israeli scientists recently developed a new form of pure polarized light for high-precision optics; a new Israeli quantum computer processes information faster than the speed of light; and even off-grid Israeli Bedouins are installing solar energy systems. Meanwhile, Intel’s previously extinguished “Ignite” startup accelerator has been re-ignited!
Finally, as Chanukah lights are being lit all over Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and globally, a 96-year-old woman from New York alighted at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, making Aliyah to the de-light of her 84 descendants from five generations.
The photo is of candles for the 3rd night of Chanukah, lit prior to Shabbat. They include extra sets for soldiers, hostages, and the wounded who cannot light their own candles.
The highlights include:
- Three Israelis were saved by skilled surgeons and Israeli tech.
- An Arab Israeli saved Jewish girls and a Haredi Jew volunteers in an Arab town.
- Israel has launched its first home grown quantum computer.
- Israeli defense systems protect the USA and Europe.
- A pro-Israeli American uses comedy videos to change minds.
- Chanukah-period plaster has been found preserved in “cave pearls”.
POSITIVE NEWS IN A WAR
Israeli tech rehabilitates the wounded. In this article MyMove from 6Degrees stops phantom pain in amputees. Sheba hospital repaired a soldier’s facial structure and also a dog’s. Robot guidance helped remove a bullet. Aidoc located a bullet inside a Nova survivor’s brain. Also see LIV (for PTSD) and NexoBrid (burns).
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
More Oct 7 survivors’ cafes to open. Israel’s Tamir Barelko is the founder of the Café Otef chain (see here previously) run by Oct 7 2023 survivors. He will shortly be opening Cafe Otef–Sderot (in Rehovot), and also Cafe Otef–Kiryat Shmona, paying tribute to those evacuated from the northern town for 14 months.
https://www.jta.org/2024/12/
Building better defenses. Between Oct 2023 and Sep 2024, Israel’s Defense Ministry placed NIS 601 million of orders with 86 startups and small companies – five times more than in the previous year. 58 startups joined the Defense Ministry’s INNOFENSE accelerator program, building AI, navigation and deep tech systems.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
IBD therapy trial exceeds expectations. Israel’s Teva and Sanofi announced promising Phase 2 trial results for duvakitug, designed to treat colitis and Crohn’s disease. In a 14-week phase 2b multi-national study, nearly 50% of patients achieved clinical remission compared with around 20% on a placebo. Teva’s shares rose 15%.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Alzheimer’s vaccine begins trials. (TY Nevet) A first-in-the-world clinical trial taking place at the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem will directly test whether the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) TB vaccine (see here previously) should be widely administered in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
https://www.hadassah.org/
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/
Precision medicine for autoimmune diseases. Israel’s Promise Bio is researching immune-mediated disease treatment with advanced precision medicine solutions. Using mass-spectrometry data and AI analysis (called epiproteomics), it aims to identify the best medications to treat a particular patient’s autoimmune disease.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Israeli tech helps remove tumor from spine. (TY Nevet) Surgeons at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem removed a dangerous tumor from the spine of a Jerusalem teenager. They used Israel’s PathKeeper Visionary Surgical Nav System (see here previously) to maintain precision and avoid damaging the teen’s spinal nerves.
https://www.hadassah.org/
Instant cure for heart patient. (TY Ron M) Nazia Matar (63) had life-threatening heart arrhythmia with no possible surgical solution. Cardiologist Prof. Mahmoud Suleiman at Haifa’s Rambam hospital detected the root cause and directed a single, high-dose of radiation at the problem tissue. Nazia is now completely cured.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
Brain surgery patient has healthy baby. (TY Nevet & Hadassah) At Hadassah Ein Kerem, Moriel Indek gave birth to a healthy baby boy after undergoing brain surgery during her pregnancy with her third child. A non-malignant tumor close to her optic nerve was growing, requiring surgeons to urgently operate.
https://www.
Saving kidney patients. Israel’s FIZE Medical (see here previously) has monitored over 4,000 patients at high risk of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) since its launch last year at leading hospitals in the U.S. and Israel. In 2025 it plans to expand operations in Japan and Europe and enhance its production infrastructure in Israel and Vietnam.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Better evaluation of hospital admissions. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have created a new model for assessing patients on admission to hospital. They enhanced the standard Elixhauser Comorbidity model to include test results, vital signs, and demographic data, with up to 18% better predictions of outcomes.
https://en.huji.ac.il/news/
https://bmchealthservres.
Sheba opens innovation center in France. Israel’s largest hospital, Sheba Medical Center, has opened a branch of its ARC (Sheba’s health transformation and innovation arm) at the Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest (ICO) in Nantes, France. It will help ICO’s 1,400 professionals, who treat over 48,000 patients annually.
https://www.jns.org/sheba-
MDA’s friends raise millions. The American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) Gala raised a total of $4 million to support Israel’s leading emergency service. It also honored actress and pro-Israel advocate Patricia Heaton, with the Champion of Israel Award.
https://www.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Mending children’s hearts. In Dec, Doctors from Israel’s Save a Child’s Heart operated on 25 children with congenital heart defects in Lusaka, Zambia. They also brought in experts from Tanzania to help. Back in Israel, SACH has opened a new state-of-the-art Pediatric Care Center & ER.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Accessible strawberries. ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran’s team of gardeners with disabilities has cultivated an impressive crop of accessible organic and insect-free strawberries. Fittingly, the first strawberry harvest took place on Dec. 3, recognized annually as International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
https://www.jns.org/wire/
Female chief of K9 unit. Superintendent Avital Tzuriel runs the kennel and the 100 handlers that breed Israel Police guard/attack/sniffer dogs. She was one of the first female officers to undergo the 22-week handler course. The unit is separate from the Israel Defense Forces’ internationally acclaimed Oketz unit.
https://www.jns.org/head-of-
Israeli Arab saves sem girls. Arab Israeli construction worker Imad Khirbawi saved dozens of Haredi girls after a fire that broke out in a Jerusalem boarding school. He had heard an explosion and, because he knew the building, he broke down a plaster wall to allow the girls to escape the flames.
https://collive.com/over-30-
https://www.jfeed.com/news-
Haredi Jew volunteers at Arab police station. 22-year old Maor Korsias, a Haredi Jew from Tiberias, has become an unconventional presence at the police station in Kafr Kanna, with his long sidelocks and black kippah; He has earned the respect of the local community, who affectionately call him “the Sheikh”.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
Free Christmas trees. The Jerusalem Municipality distributed 350 Christmas trees to Christian residents before the holidays. It also installed festive decorations and colorful lighting in locations including the Old City’s Christian Quarter. Israel is the the only Middle East country where the Christian population is increasing.
https://www.jns.org/jerusalem-
Protecting minorities in the Middle East. With the fall of the Assad dynasty in Syria, the region’s Druze and Kurdish populations are looking to Israel for protection against Jihadists. Similarly, Christians in Syria and Lebanon seek an alliance with the Jewish State.
https://www.jns.org/israel-a-
Belgium ceremony for Israeli statisticians. The three Tel Aviv University professors that won the $1 million Rousseeuw Prize for Statistics (see here previously) received their awards at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. Their work on the False Discovery Rate (FDR) is of major benefit to medical science.
https://www.jns.org/tau-
75 years of ties with Argentina. Israel and Argentina on Monday marked 75 years of diplomatic relations at a gala event at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem. Mutual ties have reached unprecedented heights under Argentinian President Javier Milei. The Argentina-born father of Israel’s Foreign Minister was in the audience.
https://www.jns.org/argentina-
Teheran street renamed. London-based Iran International reports that an Iranian opposition activist renamed a Tehran street after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, described (in Persian) as “the purifier of evil”. (See video in link.) A number of recent “incidents” seem to indicate grassroots Iranian support for Israel.
https://www.jns.org/iranian-
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Happy 100 years to the Technion. Israel’s Technion celebrates 100 years of achievements and contributions to the Jewish State. Visit its Centennial website. Explore the achievements via its “Journey through time”. Also watch the trailer of its film “Technion 10squared” documentary of the past 100 years and future possibilities.
https://technion100.technion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.kan.org.il/
Israeli ClimaTech Paris summit. (TY Nevet) Innovation enabler Challengy brought 16 Israeli climatech start-ups to meet major French companies in Paris. Those not previously reported here include eLinkair (charging e-buses and e-trucks), ellsway (E-mobility charging), Starstone (zero-carbon concrete), Funpressor (cooling).
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
https://www.elssway.com/ https://www.thestarstone.com/ https://funpressor.com/
Trailblazing scientist is now a Fellow. Tel Aviv University Prof. Dan Peer (see here previously) was elected as a Fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors (NAI). It is the highest recognition for innovators whose inventions have had a decisive impact on quality of life, economic development, and social welfare.
https://english.tau.ac.il/
Reviving ancient farming techniques. Scientists at Israeli Bar-Ilan and Haifa universities have proposed to revive the 1,000-year-old system of farming known as “plot and berm” for arid areas. Plots were dug in places where the water table was high. Berms are sand barriers, built to retain water and shield against the wind.
https://www.israel21c.org/can-
And there is light. Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have developed a tiny, room-temperature device that creates a special type of high-quality light with over 93% polarization purity. These radially polarized photons are highly useful for secure communications, advanced imaging, and precision optical tools.
https://europeanfriends.huji.
Engineering Apple’s first AI server chip. A team of Apple engineers in Israel is reportedly leading the development of Apple’s first server AI chip. Taiwan’s TSMC has agreed to mass-produce the chip by 2026. The Israeli team in Herzliya played a critical role in Apple’s successful transition from Intel to in-house Mac chips.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
The first Israeli-built quantum computer. (TY WIN & TPS) Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Hebrew University of Jerusalem have unveiled Israel’s first domestically developed quantum computer, a 20-qubit system utilizing advanced superconducting technology.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Preventing collisions at sea. (TY Arlene) Israel’s WATCHIT alerts the owners of recreational marine vessels to risks of collision, hitting submerged objects and rocks, or the vessel being grounded. Its AI-based safety system continuously collects data from the boat’s sensors and surroundings, combining it with nautical charts.
https://watchit.ai/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
A sustainable Bedouin school. (TY Ron M) A Bedouin school in the unrecognized village of Alfoura in southern Israel is fully sustainable. It uses solar energy for electricity; Watergen for drinking water; algae and bacteria recycle wastewater for irrigation; and HomeBiogas converts organic waste into methane for cooking.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Light can banish darkness. A video compilation produced by Ben Gurion University connecting science and art with light – especially produced for Chanukah – the Jewish Festival of Lights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israeli stock market outperforms. Despite the war, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange is on track to close 2024 with one of the world’s best returns. The TA-125 has gained about 27% year-to-date, far surpassing most European markets. Foreign and Israeli investors made significant purchases of Israeli shares in November.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Israeli tech defends Europe. Cyprus is installing an Israeli (IAI-built) Barak MX anti-aircraft system, just as Slovakia purchased one for €560 million. Azerbaijan bought one in 2023 (see here previously). Meanwhile, Israel’s Elbit has just sold $175 million of advanced aircraft defense systems to two European countries.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
https://worldisraelnews.com/
US DoD buys Israeli drones. Israel’s XTEND (see here previously) has won a $8.8 million contract with the US Dept of Defense for its PSIO small Unmanned Aerial Systems. It is is the first system of its kind to receive approval from the U.S. DoD for both indoor and outdoor operations. The system has proved itself in Gaza.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
$142 million is just for games. Israel’s VGames, one of the most active funds in the gaming sector, has raised $142 million for its third fund. The gaming industry is estimated to account for about 2% of Israel’s GDP, with some 200 companies employing around 14,000 people.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
From Beersheva to the world. Up-to-date article about the Negev-based innovation center operator Synergy7 (see here previously) and its program to open business development offices for early-stage startups in the US, Singapore and the UAE. https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Ignite re-ignites. Four months after crisis-hit Intel shut it down, the Ignite startup acceleration program (see here previously) has re-launched as an independent accelerator. It has support from the Israel Innovation Authority and Israel’s Economy Ministry, with many corporations expected to join. Intel is its first new client!
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Exits, mergers & acquisitions – to 29/12/24: US Investment firm AE acquired Israel’s Paragon Solutions for a minimum of $500 million. American investment fund FTV Capital has acquired Israel’s Windward for $270 million. Italy’s TeamSystem has acquired Israel’s Morning (Green Invoice) for $150 million. Israel’s Coralogix has acquired Israel’s Aporia for $50 million. US Blockchain giant Chainalysis has acquired Israel’s Hexagate for an estimated $60 million. US Boomi has acquired Israel’s Rivery for an estimated $100 million.
Startup investment – to 29/12/24: Innoviz raised $80 million; Evinced raised $55 million; Decart raised another $32 million; Justt raised $30 million; Antidote Health raised $22 million; Hyro raised $15 million; FIZE Medical has raised $14 million; Promise Bio raised $8.3 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Winter Dreams. The world’s largest light sculpture exhibition is in Israel for the first time. An event of lights, nature and culinary delights at the Jerusalem Botanical Garden. The world’s largest light sculptures, up to 5 meters, illuminated by nearly a million colored LED lights. Special events till Jan 2nd. Exhibits till Feb 1st.
https://www.nbn.org.il/events/
https://shop.ticketmaster.co.
Exhibition of far-from-home cooking. (TY Nevet / ADL) Matan Choufan, of the Asif Culinary Institute of Israel (see here) is curator of Tel Aviv exhibition “The Open Kitchen: Memories From a Home Left Behind.”. It features stories and artifacts from Oct 7 2023 evacuees who continue to cook despite being displaced.
https://www.jta.org/2024/11/
1,200 Jerusalem Street posts. (TY Sharon) Each week the Real Jerusalem Streets show what is happening in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital. There is much more than the conflict and protests that Mainstream media reports.
Using humor as a PR tool. (TY Yanky) 23-year-old Yechiel Jacobs is a rising Instagram star who uses humor to discredit Israel-bashers. “People aren’t interested when they see a video about Israel, but I’m reaching a different group with videos that are funny – and everybody wants to laugh.” His videos also educate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.youtube.com/
Poker tournament raises funds. (TY Yanky) Israeli-American Robbie Strazynski, founder of Cardplayer Lifestyle, hosted a $10,000 buy-in poker tournament that raised $140,000 for IDF widows and orphans. The event was spearheaded by the Shalem Fund, founded by tournament finalists Ory Weihs and Anna Meissner.
https://www.jpost.com/
THE JEWISH STATE
King Solomon’s mines did not pollute. Researchers from Tel Aviv University found minimal environmental and health impacts at King Solomon’s 10th century BCE copper mines in southern Israel’s Timna Valley. Lead levels e.g., fell below 200 ppm just meters from the furnaces. They refute 1990’s claims that the mines polluted.
https://www.jns.org/tau-study-
One Israel Fund celebrates 30 years. For three decades, One Israel Fund been helping 500,000+ residents in Judea and Samaria. It has spent millions on security protection, medical facilities, education, recreational equipment and communal infrastructure. It has just helped raise $1 million for an emergency center.
https://www.jns.org/wire/
https://www.jns.org/one-
https://oneisraelfund.org/
NIS 100 million donation. (TY Yanky) Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is following through with his promise (in Apr) to donate NIS 100 million to reconstructing Israel’s north. In 2015 Bloomberg also donated $100 million (see here previously) to help build the new Cornell-Technion Institute in New York.
https://ejewishphilanthropy.
Chanukiah lighting at the Kotel. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation are holding public candle-lighting ceremonies at the Kotel in Jerusalem every evening during the eight-day holiday of Chanukah. Participants include Rabbis, ambassadors, families of Gaza hostages, bereaved families, wounded IDF soldiers and others.
https://www.jns.org/public-
Preserved Chanukah-period plaster discovered. (TY Nevet) Israeli researchers have analyzed the contents of “cave pearls” discovered in the millennia-old Joweizeh spring tunnel in the Jerusalem hills. The pearls, formed from mineral deposits, encased plaster from a building constructed around the time of the Hasmonean kings.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.
Never say “never”. 96-year-old Pearl Kronenberg Sapir has just made Aliya from New York. She was greeted at Ben Gurion airport by many of her 84 descendants from five generations – some of whom she met for the first time. https://unitedwithisrael.org/
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/
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/
