‘This is the 4th inscription revealed so far dating to the 10th century BCE from the Kingdom of Judah,’ says Antiquities Authority. The jar following restoration in the Israel Antiquities Authority laboratories. . (photo credit:COURTESY OF TAL ROGOVSKY)
This Weeks Sanity Report from Israel – June 23 2015
The highlights include:
- Three important stomach-related medical developments from Israeli scientists.
- The Israeli Government’s new benefits for Israeli Arabs received all-round praise.
- Israeli experts helped Georgia recover animals that escaped in recent floods.
- An Israeli company is cultivating a high-protein vegetable to fight world hunger.
- SolarEdge is Israel’s latest billion-dollar company and more are on the way.
- Israel’s Moran Samuel has won the Paralympic Rowing World Cup.
- An early-Hebrew inscription from the time of King David was found near Bet Shemesh.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Successful trials for treatment of gastric infections. Israel’s Redhill Biopharma announced positive top-line results from its Phase III study with RHB-105 for treating Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections. RHB-105 achieved 89.4% efficacy in eradicating H. pylori with no serious adverse events or unexpected safety issues.
Micro-antenna to treat gastro-cancer. Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem are developing a tiny antenna that can be inserted into the stomach via an endoscopic tube to detect and treat early-stage cancers too small to be treated by current methods. At present, doctors have to wait until the tumor is large enough to treat.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=26211
What you should and should not eat. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute reported the results of their Personalized Nutrition Project (launch reported here in 2013). They discovered that bacteria in the stomach of different people reacts differently to the same food. Some even lost weight from ice cream and buttered bread.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/computer-algorithm-may-help-with-weight-loss/
Treatment for acromegaly. Israel’s Chiasma has developed the oral treatment Octreotide, for acromegaly – abnormal growth due to a tumor of the pituitary gland that causes severe life-threatening health problems. Chiasma is also planning an IPO on NASDAQ.
http://www.chiasmapharma.com/news/chiasma-submits-new-drug-application-us-fda-octreotide-capsules-acromegaly http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-chiasma-files-for-86m-nasdaq-ipo-1001045453
Israeli experts at international medical conference. (TY Alan) Israeli medical experts From Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center are involved in about a dozen sessions of the 2015 World Congress of the International Society for Posture and Gait Research. The Israeli company Meditouch is also exhibiting.
http://bit.ly/1GVzqOV http://www.meditouch.co.il/en
http://www.tasmc.org.il/sites/en/Research/Tech-Transfer/Pages/Gait-Neurodynamics.aspx
Your digital doctor. Israel’s Doctome digital doctor platform is part of IBM’s startup incubator. It links to IBM’s Watson supercomputer (see last week) and to WhatsApp and is the basis of a fully-functioning telemedicine service. http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/israeli-digital-doc-aiming-to-bring-healthcare-to-your-inbox/2015/06/19/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Empowering women in business. (TY Sharon) Over 600 women attended the 6th annual Temech Conference in Jerusalem. The Hebrew and English tracks featured prominent speakers from across Israeli society. Temech’s support for religious Jewish women in business includes training courses and Jerusalem workspaces.
http://www.baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=37&ARTICLE_ID=61362
Rise in tourism from Arab and Moslem countries. The number of people visiting Israel from Arab countries is increasing. 14,200 tourists from Jordan, Egypt and Morocco visited Israel from January to May. In addition, tourists from Moslem countries included 13,300 from Turkey, 1,900 from Malaysia and 9,700 from Indonesia.
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2015/06/israel-hosted-14000-tourists-from-arab.html#.VX72dFIpqSo
Major benefits for Israeli Arabs and Druze. (TY Evelyn) The far-left Ha’aretz newspaper called the new initiatives of the Netanyahu government to benefit Israeli Arabs “praiseworthy” and “revolutionary”. These address housing shortages and education. The Israeli Cabinet also approved a $500+ million 5-year plan to develop Druze and Circassian (Moslem) communities.
http://evelyncgordon.com/israels-hardline-government-unveils-major-benefits-for-israeli-arabs/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-to-invest-500-million-in-druze-circassian-communities/
Israel’s new annual Arab Book Day. The first-ever Arab Book Day was celebrated in a special ceremony at the Israeli parliament. The ultimate aim of the event was to underscore the role literature can play in spanning the divide between Jews and Arabs in Israel. Israeli Arab MK Issawi Frej said, “Books build bridges”.
http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/06/14/israels-knesset-celebrates-arab-book-day-as-new-holiday/
Investment for Nazareth startups. 12 Nazareth-based start-ups presented their technology to Tel Aviv tech investors in an event designed to introduce the relatively new start-up ecosystem in the Arab-city to its established Tel Aviv big brother. As one of the entrepreneurs put it, “If they can do it, we can do it too.”
http://www.timesofisrael.com/nazareth-start-ups-seek-a-place-in-tel-aviv-tech-scene/
Israel allows 300 Gazans to pray at Al Aqsa Mosque. (TY Hazel – from PA news site) An official at the Palestinian liaison office told Ma’an that 300 Gaza residents were driven to Jerusalem via the Erez crossing to pray in the Al-Aqsa mosque. Israel traditionally eases travel restrictions during Ramadan.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=765920 http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/75131-150616-israel-eases-restrictions-on-palestinians-for-ramadan
Israeli products in PA shops. There is no sign of the Palestinian Authority’s BDS policy in Bethlehem. During Kay Wilson’s visit, she saw plenty of Israeli products in the supermarkets. She saw some Arabs driving cars that the rest of us could only dream of. Kay’s Facebook post went viral.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/196806#.VX_qh1IpqSo
A meeting of Israelis, Sunnis and Shiites. (TY Michelle) In the Indian city of Lucknow, Indian Shiite Moslems met with Saudi Arabian Sunni Moslems and Israeli Jews. They discussed religious extremism and the mutual understanding necessary for solving the many problems in the Middle East.
100 German company heads to visit Israel. 100 German industry leaders are to visit Israel at the end of June. They include from SAP SE, BMW, Bosch, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Telekom, Merck & Co., Inc., Mercedes-Benz and Lufthansa. They will attend an investors’ conference and meet Israeli innovators and researchers.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=26283
Israeli agro-tech for Goa. (TY Michelle) Goa has been actively wooing Israel to resurrect its agriculture since the 2012 Indian election. Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Narayan Bandeka met with Israeli consul general in Mumbai David Akov to discuss crop, post-harvest technologies and water management.
Israeli vets in Georgia floods rescue. (TY Hazel) A day after severe floods sent animals from Georgia’s Tbilisi Zoo to towards city streets, a team of veterinarians from Tel Aviv’s Ramat Gan Safari and Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo arrived in the Georgian capital to advise zoo officials and dispense medicines and anesthetics.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Water-saving tips in California. (TY Michelle) Israeli water technology experts went to Sacramento (twinned with Israel’s Ashkelon), to demonstrate smart ways to secure water from a desert. These included recycling wastewater, desalination, detecting leaky pipes and different charging structures for water purity. US cities Los Angeles and Beverly Hills are also partnering with Israel for water conservation. http://www.jewishjournal.com/los_angeles/article/beverly_hills_partners_with_israel_in_water_conservation_solutions http://www.kcra.com/news/israel-offers-droughtbusting-tips-for-california/33535818
Water advice for the World Bank. (TY Michelle) Israel has signed an agreement to share best practices on water with the World Bank. http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/06/17/israel-world-bank-group-agreement-innovative-best-practices-water
Record $50 million donation for Technion. Andrew Viterbi, co-founder of Qualcomm, announced that he will give $50 million to the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology – a record gift from an American donor. Viterbi, a Technion board member, invented an algorithm to eliminate interference in mobile communications.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/qualcomm-co-founder-to-give-technion-record-50-million-donation/
France-Israel TransTech Conference. On Oct 27 2015, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Israel-France holds its 6th TRANSTECH Conference seminar on Technology Transfer, Financial Technology & Clean Technology, to encourage an international cooperation between Israel, France and the European Union.
Beautifying Wikipedia. Israel’s Wikiwand takes content from a Wiki page and redraws it in a more aesthetically pleasing format, with extra elements – like a table of contents, maps, drawings, etc
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-apps-wikipedia-beautification-makes-info-more-accessible/
$100 million gift to Cornell-Technion. (TY Michelle) Former NY mayor Michael Bloomberg has donated $100 million to help pay for construction of the new Cornell-Technion Institute in New York. The first academic building will be named The Bloomberg Center – in honor of his two daughters, Emma and Georgina.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2015/06/100m-gift-names-bloomberg-center-cornell-tech-0
Taking control if pilot loses consciousness. An Israeli-developed smart flight helmet will detect emergency situations in which pilots are about to lose consciousness, and take control of the plane in order to prevent disasters. Tel Aviv’s Lifebeam developed the Cannary system with sensors measuring the pilot’s vital signs.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/high-tech-israeli-helmet-will-prevent-flight-crashes/
Israeli scientists discover tiny nearby galaxy. (TY NoCamels) A team of scientists from Tel Aviv University and the University of California have discovered the NGC 5253 dwarf galaxy, containing over a million relatively new stars. The galaxy was previously hidden by clouds of dust emitted by the galaxy.
http://nocamels.com/2015/06/israeli-researchers-tiny-galaxy-million-stars/
Protein from the smallest vegetable. Israel’s Hinoman is cultivating Mankhai – the world’s smallest vegetable. Mankhai contains 45% protein, is high in vitamins, low in carbohydrate, fat, sugar and salt and is GMO, gluten and pesticide free. Hinoman promotes Mankhai as a sustainable substitute for meat and seafood.
http://www.hinoman.biz/what-we-do/
Engie cuts car repair costs. Israel’s Engie is a sensor and app that diagnoses car engine faults and gets the best repair deals. The sensor costs $9 and the app already has 30,000 users in Israel. The US target is 2016.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/engie-cuts-car-repair-costs-and-car-repair-arguments/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Hong Kong learns from Israeli startups. (TY Michelle) Israel’s tech sector makes for a great study for Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Science and Technology Park recently held a business-matching session when a dozen Israeli tech hopefuls met with potential Hong Kong collaborators and customers.
http://cw.com.hk/opinion/what-can-hong-kong-learn-israelis-startup-policies
SolarEdge is worth $1.5 billion. The share price of Israel’s SolarEdge has more than doubled since its March NASDAQ listing, valuing the company at $1.5 billion. Revenue grew nearly 18% last quarter. SolarEdge has just released a new solar energy storage system for residential buildings and expanded its commercial products.
http://www.solaredge.com/articles/solaredge_presents_storedge_solutions_and_expanded_commercial_inverter_offering_at_intersol http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-solaredge-doubles-value-since-ipo-1001043319
More billion-dollar companies on the way. (TY Nevet www.broaderview.org) “Israel has produced ten billion dollar unicorn exits over the last two years,” says Jonathan Medved, CEO of OurCrowd. “This pace is about to accelerate.” Webydo and Meta are the next candidates. And many more are in the pipeline.
http://www.inc.com/john-boitnott/how-a-new-wave-of-tech-unicorns-is-rising-out-of-israel.html
Another $25 million for WalkMe. (TY Michelle) I featured Israel’s WalkMe in a previous (Apr 2014) newsletter. The user-friendly app allows website owners to build step-by-step guidebooks for using their sites. WalkMe has just raised another $25 million in an oversubscribed round of funding.
Counter BDS – buy Israeli bonds. Izzy Tapoohi has been president & CEO of Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds since October 2011. He advocates that in an era of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS), “The best defense is a good offense”. And investing in Israel’s economy is the greatest form of offense.
http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2015/06/15/izzy-tapoohi-playing-offense-against-bds/
Flying high at Paris Air Show. 11 Israeli companies are exhibiting products at the Paris Air Show that ends on 21 June. They include Elbit Systems, Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries, UVision, Elta Systems, Aeronautics Ltd and Ashot (part of IMI).
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-11-israeli-cos-to-exhibit-at-paris-air-show-1001045101
Increasing digital performance. Israel’s XLMedia has just acquired Israel’s Marmar Media, combining the two Digital Performance Marketing companies into one.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-xlmedia-acquires-marmar-media-1001045201
Waze is the most-loved sharing app. Israeli-developed traffic application Waze is among the best “sharing” apps, according to a study by research group Arc360, a division of Israeli app testing firm Applause. Waze had over 300,000 reviews and although only fifth overall, the top four apps only had a few hundred reviews.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/waze-tops-in-sharing-app-user-satisfaction-study-shows/
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli photographer wins top UK prize. (TY Harold) Israel’s Matan Ben-Cnaan won the £30,000 top prize in the 2015 BP Portrait Awards, currently on exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery. His allegorical portrait “Annabel and Guy” was partly inspired by the biblical story of the Israelite judge Jephthah.
http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/bp-portrait-award/exhibition/prize-winners-entries/first-prize.php
Zionist’s art exhibition. Tel Aviv’s Museum of Art features (until Oct 5) an exhibition of the works of Israeli artist Otte Wallish (1906 – 1977). Wallish designed posters and exhibitions promoting Zionism that culminated in the design of the ceremony and scroll of the Declaration of Independence.
http://www.tamuseum.org.il/about-the-exhibition/otte-wallish
Exhibit of Caesarea treasure. Jerusalem’s Israel Museum is exhibiting the exciting find of over 2,580 solid gold coins that divers retrieved from the sea bed off the coast of Caesarea in Feb 2015. The coins from 9th to 11th Century CE weigh a total of 7.5kg. Some display the Fatimid Caliph that founded the Druze religion.
http://www.imj.org.il/exhibitions/presentation/exhibit/?id=941
International Falafel Day. Ben Lang’s initiative of a day to celebrate the Middle East delicacy falafel began in 2011. Now for the first time, International Falafel Day has spread from Israel to the Arab world.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/196650#.VX5HQFIpqSp
https://www.facebook.com/events/1407682166225882/
Israel is “Top of the Box”. Since the success of “Hatufim”, American studios or other international channels have acquired virtually every Israeli series (game-show, reality series, drama or comedy). Now a new spy thriller “Kfulim” (False Flag) has won the Public Prize at the French International TV Festival Series Mania.
http://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-features/137699/so-why-israel-top-box
New Disney series to be made in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Film Fund announced that several long-term animation projects, including a new Walt Disney Studios television series, will be based in Jerusalem, starting immediately. Disney Studios will be working with Israel’s animation company, Snowball Studios.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/no-business-like-show-business/
Israeli dancer wows LA judges. Israel’s Asaf Goren used Jewish props in his audition for “So you think you can dance” in Los Angeles. All three judges and the audience were most impressed with his “Hebrew Breaking”, with Madonna’s “Isaac” playing in the background. Asaf went straight into the next round.
https://israelseen.com/2015/06/18/asaf-goren-israeli-dancer-wows-judges-at-so-you-think-you-can-dance/#more-29488 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rm4dZai9fU
Israeli paralympic rower wins gold at World Cup. Israel’s Moran Samuel won the gold medal in rowing at the 2015 Paralympic World Rowing Cup in Italy. She also broke the Israeli record.
THE JEWISH STATE
IDF behaved too well. (TY Hazel) The International Military Group report to the UN stated that, in Gaza, Israel exceeded the standard laws of armed conflict. And another expert, Michael Schmitt, Director of the Stockton Center for the Study for International Law at the US Naval War College, said “People are going to start thinking that the United States and other Western democracies should follow the same examples in different types of conflict. That’s a real risk”. http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-did-not-commit-war-crimes-in-gaza-says-multi-national-military-group/ http://unitedwithisrael.org/israels-military-accused-of-being-too-careful-to-avoid-civilian-casualties-in-gaza-war/
Ayala celebrates her Bat Mitzvah. Ayala Shapira, granddaughter of my shul’s warden, was released from hospital for a week of Bat Mitzvah celebrations. Ayala was severely burnt when Palestinian Arab terrorists through firebombs at her Dad’s car in December. Her Bat Mitzvah included a family visit to Temple Mount.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-girl-injured-in-firebomb-attack-celebrates-bat-mitzvah/
Art’s blessing. I mentioned last week that Art Garfunkel made the Shecheyanu blessing during his Tel Aviv concert. Here’s the video of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4n6anHsxTc.
150 Jewish innovators gather in Jerusalem. Some 150 of the Jewish world’s leading change-makers from 32 countries gathered in Jerusalem for the 2015 ROI (Return on Investment) Summit. App developers, journalists, toy designers, community organizers, and more; all seeking to build a thriving Jewish future and a better world.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4666878,00.html
http://www.schusterman.org/roicommunity/2015-roi-summit-participants
Righting a wrong after 58 years. Israel Shrir (now 79) survived the Holocaust and in 1957 was awarded a citation for excellence in the IDF. But due to a clerical error, Israel never received an invitation to the awards ceremony. 58 years later, President Rivlin presented the citation to Israel, in the presence of his 13 children.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/58-years-late-president-awards-soldier-citation-for-excellence/
Rare Biblical inscription discovered. A rare proto-Hebrew inscription from the era of King David has been found in Khirbet Qeiyafa, near Bet Shemesh. “Eshbaal ben Beda” was fired on an earthenware pot. The name Eshbaal (also that of a son of King Saul) was discontinued later, due to associations with a heathen god.
This Weeks Sanity Report from Israel – June 23 2015
