This Week’s Sanity Report from Israel June 23, 2024
Despite the war, nothing can stop Israelis from completing activities and innovations that make the world a better place.
The photo (TY Sharon) is part of the border barrier that Israel hoped its Northern neighbors would respect. Perhaps, one day, the wolf WILL lie down with the lamb.
the highlights include:
- An international science prize-winner is a university lecturer and an IDF officer.
- An Israeli IVF tech startup gives hope to childless couples worldwide.
- Hear what a young, black, Muslim Israeli thinks about his country.
- An Israeli chauffeur drives cars remotely.
- Israeli-developed proteins keep food fresh.
- Israelis win gold medals in three European swimming championship events.
- Israel salutes a soldier who won medals in WWII and Israel’s War of Independence.
POSITIVE NEWS IN A WAR
Wounded IDF soldier welcomed at NY rehab center. (TY WIN) Due to an overload of war casualties Yonatan, an injured IDF soldier had his follow-up surgeries in Israel delayed. A compassionate doctor and Five Towns Premier Rehab Center in Woodmere, NY, agreed to admit him.
https://jewishbreakingnews.
https://x.com/LivingLchaim/
96-year-old IDF reservist promoted. (TY Sam) Ezra Yakhin, 96, serves in reserve service as a motivational speaker in the Education Corps “Torchbearer Unit”. Since the beginning of the war, he has been inspiring the soldiers of today with fighting spirit. He has just been promoted to the rank of Command Master Sergeant.
https://www.
IDF officer and Prize-winning scientist. When Dr Nir Shlezinger isn’t on duty as an IDF reserve armored corps officer, he lectures Engineering Science students at Israel’s Ben Gurion University. He has also just won a Krill Prize from the Wolf Foundation for Excellence in Scientific Research in digital communications and AI.
https://www.bgu.ac.il/en/news-
Descendants of Nazis in pro-Israel march. (TY Yanky) Hundreds of Nazi descendants have been marching the streets of Ashkelon, and Jerusalem in solidarity with the Jewish State. Many participated in the March of the Nations because of the events of Oct 7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.the-express.com/
https://www.jewishtimes.com/
Delivering results. Israeli NGO Social Delivery collects surplus goods, from clothes to furniture, from retailers and offices of tech firms and delivers them to Gaza border communities. For the first three months of the war, Social Delivery sent products to hotels housing evacuees. Now it sends the products to the Gaza border again.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
US volunteers help Israeli startups. Nonprofit Kachol Balev (Blue at Heart) has enlisted hundreds of volunteers in the US (students and others), with a whole range of hi-tech skills, to work remotely for Israeli startups. They occupy some of the gaps left by tens of thousands of Israelis called up for IDF reserve duty.
https://www.israel21c.org/
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Detecting cancer with saliva test. Israel’s Salignostics (see here previously) is working with Israel’s Sheba Medical Center to develop a saliva test for the early detection of oral cavity cancer. It may save some of the 400,000 diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer, of whom only 50% will survive five years after diagnosis.
https://www.israel21c.org/
$1.2 million to discover a gut feeling. The French-based Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) funds basic research in life sciences. It has awarded a $1.2 million grant to Ben Gurion University Prof Michael Meijler to investigate how certain gut bacteria affect human behavior, such as anxiety and stress.
https://www.bgu.ac.il/en/news-
20,000 doctors available. Israel’s Air Doctor (see here previously) now has 20,000 doctors registered to its service globally, partnering with insurance companies in 80 countries. It has also added video telemedicine consultations on their platform and reduced insurance claim costs by 54%.
https://nocamels.com/2024/06/
Booming IVF baby boomers. Israel’s AIVF (see here previously) reports that its EMA embryo analysis platform is 38% more accurate than the eye of a trained embryologist when assessing which IVF embryo is most likely to result in a successful pregnancy. AIVF is active in Europe, Australia, Brazil, and South Korea.
https://nocamels.com/2024/06/
New Haifa University Medical School. Haifa University governors laid the cornerstone of the Herta and Paul Amir School of Medicine. The 1,200-bed hospital is due to open in 2025, featuring state-of-the-art medical services; patient-centered care; hi-tech ICUs; and cardiovascular, thoracic, and surgical oncology departments.
https://www.jns.org/wire/
Top training for top nurses at top hospital. The current 3-month SPARC training course for nurses at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center includes participants from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, South Africa and the US. It selects innovative nurses who have ideas for life-saving solutions that they can develop into practice.
https://nocamels.com/2024/06/
Technology Pioneer. (TY OurCrowd) The World Economic Forum selected Israel’s BrainQ (see here previously) for the 2024 cohort of WEF Technology Pioneers. BrainQ, will contribute cutting-edge insights and expertise to the Forum’s global initiatives over the next two years, helping to scale their impact.
https://initiatives.weforum.
United Hatzalah Gala raises $20 million. It was Eden Golan day at United Hatzalah’s gala fundraiser event in Manhattan. After delivering the first US performance of her song “Hurricane” and other songs, she received United Hatzalah’s “Hero Award”. The event raised $20 million for ambulances, e-bikes, and other equipment.
https://vinnews.com/2024/06/
https://www.jpost.com/j-spot/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Young, gifted, black, Muslim, Israeli. Tamer just graduated from Reichman University. He is a black Muslim from the Negev. He has voted in five Israeli elections. See what he says to Noa Tishby.
https://www.instagram.com/
More jobs for Muslim women. Some interesting discoveries from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. The proportion of Muslim women studying for a first degree is more than double that for men. https://www.israel21c.org/cbs-
Why Erdon is leaving the UN. (TY Yanky) The news that Gilad Erdan is stepping down from being Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, was troubling, as he has been excellent at exposing the Ugly Nazis. His “family reasons”, however, may include that two of his children will soon begin their service in the IDF.
https://www.jewishpress.com/
Superstar. Sorry, but I just love these Douglas Murray videos. This is part of the recent Munk debate.
https://www.israelunwired.com/
Ibex rescued from sinkhole. (TY Yanky) The Nubian ibex is endangered globally but thrives in Israel. When one fell into a 10-meter-deep Dead Sea sinkhole it was rescued in a two-hour operation by the Israel Police’s Ein Gedi Natural Reserve rescue unit. After the rescue, the unharmed ibex was released back into the wild.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
The first ever AI test engineer. Israeli-founded, US-based, BlinqIO provides an essentially infinite pool of human-like testers that can be integrated into the development process, allowing companies to allocate higher value work to their human workforce. The AI can operate in over 50 languages.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Making generative AI greener. (TY OurCrowd) Development AI systems are extremely energy intensive. Deploying AI can waste valuable hardware resources, as well as increase costs and power usage. The AI-centric server-on-a-chip solution from Israel’s NeuReality (see here previously) can reduce energy consumption.
https://www.eetimes.eu/how-to-
Take care with AI. Israel’s Aporia (see here previously) stops users of generative AI systems accidentally including material that could be offensive, sensitive, controversial, or breach company policies. Aporia’s Guardrails detects and prevents attempts to manipulate AI systems that companies rely on more and more.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
A remote chauffeur. Israel’s Ottopia (see here previously) has certainly accelerated since last featured in this newsletter. Watch the video to see how Ottopia’s Advanced Tele-Driver Assistance System (ATAS) can find parking, drop-off, pick-up, or be a chauffeur. Clients include Deutsche Telekom, Hyundai and Nvidia.
https://nocamels.com/2024/06/
https://www.ottopia.tech/blog-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Re-using worn out EV batteries. Once electric vehicle batteries no longer can be charged to more than 70% capacity, global regulations state they must be replaced. Israel’s Sparkion takes discarded EV batteries and, after charging them using green energy, uses them as a power source at electric vehicle charging stations.
https://nocamels.com/2024/06/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Keeping solar panels at peak performance. Israel’s Soltell Systems helps rooftop solar providers monitor, manage and improve their panels’ performance. Soltell’s SysMap energy management software uses local open-source weather sensors to identify when the panels need to be cleaned. Soltell has several EU customers.
https://nocamels.com/2024/06/
https://www.soltell.com/
To fertilize or not. Croptune from Israel’s Agriot can determine the nitrogen content in a plant from an image and judge how much nitrogen-rich fertilizer it needs. The farmer downloads the Croptune Apple / Android app; enters the crop type & location; takes photos and reads the analysis. Saves costs and the environment.
https://nocamels.com/2024/06/
https://www.agriot.group/en/
https://www.haifa-group.com/ https://israelactive.com/?s=%
Israeli Quantum Computing Center. Israel’s Quantum Machines (see here previously) has announced the opening of the Israeli Quantum Computing Center (IQCC). It is said to be the first in the world with multiple co-located quantum computers of different qubit modalities. It also houses a sophisticated cryogenic testbed.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
A quantum alliance. Israel’s Classiq (see here previously) has partnered with Hewlett Packard. Classiq’s synthesis engine uses HP’s Cray supercomputer to synthesize Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) circuits. And no, I have absolutely no idea why that is important to quantum computing, but it is!
https://www.ourcrowd.com/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Building Jerusalem. Jerusalem’s construction boom will attract more businesses and residents to Israel’s capital. It includes the city entrance (1-3 million sqm), K complex (100,000sqm), Marom Tower (40,000sqm), plus the regional district, old Shaare Zedek, Givat Shaul, Talpiot, Har Hotzvim, Givat Ram, & East Jerusalem.
https://www.
Supporting farmers. Social lending enterprise Ogen (see here previously) has partnered with Israeli charity Leket to create the Farmers’ Immediate Relief Track. It provides 3% loans up to NIS 300,000 over 5 years. For farmers wishing to expand their business, the Long-Term Agricultural Relief Track offers up to NIS 1 million.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Revolutionizing the food preservatives market. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s Bountica (see here previously is working with global bakery ingredients and chocolate company Puratos to use Bountica’s “ProServative” proteins in the food industry. These protein anti-microbials are far safer than current food preservatives.
https://agfundernews.com/
A financial accounting service to suit you. Israel’s Finaloop offers a fast automated accounting and bookkeeping system. It can also provide a complete third-party financial management service.
https://nocamels.com/2024/06/
https://www.finaloop.com/
Most promising enterprise software startups. You probably didn’t know about these 5 Israeli “startups to watch in 2024” previously – even though their funding has been included in this newsletter. So, if you want to know what Trullion, Frontegg, Volumez, Bridgewise, and Port (GetPort) do, now is your chance.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Exits, takeovers and mergers – to 23/6/24: Israel’s Gilat Satellite Networks is acquiring Stellar Blue.
Startup investment – to 23/6/24: Insightec raised $150 million; Semperis raised $125 million (new Unicorn); Zencity raised $40 million; Finaloop raised $35 million; Aim Security raised $18 million; Entro Security raised $18 million; PointFive raised $16 million; Fhenix raised $15 million; BlinqIO raised $5 million; FalkorDB raised $3 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israel’s largest fabric wall sculpture. The interior walls of the new National Library of Israel form the largest fabric wall sculpture in Israel. The 565 square meter display by artist Gali Cnaani mimic the library’s exterior stone walls. The many horizontal and vertical lines hint at piles of books.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
New visitor center in Dead Sea oasis. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has opened a new visitors’ complex at its desert oasis facility, Einot Zukim on the northern Dead Sea in the West Bank. The NIS 35 million upgrade includes two movies – about daytime and night life in the reserve and in the sea itself.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Visit Timna Park. If you plan to holiday in Eilat this year, why not go and see nearby Tiimna Park. It combines desert views, geological wonders, and ancient history. Take a day trip from Eilat or go glamping. Enjoy hikes, cycling, rock climbing, and boating in Timna lake or just admire the scenery.
https://www.israel21c.org/top-
Golden swimmers. (TY Hazel) Israeli swimmers won gold medals in three events at the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade. Anastasia Gorbenko won three medals – the 400m individual medley and as a member of the Israel teams that won the women’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay team and the mixed 400m relay.
https://swimswam.com/israeli-
https://allisrael.com/2-golds-
Euro chess silver in Ireland. (TY Yanky) Israel’s Shelley Potikha was runner-up in the Girls Under 11 section of the 2024 European School Chess Championship in Limerick, Ireland.
https://www.europechess.org/
Israeli MMA fighter wins & publicizes hostages. (TY Sam Kramer) Israeli Mixed Martial Arts fighter Shimon Smotritzky won by a knockout in his top-billing fight in Houston, Texas. He took the opportunity to raise awareness for the plight of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists and held in Gaza.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.instagram.com/the_
THE JEWISH STATE
We care. The theme for the 2024 Jerusalem Unity Prize was “Caring for one another”. In the five categories, the winners were: “Home Front” – Yedidim; “Strengthening the South” – Aharai; “Strengthening the North” – Kerem-El Druze Pre-Military Academy; “Reservists” – Heroes for Life; “Diaspora affairs” – Partnership2Gether
https://www.
A war hero for two nations. (TY Rhoda) Lieutenant Moshe Brodetzky was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star in the US Army during WWII. Then in 1948 he led Israeli soldiers in the defense of Ramat Rachel, winning the Jabotinsky medal. He has just passed away at the age of 99 and was buried on the Mount of Olives.
https://aish.com/a-war-hero-
https://www.jpost.com/
The next generation of Israel educators. The iCenter for Israel Education has just finished its 13th cohort with 100 graduate students and faculty of its iFellows master’s program convening in Israel. Students from 17 North American and Israeli universities study Jewish education, rabbinics, nonprofit management and more.
https://www.jns.org/wire/the-
Ancient tefillin were not black. An Israeli-led scientific study of Second Temple period phylacteries found near Qumran has found that they were not colored black, as is mandated by contemporary Jewish law. Neither of the two methods (soot/charcoal, and tannin with iron oxide) were used on these 2000-year-old relics.
https://www.jns.org/tefillin-
The last Jewish revolt against the Romans. For the very first time, evidence has been found in Lod from the Gallus Revolt, the last Jewish resistance against Roman rule in 351-354 CE. Archeologists found 94 silver and bronze coins dating between 221-354 CE, plus many artifacts – some with Hebrew inscriptions.
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/
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/
And many more charities here:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
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/
