This Week’s Sanity Report from Israel Nov. 20, 2022
Jews read in the Torah this week that our ancestor Abraham lived 175 years. This week’s positive Israel newsletter includes plans for both an Israeli Longevity Center and an Israeli Healthy Aging Center. So it is possible that one day we could again reach those Biblical lifespans – especially with the latest Israeli anti-cancer discoveries.
Israeli technology makes it possible for Africa to shrink its deserts; to make coral reefs resistant to temperature rises; to store energy underwater; to make environmentally friendly dyes and fabrics; to print vegan products for office workers; to fast charge electric vehicles and to power ships just with the wind.
It is possible for Israelis to make a sculpture that can only exist in space; to feed millions of migratory birds every year; and to survive horrendous events yet emerge as role models in Israeli society.
It is possible for Israeli Arabs to take the opportunities that Israel offers, to rise to the top of Israeli society. And a major UN report shows that even in today’s troubled world, Israel’s Jews, Muslims and Christians prove that it is possible to be HAPPY!
The photo at Ben Gurion Airport highlights KKL-JNF funded Israeli agricultural research that has made it possible to grow crops that can survive some of the world’s harshest conditions.
The highlights include:
- Israeli studies show exercise can prevent cancer and cure “long” Covid.
- Great video featuring successful Arab Israelis.
- Israeli citizens are the 9th happiest people in the world.
- Israel hosted three top international technology conferences.
- Israeli technology can store renewable energy underwater.
- See innovative Israeli EV charging stations at two international airports.
- A record 14,000 young people are coming to Israel on Masa programs.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Peptides with anti-cancer potential. (TY Ron) Scientists from Israel’s Technion Institute and from Japan have discovered peptides (short proteins) with the potential to destroy cancer cells. The scientists made the discovery while researching the cell-recycling protein ubiquitin, that won two Israeli scientists the Nobel Prize in 2004.
https://www.jpost.com/health-
https://www.nature.com/
Exercise can stop spread of cancer. Tel Aviv University researchers have found that regular aerobic exercise reduces the risk of metastatic cancer by up to 72%. In data studies of 3,000 humans, plus lab tests, they have shown that exercise increases glucose consumption, thereby reducing the availability of energy to the tumor.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://english.tau.ac.il/
Exercise can cure long COVID. Studies by Israeli researchers on patients suffering from post-COVID ailments show that these can be safely relieved by exercise therapy as it stabilizes the autonomic nervous system. Other treatments include nutraceutical supplements, steroids, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).
https://www.israel21c.org/
Gel to help grow bones. Researchers at Tel Aviv University are developing a water-based gel (hydrogel) that will encourage bones to re-grow. It has extensive dental and orthopedic applications (e.g., for implants and repairing bone defects). Following lab tests, clinical (human) trials are now planned.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.
Longevity center. Israel’s Sheba Medical Center plans to open a Longevity Center by Sept 2023. Patients over 40 will be able to register for around $500 per year and receive tests and consultations with experts in internal medicine, endocrinology, psychogeriatric, gynecology for menopause and brain scientists.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Healthy aging center. Israel’s Technion Institute is establishing the Healthy Aging Center, as part of the Technion Human Health Initiative (THHI). It brings together Technion researchers from medicine, biology, chemistry, biotechnology, food engineering, computer engineering, architecture, and more.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/
Connecting patients with the same condition. More details of Israeli-founded Alike.Health (see here previously). The app connects people who are suffering from similar conditions and going through the same experiences. Some 100,000 users in the USA have already uploaded their medical data anonymously to the app.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
MDA AI dispatch software for New Jersey. Hatzalah emergency service organizations across the US will use the artificial intelligence-powered dispatch software of Israel’s national emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA). The AI system instantly locates and dispatches the nearest first responders to a medical emergency.
https://www.jpost.com/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
You don’t have to be Jewish to be successful in Israel. Yoseph Haddad highlights Prof Samer Haj Yahya, Chairman of Leumi Bank; Prof Masad Barhum, Director of the Galilee Medical Center; Supreme Court Justice Khaled Kabub; Julia Zaher, CEO of Al Arez Tehina, plus Arab sporting stars including Israel’s soccer captain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Prayer rooms at Ben Gurion Airport. At Israel’s international airport, Christian and Moslem air passengers are able to pray in rooms separately designated and designed for their religious requirements. Most other countries require Christians, Moslems and Jews to pray in the same room.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Israel at the Bahrain airshow. (TY JNS) In a historic first, at least four Israeli companies exhibited at the Bahrain International Airshow (Nov 9 – 11). State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) showcased civil aviation products, radars and avionics, air defense systems, coast guard and drone systems.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-
Israeli Aid Warms Ukrainians. (TY UWI) Israeli humanitarian aid organization SmartAid is providing solar generators, heaters, thermal blankets, and battery packs for Ukrainian shelters, hospitals, and community centers. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are already experiencing freezing nighttime temperatures.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.smartaid.org/
A bridge between Israel and Africa. Israel’s Menomadin Foundation held its first gala event in Tel Aviv. The NGO showcased its work including bringing children from Africa to Israel for heart surgery; housing, food, education, and a community center for children in Angola. It operates 24 initiatives in Africa and Israel.
https://menomadinfoundation.
Global initiatives at COP27. Israelis At the COP27 climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Israelis launched Climatech MEA – a digital platform to pool all climate-related developments. Also, Israel’s DeserTech has partnered with the UN to help African nations build the “Great Green Wall” to counter desertification.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Mauritian infant saved. (TY Hazel) Volunteer surgeons from Israeli humanitarian organization “Save a Child’s Heart” saved the life of one-year-old Samael from Mauritius by repairing his heart defect. Mauritius is the 65th country that SACH has helped so far. https://www.ynetnews.com/
Even happier. Israel rose to 9th in the 2022 World Happiness Report, issued by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which measures healthy life-expectancy, income, social support, freedom, and generosity. Israel moved up three places from last year’s 12th position (see here previously).
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
PhD program in Artificial Intelligence. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has joined with Meta AI to create a first-of-its-kind Artificial Intelligence PhD program to drive cutting-edge research. Meta will provide mentors and scholarships and students will have access to Meta’s computational infrastructure and facilities.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://campaign.huji.ac.il/
Prop-tech conference. PropTech Tel Aviv last week included Israel’s Reichman University, which accepts up to 40 students (from 400 applicants) onto its PropTech Program. The University’s practical course prepares students for the challenges of the real estate world and its technological solutions.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Urban innovation conference. MUNIEXPO – the Local Government Exhibition for Innovation (Dec 6 – 8) in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is one of the largest gatherings for local governments in the region. The 12,000 visitors, including global municipal leaders, will see 130+ Israel startups present cutting-edge and smart city solutions.
https://www.
Space-tech conference. Tel Aviv’s Ramon Geoint360 conference (Nov 6-7) showcased Israel’s cutting-edge space-tech innovations in earth observation, remote sensing, computer vision & image processing. The use of geo-spatial data, computer vision, precise mapping, and artificial intelligence, all to benefit humankind.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Anti-radiation vests launched. NASA’s Artemis-1 mission to the Moon finally took off from Cape Canaveral, carrying a manakin named Zohar, wearing AstroRad radiation protection vests made by Israel’s StemRad (see here previously). Zohar even had her very own Israeli passport. Sensors will measure cosmic radiation.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Impossible art in space. A piece of Israeli art can only be assembled in space. It involves water attaching to a metal structure in weightless conditions. This video shows what happened when Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe initiated the assembly process on the Axio-1 mission on the International Space Station.
https://www.aftau.org/news_
Shaping the future of science & society. Ben Gurion University Prof Benyamin Rosental has won a Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2022 Award. He has applied his research into stem cell transplantation to that of coral reefs to allow them to resist changes in temperature. He also has a personal “falling wall” link.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/
https://falling-walls.com/
Intel rising star. Israel’s Technion Institute Prof. Eilam Yalon was selected as one of Intel’s 2022 Rising Star Faculty Award (RSA) winners. The award, given to early-career academic researchers who lead ground-breaking technology research, was for his work on nano-scaling electronic devices.
https://www.intel.com/content/
Fast, energy-efficient, computing. Israel’s WEKA.io has developed a low-energy, high performance data platform for artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI/ML). WEKA is used by companies in Life Science, Finance, Media & Entertainment, autonomous vehicles, and more. It just raised another $135 million in funds.
https://www.weka.io/ https://www.calcalistech.com/
Hi-tech accommodation for hi-tech students. Holon Institute of Technology has formally inaugurated 428 new modern student dormitories for some 472 students. Built by Israel’s Shikun and Binui for some NIS 200 million, they include apartments for people with disabilities, singles, couples and up to three roommates.
https://www.jpost.com/
Algae to make bio-friendly dyes and fibers. Traditional dyes are made of coal tar and petroleum in polluting processes. Israel’s Algaeing, however, creates fully bio-degradable formulations for dyeing, using algae, that produce zero waste. Combined with cellulose, or plant fibers, the formulation can create algae-based textiles.
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/
https://www.algaeing.com/
Printing burgers for hi-tech workers. (TY Israel21c) Israel’s SavorEat (see here previously) is partnering with Israeli catering company Yarzin-Sella to install its plant-based meat products robot chefs in a host of hi-tech offices. Yarzin-Sella’s Tel Aviv clients include Ironsource, Meta (Facebook), Google and Playtika.
https://www.jpost.com/
Instant products at home. Israel’s Capsulab has developed a machine to produce your favorite cosmetic or food product instantly by putting all the ingredients into a single vacuum-sealed capsule. Pop the capsule into the machine, press a button, and the ingredients are mixed on the spot, guaranteeing a fresh, potent product.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Storing energy underwater. Israel’s BaroMar has developed an underwater solution for storing wind and solar power in the form of compressed air at depths of 200 – 700 meters. It claims to be the most sustainable energy storage solution, with a neutral carbon footprint, no hazardous materials, and minimal impact on surroundings.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.baro-mar.com/ https://www.youtube.com/
Breathtaking wind propulsion. Israel’s NayamWings has created a new wind propulsion system for maritime vessels based on a rigid wing sail. It outperforms all other wing sail systems – 200% better than soft sails. It reduces energy used by existing (retrofitted) ships by up to 25% and new-builds by more than 55%.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.nayamwings.com/ https://www.youtube.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Economy in good shape. The S&P rating agency has confirmed the credit rating of the State of Israel at its previous level of AA-. It said Israel manages a solid economy, strong fiscal indicators, strong external accounts, had recovered admirably from the COVID-19 crisis and recorded relatively high 2021 growth of 8.6%.
https://www.
10 more for launch. Another ten Israeli startups have selected to join Deloitte’s Launchpad accelerator (see here previously). Only Trusstor (digitizing the construction process) has not been featured before in this newsletter. The 23 previous Launchpad members have already raised a total of $400 million in funds.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://trusstor.com/ https://www.youtube.com/
10 more to be ignited. Intel has selected another ten Israeli startups for the seventh cohort of its Ignite startup growth accelerator program in Tel Aviv. They are Dragonfly, Briya, Scala Bio, IOriver, Codium, LayerX, Control Monkey, Sensorz, Utila, and tons.ai.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.sensorz.io/ https://www.tons.ai/
10 more for growth. Google has selected another ten Israeli startups for the sixth cohort of its Startup Growth Lab. They are Riverside, Masterschool, Theranica, Guardz, Karma, Peech, OneStep, Anchor, Lexense, and Fundit. Startup Growth Lab graduates have raised a total of $3.7 billion in funds.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Distillery uses water from the air. Jerusalem’s Thinkers Distillery generates its water from the air using the technology from Israel’s WaterGen. In the last six months, Thinkers has sold 100,000 bottles of its gin, vodka, and bourbon whisky. It has a $10 million contract with Total Wine & More, the largest wine retailer in the US.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://thinkersdistillery.
100 construction tech companies. Some 100 Israel companies are active in the construction tech sector. In addition to designing, planning, or building structures or buildings, they also include building information modeling (BIM), augmented reality, and geospatial technologies already in use by smart cities.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Fast EV charging at the airport. Israel’s Zooz Power is piloting its system for fast charging electric vehicles at New York’s La Guardia airport. The 12-month pilot should expand into a full-blown partnership. Zooz ran a pilot with Wien Energy at Vienna’s international airport and is establishing five charging points in Germany.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Checkout.com checks into Israel. Global cloud-based payments service provider Checkout.com has opened an R&D center in Tel Aviv. It plans to recruit 100 employees over the next two years. “The talent in the Israeli market represents some of the brightest minds in technology”, said Checkout.com’s Chief Product Officer.
https://www.checkout.com/
https://www.checkout.com/
Investment in Israeli startups to 20/11/22: WEKA.io raised $135 million; Akeyless raised $65 million; Loops.ai raised $14 million; Clarifruit raised $12 million; beti (construction tech) raised $11 million; theGist raised $7 million; Palo Alto Networks acquired Israel’s Cider Security for $300 million.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Photo Is:rael. Tel Aviv’s 10th International Photography Festival (23 Nov – 3 Dec) features 70 photography exhibitions, plus dance, performances, video art, music and more. The theme of this year’s festival is “Action”.
https://www.touristisrael.com/
Israeli videos at Riga festival. The Waterpieces International video and contemporary art festival, in Riga, Latvia, featured eleven videos focusing on Israel’s culture, nature, science, and identity. They were curated by Drorit Gur Arie, director of the Petach Tikva Museum of Art.
https://www.jpost.com/365days/
The only hotel museum in the world. The Dona Gracia Hotel & Museum in Tiberias is the only hotel museum in the world. It tells the story of the remarkable Dona Gracia (1510-1569), a courageous, politically influential female philanthropist who saved hundreds of secret Jews from the Inquisition and much more.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Thousands of pelicans visit Israel. (TY Jacques) Thousands of white pelicans have arrived in Israel on their annual trek to their winter quarters in Africa. About 50,000 pelicans migrate through Israel from mid-Aug to Nov, before flying into the Sinai desert and further down the Nile to their winter ponds.
https://israelbetweenthelines.
Sisterhood on skateboards. When two Israeli friends found that there were so few women represented in the skateboarding world, they decided to do something to change that. Paola Ruiloba and Maayan Levi founded the Jerusalem Skater Girls (JSG). These Israelis from all backgrounds are now taking the skater world by storm.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
THE JEWISH STATE
The first cooks. Israeli and international researchers have found the earliest evidence of cooking at the Gesher Benot Ya’aqov (GBY) archaeological site in Israel. Remains show that fish were cooked on fire, some 780,000 years ago. Until this discovery, the earliest evidence of cooking dates to approximately 170,000 years ago.
https://www.jpost.com/
14,000 to join Masa Israel programs. In its 19th year, Masa Israel will bring a record 14,000 young people from the Diaspora to Israel on Masa programs. More than 200 will participate in the Masa Doctors program for a training program and integration into the Israeli health system.
https://www.
First victim of Hamas is now IDF officer. (TY JNS & WIN) Shila Naamat was 20 months old when a rocket fired by Gaza terrorists struck his home in Sderot 20 years ago. He suffered a severe leg wound and today has a metal plate fitted into his leg. He has just completed the IDF officers’ training course.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
Just in time. The nonprofit Am Yisrael Chai (the People of Israel Live) foundation, in cooperation with the Israel Dog Unit, has inaugurated a new center for locating missing persons in the Meron region of Northern Israel. The center then immediately experienced a real live incident, locating a missing person in Kiryat Ata.
https://www.
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. During the opening session of the 25th Knesset, Moshe Holtzberg recited Psalm 122 in memory of his parents Rabbi Gavriel Noach and Rivka Holtzberg. At two years of age (see here previously), Moshe was the sole survivor of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, Moshe is now nearly 16 years old.
https://anash.org/moshe-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.biblegateway.com/
