This Weeks Sanity Report from Israel Sept. 11 2016
The highlights include:
- Israeli scientists have used brainwaves to deliver medications.
- A paralyzed stroke victim uses an Israeli eye control device to communicate.
- Two Israeli startups won the Beijing Global Innovation competition.
- Intel’s new 7th-generation microprocessor was developed in Israel.
- An Israeli company is installing fast broadband for Ghana and Angola.
- The world’s largest green investment network has launched in Israel.
- Israel’s female judoka Olympic medal winner has raised $50,000 for charity.
- Fragments of Second Temple floor tiles have been found in rubble from Temple Mount.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Use your brain to control nanobots. (TY Nevet) Researchers at Israel’s Bar Ilan University and the IDC in Herzliya have used brainwaves of humans under strain, to control the release of medicine by tiny robots made from shells made of DNA. The technique could be used (for example) to treat schizophrenia or depression.
To diagnose genetic disorders. Israeli-based NRGene is the only company in the world to map the genome for bread, pasta and wild emmer wheat. Now it is turning its attention to the human genome in order to help diagnose genetic disorders at an early stage and strive to personalize medications.
www.timesofisrael.com/nrgene-eyes-human-genomes-with-game-changing-tech/
Pain-free bladder treatments. (TY Atid-EDI) Israeli startup Vensica Medical is developing the ‘VensiCare, a painless needle-free ultrasound catheter system to deliver treatments for overactive bladder, bladder cancer and interstitial cystitis. Vensica has just raised $500,000 for R&D and completion of device design.
http://vensica.com/bladder-treatment-co-vensica-raises-500000-2/
First US patients for Chameleon balloon catheter. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Jun 13) that Israel’s AV Medical had completed trials of its unique balloon catheter that allows simultaneous angioplasty and fluid injection. AV Medical has just commenced using Chameleon on patients in the US.
http://www.a-vmedical.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Chameleon-First-US-Cases-7-18-16-PDF.pdf
Tattoo removal laser gets US approval. (TY Atid-EDI) The US FDA has approved three wavelengths of the PicoWay picosecond laser from Israel’s Syneron Medical. The device successfully removes tattoos of various colors. Recent trials removed 22 tattoos from 15 patients with no side effects.
http://investors.syneron.com/releases?item=320
Monitoring insulin levels. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s DreaMed Diabetes is developing a decision support technology platform called the Advisor to determine optimal patient-specific insulin treatment plans leading to balanced glucose levels in people with diabetes. DreaMed has just raised $3.3 million for development.
Rejoining his family after 18 months as a vegetable. The amazing story of how Moti’s family realized that, despite the paralysis from his stroke, Moti was still there. Now he uses the Israeli device Click2Speak to take part in conversations. And he says that he’s happy!
http://www.ezermizion.org/blog/is-he-still-there/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Lessening the tax burden for single mums. (TY Jacques) The Israeli Knesset has passed a new bill to help single parents join the workforce. Now, those on income support or child maintenance assistance are taxed only at the basic rate, irrespective of how much they earn. It will help them pay for daycare for their children.
http://israelbetweenthelines.com/2016/08/04/government-lessens-the-tax-burden-for-single-parents/
Combating human trafficking. (TY SDM) Israel is in the top category for battling human trafficking for the fifth year in a row. There are several centers in Israel help victims of human trafficking and Israel has created a system of real-time cooperation between government offices.
The friendliest city for dogs. (TY Algemeiner) Tel Aviv has 25,000 dogs – the highest (1 per 17) per capita anywhere. They have access to 70 public dog parks and special beaches. A no-kill shelter, a city patrol checks on animal abuse and 24/7 veterinary services for homeless animals. Aug 26 saw the first ever Festival of Dogs of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
http://www.jns.org/news-briefs/2016/8/16/tel-aviv-friendliest-dog-city-in-the-world
Changing Charedi education. (TY Sharon) The Bnei Brak organization Achiya is changing the lives of thousands of Charedi children and their families. Achiya employs 250 trained professionals to help over 8600 children with learning difficulties ranging from ADHD to dyslexia to down syndrome.
http://www.baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=37&ARTICLE_ID=77033
Teaching Arabic on the streets of Jerusalem. (TY Hazel) Robby Berman decided that rather than give money to begging Arab children from Hebron, he would bring them to Jerusalem to earn money teaching Arabic to Israelis and tourists. It turned into a unique “win-win” co-existence exercise.
http://tlv1.fm/arts-culture/2016/08/04/the-teacher-is-in-arabic-lessons-with-a-difference/
Record quantity of goods enter Gaza from Israel. (TY Dan) In the first half of 2016, a record 88,800 trucks of goods were transferred to the Hamas-controlled enclave through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Gaza.
Saudi delegation to Israel. (TY Hazel) Abd al-Mujid al-Hakim, director of the Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Policy in Jedda, is a member of the Saudi Arabian delegation that recently visited Israel. He said, “The Israeli society that I encountered embraces a culture of peace, has accomplishments it wants to (protect), wants coexistence, and wants peace.”
Israeli aid worker wins humanitarian award. (TY Brad) IsraAID chief Navonel Glick has won the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for his work on crises throughout the world. IsraAID has served in Haiti, Japan, the Philippines, South Sudan, and the USA during Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, the Colorado floods and the Arkansas tornado. It has also assisted Syrian refugees landing on Europe’s beaches.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-aid-worker-wins-muhammad-ali-humanitarian-award/
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4840574,00.html
Boosting ties with Togo. (TY Dan) Togo is one of Israel’s strongest friends in western Africa. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told his counterpart from Togo that his country’s ability in agriculture, together with technological capabilities will be shared with the West African nation.
http://medafricatimes.com/10177-togo-israel-poised-to-boost-ties.html http://bit.ly/2bc1TZd
Israeli startups win Global Innovation awards. Israeli startups won first and second place at the Global Innovation Awards 2016 in Beijing. NiNiSpeech’s ingenious digital platform for speech disorder treatment, won first place, and AerialGuard’s, autonomous navigation system for unmanned aircraft, came in second. Each startup receives $200,000 cash.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=35631
Israel’s global impact. (TY Dan) A good article summing up Israeli positive impact on the world. It includes security, drought solutions, renewable energy, humanitarian aid and rescue missions.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/263816/why-world-owes-israel-debt-gratitude-ari-lieberman
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Intel Israel develops 7th generation microprocessor. Intel has announced its most advanced, next-level Core processor, named Kaby Lake. Its development was led by Intel’s Haifa facility, with the promise of a double-digit rise in computer performance, longer battery life and better security.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/haifa-team-sires-intels-fastest-ever-processor/
Enabling pilots to see through the fog. The new heads-up display from Israel’s Elbit has been featured on Israeli Channel 2 TV. The system uses special cameras to analyze wavelengths of light and project clear images onto a pilot’s goggles despite inclement weather.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-tech-enables-pilots-to-see-through-fog/
Detecting criminal behavior. I featured Israeli cybersecurity company BioCatch several times previously (see here). Now BioCatch has launched “Criminal Behavior” that can distinguish between the actions of a genuine user and a hacker by (for example) how quickly they respond to a security question (e.g. date of birth).
http://www.timesofisrael.com/biocatch-tracks-memory-use-to-catch-cybercrooks/
New railway line completed. (TY Hazel) Israel Railways has completed the Jezreel Valley railway between Haifa and Beit Shean. The railway revives the line first built by the Ottoman Turks in the late 19th century and closed by the British in 1946. It will ease the commute to Haifa Bay and also become a tourist attraction.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israel-railways-completes-haifa-beit-shean-line-1001143118
24 solutions for California’s drought. (TY Hazel) The Israeli Economy Ministry’s NewTech program brought 24 Israeli companies to the Israel-California Water Conference in San Diego to offer water storage, management, treatment, recycling and leak detection solutions.
Transportation solution is up in the air. Here is the latest news about Israel’s SkyTran – the magnetic levitation monorail that will whisk commuters to work at speeds of up to 250km per hour high above congested roads. I’m looking forward to its installation in Netanya in the not too distant future.
http://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Health-and-Science/Lofty-thinking-with-SkyTran-463286
Turning the tables on the bad guys. (TY Atid-EDI) Israeli cybersecurity company GuardiCore helps shut security breaches in data centers. It also eliminates “false-positives”, vastly speeding up problem analysis. Guardicore has just raised $50 million to help R&D and expand its commercial reach.
An app to make work simpler. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Capriza puts your company’s core applications onto your smartphone, making it easy to do business inside and outside your organization. Capriza has just raised $23 million in new funding to support its growing momentum and rapid customer adoption.
https://www.capriza.com/press/capriza-raises-23m-to-enable-the-mobile-enterprise/
Mega Internet speeds for Ghana and Angola. (TY Atid-EDI) AfricaOnline Ghana has selected and deployed the JET 3.5 GHz Point-to-Multipoint broadband solution from Israel’s Radwin to cover the capital Accra and then Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale. Meanwhile, Internet Technologies Angola (ITA) has deployed a national network using RADWIN’s Point-to-MultiPoint solutions.
http://www.radwin.com/news/press-room/AfricaOnline-Deploys-Radwin-Jet.html
http://www.radwin.com/news/press-room/55954.html
Never leave your child in the car. (TY Karen) I featured the BaPeep car alarm previously (July 2014) that reminds you to take your baby out of the car. Israel’s 2Find, however, is a small chip you can put on the baby. Too much distance between the baby and the parent and it sends an alert to the mobile phone of the parent.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4833113,00.html
A Master’s in wine cultivation. (TY Dan) The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is launching an international MSc program in viticulture and enology. The first of its kind in Israel, the program aims to provide professional training in the growth, production, analysis and management of wine.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Unemployment down, growth up. Israel’s unemployment rate fell to a new all-time low of 4.7% in July. The rate of participation in the workforce rose, to 64.4% from 64.1% in June. And (TY Dan) Standard and Poor’s confirmed Israel’s A+ credit rating with growth exceeding expectations and consumption soaring.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-unemployment-in-israel-falls-to-new-low-1001147453
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-16/israeli-growth-beats-economist-expectations-as-consumption-soars http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=35507
More planes for India. (TY Dan) Israel’s HR Givon (Givon), manufacturer of metallic parts and assemblies for the Aerospace industry, has been bought by India’s Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN) one of the largest independent hydraulic actuator manufacturers in the world.
Encouraging green investment. (TY Atid-EDI) ImpactNetwork, the world largest network of green and social startups, is launching activities in Israel. Impact Network will work in partnership with Impact First Investments and TechForGood.
Another hi-tech R&D center. (TY Dan) Teridion, the US cloud-based networking company that delivers fast Internet experience, has announced its new Research & Development center in Israel, tripling the size of the former local office and getting ready for new hires.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160731005054/en/Teridion-Expands-Office-Israel
Helping Gujarat expand its eco-system. A 13-person government and business leaders’ delegation from the the Indian state of Gujarat have been visiting Israel, to strengthen economic and social ties between the two countries.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/gujarat-team-seeks-ventures-inspiration-in-israel/
Making shipping easier and cheaper. (TY SDM) I reported on Israel’s Freightos previously (in Oct 2015). Now Freightos has set up the world’s first online web market place for international freight – giving businesses instant comparisons, booking, and management of freight services from multiple logistics providers.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/freightos-aims-to-make-shipping-easier-cheaper/
Frutarom gets a taste of the Irish. Israeli flavors company Frutarom continues to expand by purchasing Irish savory taste solutions firm Redbrook for 40 million Euros. Redbrook doubled growth in 3 years to 22.7 million Euros. It is Frutarom’s sixth acquisition of 2016.
Indian winners of Start-up Tel Aviv. (TY Dan) Israel’s ambassador to India Daniel Carmon has announced the winners of the India leg of the Start Tel Aviv contest. Two women entrepreneurs – Komal Talwar, of Xlpat Labs, and Mausumi Acharyya, of Advenio will be flown to Israel for the five-day startup program at Tel Aviv.
40 types of fruit. (TY Dan) Israel grows more than 40 types of fruit and is one of the world’s leading fresh citrus producers and exporters, including oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and the pomelit, a hybrid of a grapefruit and a pomelo, developed in Israel. Israel is also one of the world’s top two exporters of olives.
http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/2016/08/11/country-produces-40-different-types-of-fruit
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
How amazing is Israel. (TY Avi) In under 3 mins, this video shows how easy tourists can go from Israel’s holy sites through to experiencing floating in the Dead Sea, skiing, Tel Aviv, wineries, clubs, bars, hiking, the desert, the beaches, Masada, the people and of course the food. And it’s so safe.
Judo Olympic medalist raises $50,000 for charity. (TY Steve) Israeli Judoka Olympic bronze medalist Yarden Gerbi auctioned her signed Olympic uniform nametag and raised 196,000 shekels (over $50,000) to support children suffering from cancer at the Dana Children’s Hospital in Tel Aviv.
https://israelseen.com/2016/09/01/israeli-judoka-yarden-gerbi-raises-50000-for-children-cancer-wing/
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Sports/Gerbi-basks-in-bronze-glow-of-glory-463752
One of the best dressed Olympic teams. (TY Nevet) They didn’t win a medal for it, but the outfits of Israel’s Olympic team were impressive. Their stylish blue-and-white athletic jackets were a real hit.
http://www.algemeiner.com/2016/08/08/israels-olympic-athletes-rank-second-best-dressed-after-mongolia-by-usa-today-list/# http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/08/17-best-parade-of-nations-outfits-from-the-opening-ceremony
THE JEWISH STATE
Honoring Israel’s rescue forces. Knesset members from across Israel’s political spectrum gave an official salute and thanks to Israel’s United Hatzalah and Israel’s search and rescue teams. MK Nurit Koren said, “The scholars of the Talmud coined the term ‘he who saves a life it’s as if he saved an entire world’.
Israeli nurse to Israeli nurse – a love story. Nurse Elie Schiff dedicated her Aliya to Israeli nurse Dafna Meir, who was murdered by a Palestinian Arab terrorist in Jan 2015. Her connection to Dafna continues to inspire her now that she has met the family and attended the Bat Mitzva of Dafna’s daughter Noa.
http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2016/8/3/israeli-nurse-to-israeli-nurse-a-love-story
Ancient frescos discovered in the Galilee. 1900-year-old frescos (wall paintings) have been unearthed at Zippori, the Jewish capital of the Galilee that was home to many Jewish inhabitants throughout the Roman period. The frescos are the first, only and earliest evidence of figurative images in wall paintings at the site.
http://new.huji.ac.il/en/article/32216
Floor tiles from the 2nd Temple. The Temple Mount Sifting Project has identified some 600 lavish stone floor tile fragments believed to have decorated the Second Temple in Jerusalem. They were found in rubble dumped by the Arab Waqf following illegal building on the Temple Mount in 2004.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/floor-tiles-found-in-holy-site-rubble-said-to-be-from-second-temple/
Mosaic United. Mosaic United, formerly the Israel-Diaspora Initiative, is investing millions of dollars into strengthening Diaspora Jewry and its engagement with the State of Israel. Its first project is a series of grants to Chabad on Campus, Hillel International and Olami.
http://mosaicunited.org/our-vision/#our-mission
http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Mosaic-United-seeks-to-unify-Jewish-people-463958
