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Edison award winner; A breath of fresh water; Lucy Dee’s heart; and much more!
by: Michael Ordman
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israeli surgeons perform innovative skin cancer treatment
For the first time in Israel, plastic surgeons and oncologists at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center used electrochemotherapy to treat skin cancer tumors. An electric current disrupts the cellular membrane of the tumor cells, allowing chemotherapy to enter.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-740208
Successful trial of world’s smallest heart pump
Israel’s Magenta Medical has completed the First-In-Human trial, in Tbilisi, Georgia, of its Elevate percutaneous Left Ventricular Assist Device (pLVAD) – the smallest heart pump in the world. Magenta has just raised $55 million and US clinical trials are now being planned.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/magenta-medical-closes-55m-funding-round-led-by-orbimed-301814419.html
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjv57t14h
Cold cure
A study used the cryoablation system from Israel’s IceCure Medical (see here previously) to treat 42 women with the chronic, painful, incurable disease endometriosis. 93.75% had no pain after six months, and 82.72% remained pain-free up to three years later.
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/freezing-tech-could-treat-painful-womens-disease/
Israel closes last Covid-19 ward
Jerusalem’s Herzog Medical Center has closed the hospital’s coronavirus ward, the last one operating in the country. The ward’s closure means that future COVID-19 patients will be treated in regular hospital wards. Herzog’s coronavirus ward opened in August 2020, and treated 2,000 patients.
https://www.jns.org/israel-shuts-down-last-covid-specific-hospital-ward/
Sheba saves mother and daughter
When an Israeli woman discovered that she and her daughter were suffering from a dangerous genetic heart condition, Sheba Medical Center found innovative ways to save their lives.
Biomed Israel
6,000 delegates are expected at Biomed Israel in Tel Aviv – the 21st annual networking event to explore life-sciences and health-tech topics ranging from medical robots to longevity. The event (May18 – 18) will attract healthcare industry executives, scientists, engineers, physicians, and investors from 45 countries.
https://www.israel21c.org/global-health-industry-stakeholders-coming-to-biomed-israel/
https://kenes-exhibitions.com/biomed/agenda/
Can lucid dreaming be harmful
The normally anti-Israel BBC has credited the medical research of scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University. Lucid dreaming is when you realize that you are in a dream and then use the opportunity to control the dream.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230425-can-lucid-dreaming-be-harmful
Live longer in Israel
The Longevity Nation conference, (Movement for Longevity and Quality of Life in Israel) in March highlighted 5 factors to healthy aging. Energized cells, good arteries, removal of old cells, SIRT6 prevents frailty, and methylation counters stress. The Sheba Longevity conference is on May 10 – 11.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-scientists-seeking-secrets-to-longer-healthier-lives/
https://longevitynation.org/
https://www.longevityisrael.org/
Not the oldest
A previous newsletter (see here) reported that Israeli doctors put a pacemaker into 102-year-old Rachel Kafri. As remarkable as it sounds, Rachel isn’t the oldest Israeli recipient of a pacemaker. The same medical team has implanted pacemakers inside at least three other Israelis older than 100. The eldest was 107.
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/israel-middle-east/why-israelis-live-so-long
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Providing education for hospitalized Israeli children
Since its inception in 2009, SASA Setton (see here previously) has provided educational solutions to nearly 2 million hospitalized children from all parts of Israeli society in every hospital in Israel – some 140,000 children annually in Hebrew, English, Arabic, and Ukrainian.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-740068
Dog-training therapy for wounded soldiers
New York-based belev echad has established a program Dogs 4 Soldiers. It provides therapeutic puppies to love and assist wounded IDF warriors. The soldiers learn to train their puppies by professional dog trainers who then certify the soldiers to become professional dog trainers.
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/idf-veterans-best-friend-dogs-ease-pain-of-ptsd/
https://belevechad.nyc/programs/israel/dogs-4-soldiers/
The faces of Israel
The Jerusalem Post partnered Jerusalem’s Museum of Tolerance to organize the “Celebrate the Faces of Israel” conference. The Israeli speakers included The President, Jerusalem’s Mayor, Nobel Laureates Aumann and Shechtman; MKs and business leaders, plus US Ambassadors past & present, and more.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370662
https://congress.jpost.com/faces-of-israel-23/
Urban renewal projects up by 200%
In 2022, urban renewal permits increased by 200% (28,630 units) over 2021. Most of these were to reinforce apartment buildings built before 1980 to withstand earthquakes, and add amenities such as an elevator, enlarge the apartments and add a protective security room.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/urban-renewal-project-approvals-tripled-in-2022-in-bid-to-increase-housing/
Showing the UN the benefits of drone technology
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, together with Israel’s National Drone Initiative, held an event at the UN headquarters on drone technologies. Israeli startups presented the “sky of tomorrow,” featuring smart transportation, security, safety, health, commerce and more.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370980
Shalva Band plays at the UN
To celebrate Israel’s 75th Anniversary, Israel’s Shalva band performed to hundreds of diplomats on the stage of the United Nations in Geneva. The band comprises disabled performers including two blind singers. One of them sung a song in Arabic that she dedicated to all the mothers in the hall.
https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/hjkpz6jv2
All at sea in Singapore
Israel inaugurated its national pavilion at Singapore’s IMDEX Asia Naval and Maritime Defense Exhibition. The event was attended by over 11,000 delegates from more than 60 countries and regions. Israeli companies included Controp, DSIT, Elbit, IAI, Israel Shipyards, Orbit and Rafael.
https://www.jns.org/israel-inaugurates-national-pavilion-at-singapore-defense-exhibition/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
How Israel became the Innovation Nation
A new video which explains how Israel has grown to an innovation powerhouse.
SpaceTech growing at Light Speed. This OurCrowd webinar highlights how SpaceTech is changing the way people work on Earth. Hear speakers from Axiom Space. Balerion Space Ventures, Edgybees and Ursa Major.
https://events.ourcrowd.com/project/spacetech-growing-at-lightspeed/
Edison award winner
Israel’s Innoviz (see here previously) has been awarded the Edison Award for technology in the Smart Transportation category. Its latest product, InnovizTwo, provides high-performance, automotive-grade LiDAR sensor for all levels of autonomous driving at dramatically lower cost.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-740032
https://innoviz.tech/innoviztwo#top
A beam of light on the horizon
A most comprehensive article about Magen Or (Light Shield or Iron Beam) the laser defense system being developed by Israel’s Rafael and the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/t7ac5asht
Turning sludge into fertilizer
Lodologic the Brazilian affiliate of Israel’s Paulee Cleantec. has signed a contract with SABESP, one of Brazil’s largest sanitation providers, to treat over 310 tons of wastewater sludge every day from 4 million residents. It will be turned into organo-mineral fertilizer, in high demand by farmers.
https://www.israel21c.org/turning-tons-of-brazilian-sludge-into-odorless-fertilizer/
Returning plastic to its origins
Israel’s Plastic Back can reverse engineer any type of plastic waste into its original oil, wax, and chemical components. It will buy any plastic waste that cannot be recycled and pilot a chemical process developed at the Hebrew University, to upcycle the waste back to the petrochemical industry.
https://www.israel21c.org/novel-system-reverse-engineers-plastic-waste-for-upcycling/
https://www.plastic-back.com/
Biodegradable plastic
Interesting video featuring Israel’s Biotic (see here previously) and its bio-degradable polymer produced from naturally grown algae. The algae is ocean grown, so no arable land is used; and sea-water, rather than treated water is also used in the process, minimizing resources used.
A breath of fresh water
Israel’s Mayu aims to produce healthy and sustainable water, accessible to anyone, anywhere. Its water filtration devices purify, through filtration; aerate, to balance oxygen levels; and mineralize, by “micro-dosing” the water with minerals. Mayu’s first product – The Swirl is available on its website.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-startup-aiming-to-fix-the-water-we-drink/
A sunscreen that is good for corals
In a previous news story (see here) Israeli scientists had issued a global warning that sunscreen ingredient BP-3 was harmful to coral reefs. Now Eilat has partnered with marine and skincare specialists to develop Reef Relief, a sunscreen that includes nourishing minerals to help reefs grow.
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/worlds-first-sunscreen-that-nourishes-coral-reefs/
https://www.reefreliefsunscreen.com/
Thermal storage factory opens
Israel’s Brenmiller Energy (see here previously) has opened its first production plant in the southern Israeli city of Dimona. The factory, built with the help of EU funds, aims to produce storage systems capable of holding four gigawatts of energy by the end of the year.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-green-thermal-storage-company-opens-first-factory-in-dimona/
Better airline security
The security scanning system from Israel’s SeeTrue (see here previously) is now deployed at several European airports. In 2022 it detected 500,000+ prohibited items, from scissors and screwdrivers to drugs and banknotes. It is 10 times faster than a human and has half the error rate.
https://nocamels.com/2023/04/ai-bag-scanner-is-faster-and-more-accurate-than-airport-staff/
Grapes originated in the Land of Israel
Scientists previously (see here) traced the domestication of grapes to Israel and the Caucasus. Now researchers from Tel Aviv and Haifa universities have confirmed the original findings by genetic tests on ancient wine seeds discovered by archeologists in the Negev.
https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/rkk72kxv2
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Trade with New Jersey is worth billions
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority reports that trade between New Jersey and Israel increased by 11% in 2022 to $1.72 billion. It also highlighted that Israeli investments were valued at approximately $551m. and had created 1,900 local jobs since 2003.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-740242
https://www.jns.org/despite-economic-headwinds-new-jersey-israel-trade-increased-11-in-2022/
One of the fastest growing companies in the world
The annual revenue of Israeli cybersecurity Semperis (see here previously) has grown to nearly $100 million in just 9 years. Its disaster recovery system knows how to detect cyber-attacks, neutralize them, and restore the organization’s activities automatically.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s1yug0x7n
A growing Unicorn
Optibus (see here previously) is a billion-dollar Israeli private company whose value is increasing, despite the current financial market downturn. In 2022 it doubled its revenues and workforce. Its public transportation management software is now used in 2,000 cities worldwide.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sk8hzaxq3
Permit to sell cow-free milk
Israel’s Remilk (see here previously) has received regulatory approval from Israel’s Health Ministry to sell its cultured protein-based cow-free milk products to Israeli consumers. Remilk already has permits to sell its products (chemically identical to cow’s milk) in the USA and Singapore.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-remilk-gets-first-regulatory-permit-in-israel-to-sell-cow-free-milk/
How 7th Heaven was invented
7th Heaven chocolate (see here previously) was conceived in the kitchens of two vegan Israeli chocoholics Daniel and Elya, who were dating. They have just raised $3 million to market the creamy non-dairy, kosher chocolate beyond its current retail locations of New York, Miami, and California.
https://worldisraelnews.com/7th-heaven-how-date-night-turned-into-a-3m-israeli-vegan-chocolate-company/
https://www.7thheavenchocolate.com/
Volvo invests in Israeli driver safety startup
Volvo Cars Tech Fund joined the current $6M target funding round for CorrActions (see here previously). Its CEO said “CorrActions fits the bill perfectly and focuses on a mission that is close to our heart: making cars and traffic safer.”
https://www.media.volvocars.com/uk/en-gb/media/pressreleases/310402/volvo-cars-tech-fund-invests-in-ai-startup-corractions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StZoharC4VQ
https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/24/volvo-cars-tech-fund-invests-in-driver-monitoring-startup-corractions/
49 more startups in MassChallenge II
Israel’s largest equity-free accelerator program, MassChallenge IL, brought together 49 startups in Jerusalem recently to learn business essentials, a first step towards enabling companies to complete its four-month “investor-ready” program.
https://www.jns.org/49-israeli-startups-learn-business-basics-in-masschallenge-program/
Rolling out smart shopping carts
Israel’s A2Z Smart Technologies (see here previously) has signed an agreement to roll out 1,000 of its smart pick-and-go, self-checkout shopping carts at Israel’s Hastok home design and household concept stores across the country in a deal valued at NIS 30 million ($8.3 million).
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-startup-inks-nis-30m-deal-to-deploy-smart-carts-at-local-home-design-stores/
Exits, takeovers and mergers to 7/5/23
US-based Blink Mobility acquired Israel’s Envoy for $34 million. Israel’s Youappi has been acquired by an unnamed US company for around $110 million.
Investment in Israeli startups to 7/5/23:
Pinecone raised $100 million; Healthy.io raised $50 million; Magenta Medical raised $55 million; Novidea raised $50 million; Coro.net raised $45 million; Foretellix raised $43 million; ADASKY raised $30 million; Trullion raised $15 million; Neteera raised $13 million; Ctrl raised $9 million; Aligned raised $5.8 million; Viridix raised $4.1 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Prize for Jewish Literature
Israeli writer Iddo Gefen has won the $100,000 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for his short-story collection, “Jerusalem Beach.” Iddo is a cognitive psychology doctoral student at Columbia University. His book is a series of snapshots of contemporary life in Israel – some to become movies.
https://www.jns.org/iddo-gefen-wins-sami-rohr-prize-for-jewish-literature/
Visit Arad
The desert city of Arad has changed since the article’s author first visited in 1989. Its coffee bars, healthy environment, wellness therapy, art studios, wineries, brewery, restaurants, hiking trails, hotels and glamping sites provide plenty to interest tourists and visiting Israelis. Search “Travel Arad Israel” for more.
https://www.israel21c.org/experience-relaxed-desert-tourism-in-arad/
Tour Jerusalem on a Red Bus
The new Red Bus City Tour offers narrated sightseeing tours of Jerusalem in a choice of 29 languages. The 90-min tour visits the Old City, Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus. Or 2.5 hours to City Hall, Sacher Park, Knesset, Israel Museum, Yad Vashem, National Library, Mount Herzl and more.
https://www.israel21c.org/tour-jerusalem-in-a-red-double-decker-bus-with-narration/
https://redbuscitytours.com/
FIFA supports Israeli soccer programs
FIFA – the top governing body in the world of soccer – has awarded $30,000 to Israeli non-profit “The Equalizer” (see here previously) for its 3 soccer programs. FIFA has also renewed its support for the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation’s sports program (see here previously).
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-740087?utm_source=jpost.app.android&utm_medium=share
THE JEWISH STATE
Practical advice for UK Anglos pre- and post- Aliya
On Tue 16 May, 7pm UK time, UKAA is hosting two free online talks. The 1st concerns insuring your shipment to Israel. The 2nd is on where to buy your home. Register at the link below. or email info@ukaliyahadvisors.com with your full name and phone number.
https://ukaliyahadvisors.com/event/16-may-2023/
Jewish and Democratic
The latest edition of the annual Democracy Index from the prestigious Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranks Israel 23rd of 167 countries. Israel is by far the most democratic country in the Middle East, and it is also ahead of Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the United States.
https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/israel-ranks-above-spain-italy-and-us-for-democracy-in-new-ranking-5thm78K0h6XhdVKV066TwE
Digitizing ancient Israel inscriptions
US Brown University, and the University of Virginia before that, have digitized over 5,000 texts and their translations from the land of Israel between 500 BCE and 514 CE. They were written mostly on mosaics and stone, and are largely in Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek and Latin.
https://www.jns.org/brown-university-project-is-digitizing-10000-ancient-israel-inscriptions/
http://www.inscriptionsisraelpalestine.org/
Israeli archeologists excavate in Morocco
The Abraham Accords have allowed Israeli researchers to excavate two huge ‘genizas’ found in rural Morocco. Israelis who once lived in abandoned Moroccan villages are now able to investigate remnants of their Jewish life in Morocco and that of their ancestors.
75 Ambassadors plant 75 trees for Israel 75
To commemorate Israel’s 75th anniversary of independence, the KKL-JNF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs encouraged the whole diplomatic corps in Israel to plant 75 trees as a symbol of growth, development, and a strong connection to the land of Israel.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-75-ambassadors-plant-75-trees-in-israel-on-israels-75th-anniversary/
King Charles is anointed with Jerusalem oil
The oil used to crown King Charles III on May 6th comes from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Israel. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, noted the “deep historic link” between the oil for the coronation and that of biblical kings.
https://www.jns.org/king-charles-to-be-anointed-with-oil-from-mount-of-olives/
Lucy Dee’s heart
When Lital woke up after the transplant surgery with the heart of Lucy (Leah) Dee, she couldn’t stop crying. “How much love does the Creator of the world have to give me the heart of such a woman? The power of this woman of grace, I feel it inside my body.” Then Lucy’s family came to visit Lital.
https://worldisraelnews.com/i-have-so-much-love-to-give-says-recipient-of-terror-victim-lucy-dees-heart/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/like-im-with-her-terror-victim-lucy-dees-family-visits-recipients-of-her-organs/
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