By Michael Ordman, VGNI
Israel’s usual high summer temperatures may explain why so many Israelis are indoors energetically working on innovations to make a better world. Renewable energy developments include releasing hydrogen from water using regular sunlight; floating solar farms are now a commercial reality; and a solar farm that generates cheaper electricity than can be produced from fossil fuels.
Israeli energy in the medical arena has resulted in the world’s first spine surgery using Augmented Reality; the first implanted tricuspid heart valves; two cancer breakthroughs; life-saving blood clot removal; and the first blood test to diagnose bipolar disorder. Energetic Israelis are helping save lives after devastating fires in Maui, Hawaii.
Sometimes too much energy can be unhealthy or dangerous. So Israelis have been developing solutions to drought-afflicted trees, sun-baked streets, blast from explosions, and lithium battery fires. Individually, many Israelis have been channeling their energy into major sporting successes.
It’s good to see the recent report on the economic benefits from Israel’s energy discoveries; Israeli employment and tourist numbers are back to pre-Covid levels; and investment continues to flow from giant US, European and Asian companies. I ask readers to publicize these positive newsletter facts, counteracting the negativity of many Mainstream Media opinion pieces.
The photo shows the completed solar roof of my local Netanya school that I portrayed previously under construction. Many other schools have recently built similar roofs, helping Israel advance on its renewable energy targets for 2030.
In the 23rd Aug 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
- Medical history made by Israeli spinal surgeons and heart valve implants.
- Israeli aid organization is bringing relief to survivors of Maui wildfires.
- Two Israeli renewable energy companies are powering ahead.
- An Israeli jetpack lets you swim like a dolphin.
- Positive economic news for Israeli unemployment, energy, and tourism.
- Amazon announces major Israeli investment.
- Israeli women win gold medals in judoka and windsurfing.
- An Israeli Arab, a Druze and a Jew give inspiring messages.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
First AR spinal surgery. Dr Cezar J. Mizrahi of Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center has performed the world’s first Augmented Reality-assisted robotic spinal surgery on a patient with an unstable spine fracture. Dr Mizrahi previously (see here) performed the world’s first robot-assisted lumbar spine fusion.
https://www.jns.org/jns/topic/
First US heart patients to receive “forgotten” valves. (TY TPS) Israel’s Trisol Medical (see here previously) has successfully implanted its new Transcatheter Tricuspid Valves in two US patients. The valve is called “forgotten” as the aortic and mitral valves get most medical attention. 10 Israelis have already had the implants.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://trisol-medical.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?
007 – license to kill cancer cells. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s Edity Therapeutics reprograms immune cells to recognize tumors that hide from the body’s regular immune system. Edity’s ED 007 cell therapy inflames these tumors, triggering the body’s own immune system to kill the cancer without risk of side effects or rejection.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Chicken corneas fight cancer. Israeli biotech ExoProTher is developing an anti-cancer therapy using protein generated from the p53 gene in the corneas of chickens. The foreign protein binds to cancerous human p53 protein, destroying tumors without side effects. The cornea is highly cancer resistant and full of p53 protein.
https://nocamels.com/2023/08/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Blood test and therapy diagnosis for bipolar disorder. Researchers at Haifa University have identified a blood test to diagnose patients who suffer from bipolar disorder. The test also can predict if the patient will respond to the most common treatment – Lithium carbonate. It can save misdiagnosis and wrong medication.
https://nocamels.com/2023/08/
https://www.nature.com/
AI video analysis to determine Crohn’s therapy. Researchers at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center and Intel have achieved 81% accuracy in predicting if biologic therapy would relieve a patient with Crohn’s Disease. They used machine-learning to analyze videos of complete capsule endoscopies (CE) of the small intestine.
https://www.jpost.com/health-
Skin care for cancer patients. EGFR inhibitors are common treatments for cancer but cause severe skin problems that cannot be fully alleviated. Israel’s EMRIS is developing a topical solution to block EGFRi monoclonal antibodies and allow the patient to continue treatment without the debilitating side effects.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Preventing PE. Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is the third leading cause of cardiovascular-related death and the number one cause of preventable hospital death. Israel’s Althea Medical is developing an over-the-wire medical device that physicians can use to remove blood clots quickly and safely from arteries in the lung.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.peregrinevc.com/
Air transportation for cancer patients. United Hatzalah, Lahak Aviation and Sheba Medical Center together have launched a pilot service to bring cancer patients from remote parts of Israel to hospital for treatment. Previous dangerous and stressful 3–4-hour journeys are reduced to a safe, comfortable 40-minutes.
https://israelrescue.org/blog/
Mental health therapy in the Gaza envelope. (TY Mara) Local mental health therapists at the Jewish National Fund-USA’s Eshkol Resilience Center in Sderot provide support for residents of the Gaza Envelope region. They help their community cope with difficult times in one of the fastest-growing regions in Israel.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Parking lot transformed into urban ecological piazza. A few years ago, Givon Square in Tel Aviv was an ugly parking lot. The municipality moved the car park underground and transformed its new roof into an urban oasis complete with trees, shade, cafes, restaurants, a vintage market, and an ecological pond.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-
https://www.temaland.com/
Jewish & Moslem EMTs save hiker. An everyday story of two EMTs from Israel’s United Hatzalah. Haredi Jew Moshe Rothschild and Moslem Arab Roshdi Hussein together saved a 20-year-old man who hit his head after jumping into the Jordan River. About the cooperation, Moshe said, it “happens in Israel all the time”.
https://www.
Puppies saved. (TY UWI) The Jerusalem District of the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority extinguished a forest fire near the Mount of Olives that threatened the local hospital and nearby homes. During the battle, firefighter Sgt. Majd Huseen rescued nine puppies who were sheltering in a tree trunk.
https://www.israel21c.org/
Visit by US states’ police delegation. 20 police and public safety executives from Georgia and Tennessee spent two weeks training in Israel. They learned about new policing and public safety technologies, and about making neighborhoods, including minority ones, safer through community policing.
https://www.jns.org/israel-
Gold Universal Design winners. (TY Nevet) The D.DLAB (Disrupt.Design) team from Israel’s Technion Institute won the Design Educate Awards Gold Prize for 2023. Asst. Prof. Shany Barath also won the Emerging Designer award. Their WoodenWood project converts wood waste into a composite for printing wood products.
https://www.technion.ac.il/wp-
https://gallery.
Preserving sharks in the Mediterranean. University of Haifa researchers have been awarded a $100,000 National Geographic Wayfinder Grant to track the movement of sharks along the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Israel is the only country that protects all elasmobranch species (sharks and rays) within its maritime borders.
https://www.
Aid to Maui. (TY UWI) Israeli humanitarian aid NGO SmartAID has sent a team of specialists to Maui after the devastating wildfires on the Hawaiian island. They will conduct search and rescue operations and install telecommunication systems to help coordinate first responders, plus solar energy systems and more.
https://www.israel21c.org/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Hydrogen from water without electricity. Since winning the Aviram Awards competition and its $500,000 prize, Israel’s QD-SOL (see here previously) has gone from strength to strength. Investment and grants are helping expand its sustainable photocatalysis hydrogen generation using water, nano particles, and sunlight.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Solar energy is plain sailing. Nine months ago, Israel’s Xfloat (see here previously) began implementing its pilot floating solar power farms in northern Israel and has already begun to generate energy commercially. Xfloat believes solar panel growth will eventually move toward the sea, as available land becomes scarcer.
https://www.israel21c.org/
Desalination gets even better. Researchers at Israel’s Ariel University have designed a new membrane system for reverse osmosis desalination plants, that filters out unwanted sodium chloride salt but not the beneficial nutrients. Tests of the filtered water in the Arava grew peppers with higher yields and better ripening qualities.
https://www.
Barrier coating extends food shelf life and more. Israel’s Melodea (see here previously) has launched MelOx NGen – a high-performance barrier product that has proven superior in maintaining food freshness and substantially reducing plastic waste. It will also help companies meet the EU Plastic Waste Directive.
https://spnews.com/melodea-
Bacteria helps trees survive drought. Scientists from Israel’s Weizmann Institute have discovered that soil-beneficial bacteria can help trees survive water scarcity and even flourish in drought conditions. The bacteria promotes tree root secretions that establish a symbiotic relationship between the tree and bacteria.
https://www.israel21c.org/
Using plants to cool the city. Israel’s BioShade (see here previously) is helping to make urban areas greener and cooler. Its smart lightweight PVC pipes contain a hydroponic system that helps create green walls, roofs, and pergolas. The plants sprout through holes in the pipes that accommodate their root systems as they grow.
https://nocamels.com/2023/08/
https://www.bioshade.net/
Personalize shopping to increase profits. (TY Arlene) Israel’s twik uses the latest technology to enable online businesses to personalize their websites and enhance their customers’ shopping experience.
https://www.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Warning of battery fires. Israel’s ALGOLiON has developed AlgoShield which gives a week’s warning of an impending lithium-ion battery fire. It is a major risk to airplanes, EVs, and E-cigarettes. ALGOLiON has just been acquired by General Motors and renamed AIONZ Ltd. https://www.algolion.com/
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://il.linkedin.com/
Bomb proof. The unique patented composite material from Israel’s Ortech contains fiber-reinforced plastic, which protects against blast hits, fragmentation, ballistics and forced entry. It can turn any room into a protected space that can survive explosions or perhaps even earthquakes.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
All (robot) hands on deck. Israel’s RoboDeck has developed an autonomous robot to clean wooden decking. It uses sensors, AI, a proprietary spray system for adding stains and sealants and a hybrid cleaning system with a special RoboDeck-built brush. It can clean 1,000 sq feet of decking in 30 mins, for immediate use.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
On-line lessons from movie characters. Israel’s AcadeMe+ creates educational lessons for colleges and K-12 classrooms using movies made by major film studios, including Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Disney, and Sony. Learn about Mars from the Martian, leadership from the Lion King, and inspiration from Inside Out.
https://nocamels.com/2023/08/
https://academe.plus/ https://vimeo.com/691276813
An in-car voice assistant with personality. Israel’s Impris has developed AI technology called HumAIns. It has been incorporated into a Siri-like in-car assistant that not only understands the vehicle but communicates with the driver just like a human. Also suitable for call-centers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.humains.com/
AI turns speech into sign language. Israel’s CODA (see last week) helps deaf people enjoy videos by using artificial intelligence-generated avatars to translate spoken language (English, Hebrew, French, Spanish, and Italian) into sign language almost instantaneously. Sign language gives emphasis that subtitles cannot.
https://nocamels.com/2023/08/
https://ts2.space/en/israeli-
Underwater jetpack. Israel’s KikFin has produced a jetpack with fins that straps onto a swimmer’s back and propels them though the water. It can change direction with the slightest movement of the head. The hands-free operation is ideal for professional divers and rescue services. It also attaches to surfboards.
https://nocamels.com/2023/08/
https://kikfin.com/ https://www.youtube.com/
AI system helps develop social skills. Israel’s Arrows has developed Skills Coach – a web-based application providing a safe environment to practice and improve social skills. Ideal for autistic people, AI avatars engage in conversations in scenarios from chatting with a stranger in a café to making small talk with a work colleague.
https://nocamels.com/2023/08/
https://www.ar-rows.com/ https://www.youtube.com/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Fitch A+. (TY Hazel) Fitch Ratings has affirmed Israel’s long-term rating at “A+” with a stable outlook, noting its diversified, resilient, and high value-added economy and strong external finances.
https://www.fitchratings.com/
Unemployment at pre-Covid level. Unemployment in Israel fell in July to 3.4%, the same as it was in Feb 2020 before the Covid crisis. The employment rate for Haredi men in Israel is at an all-time high of 55.8%
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
https://www.jns.org/jns/topic/
An $86 billion windfall. Israel’s economy saved more than NIS 316 billion (over $86 billion) in energy savings and environmental benefits over the past decade thanks to its natural gas discoveries. At the end of 2022, the price of electricity in Israel was nearly 50% lower than in Europe.
https://www.jns.org/israel-
Cheaper than fossil fuel. Israel’s fourth solar energy farm at Ashalim in the Negev Desert has started operating and will supply power at a record low price in the electricity market. The 2.2 cents per kwh price is less than electricity production using fossil fuels, and less than similar projects around the world.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
More tourists than before Covid. New statistics show that numbers of US tourists visiting Israel in the first six months of 2023 were 12% higher than the same period in 2019, before the pandemic. High levels of tourism were also recorded from France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy.
https://www.jns.org/jns/topic/
Cruise to Haifa. (TY Hazel) The prestigious Seatrade Cruise Awards competition has selected Haifa as one of the three outstanding cruise destinations worldwide for 2023. 235 cruise ships from 31 companies are expected to arrive in Haifa this year, bringing some 250,000 tourists.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
Tel Aviv light railway opens to the public. (TY WIN & UWI) Around 100 000 people took advantage of a day of free travel on the first day of Tel Aviv’s light rail Red Line on August 18. This followed an official inauguration by the Prime Minister the previous day. The 24km line has 34 stops – 10 of them underground.
https://www.railwaygazette.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Amazon’s $7.2 billion investment plans. Amazon.com has announced plans to invest 26 billion shekels (about $7.2 billion) in Israel through 2037. It also heralded the launch of its Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers in Tel Aviv, which gives customers the option of running their applications from data centers in Israel.
https://www.jns.org/israel-
LG selects Israeli chip for next-gen cameras. Leading electronics firm LG has selected the chipset from Israel’s Valens (see here previously) to be used in its next generation of cameras for self-driving vehicles. The chipset will be used to connect multiple camera sensors with LG’s camera system to enhance passenger safety.
https://nocamels.com/2023/08/
New Data analysis center. European smart T-shirt developer AccYouRate is to establish a data analysis center in Tel Aviv to analyze the extensive big data collected by AccYouRate’s wearable devices. The move further solidifies Israel’s reputation as a destination for data analysis and management advancements.
https://www.jpost.com/
Exits, takeovers & mergers to 27/8/23:. (Israel’s Laminar has been acquired by U.S. company Rubrik for an estimated $200-250 million. UK’s Wireless Logic is acquiring Israel’s Webbing for at least $200 million. Israel’s Check Point has acquired Israel’s Perimeter 81 for around $490 million.
Investment in Israeli startups to 27/8/23: Innoviz raised $65 million; Grip Security raised $41 million; Cypago raised $13 million; Althea Medical raised $1.5 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
In Jerusalem it all happens at night. (TY Sharon) Summer heat and humidity means that most public events in Jerusalem are held after dark. They include Sidra Tarbut’s cultural events; Selihot services, Mystorin Theatre Group’s RAAMSKATE, Theater in Motion, Street Orchestra, Israeli dancing, and Night at the Tower of David.
http://rjstreets.com/2023/08/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Take it slow. Israel’s new 30-room Slowness Hotel on a kibbutz in the Galilee is built around wellness and relaxation, with unique touches like no TVs or reception desk. It is modelled on the Beit Havra’a (Wellness House) which up to the 1980s gave Histadrut labor union members a free annual vacation and a place to relax.
https://www.israel21c.org/
Omelet sandwich jingle goes viral. “Omelette Bread in Netanya,” the song in an ad for a shop of the same name in the coastal city, has gone viral in Israel, racking up millions of views on TikTok and spawning hundreds of spin-offs, parodies, and restaurant review videos. It is being played at parties and weddings.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Eilat’s first waterpark. The Waterland park in Eilat has opened its doors to the public after four years of construction and costing 110 million shekels. The 5-acre site has some of the world’s most innovative water attractions including the highest water tower in the Middle East at 24 meters.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Cycling legend tackles the Israel Trail. Four-time Tour de France champion, Chris Froome completed a two-day “eye-opening” cycling adventure on the Israel National Trail. Froome was amazed at “how diverse the country is in nature, in culture, it’s really just been such an energizing experience.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.jns.org/jewish-
Jerusalem hosts major athletics championships. (TY Hazel) The Israeli Athletics Association hosted the 2023 European Athletics Under-20 Championships at Jerusalem’s Givat Ram Stadium. Although Israel didn’t win any medals, the prestigious event attracted almost 2,000 athletes and officials from 48 countries.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
https://worldathletics.org/
European U20 basketball runners up. Israel’s Under-20 national basketball team took the silver medal in the finals of the European Championship in Greece. The team lost to France 89-79 in overtime, having beaten Germany in the quarterfinals and overwhelmed Belgium 67-46 in the semifinals.
https://www.jns.org/jewish-
Judoka gold. (TY Hazel) Israeli judokas won gold, silver & bronze medals at the Hungarian Masters 2023 championship in Budapest. Inbar Lanir won a gold medal in the women’s up to 78-kilo category. Peter Paltchik won the silver in the men’s up to 100kg and Kerem Primo won the bronze in the women’s up to 52kg.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Women windsurfing world 1-2. (TY UWI) Israeli windsurfer Shahar Tibi won gold in the women’s iQFoil category at the Allianz Sailing World Championships in The Netherlands. It was Israel’s first world title at the sailing contest in a decade. Israel’s Katy Spychakov won the silver medal, with two other Israelis in the top 10.
https://www.israel21c.org/
THE JEWISH STATE
See Israel’s ancient ritual baths. Hundreds of ritual baths (Mikvaot) have been uncovered in the land of Israel, in the desert, in the Galilee, under Jerusalem houses, at construction sites, and ancient towns. The vast majority date back over 2,000 years to the Second Temple period, with at least 50 found adjacent to the Temple Mount.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Beyond the headlines. Two articles. The first, an interview with one of United Hatzalah’s Arab volunteer medics, and the second with the Druze Head of Ziv Medical Center in Safed, highlight some of the key factors of what’s good and unique about the Jewish State.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/
A message for Rosh Hashana. (TY UWI) This video features Yossi’s amazing journey from convict to IDF Officer. An inspiration for the period leading up to the Days of Repentance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
A fox on Temple Mount. During the recent fast of 9th Av a fox was seen in the ruins of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In the Babylonian Talmud (Tractate Makkot 24b), Rabbi Akiva laughed at seeing a fox in the ruins of the Temple. He said it fulfilled a negative prophecy and meant a positive one will also come true.
https://worldisraelnews.com/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
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