RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19645/who-wants-to-destroy-israel

It is the first time in Israel’s short history that a large-scale movement has been launched using undemocratic means to overthrow a democratically elected government.
The new government, in fact, is trying to restore democracy – by reforming Supreme Court practices that were adopted starting in the 1990s, which allow unelected, unaccountable Supreme Court justices to deliver rulings based on “reasonableness” rather than on written law – often meaning, “whatever I think is reasonable”. Israel’s Supreme Court is currently said have “virtually limitless power’: it asserts the right to veto both political appointments and military decisions; it has no mechanism for recourse, and no requirement for “standing” — meaning that the litigant need not be directly affected by the decision, such as having a personal wrong righted. On the contrary, anyone can directly petition the Supreme Court, anytime, about anything. The last provision has opened the floodgates for lawsuits by “concerned” non-governmental organizations dissatisfied with decisions Israel has taken. In addition, sitting Supreme Court justices – not the electorate and not the parliament – have the power to approve or veto any appointment of new justices, leading to a closed “club” in which no one is flustered by dissent.
The Biden Administration, staffed by many of the same people who were in the Obama Administration, has behaved as an enemy of Israel from day one. The Administration quickly restored US funding to the Palestinian Authority without asking it to stop supporting terrorism or even to stop inciting violence. The Biden Administration then opened a U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs and installed, as “special representative for Palestinian affairs”, Hady Amr who has admitted being “inspired by the Palestinian intifada”.
The Biden Administration has, to its credit, during the hundreds of recent missile attacks — 1,235 rockets over five days, launched at a country the size of New Jersey — said that “Israel has the right to protect itself and defend its people from indiscriminate rocket attacks launched by terrorist groups” — yet for the past two years, has done nothing to eliminate Israel’s most serious threat – Iran’s nuclear program – apart from seemingly trying to have Iran not use any nuclear weapons during the current administration’s term.
The Biden Administration has, additionally, considerably eroded America’s influence in the Middle Easy, thereby creating a situation of extreme peril for Israel and other erstwhile US allies in the Gulf. Biden, even during his 2020 presidential campaign, repeatedly vowed to treat Saudi Arabia as a “pariah”… This rebuff was followed by the Biden Administration’s refusal to promise either that it would stop negotiating with Iran for a deal enabling the mullahs to have unlimited nuclear weapons, and fears that the US would not protect Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies in the Gulf from Iran.
Iran’s mullahs also can see that the United Arab Emirates in 2021, signed a contract with the Chinese company Huawei, now building a 5G network in the Gulf state – thereby making the UAE totally vulnerable to Chinese intelligence penetration. That contract was followed by the cancellation of a $23 billion arms purchase from the United States.
The seemingly unremitting desire of the Biden administration to reach an agreement with the Iranian regime at almost any price and to realign American foreign policy in the Middle East toward a policy led by Iran was evidently what led to Saudi Arabia’s restoration of ties with Iran. Biden’s eagerness to treat Saudi Arabia as “pariah” had turned an ally into a question mark. Meanwhile, the Iranian regime, more expansionist by the day — which the Saudi regime is not — reveals that despite the decidedly unsavory murder of Osama bin Laden’s friend and Muslim Brotherhood acolyte Jamal Khashoggi, the Iranian regime is, by light years, far more dangerous to the stability of the region and beyond, as well as even more hostile to human rights than Saudi Arabia ever was.
Moreover, the strategic cooperation agreement signed in March 2021 between Iran and China has deepened the ties between the mullahs and the Chinese Communist Party, geopolitically and economically, to the detriment of the United States. The means of payment on which they agreed will not be the world’s reserve currency for oil, the US dollar, but instead, China’s yuan.
A few weeks ago, when a key official in Israel’s defense ministry was in Washington to request more American support for Israel in case the Israeli government thinks necessary to attack Iran’s nuclear program, no answer was given.
“The land of Israel and the State of Israel are acquired through many trials and tribulations…. They will not overcome us; we will overcome them”. — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, April 24, 2023.
A terrorist carried out a car-ramming attack at Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market a few hours earlier. Netanyahu was talking about terrorists, but his words could be addressed to all enemies of Israel and to all those who want to destroy it.

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-742923

The Holocaust is over, but the legacy of those who perpetrated and promoted it thrives among many today who seek to destroy Israel.

The defeat of Germany and its Nazi empire at the end of the Second World War did not end genocidal attempts to murder Jews, especially those in Israel.

Attempts to destroy Israel

When the State of Israel was declared, five Arab countries launched a war to wipe out the Jewish state. Miraculously, they lost. Called the Nakba Day, (Catastrophe Day) it is a lament for a failed attempt to commit genocide. Their emblem of suffering for as long as Israel exists, Nakba Day will be honored by the UN on May 15.

In 1967, several Arab countries were again about to launch another genocidal attack against Israel; it was thwarted by a preemptive attack in the Six-Day War. Seven years later, Arab countries, aided by the Soviet Union, launched another genocidal attack, known as the Yom Kippur War. Israel survived another Nakba.

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-742923

The Holocaust is over, but the legacy of those who perpetrated and promoted it thrives among many today who seek to destroy Israel.

The defeat of Germany and its Nazi empire at the end of the Second World War did not end genocidal attempts to murder Jews, especially those in Israel.

Attempts to destroy Israel

When the State of Israel was declared, five Arab countries launched a war to wipe out the Jewish state. Miraculously, they lost. Called the Nakba Day, (Catastrophe Day) it is a lament for a failed attempt to commit genocide. Their emblem of suffering for as long as Israel exists, Nakba Day will be honored by the UN on May 15.

In 1967, several Arab countries were again about to launch another genocidal attack against Israel; it was thwarted by a preemptive attack in the Six-Day War. Seven years later, Arab countries, aided by the Soviet Union, launched another genocidal attack, known as the Yom Kippur War. Israel survived another Nakba

Attempts to destroy Israel, however, continued aided by the Soviet Union, Muslim and non-aligned countries, and indirectly by the UN. Murdering Jews and destroying Israel remains the policy and practice of Palestinian terrorist organizations, supported by Arab and Muslim countries.

Hoping to end such genocidal efforts, the Israeli government, led by the Labor Party, and backed by US president Bill Clinton, agreed to implement the Oslo Accords, which not only legitimized Arafat and the PLO, but gave them a mini-state under a Palestinian Authority, and promised more concessions.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19650/israel-under-fire-west-pusillanimous

Neither Ukraine nor Israel has any territorial ambitions or aggressive intent against their attackers — both Ukraine and Israel are fighting purely defensive wars to protect their civilian populations.

There is another common factor. Islamic Jihad in Gaza is an Iranian proxy terrorist group, funded and directed from Tehran. Iran’s hand is behind this conflict….

I do not recall any Western government or international body suggesting moral equivalence between the aggressor and the defender in the Ukraine war, but that is exactly what we have seen repeatedly in this and previous conflicts between Israel and Gaza with the UN Secretary General calling on “both sides” to exercise restraint.

Unlike the immediate condemnation of Russian violence, we have seen only silence in the US and Europe since Islamic Jihad’s rockets began to fall on Israel. The best we have heard from the White House is that “Israel has the right to protect itself”, a statement of the blindingly obvious. None of this is good enough when what is needed is the strongest support for Israel and the most blunt condemnation of Islamic Jihad, along the lines we see over the Ukraine war.

The usual media suspects, such as the BBC and CNN, both cheerleaders for Ukraine’s defensive operations, have predictably been doing their best to slant their coverage against Israel.

As we can see from the Western approach to Ukraine as well as wars everywhere, no other country that is unlawfully attacked by a foreign power is portrayed as the aggressor or at best on a par with the attacker…. The IDF takes the greatest possible care to defend its civilians while avoiding unnecessary casualties among civilians on enemy territory, frequently aborting attacks when there is the risk of killing innocent people….

Gaza terrorist leaders, on the other hand, make sure their wives and children are nearby and ready to die whenever there is the risk of attack against them. They deliberately position their weapons stores, missile launch sites and fighters among the civilian population, including in schools, hospitals and occupied residential buildings. The IDF will frequently warn civilians to get out of the area when preparing an attack. Understanding how this undermines their policy of causing maximum casualties on their own civilians in order to achieve international condemnation of Israel, terrorists in Gaza have warned their citizens that anyone who complies will be punished.

In such circumstances it is impossible for the IDF to do the vital work of destroying offensive weapons aimed against their own population and eliminating the terrorist commanders who direct them without inflicting some civilian casualties. Despite the misguided or malign commentary of some journalists, politicians, academics and human rights groups, such collateral damage is not illegal or a war crime, provided all possible measures are taken to avoid it.

In the last five days, more than 1,234 rockets have been fired from Gaza, 976 of which have crossed into Israel – a country roughly the size of New Jersey — with the remainder falling short into Gaza itself. The nearest comparable bombardment against Western countries was in 1944, when the Germans fired rockets at Britain with a maximum rate of 100 per day. Britain responded with a bombing campaign of devastating force in which many civilians were unavoidably killed.

The question Western commentators so eager to condemn Israel should ask themselves is: how many rockets fired into their own countries would be tolerated?

The Ukraine war has focused European governments’ minds on this issue and their current planning includes not just improving missile defences but also offensive capabilities to strike at the enemy in his own territory, just as Israel is forced to do today.

When Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Western governments, international organizations, media and human rights groups quite rightly rallied round without hesitation, recognising the need to give unreserved moral support to a nation defending itself from violent attack.

 MAY 14, 1945- THE WORLD REJOICED THE END OF WORLD WAR 2. FOR JEWS IT WAS A BITTERSWEET MOMENT OF MOURNING THE VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST WHERE ONE OF EVERY THREE JEWS IN THE WORLD WERE KILLED.

MAY 14, 1948- THE DECLARATION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL WAS PROCLAIMED, TERMINATING BRITISH RULE BY MIDNIGHT. THE REST IS HISTORY.

Here is Michael Ordman’s weekly catalog of Israel’s amazing contributions to the entire globe 75 years later. Read it all. rsk

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

Israel should be the first country to go to for solutions to the world’s biggest problems. In medical matters its First Aid is second to none. In the latest positive Israel newsletter, Israeli doctors performed the first ever operation to deliver gene therapy direct to someone’s brain. Israeli scientists discovered where red blood cells are first produced in the human body. And Israeli startups won international first prize awards for successful pain relief and skin therapy products.

Israel opened its first hydrogen refueling station. It launched the first medical incubator for startups in an Arab city. An Israeli-founded startup was responsible for creating the first capital city to go 100% solar powered during the daytime. One Israeli startup won an international Business Intelligence award and another won the Data Security Breakthrough award.  Other business firsts were achieved when foreign airlines began new routes to Israel and French supermarket giant Carrefour opened its first stores in Israel.

A young Israeli Druze woman became the first of her community to be in Israel’s winning female basketball championship team.  And although Israel only came 3rd in the Eurovision Song Contest, an Israeli woman triumphed in the World Judo Championships, resulting in the Israeli national anthem being played in Doha, the capital of Qatar.  Michael Ordman.

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
 
Historic gene therapy operation. (TY Atid-EDI) Doctors at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center made history with a 7-hour operation to deliver Upstaza gene therapy directly to the brain of a 4-year-old girl from India. The NIS  10 million cost per vial was the most expensive single Israeli surgery ever and was given free of charge.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/04/02/israeli-doctors-make-history-with-gene-therapy-treatment-to-brain/
 
The origin of red blood cells. Researchers led by Professor Ido Amit of Israel’s Weizmann Institute, have discovered that the kidney is the source of the hormone EPO (erythropoietin), which turns cells in the bone marrow into oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Increasing EPO in kidney disease patients could prevent anemia.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/breakthrough-discovery-on-the-origin-of-red-blood-cells/
 
US approves portable 3D X-ray device. Israel’s Nanox (see here previously) has received US FDA approval for its light-weight imaging system for clinics and hospitals. The Nanox.ARC can employ up to five separate X-ray-emitting tubes at once for a 3D image. The FDA approved Nanox’s single-source X-ray bed in early 2021.
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/nanox-scores-clearance-cloud-connected-x-ray-bed-after-years-fda-review  https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-nanox-wins-fda-approval-for-cloud-based-xray-system-1001445270
 
Schizophrenia treatment gets US approval. The US FDA has approved UZEDY (risperidone), developed for the treatment of schizophrenia by Israel’s Teva and France’s Medincell. In a Phase 3 human clinical trial, UZEDY demonstrated up to 80% reduction in risk of schizophrenia relapse versus a placebo.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-fda-approves-innovative-teva-schizophrenia-drug-1001445160
https://www.tevapharm.com/news-and-media/latest-news/teva-and-medincell-announce-fda-approval-of-uzedy-risperidone-extended-release-injectable-suspension-/
 
Diagnosing children with fever. The 15-min BV test from Israel’s MeMed (see here previously) accurately diagnosed over 90% of bacterial versus viral infections at Israel’s Schneider Children’s Medical Center, reducing Emergency Department physician error. The study tested 287 children from 3 months to 18 years.
https://www.me-med.com/press-releases/clinical-data-validate-pioneering-memed-bv-technology-improves-diagnosis-of-pediatric-patients-with-fever-in-the-emergency-department/
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281018
 
Relieving post-op pain. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s PainReform has just completed a Phase 3 human trial of its PRF-110 post-operative pain relief. The oil-based, viscous, clear solution is deposited directly into the surgical wound bed prior to closure to provide localized and extended post-operative analgesia.
https://painreform.com/releases/painreform-announces-positive-safety-data-in-first-part-of-phase-3-clinical-trialof-prf-110-in-patients-undergoing-bunionectomy-surgery/  
 
Modifying gut bacteria to fight disease. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Trobix Bio is using CRISPR, phage, and synthetic biology technologies to develop precision microbiome oncology therapeutics. TBX101 counters anti-biotic resistance; TBX201 reduces chemotherapy side-effects; TBX301 tackles gut inflammation.
https://www.trobix.bio/   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1MsWkhBAyM
 
Israeli partnership to bio-print organs. Israeli startups Stratasys (see here previously) and CollPlant (see here previously) are jointly to create human tissues and organs. They will use Stratasys’ P3 bioprinter and CollPlant’s rh-Collagen-based bioinks. The first project will be to produce reconstructive implants.
https://ir.collplant.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/144/stratasys-and-collplant-unite-technologies-to-transform
 
Award-winning skin therapy. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s SofWave Medical (see here previously) has won two recent international awards. At the 13th Annual NewBeauty Awards it won Best Noninvasive Cellulite Treatment. Then it won the Good Housekeeping Magazine Award for Best Anti-Aging Pro Treatment.
https://sofwave.com/news/sofwave-wins-2023-newbeauty-award-for-best-non-invasive-cellulite-treatment/
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/05/02/2659180/0/en/Sofwave-Wins-Good-Housekeeping-Magazine-Award-for-Best-Anti-Aging-Pro-Treatment.html
 
Prize-winning pain relief. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s TrainPain has won the Grand Prize in the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) & MIT Hacking Medicine Innovation Challenge. TrainPain uses neurotechnology to retrain sensory the brain through engaging haptic mobile games.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trainpain-awarded-grand-prize-in-the-american-academy-of-pain-medicine–mit-hacking-medicine-innovation-challenge-301814260.html  https://www.trainpain.com/
https://pain.haifa.ac.il/projects/train-pain/
 
Reduction in Israeli skin cancer rates. In the 1990s, Israel had the 3rd highest rate of melanoma (skin cancer) per capita in the world. In 2020, Israel was not even in the top 20. Reasons include the Chacham B’Shemesh (Smart in the Sun) programs from preschool to 12th grade. Plus, annual checkups and early excision.
https://www.israel21c.org/melanoma-deaths-are-dropping-in-israel-heres-why/

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19641/palestine-river-to-sea

It is impossible to imagine that the anti-Israel activists have no idea that the chant is a common call-to-arms for those who want to destroy Israel.

The slogan reflects the wishes of Iran and its terror proxies — especially Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah — to replace Israel with a 57th Islamic state – from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Iranian leaders and officials have often repeated that their goal is to “wipe Israel off the map.”

By using this slogan, Iran and Hamas are saying, bluntly…that the land stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea is all Muslim-owned land that cannot be given away to any non-Muslims.

Article 11 of the Hamas charter leaves no room for doubt; it is straightforwardly genocidal: “The Islamic Republic Movement (Hamas) believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered; it, or any part of it, should not be given up.”

Articles 13 of the Hamas charter openly advocates the use of violence to kill Jews and eliminate Israel: “There is no solution for the Palestinian question expect through Jihad (holy war).”

Article 15 of the Hamas charter goes on to argue that “Jihad is the individual duty of every Muslim…It is necessary to instill the spirit of Jihad in the heart of the nation so that they would confront the enemies and join the ranks of the fighters.”

The anti-Israel activists who chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” are — whether they know it or not — endorsing the ideology of Iran’s mullahs, Hamas and other terror groups that have long worked to achieve their goal of destroying Israel.

These activists, who often describe themselves as “pro-Palestinian,” do not actually care about Palestinians or “freeing Palestine.” If they did, they would instead be calling for better opportunities for Palestinians; Palestinian governance that was less corrupt; the equal application under Palestinian leadership of the rule of law; women’s and children’s rights, and freedom of speech, assembly and the press.

The current protestors are nothing but Israel-haters — really, anti-Semites — who have aligned themselves with Muslim extremists and terrorists.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19639/palestinians-human-rights

The failure [to report the deaths of two men in Hamas custody] underscores what appears their total lack of concern for the human rights of Palestinians living under the rule of Hamas….

The media seem more worried about the human rights of Palestinian terrorists than the rights of victims of Palestinian terrorists.

Adnan [the leader of the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad] was neither tortured nor mistreated in Israeli prison.

The stories of the two Palestinian men who died in Hamas custody are vastly different from that of Adnan. Al-Sufi’s family insist he died of torture while in Hamas custody.

Foreign journalists did not visit, or even try to contact, the families of the two men held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The UN and human rights organizations — who expressed so much concern over the death of the hunger striker in an Israeli prison — have yet to comment on the suspicious deaths of the two Palestinians in Hamas detention in the Gaza Strip, which could constitute crimes against humanity.

No one cares about the two men who died in Hamas custody, apparently because Israel is not associated with their deaths. Had Al-Sufi and Al-Louh died in an Israeli prison, they would have made headlines in The New York Times, the BBC and CNN.

The newspapers and media organizations turning a blind eye to human rights violations committed by Hamas against Palestinians are implying, through their failure to cover these suspicious deaths, that there is nothing newsworthy about Palestinians reportedly being tortured to death in Palestinian prisons.

The media’s indifference to these deaths appears the result of the “racism of low expectations.”

“They treat Muslims like monkeys in a zoo,” stated Egyptian scholar Hamed Abdel Samad. It is as if journalists and so-called human rights groups assume that Muslims are such savages that it would be laughable even to expect civilized behavior from them; so why report it at all?

Some of these “correspondents” appear so blinded by their bigotry that, under the banner of being “pro-Palestinian,” they are ready to give Hamas a free pass to arrest, torture and kill as many of their fellow-Palestinians they wish.

There is much damning evidence of anti-Israel bias in the mainstream media and so-called human rights organizations in the West.

Those who ignore human rights violations committed by both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority against Palestinians do a massive disservice to the Palestinians whom they claim to support, but who remain horribly mistreated by their own leaders.

The death on May 1 in an Israeli prison of Khader Adnan, a senior member of the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization, has received worldwide coverage in major media outlets, including CNN, BBC, The Guardian, Reuters, and The New York Times.

 www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com 

Here are just a few headlines about Israel from Michael Ordman but please read the whole list below:

Israelis have developed and implanted the world’s smallest heart pump.
Medical experts come to Israel to learn about healthy aging.
Israelis show the Jewish State in its true light to the United Nations.
Israeli technology can solve the problem of unrecyclable plastic.
Israeli airport security scanning is keeping our skies safe.
Oil from Jerusalem is used to anoint King Charles.

This is what is happening in Israel 24/7 as scientists, doctors and techies work to make the globe safer and enrich and prolong and improve the lives of billions throughout the world. And there is also the Israel that is fun and happy with cafes, beaches, restaurants, theaters, concerts and every form of entertainment from Avant Garde to the Classics. Even those detractors in the media who libel the nation in their daily slander, love being posted there. As one of my granddaughters said: “Israel is “cool.” If you can, go there before it gets hot.  rsk

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.tctmd.com/slide/magenta-elevatetm-high-output-low-french-size-percutaneous-left-ventricular-support-device  https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjv57t14h
 
Cold cure. (TY Hazel) 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. (TY UWI & I24 News) 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.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_0IfKRI0As
 
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/   https://slcc.co.il/
 
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. (TY WIN & I24 News) A new video which explains how Israel has grown to an innovation powerhouse.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oNjVyCKEGY
 
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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwi8wTTcnGM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zskIHfyVXM
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/  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npp9-vYYx7Q
 
Biodegradable plastic. (TY Hazel) 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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM8QhUtGU7U  https://www.biotic-labs.com/
 
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/  https://mayuwater.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxsWaEChE7M   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOrwa6Mo4VM
 
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. (TY Hazel) 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. (TY Nevet) 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. (TY OurCrowd) 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. (TY Nevet) 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. https://www.timesofisrael.com/abraham-accords-allow-israelis-to-excavate-two-huge-genizas-found-in-rural-morocco/
 
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/