RUTHFULLY YOURS

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

New pathway to treat Parkinson’s. An Israeli-led international study has discovered that proteins called BMP5/7 are essential for the latest stem cell replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease. The proteins help to stimulate the production of dopaminergic neurons, which Parkinson’s patients lack.
https://www.israel21c.org/cell-discovery-holds-out-promise-for-parkinsons-therapy/
http://www.jneurosci.org/content/38/7/1662

New vaccine for Alzheimer’s. Professor Eitan Okun at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University has developed a vaccine that primes the body to attack amyloid beta protein accumulations in the brain, one of the signature signs of Alzheimer’s disease. He is also working on early diagnosis using MRI detection of amyloid protein in the brain.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-scientist-working-on-alzheimers-vaccine/

US approval for stroke detection. I reported previously (28th Jan) that Israel’s Viz.ai had received the CE mark (European approval) for its brain scan analysis system for detecting strokes. Now the US FDA has also approved the system. http://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3736574,00.html

Treating bipolar depression. Tel Aviv University researchers have confirmed the effectiveness of bipolar depression sufferers combining mood stabilizers with anti-depressants. 81.7% of patients using both avoided re-hospitalization (for manic episodes), compared to only 57.6% of patients who did not receive the combination.
https://www.israel21c.org/study-identifies-new-method-of-treating-bipolar-depression/
https://www.europeanneuropsychopharmacology.com/article/S0924-977X(18)30030-0/abstract

Alerting patients to ALL relapse risk. (TY Atid-EDI) Israeli biotech Curewize successfully completed the clinical trial of its lead product ProALLBM on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. ProALLBM reveals patients’ risk of relapse with just one bone marrow sample. They can then be given early treatment.
https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/prnewswire/press_releases/Georgia/2018/04/03/enUK201803265602?ana=prnews

An atlas of the human genome. Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have generated an atlas of the human genome. It includes the roles that genes play in health and disease, plus the effect of over 180,000 gene mutations. http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/jerusalem/hebrew-u-scientists-use-stem-cells-to-generate-atlas-of-human-genome/2018/04/23/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41556-018-0088-1

Trauma training for South African medics. I reported previously (3rd Sep) on the work of Israeli emergency NGO United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit in Houston Texas. Now the unit, headed by its director Miriam Ballin, is travelling to Johannesburg, South Africa to train 60 Jewish EMTs there.
https://www.israel21c.org/israelis-to-train-s-african-medics-in-emotional-first-aid/

Ovarian failure patient has healthy son. Sigalit suffered from “premature ovarian failure” that typically causes loss of normal ovarian function, resulting in infertility. After many years of suffering she was about to have a hysterectomy. Then she discovered she was pregnant and, aged 40, gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
http://www.sdjewishworld.com/2018/04/25/ovarian-failure-didnt-stop-a-babys-birth/

Cornerstone laid for new Zaka HQ. The cornerstone has been laid for a new ZAKA volunteer organization’s world headquarters in Jerusalem. ZAKA’s volunteers assist ambulance crews, aid in the identification of the victims of terrorism, road accidents and other disasters, and ensure proper burial where necessary.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/jerusalem/zaka-lays-cornerstone-for-jerusalem-world-headquarters/2018/04/24/

ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

Annual Israeli-Druze festival. (TY WIN) Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and many Israeli politicians joined in the annual Druze festival celebrations. Many Druze traveled from afar to visit the Tomb of Jethro near the Sea of Galilee. Jethro (father-in-law to Moses) is one of the main prophets of the Druze religion.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/amoUTjg0i5A?rel=0

$5.6 million for Israeli-Arabs hi-tech jobs. (TY UWI) Israel’s parliamentary committee for Arab affairs has allocated $5.6 million (NIS 20 million) to a new program that will provide thousands of Israeli-Arabs with jobs in the local tech sector. The funds will be used to establish tech workspaces and improve roads in Arab towns.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3736640,00.html

Israeli Arab lights Independence Day torch. I reported previously (Aug 2014) on Israeli Arab Professor Ahmed Eid who is Head of General Surgery at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center. Professor Eid proudly lit one of the twelve torches at the 70th Anniversary Independence Day ceremony.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-meet-the-israeli-arab-doctor-who-is-one-of-israels-top-surgeons/
http://www.hadassah-med.com/doctors/prof-eid-ahmed

A new lease of life. Another talk by Sivan Yaari, CEO of Innovation: Africa, this time at UK’s Manchester Grammar School. The solar electricity and water generating facilities provided by the Israeli NGO means no more famine in poverty-stricken African villages – and has even kick-started an entrepreneurial spirit.
http://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/africa-gains-from-israels-solar-system/

Israeli solar power is vital to Liberia. I reported previously (Nov 2016) that Israel’s Energiya Global is to install Liberia’s first ever solar field. I hadn’t realized that the 10MW plant will supply 25% of the country’s generation capacity. Following its civil war, Liberia is rebuilding its power infrastructure from scratch.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2017/06/06/israels-energiya-global-to-build-liberias-first-10-mw-plant-invest-1-billion-to-african-pv/

250 US delegation for Embassy opening. A huge delegation of 250 American dignitaries will arrive in Israel to attend the official dedication ceremony for the US Embassy in Jerusalem on 5th May. They include Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt, and Senators Ted Cruz and Lindsay Graham.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/massive-us-delegation-to-attend-jerusalem-embassy-dedication/

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Israeli gas and oil exploration. Geologist Eitan Aizenberg discovered Israel’s giant natural offshore gas field, Leviathan. He reveals that talented Israeli graduates are now exploring for oil and gas in South America, Malta, Ireland and the Philippines, using Israeli supercomputers to analyze 3D seismic tests.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/octogenarian-geologist-behind-israels-giant-gas-field-eyes-foreign-waters/

Preventing the spread of forest fires. 17-year-old twins Gilad and Neta Drori have developed a system to identify wildfires before they spread. Their system takes aerial photos taken by satellite or cameras attached to observer balloons, which then analyses and compares them using an algorithm for image processing.
https://www.jpost.com/Jpost-Tech/Israeli-students-develop-tech-to-identify-wildfires-before-they-spread-552514 https://www.youtube.com/embed/-kDTIzAngGU?rel=0

Israel’s involvement in Orion space project. The launch date for EM-1 – the first of NASA’s Orion deep space exploratory missions – has been moved to Dec 2019 when it will test the innovative radiation protection suit from Israel’s StemRad. EM-2, scheduled for 2023, will use over 100 parts 3D printed by Israel’s Stratasys.
http://nocamels.com/2018/04/nasa-to-test-israeli-made-radiation-protection-space-vest-on-orion-em-1-flight/
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-stratasys-to-provide-3d-printed-parts-for-orion-spacecraft-1001232359

A simple robot to pick fruit and more. (TY Hazel) Researchers at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University have developed a low cost, low energy robot resembling a snake. It has applications from picking fruit to search and rescue to repairing satellites. https://www.israel21c.org/new-snake-robot-could-pick-fruit-or-fix-satellites/
https://www.youtube.com/embed/HEHuoeMLV_o?rel=0

Israeli agricultural novelties. Comedian Yuval Haklai takes us on a light-hearted tour of some of the latest Israeli agricultural innovations on show at the Arava 2018 Agricultural Exhibition. They include natural pesticides and pollinators, the world’s smallest tomato, winter-grown raspberries and medicinal plants.
https://www.israel21c.org/21see-explores-israels-latest-agricultural-novelties/
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ntSL-BOtKwQ?rel=0

Visual artificial intelligence. I reported previously (Aug 2012) about Israeli startup Cortica which had developed an image analysis system with marketing potential. Cortica has since applied its self-learning visual intelligence technology to autonomous cars, drones, media, robotics, smart cities and medical image analysis.
http://nocamels.com/2018/04/cortica-autonomous-tech-elon-musk/
https://www.youtube.com/embed/1cZAAMk2GkI?rel=0 https://www.youtube.com/embed/a3qsoevtDiU?rel=0

Detecting when students cheat. Israeli startup Copyleaks Technologies has developed a system to help identify plagiarism (i.e. where students copy material and try to pass it off as their own without attributing the sources). Copyleaks’ system understands the ideas behind the texts – i.e. not just an exact word comparison.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3735323,00.html

Monitoring cargo in transit. Israel’s Contguard provides real-time data analysis for managing cargo in transit. It provides IoT (Internet of Things)-enabled shipment monitoring, real-time data and business intelligence to manufacturers and suppliers who ship goods globally. Contguard has just received funds from Citi Bank.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3735345,00.html

We deliver in 15 minutes. (TY Atid-EDI) Israeli startup GetPackage offers delivery services inside Israel within 15 minutes after the order is made. The company monitors each delivery and the route taken. It is now setting up infrastructure on the US East Coast, with a database of 7,000 registered delivery people.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-2m-invested-in-home-delivery-startup-getpackage-1001231022

Tools to develop AI products. Israel-based Allegro.AI offers a development and management platform for artificial intelligence (AI) technology. It simplifies the process of developing and managing AI-based services such as autonomous vehicles and drones, security, and logistics, with a special focus on computer vision.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3736776,00.html

Chocolate and ice cream for diabetics. Israeli startup A1C Foods develops chocolate and ice cream that do not impact blood sugar levels. Instead of substituting real sugar with artificial sweeteners, traditional ingredients like flour and sugar, are mixed with a patent-pending formulation that lowers their glycemic index.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3736497,00.html

3D-printed veggie burgers. (TY WIN) Israeli startup Chef-It is developing a 3D printer that can “print” and grill/bake/fry a hamburger made of cellulose plus plant-based proteins, fats and flavorings. Chef-It co-founder Professor Oded Shoseyov of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University has already made a prototype of the printer.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3736700,00.html

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

At 70 – Israel’s economy exceeds expectations. Ambassador Yoram Ettinger compares Israel’s situation now to that earlier in its history. The statistics are quite staggering. Population, GDP, employment, national debt, exports, foreign investment, inflation, life expectancy, women in work and much more.
http://theettingerreport.com/Overseas-Investments/At-70-%E2%80%93-Israel-s-economy-exceeds-expectations.aspx

Israel – Island of Success. Promotion video for a new book “Israel – Island of Success” by Noga Kainan and Adam Reuter. It asks and answers questions such as, “Why is Israel a success?”, “Is this success sustainable?” and “What is Israel’s probable future? “ https://www.youtube.com/embed/MnNEO9DIf1o?rel=0
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Israels-economy-Reasons-to-be-cheerful-and-some-for-concern-452550
https://www.amazon.com/Israel-challenge-mechanism-sustainable-probable/dp/1979817170

The largest group of tech investors to visit Israel. A delegation of 300 international Kauffman Fellows to their Annual Summit is the largest contingent of global VCs ever to come to Israel as a group. The venture capitalists represent the likes of Microsoft, Intel, Google, BlackRock etc. and are invested in some 500 startups.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/global-vc-execs-flock-to-israel-to-study-tech-ecosystem/

New health fund raises $200 million. Israeli life-sciences venture capital firm aMoon Partners has raised $200 million for a new fund aMoon II that will invest in digital health life-science companies. The final target for the fund is $500 million. The $200 million fund, aMoon I, was set-up two years ago and is invested in 16 startups.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/billionaire-nachts-new-israel-healthcare-fund-raises-200-million/

Amsterdam to Eilat. Air France – KLM subsidiary Transavia Airlines is to fly twice weekly during the winter months from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to Ovda, north of Eilat. 17,700 Dutch tourists entered Israel in the first quarter of 2018 – a 37% increase on 2017 and 80% up on 2016.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3736273,00.html

Lab for food-innovation startups. Israel’s Frutarom is setting up FoodNxt, a lab for startups and ventures specializing in food innovation to address obesity and diabetes, to find protein alternatives, natural, healthy foods and more. The lab in Migdal HaEmek will provide financing, advanced equipment, and a support team.
http://www.frutaromnatural.com/frutaroms-food-innovation-lab

Smart videos for Chinese soccer teams. Israel-based startup Pixellot has sold its video production systems to Chinese Premier League’s Jiangsu Suning Football Club as the first of its deal with China Sports Media. Pixellot’s automated multi-camera system gives a panoramic view of sports events for coaching purposes.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3736585,00.html

The US’s 5th largest convenience store business. Israel’s Arko Holdings has completed a complex deal for the purchase and lease of 267 US fuel stations and convenience store sites, including E-Z Mart. Arko’s GPM subsidiary now controls 1,224 sites and fuels another 138 stations in 22 states – the US’s 5th largest operator.
https://www.globes.co.il/en/article-arko-holdings-further-expands-us-fuel-station-business-1001232594

CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT

Front row at Israel’s birthday show. My friend Sharon was in the Press stand at the 70th Anniversary Yom Ha’Atzmaut show on Mount Herzl Jerusalem. Here are her photos of the event and afterwards.
http://rjstreets.com/2018/04/23/best-of-independence-day-israel-at-70/

Tel Aviv’s new Independence trail. (TY Janglo & Jacques) Tel Aviv’s new day/night interactive 1km Independence Trail uses a unique mobile app to guide tourists past 10 heritage sites. A map is also available in Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Chinese and Russian.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-walk-down-tel-avivs-new-independence-trail/
http://israelbetweenthelines.com/2018/04/26/follow-tel-avivs-new-yellow-brick-road/

Israel loves The Backstreet Boys. (TY Hazel) Following their successful Israel concert in 2015 (see here)The Back Street Boys performed again in front of 15,000 enthusiastic fans in Rishon Lezion Live Park.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/backsteets-back-in-israel-and-15000-fans-want-it-that-way/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyE6NsQ8-0g

19 more Israeli summer concerts. Up-coming Israeli performances include Jamiroquai, Azealia Banks, Milky Chance, Enrique Iglesias, alt-J, Matisyahu, Jessie Ware, Sofi Tukker, The Stranglers, Ringo Starr, Avenged Sevenfold, Gilberto Gil, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice in Chains, Ziggy Marley, Beach Boys and Grandmaster Flash.
https://www.israel21c.org/19-must-see-concerts-in-israel-this-summer/
And (hot off the press) it’s certainly not “ironic” that Alanis Morissette is returning to Israel on 30th July.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Alanis-Morissette-returning-for-Israel-concert-552665
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jne9t8sHpUc?rel=0

Israel’s most advanced stadium. (TY Janglo) Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem is being upgraded. Its roof will be completed to make it Israel’s largest indoor stadium, with 32,000 seats. Other upgrades include to its sound system, dressing rooms and heating. It is already powered by a 686KW solar energy system.
https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/1505159/photos-jerusalems-teddy-stadium-to-be-overhauled.html

2.1km tunnel – for cyclists. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat inaugurated Jerusalem’s 2.1km “Gihon” tunnel – Israel’s longest underground cycling tunnel. “We use tunnels for good purposes, such as sports, in contrast to Hamas,” Barkat told reporters. The tunnel connects Ein Lavan (Biblical zoo) to Kerem junction, near Hadassah.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/jerusalem/israel-gets-its-first-cycling-tunnel/2018/04/24/

The London Marathon in an Israeli exoskeleton. Simon Kindleysides of Norfolk, England became the first paralyzed man to finish the London Marathon when he completed the 26.2 miles in 36 hours wearing an Israeli Rewalk exoskeleton robotic suit. Simon raised £19,000 for charity and won the #SpiritofLondon award.
https://www.jpost.com/International/Paralyzed-man-finishes-London-Marathon-thanks-to-Israeli-robotic-suit-552678 https://www.youtube.com/embed/aB0pfAL6MdU?rel=0

THE JEWISH STATE

How Israel evacuated Ethiopian Jews from Sudan. Great story on the BBC website about the Israeli scuba diving center on the Sudanese coast that was really a secret base from which Israel’s Mossad ran “Operation Moses” – flying thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel from their temporary camp in the Sudan desert.
http://www.bbc.com/news/stories-43702764

The future of Israel looks good. Professor Efraim Inbar is President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies. He analyzes Israel positively in terms of its security, economy, society, democracy, and international relations. http://jiss.org.il/en/inbar-future-israel-looks-good/

70 years in 2 minutes. Quite amazing to see what Israel has achieved in such a short time.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/HIQedN2QCZk?rel=0

Mezuzah for US Jerusalem embassy. As part of the May 14 ceremony to mark the official opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, a mezuzah will be affixed to the embassy building. The U.S. embassy will initially be situated in what is now the U.S. Consulate building, whilst a new building is being constructed.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/may-14-opening-of-us-embassy-in-jerusalem-to-include-mezuzah-hanging-ceremony/2018/04/24/

Jerusalem embassy for Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is to start moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Czech President Miloš Zeman, ended his speech at a Prague Castle event to celebrate Israel’s 70th anniversary with “Next Year in Jerusalem”.
http://www.bicom.org.uk/news/czech-republic-move-embassy-jerusalem/

$70 million for Taglit-Birthright. On the eve of Israel’s 70th Independence Day, Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson surprised the 650 audience at the 18th annual Taglit-Birthright Israel gala by donating $70 million to the project. Since its inception in 2000, Taglit-Birthright has brought over 600,000 Jewish youths to Israel.
http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/04/17/to-celebrate-israels-70th-anniversary-adelsons-donate-70m-to-taglit/

Keeping the Land beautiful. (TY Avi) The Beautiful Land Initiative (BLI) aims to clean up the litter in Israel through the help of volunteers and businesses. Israel is holy and needs to be kept clean and beautiful. Their Pesach video shows them cleaning up the Kinneret shore.
https://israelunwired.com/when-people-of-all-backgrounds-come/
https://www.youtube.com/embed/7gvDgu6U6OY?rel=0

1. In 1948, conventional wisdom considered the newly-reestablished Jewish State insolvent economically, indefensible militarily, a basket case, totally dependent upon handouts.

2. In 2018, Forbes Magazine quoted Warren Buffett (February 26, 2018): “I’m not Jewish, but Israel reminds me of the USA after its birth. The determination, motivation, intelligence and initiative of its people are remarkable and extraordinary. I’m a big believer in Israel’s economy.” According to Forbes, “Buffett just purchased a $358MN stake in Teva Pharmaceutical, 1.8% of Teva’s outstanding shares…. In 2006, Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway purchased an 80% stake in Israel’s Iscar for $4BN, its first international acquisition…. In 2013, Berkshire bought out the remaining 20% for $2BN…. Other Israeli companies purchased by Berkshire include eVolution Networks, creators of wireless network energy savings software, Ray-Q Interconnect, a distributor of electronic components and AgroLogic, a designer of electronic control units for agriculture….”

3. Amazon’s Israel – Island of Success by Adam Reuter and Noga Kainan provides critical data on Israel’s surging economy:

From 1987 to 2017, Israel’s population upsurged from 4.4MN to 8.75MN; GDP – from $35BN to $358BN; GDP per capita – from $8,000 to $41,000; tax burden – from 45% to 30%; foreign exchange reserves – from $4BN to $112BN; national debt to GDP ratio – from 155% to 59%; defense expenditures- from 17% to 4.5% of GDP; US foreign aid (actually, US investment in Israel) – from 7% to 1% of GDP; exports – from $10BN to $102BN; independent energy resources – from 4% to 65% (66% of electricity consumption); desalinated water – from 3% to 50%; annual inflation – from 16% (450% in 1985) to 0.30%; life expectancy – from 75 to 82 years; women’s participation in the job market – from 36% to 58%.

Since the year 2000, Israel’s economy has grown 65% – 2nd best among the OECD countries.

Zomlot informed his Jewish audience, in English, what he would never dare say in Arabic — that the Palestinians will one day recognize the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.

If Zomlot made such a statement in his native Arabic language, he would be denounced as a traitor — if he were very lucky. If he were less lucky, he would end up in a hospital or morgue.

Zomlot knows that he can always deny (in Arabic) what he said in English.

Denial of Jewish history in Jerusalem and the existence of the Jewish Temple has always been a central component of the Palestinian narrative and ideology.

Palestinians, like members of all societies, disagree on many things. Nevertheless, when it comes to the historical connection between Jews and Jerusalem, Palestinians manage to unite in lies: Palestinian political leaders, academics and religious leaders have long promoted the false narrative that Jerusalem was, and remains, an Arab and Islamic city.

We are currently witnessing a new twist on this old lie.

It seems that some Palestinians are now trying to deceive the world into believing that they do, indeed, recognize the Jewish people’s historic connection to Jerusalem.

The problem is that Palestinian officials tell their people one thing in Arabic and the rest of the world another thing in English.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has condemned the attempts of Israel to defend its borders following violent riots along the Gaza border , as he called on the Trump administration and Congress to take action against Israel, but not against Hamas, which provoked these riots.

Every week thousands of Islamists (Hamas terrorists & their supporters) take part in violent riots along the Gaza border.
During which rioters they threw rocks, firebombs and even opened fire at Israeli troops on the other side of the fence.
For many Israeli families, the Gaza Strip is a short walk from their backyard. IDF soldiers don’t just protect a border, but what lies behind it — our families, our homes, and our children.
The Muslim rioters in Gaza waved Nazi flags between two “Palestinian” terror flags during the riots But Bernie Sanders supports their right to demonstrate (call for the murder of Jews).
These are not peaceful demonstrations. There are many videos on social media that show the rioters yelling “Death to the Jews” throwing stones and Molotov cocktails and even using kites to fly Molotov cocktails into Israeli towns along the border.
Senator Sanders has a problem with the fact that Israel has a right to defend itself and its borders and shoot terrorists who are trying to invade Israeli towns from Gaza.
Hamas is responsible for the whole situation, Bernie Sanders supports a terrorist organization who cares nothing for the people of Gaza. Also, the word “occupation” is incorrect.
When Israel left the Gaza Strip, Gaza was free and all Jews were expelled.
Hamas took control on the Gaza Strip, imposed sharia law and declared war on Israel with the declared goal of destroying the Jewish state.

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

Long-lasting MS treatment. Israeli biotech Mapi has developed a formulation of Glatiramer Acetate that Multiple Sclerosis patients only need take once a month, rather than daily. Glatiramer Acetate Depot is still in Phase 3 trials but Mapi has already sold the marketing rights to multinational giant Mylan.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/mylan-buys-rights-to-israel-developed-ms-treatment/

More generic alternatives. (TY Atid EDI) Israel’s Teva has launched generic versions of the anti-nausea treatment ALOXI and Lialda delayed-release mesalamine. It is good news for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and ulcerative colitis sufferers respectively.
https://www.tevagenerics.com/product/palonosetron-hydrochloride-injection
https://www.tevagenerics.com/product/mesalamine-delayed-release-tablets-usp

Glucose monitor approved for iPhones. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Jan 2016) that the Israeli Dario blood sugar monitor had received FDA approval. Now approval has been extended for the device to be used on the latest Apple iPhones including iPhone 7, 8 and X. http://mydario.investorroom.com/2018-03-26-DarioHealth-Receives-U-S-FDA-Clearance-for-iPhone-7-8-and-iPhone-X-Smart-Glucose-Meter

Smartphone-based urine tests at home. Israeli startup Healthy.io has partnered with the American National Kidney Foundation and Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System to offer its home testing kits to U.S. patients. Healthy.io transforms a regular smartphone into a device that performs lab-standard urine analysis.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3736139,00.html https://healthy.io/
https://vimeo.com/195720514 BBC doesn’t mention Israel. CNBC does! https://vimeo.com/154610009

Diagnosing resistant hypertension. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Aug 2011) that Hadassah surgeons had devised and used an innovative tool to treat resistant hypertension due to overactive kidney nerves. Now Israel’s Pythagoras Medical has received the CE mark for its ConfidenHT System to help identify such patients.
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/pythagoras-medical-receives-ce-mark-for-the-confidenht-system-677894643.html http://www.rainbowmd.com/our-companies/

Adam Armoush is a 21-year-old Israeli Arab who, on a recent outing in Berlin, donned a yarmulke to test a friend’s contention that it was unsafe to do so in Germany. On Tuesday he was assaulted in broad daylight by a Syrian asylum-seeker who whipped him with a belt for being “yahudi” — Arabic for Jew.

The episode was caught on video and has caused a national uproar. Heiko Maas, the foreign minister, tweeted, “Jews shall never again feel threatened here.”

It’s a vow not likely to be fulfilled. There were nearly 1,000 reported anti-Semitic incidents in Berlin alone last year. A neo-fascist party, Alternative for Germany, has 94 seats in the Bundestag. Last Thursday, a pair of German rappers won a prestigious music award, given largely on the basis of sales, for an album in which they boast of having bodies “more defined than Auschwitz prisoners.” The award ceremony coincided with Holocaust Remembrance Day.

To be Jewish — at least visibly Jewish — in Europe is to live on borrowed time. That’s not to doubt the sincerity and good will of Maas or other European leaders who recommit to combating anti-Semitism every time a European Jew is murdered or a Jewish institution attacked. It’s only to doubt their capacity.

There’s a limit to how many armed guards can be deployed indefinitely to protect synagogues or stop Holocaust memorials from being vandalized. There’s a limit, also, to trying to cure bigotry with earnest appeals to tolerance. The German government is mulling a proposal to require recent arrivals in the country to tour Nazi concentration camps as a way of engendering a feeling of empathy for Jews. It doesn’t seem to occur to anyone that, to the virulent anti-Semite, Buchenwald is a source of inspiration, not shame.

All this comes to mind as Israel this week marks (in the Hebrew calendar) the 70th anniversary of its independence. There are many reasons to celebrate the date, many of them lofty: a renaissance for Jewish civilization; the creation of a feisty liberal democracy in a despotic neighborhood; the ecological rescue of a once-barren land; the end of 1,878 years of exile.

In the run-up to this week’s 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence, Israeli Defense Forces chief of Staff General Gabi Eisenkot pronounced the country “invincible.”

This was a bold statement. The country faces a growing threat from Iran and its puppets in Lebanon and Gaza, and the possibility of a clash with Russia over Syria. And yet, few Israelis have disagreed with this assessment.

There is mood of confidence here, and its origin lies in a doctrine of strategic defense that has proven itself over nearly a century of intermittent warfare.

That doctrine was first enunciated in an article in 1923 entitled “The Iron Wall.” Its author was Ze’ev Jabotinsky, a visionary Zionist leader and the ideological father of the Likud.

At the time of its publication, the Jews of Palestine were a small, embattled minority. Only three years had passed since the first Arab riots in Jerusalem against them. The Jewish community’s socialist leaders hoped they could appease Arab enmity by offering economic cooperation, progress and prosperity.

Jabotinsky derided this as childish, and insulting to the Arabs, who would not barter away their homeland for more bread or modern railroads. They would, he said, resist while they had a spark of hope of preventing a Jewish state.

“There is only one thing the Zionists want, and that is the one thing the Arabs do not want,” he wrote. Nothing short of abandoning the Zionist project would placate Arab hostility and violence. If the Jews wanted to remain, they would have to come to terms with a harsh reality: This was a zero-sum game. There could be no peace until the Arabs accepted Israel’s right to exist.

Jabotinsky saw that the Arabs (in Palestine and beyond) were far too numerous to be defeated in a single decisive war. The Jews needed to erect an iron wall of self-defense and deterrence — a metaphorical wall built of Jewish determination, immigration, material progress, strong democratic institutions and a willingness to fight. Gradually, the enemy would be forced to conclude that this wall could not be breached.

The Iron Wall concept was intended to deter aggression until psychological victory was won, and extremists, “whose watchword is ‘Never!’” were replaced by more moderate leaders willing to live peacefully with a Jewish state.