POSITIVE NEWS FROM ISRAEL: FROM MICHAEL ORDMAN
www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com
As some of Israel’s hostages, kidnapped by Hamas, are returning to freedom, thousands of Israelis have been returning from overseas to help fight terrorism or to give support to those adversely impacted by the war. Many hundreds are making Aliyah and returning to the land of their ancestors. There are also some amazing stories of Israeli farmers returning time and again on Oct 7 to rescue survivors while under fire from terrorists.
Meanwhile, startups are returning to full operation, despite having many employees in military service. And Israel has allocated over one billion shekels to return devastated communities back to their previous physical condition. Finally, a Torah scroll made a triumphant return to Gaza after an 18-year absence.
Michael Ordman
POSITIVE NEWS DURING A WAR
Farmer saves 120 from Hamas. Incredible dashcam footage shows farmer Oz Davidian dodging bullets as he saved 120 lives from the Supernova music festival on Oct 7. He drove his truck on 20 separate journeys from the Re’im site of the open-air party to bring survivors to safety. https://www.timesofisrael.com/truck-dashcam-footage-shows-farmer-dodging-bullets-as-he-saved-120-from-music-festival/
Ofek the heroine. Six-year-old Ofek nearly died from blood loss on Oct 7 after Hamas terrorists shot her in the leg. MDA paramedic Yarin and EMT Gali treated Ofek and were amazed at how calm she was. A month later they brought Ofek a unicorn doll inscribed “To Ofek the heroine, with great love, Gali and Yarin from MDA”.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/380453
Iron defenses. Israel made the first operational use its “Iron Beam” laser defense system. It successfully intercepted an incoming rocket fired by terrorists in the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory. Israel also used its high-accuracy “Iron Sting” GPS/laser-guided mortar for the first time in combat.
https://www.jns.org/iron-beam-laser-intercepts-hamas-rocket-from-gaza/
Fast track for volunteer doctors. The Jewish Agency, Nefesh b’Nefesh and Israel’s Aliyah Ministry are setting up a database to help global physicians (Jewish and non-Jewish) volunteer in hospitals and medical facilities around the country as quickly and efficiently as possible. 70+ have already arrived and begun work.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/380610
More volunteering opportunities. This Israel21c article lists dozens of organizations who can provide exciting and rewarding experiences while helping the disadvantaged and the whole of Israel at this time.
https://www.israel21c.org/how-you-can-volunteer-in-israel-during-the-war/
100 make Aliyah to join the IDF. Some 100 young Jewish men and women from around the world have made Aliyah and are completing a Defense Ministry course to prepare them physically and mentally for IDF service.
https://www.jns.org/100-jewish-youngsters-make-aliyah-to-enlist-in-idf/
Grants for student reservists. Israel’s Technion Institute is awarding NIS 6,000 to all its 2,500 students who were mobilized by an emergency call-up order for ‘Operation Swords of Iron.’ The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has also announced an aid package for its roughly 4,000 students who are serving in the IDF.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2023/11/the-technion-supports-reserve-soldiers/
https://www.bfhu.org/2023/11/21/boosted-support-for-hu-students/
Innovation helps treat traumatized kids. Israeli NGO Machshava Tova is providing innovation workshops to Israel’s evacuated children of the south. It helps them get over the traumatic events of Oct 7 as well as develop new skills. https://video.i24news.tv/en/9e44d596-82e6-4c4c-8a1c-96f84ae49bd5/content/6341511194112
Give help, get help. In the very first week of the war, Israel’s Technion Institute set up a “Give Help / Get Help” center to help evacuees, and IDF soldiers. Initiatives include daycare for kids, free secondhand shop, free haircuts, donated goods, computers for kids, toys, books, and crafts, music & dance events, and much more.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2023/11/the-techion-at-its-best/
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Using AI to spot lung disease. Israel’s Medial EarlySign (see here previously) has partnered US-based Geisinger to identify patients at high risk for respiratory or pulmonary diseases such as lung cancer. Their LungFlag AlgoMarker analyzes data from a patient’s electronic health record to enable early screening.
https://nocamels.com/2023/11/israeli-us-firms-create-ai-program-to-spot-lung-disease-risks/
Fast DNA sequencing. (TY OurCrowd) Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine is to using the AML(acute myeloid leukemia) detection kits from Israel’s Sequentify (see here previously) in its leukemia research. Sequentify’s Infiniseq technology cuts DNA sequencing time to only 3.5 hours.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/stanford-to-use-sequentify-kits-for-hematological-malignancies-ngs-sequencing-301981511.html
Milk extract may help IBD sufferers. Israel’s Exosomm extracts tiny capsules of microRNA called exosommes from cows’ milk. They then add them as a powder to food as a treatment for colitis and Crohn’s. Successful laboratory trials have led to recruitment for clinical trials at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem.
https://www.israel21c.org/milk-extract-could-ease-symptoms-of-crohns-and-colitis/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNqGqVe-erg
Shapeshifting capsule is a loss leader. Israel’s Epitomee has completed clinical trials of its ingestible pill that opens up in the stomach to produce a feeling of satiety. In 24 weeks the 140 participants who swallowed the pill lost up to 15% of their body weight, with no side effects. Epitomee intends to apply for FDA approval in 2024.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-startups-weight-loss-pill-aces-clinical-trials/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-Y8kYXzInI
More funds for medical treatments. An additional NIS 650 million will be added to Israel’s health basket as part of the war efforts. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-774070
Medical students in IDF. Some 200 Israeli medical students were studying overseas but returned to join the IDF. Israel’s Ministry of Health has requested the deans of Israeli medicine faculties to help to integrate these students in Israeli hospitals and medical schools at the end of the war.
https://www.gov.il/en/departments/news/17112023-02
IFCJ funds new fortified ER. The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has funded a 100-patient Emergency Operations Center in a fortified sheltered area of Emek Medical Center in the Galilee. The IFCJ is also funding a 50-patient fortified space in the hospital’s oncology building.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/380683
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Keeping the peace together. Located just north of Nazareth, Nof HaGalil (population 42,600) prides itself on friendly relations between its Jewish majority and its approximately 30-40 percent Muslim and Christian Arab population. Mixed teams patrol nightly to display the town’s determination to maintain quiet streets.
https://www.israel21c.org/during-war-arabs-and-jews-jointly-patrol-their-shared-city/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8lwC0t6pFk https://www.tikkun.org.il/bustan?lang=en
CUFI rally in London. Christians United for Israel held a large and peaceful rally outside the UK Prime Minister’s Downing Street residence. They called on all Christians to support Israel as “Righteous Gentiles” and not be silent at this time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haKeKuhkUmE
NYC restaurant benefits evacuees. Israeli chef Eyal Shani’s Malka Manhattan restaurant opening on Nov 16 benefited the La’Aretz Foundation which aims to distribute $2,500 each to 100 families who lost their homes on Oct 7. Shani missed the Michelin award ceremony for his Shmoné restaurant – he was cooking for the IDF.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-chef-eyal-shani-opens-new-restaurant-as-benefit-for-israelis-displaced-on-oct-7/
https://www.israel21c.org/chef-eyal-shani-skips-michelin-award-to-cook-for-troops/ https://www.laaretz.org/
Water for Tanzanian village. USA-based Water 4 Mercy has partnered with Israel’s Innovation: Africa to provide water to the Ausia village in Kondoa, Tanzania. They tapped an aquifer to provide fresh water and installed solar panels to operate the pumps. It saves the villagers from making long, risky journeys to get water.
https://www.jns.org/water-4-mercy-brings-fresh-water-to-tanzanian-village-for-first-time/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
AI to make websites more accessible. Israel’s User1st is a vital addition to the Israeli startups making the Internet more accessible (see here previously). User1st fits its artificial intelligence-based code into the existing source code of a website or app, to enable it for those with visual, cognitive, motor, and auditory disabilities.
https://nocamels.com/2023/11/israeli-firm-boosts-online-accessibility-for-disabled-in-wartime/
https://user1st.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiq0heO7W1M https://youtu.be/nWXe_AJripI
The world’s highest resolution maps. Immediately after Oct 7 Israel’s Simplex 3D made its 3D high-resolution modelling system available to Israel’s security services. The unique cameras generate aerial images accurate to as much as three centimeters. Other applications include architecture, construction, and engineering.
https://nocamels.com/2023/11/eye-in-the-sky-startup-gifts-aerial-mapping-tool-to-israel-at-war/
Award-winning security. Israel’s Seal Security has been named winner and leading provider in the Application Security category at the 2023 CISO Choice Awards. Seal Security’s platform allows developers to simplify and automate the process of fixing open-source vulnerabilities.
https://nocamels.com/2023/11/israeli-startup-wins-for-application-security-at-ciso-choice-awards/
https://www.seal.security/
Identifying the “good guys”. Financial services companies waste so much time and upset customers when checking for money laundering by focusing on legitimate transactions instead of dubious ones. Now Israel’s Redefine Intelligence (see here previously) uses AI to analyze sources of funds and avoid false alarms.
https://nocamels.com/2023/11/startup-offers-new-solution-to-money-laundering-false-alarms/
Upgrading anti-drone defenses. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s Airobotics (see here previously) is upgrading its counter-UAS system, the Iron Drone Raider, for the IDF. Iron Drone’s unique integrated AI-based interception drone system allows for the elimination of small hostile drones and is effective against any type of small drone.
https://www.accesswire.com/viewarticle.aspx?id=802490
Israeli supercomputer is so fast. Phase 1 of building Nvidia’s Israel-1 AI supercomputer is complete, two months ahead of schedule. It will be one of the world’s fastest AI supercomputers with 8 exaflops of peak AI performance and 130 petaflops of scientific computing and will help create many new Israeli AI products.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hylduatvt
https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/ry5mug9et
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
We will rebuild them. Israel’s Knesset (Parliament) agreed a 1.15-billion-shekel proposal to fund the recently created Tekuma Authority, which will be responsible for rebuilding, developing, and strengthening the Gaza border communities devastated by Hamas on Oct. 7.
https://www.jns.org/knesset-approves-300m-to-rebuild-gaza-border-towns/
Robotic boost for shipping giant. Danish shipping and logistics giant A.P. Moller – Maersk has chosen Israel’s Fabric (see here previously) to establish its fully automated fulfillment center in Dallas, Texas. The advanced floor-to-ceiling system fills orders of single-picked items for same-day or next-day delivery.
https://www.israel21c.org/shipping-giant-chooses-robotic-startup-to-boost-productivity/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKQ7HfS07rU
Customers take a break. Israel’s Bank Hapoalim has allowed customers to defer loan and mortgage payments that total NIS 17.8 billion due to the war. It follows Bank of Israel’s order for banks to suspend repayments, fees, and interest for three months for residents living up to seven kilometers from the Gaza border.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/bank-hapoalim-defers-nis-17-8-billion-in-loan-and-mortgage-payments-due-to-war/
Drink more Israeli wine. The Israel Wine Producers Association has been asking supporters of the Jewish state to “take a sip for solidarity.” It plans to donate 10% of sales from U.S. distributors to Israeli relief efforts. Why not order Israeli wine in a restaurant or give a bottle as a present. It all helps Israeli winemakers.
https://www.jns.org/us-trade-group-helps-israeli-wine-industry-at-peak-harvest-time/
Security in cyber and real space. While Israel’s Lasso Security was raising $6 million in seed funding, one of its co-founders, Ophir Dror, is one of the more than 300,000 reservists who have been called up to the Israeli army. Lasso’s employees have been raising funds to supply Israeli soldiers with essential equipment.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-startup-comes-out-of-stealth-to-tackle-cyber-threats-in-the-genai-wild-west/
Startups on the borders. (TY OurCrowd) Two Israeli startups, based at the devastated town of Sderot, are back in operation. BionicHIVE (robots in storage facilities) relocated to Beersheba thanks to Israel’s Robotican. Carrar was able to complete a tight deadline to produce a battery pack for a client testing in Germany (see here)
https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/11/15/israeli-startup-carries-on-despite-gaza-war-hitting-business-sector-hard/
Legendary success. Israel’s BioCatch (see here previously) has just achieved two milestones. A recent $70 million investment has given the startup a market value of over $1billion and “Unicorn” status. It has also reported recurring annual revenue of $100 million (51% growth) giving it the financial status of a “Centaur”.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bj0etytna
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/biocatch-surpasses-100m-usd-arr-301992759.html
Exits, takeovers, and mergers – to 26/11/23: UK’s Smith & Nephew is acquiring Israeli implant company CartiHeal for around £350 million.
Investment in Israeli startups – to 26/11/23: BioCatch raised $70 million; AI21 raised $53 million; Lasso Security raised $6 million; Colors AI raised $200k;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
You’ll never walk alone with Azi. Israeli singer Azi Schwartz is cantor at a synagogue in New York. He was visiting wounded soldiers at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv where his sister is director of the psychiatric division. Azi gave an impromptu concert in a public area within the hospital where he sang some popular songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-ornMWGm70 www.azischwartz.com
Magic. (TY UWI) Alan Sakowitz has just completed 26 magic shows in Israel, entertaining displaced children and children of Israeli soldiers. He performed in Efrat, Kiryat Gat, Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem and Beitar, from Oct. 26 through Nov. 7. In Efrat, his audience exceeded 960 – nearly 9% of the total city’s population of 10,800.
https://www.jns.org/wartime-magician-performs-26-shows-in-nine-days-for-kids-in-israel/
THE JEWISH STATE
Return of the Law. This article describes the journey of a Sefer Torah scroll. Written in Russia over a century ago, it survived the Holocaust, the siege of Leningrad and communist Russia. It made Aliyah to a synagogue in Netzarim, Gaza but had to leave in the 2005 disengagement. It is now being used by IDF soldiers in Gaza.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/380524
Affixing a mezuzah in Gaza City. Rabbi Daniel Kind, the rabbi of the IDF’s Givati Brigade, hung a mezuzah in Gaza City. He said afterwards, “I wish the entire Brigade to continue in our special work, in the great mission. G-d willing, we will succeed.” More Mezuzot have been placed on other buildings in Gaza.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/380624 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwlUNiMsOI4
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzmiEA5yd0R/
Fallen soldier saves six lives. The organs of IDF Staff Sergeant Yehonatan Yitzhak Semo, 21, who died from wounds inflicted in Gaza, were donated to six patients including a 10-year-old child and an 8-month-old infant.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-soldier-saves-six-lives-after-falling-in-gaza/
NEWSRAEL. A welcome addition to the (sadly too few) sites giving continuous unbiased news from Israel. Backed by famous Israeli Middle East expert Prof Mordechai Kedar. Available on the web and mobile app.
https://www.newsrael.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToxmXMO5dSM
How to help Israel. Here are some sites where newsletter readers can donate to Israeli organizations that provide vital help to Israelis at this difficult time. Many thanks to those who have already contributed and to those who are helping by donating their own valuable time and resources.
Friends of the IDF (US donors): https://www.fidf.org/
or IDF Soldiers Fund in Israel: https://www.ufis.org.il/en/donation-en/ (select the English speakers’ option)
American Friends of Magen David Adom (US donors): https://afmda.org/
or Magen David Adom (Israel): https://www.mdais.org/en/donation
Zaka (US donors): https://donate.zakatelaviv.org/give/525578/ or (Israeli donors): https://charidy.com/zaka
or (Canadian donors): https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/bellevue-foundation/
United Hatzalah: https://israelrescue.org/campaign/israel-at-war-2/ or Canada https://www.uhcanada.org/
Leket Food Israel: https://www.leket.org/en/
JNF USA – https://my.jnf.org/gaza-emergency/Donate or Canada https://jnf.ca/
Orthodox Union – https://www.charidy.com/ouisraelcrisis
Hadassah Hospital Israel: https://www.hadassah.org/
Laniado Hospital (Netanya) https://my.israelgives.org/en/fundme/EmergencyLaniado
And many more charities here:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/where-people-abroad-can-donate-to-israels-hospitals-troops-survivors-and-more/ https://chesedtoday.com/campaigns/soldiers/ (Warm winter clothes for Israeli soldiers)
Buy Israel Bonds to support the Jewish State. (TY Larry B)
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/state-of-israel-bonds
USA – https://www.israelbonds.com/
Europe – https://israelbondsintl.com/
Canada – https://www.israelbonds.ca/
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