The United States is experiencing paroxysms of violence that seem to erupt every now and then, oddly enough (perhaps not?) in years that feature contested elections. Think about the riots of 1968, 1992, 2016 and the current explosions and it is hard not to conclude that there is some connection – even though it has generally led to Republican victories that could not have cheered the rioters.
Nonetheless, it should be possible to denounce the despicable murder of George Floyd and its use as a pretext for the contemptible violence that resulted. Unfortunately, I tend to take a more lawyerly view of these proceedings after the visceral horror of the crime itself recedes. There is much that remains to be clarified: the look on the officer’s face while murdering another human being in cold blood was itself shocking. He was too calm, too detached, a sign of a sadistic psychopath – or what? Did he have a history of violence in his dealings with his arrestees, black or white? Surely this wasn’t the first black he arrested, and some for more serious crimes than in the instant case, but he didn’t murder any of them. I haven’t seen or heard a shred of evidence that the man was indeed a racist (he probably is, but nothing has surfaced to date – no internet posts, no attendance at KKK rallies, etc.). The modern narrative, though, is that any crime or even untoward act by a white to a black must have a racist origin. That is obviously the result of the identity politics game so popular today – you are not an individual but part of a group – but the narrative goes unquestioned. It could be that some racist motivation will emerge (or some other vicious rationale unrelated to racism) but worse than a white killing a black is just that a human being killed another human being.
That basic truth never seems to enter the equation. Thus, this past weekend saw 18 blacks murdered in Chicago by other blacks, and 16 more murdered the week before. That strangely evokes no outrage. Three years ago in Minneapolis a black police officer shot and killed a white woman. Race played no role in the evaluation of the case, which, of course, had it been the reverse, would have resulted in swift and relentless rage. That, annually, whites in America are shot and killed by police twice as often as are blacks is also ignored, so more is afoot than this one brutal, inexplicable and evil act.
As strange as it sounds given the crime, the system actually works. No one has attempted to defend or rationalize the former police officer’s heinous crime. There has been no blue wall of silence; instead, there has been wall-to-wall and coast-to-coast condemnation on every side of the political spectrum. He was charged with homicide, is being held in prison in lieu of bail, will be tried, likely convicted, sentenced to the maximum, probably not executed but effectively receive a life sentence because he will never be paroled. And that is how it should be.
So how do we get from there to this – in (Democrat-controlled) city after city in America, protests, demonstrations, rioting, looting, violence, mayhem and anarchy? Note that just last week, a synagogue in Cote-St.-Luc was vandalized, with the premises ravaged and Torah scrolls strewn about. Canadian Jews in response did not torch downtown Montreal. So too, in the wake of the dreadful attacks on Jews in the metropolitan area in the last year, we didn’t go and raid Nordstrom. In the last month, there have been numerous demonstrations against the draconian lockdown rules that have destroyed the livelihoods of millions of people. The protesters were very angry – but there was not one instance in which they burglarized and looted the stores in which they wanted to shop.
These spasms of carnage always explode because of perceived racism, and they are more frequent in America because of the dearth of pushback, the fecklessness of the political class, and most importantly, the absence of values education. To condemn the murder and not condemn the rioting, as some moral poseurs have done, is virtue-signaling of the most hypocritical kind. To date, more people have been killed as a result of the rioting than the one unfortunate victim of police brutality in Minneapolis; that should be receiving more attention.
The virtue-signaling is particularly odious because the remedy proffered is an impossibility. To say that racism should not exist is like saying Jew hatred should not exist or nay other hatred, for that matter; it is true but not particularly helpful. Hatred is part of the human condition and has existed since the dawn of creation and will endure until the Messianic era. Calling for utopia is an empty gesture. We could all live quite well with what lurks in man’s heart as long as it is not acted upon. Actions matter.
The real question is not whether hatred exists but how we deal with it. Some ways are admirable: self-defense in the face of violence or understanding the root causes of the anger that resides in people, even in small groups of people, because dialogue does allow a healthy form of venting and can even lead to reconciliation and harmony.
What is especially perverse and loathsome is responding to unjustified violence with more unjustified violence. It is also pathetic and wins rioters no sympathy. The violent lawless act of a rogue cop should not inspire violent lawlessness on the part of others. To give a pass to any individual or group for committing mayhem is not the soft bigotry of low expectations; it is the hard core bigotry of no expectations. Marauding mobs do not inspire understanding or good will and make no one more kindly disposed to their “cause.” In fact, the opposite is true. The riots tend to reinforce the negative and harmful stereotypes that we are all trying to eradicate. Those who think their lives matter should act like their lives matter, and then they will matter. Jews have a long and lugubrious history of being murdered in cold blood but never have we sought to avenge those murders by killing or injuring or looting the property of innocent third parties. That injustice too cries out to the heavens.
How do seemingly normal people allow themselves to descend into such depravity? The Torah is instructive here as on all matters. The Sages taught us (Sotah 2a) that the portions describing the treatment of the Sotah (the straying wife) and the Nazir (who embraces additional restrictions) are juxtaposed to remind us that “whoever sees the Sotah in her degradation should abstain from wine.”
What is the connection? It is that a person who is so drawn to the spectacle of the Sotah that he goes to the Temple to watch it is already in a weakened spiritual state. His moral safeguards begin to fray as the crime of the Sotah, to him, seems less horrific and within the realm of the possible. And others join him too – and then all moral restraints are abandoned. Such a person has to regain his equilibrium by abstaining from wine that furthers clouds his conscience.
A normal individual will rarely do things while alone that he would do acting in concert with a supportive, protective group. The group – the mob – affords rationalizations and psychological safety that one does not have unaccompanied by others. That is why a German scientist, teacher, bureaucrat, lawyer or musician one day could become a murderous, malicious, ferocious Nazi the next. The group dynamic tends to dull our inhibitions. Hence the rioters, breaking into and ransacking Macy’s, Gucci, Microsoft and other fine stores. They weren’t seeking milk and bread. Their animalistic passions – what the Sages called the “nefesh habehami” that inheres in all of us – were unleashed. They are quelled in the short term when their energies dissipate (or the merchandise is gone) and in the long term only by teaching values, preaching to people that there is a divine moral code that constrains all of us, and that there is justice in the world – justice that is achievable but never through torrents of injustice.
Apropos of the one who views the Sotah ordeal, all those who watched the cruel and evil murder of George Floyd cannot help but be diminished by it as human beings. It impairs our basic humanity. Those painful images will be difficult to uproot. But we respond to it by trying to become more human and more civilized, not less so.
The silver lining in this catastrophe is that the riots have driven the grim Corona virus from the news. Social distancing is a concern for fifteen people who want to daven together, not for several thousand people who want to protest and riot. Last week you could get arrested for opening a store; now you can’t get arrested for looting one.
This is how crazy the race wars have become. In California a “peaceful” young white protester smashed the windows of a vehicle that, unbeknownst to him, belonged to J.R. Smith, the black basketball player and former Knick. Smith chased down the perpetrator and beat the living daylights out of him. So: a white man protesting the death of a black man by demolishing the vehicle of a black man is then assaulted by the black man who is rightfully cheered for his efforts. Only in America.
This will end, until it starts again, but it will never really end. The nefesh habehami, once unleashed, is difficult to control.
It is going to be a long hot summer if cooler heads don’t prevail. The questions are: can America’s decline be reversed? And how?
Affirmative Action: The Systemic
Racism No One Wants to Talk
About
Some Americans are discriminated against because of their race, but it is not who you think.
The clearest definition of “racism” is treating people differently according to their race. Systemic or institutional racism is racism “expressed in the practice of social and political institutions.”
Many American policies and laws are designed to ensure that people of all races, creeds, ethnicities, genders, and sexualities are treated equally, such as the Sixth Amendment, guaranteeing the right to “a fair and speedy public trial by jury,” the Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery, the Fifteenth Amendment, prohibiting the denial of the right to vote based on race, the Nineteenth Amendment prohibiting the denial of the right to vote on the basis of gender.
President Kennedy’s Executive Order 10925, following up similar earlier orders by Presidents Roosevelt and Eisenhower, required government contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” It established the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity (PCEEO). Title IX of the Education Amendments Act forbids unequal treatment based on sex (gender) in federally funded programs.
But everything changed with subsequent orders, such as President Johnson’s, that required “contractors with 51 or more employees and contracts of $50,000 or more to implement affirmative action plans to increase the participation of minorities and women in the workplace if a workforce analysis demonstrates their under-representation, meaning that there are fewer minorities and women than would be expected given the numbers of minorities and women qualified to hold the positions available.”
President Obama followed, and upped the ante, with “Executive Order 13583– Establishing a Coordinated Government-wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce.”
Notice the transition from “without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin” to “increase the participation of minorities and women,” from color-blind to race and gender preferences. Between the Johnson and Obama directives, specification of qualifications—“qualified to hold the positions”—disappeared, and in its place, the unlimited instruction “to recruit, hire, promote, and retain a more diverse workforce.”
Today “underrepresented” is not based upon the pool of capable applicants, but in relation to the percentage of the general population. What this means in practice is that people of certain races and genders are given preferences and benefits, and are thus “more equal” than people of other races and genders.
During the eight years of the Obama-Biden administration, “diversity and inclusion” became the guiding principle of governments, federal, state, and municipal, of industry, and of colleges and universities. It was an ideological tsunami, washing away the universalistic standards, such as the colorblind assessment of achievement and merit, in favor of racial, gender, sexuality, and ethnic preferences.
The Supreme Court refused to stand for principle, and waffled about educational benefits, allowing preferences to remain. Sixty-five percent of Americans disagree with this decision. Sixty-three percent of blacks and sixty-five percent of Hispanics disagree with the Supreme Court decision.
In Canada too, preferences and special benefits were justified for particular racial, gender, sexuality, and ethnic populations. While according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Section 15(1), “Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.”
This principle is negated in the following section of the Charter, in the interests of preferred sections of the population, for whom special privileges and benefits are granted,
Section 15(2), “Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.” Canada has Human Rights Commissions and Tribunals that prosecute any complaint about discrimination in housing, employment, and commercial service, and also suppresses any speech that offends someone.
What “affirmative action” and “diversity and inclusion” mean in practice is that in university admissions, hiring, promotions, funding, and organizational activities (living arrangements, social gathering, eating, and ceremonial activities), in government and business hiring, funding, and promoting, certain races and genders are given preference while others are low priority or excluded totally.
In a perfect example of the bigotry of low expectations, African American and Hispanic applicants with poor academic records are given university places, while whites and Asians with much stronger academic records are refused places. It is well established that in the sciences female hires are preferred, which of course means that male candidates are excluded. White male applicants and candidates, whatever their merits, are at the bottom of everyone’s list. For every “inclusion” based upon race and gender, there is an exclusion based upon race and gender. This seems a pretty clear case of official, systemic racism and sexism.
Americans dislike racial and gender preferences. According to the Gallup poll, “Americans continue to believe colleges should admit applicants based solely on merit (70%), rather than taking into account applicants’ race and ethnicity in order to promote diversity (26%).” Fifty percent of blacks and 61% of Hispanics say that college admissions should be based on merit alone. It seems likely that hiring, funding, and other functions would reflect similar views.
Previously marginalized minorities, who suffered under prejudice, discrimination, and legal restraint, are no longer welcome in the fields in which they excelled. Jews and Asians, highly “overrepresented” in medical, professional, and academic fields, are now no longer welcome. Jews today are deemed to be “white,” now that being white is regarded as a bad thing.
Asians, themselves people of color, have offended by being too successful, and have to be excluded to make room for preferred minorities. The new marginalization of Jews is reminiscent of the 1930s when elite universities excluded Jews through strict quotas, because they were not “Christian gentlemen” and they studied too hard. As for white men, you are the wrong sex and the wrong race, so good luck trying to get a place or post or funding in our feminist dominated universities.
What justifies the establishment of two classes of citizenship, the preferred and protected and the unpreferred and excluded? In one discussion of “systemic racism,” the justification is disparities regarding wealth, income, criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power and education, among other factors. The assumption is that “disparities” are unjust and intolerable, that we must jettison ideas of equality before the law and equality of opportunity in favor of equality of results and outcomes, so that every individual, group, and category of people is exactly the same.
Why are “disparities” unjust? According to race and gender theorists and activists, disparities are unjust because they are the result of prejudice and discrimination. Furthermore, these theorists and activists believe that no further evidence of prejudice and discrimination is necessary; the disparities themselves prove discrimination, because without discrimination everyone would be represented according to their percentage of the population.
There are many reasons that disparities–individual, group, and category–exist. People differ from one another, have different capabilities and interests. If people do different things, it is not usually because of discrimination. For example, Asian-Americans are “underrepresented” in the jobs of forest ranger, lumberjack, and truck driver, not because they are discriminated against in these occupations, but because they are motivated to pursue higher education and enter professions. Females are “underrepresented” in the jobs of fisherman, telephone and utility pole workers, and roofing, not because they are discriminated against, but because they prefer safer, cleaner, and more comfortable jobs in offices.
Females work fewer hours, fewer days, and fewer years than men, not because they are discriminated against, but because they prefer to spend more time with their children. Whites and Asian-Americans are heavily “underrepresented” in some professional sports, the NFL and NBA, not because they are discriminated against, but because African Americans have successfully competed for those jobs.
Females are “underrepresented” in engineering, the physical sciences, and mathematics, not because they are discriminated against, but because they prefer academic fields that deal with people, such as the social sciences, humanities, education, and social work, where they are vastly “overrepresented.”
Different groups and categories of people also have different community and family cultures and family structures. Some communities are highly education-oriented and push their children to gain educational attainment, while others are less so. Some communities have strong, two-parent family structures, while others have weak, one-parent family structures. Weak families lead to detrimental consequences for children in academic performance and risks of crime and incarceration.
To claim “discrimination” as an explanation for individual and group outcomes is to ignore individual and group differences. “Discrimination” becomes an excuse artificially to impose equality where no equality exists other than in basic humanity. The imposition of “affirmative action,” in which members of some categories of people are favored, and members of other categories unfavored and excluded, is a clear case of systemic racism and sexism. In this system, population statistics determine the outcomes, and no individual receives his due, what he has earned. They can call racial and gender preferences “social justice,” but there is no clearer case of injustice.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
America riots and Israel reports good news (edited.)
Rebuilding is the theme of many of the articles in this week's postitive Israel newsletter. Israeli doctors and scientists continue to rebuild the lives of critically ill Covid-19 patients in Israel and globally. Israeli medical innovations are rebuilding the lungs of infants, the walking ability of paraplegics, the hands of limbless children and the bone marrow of blood cancer patients. Elsewhere, Israelis are rebuilding wastewater systems for Bedouin, relations with Sudan, road and rail infrastructure, retail businesses, global shipping and eco-friendly agriculture. Technology and archaeology are also rebuilding an historical picture of ancient Jewish manuscripts and buildings.Best regards
Michael
In the 7th June 20 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
- Israeli discovery of bacteria in all types of cancer cells will transform oncology.
- Israeli engineers make free 3D-printed prosthetic hands for children
- Israel sent Covid-19 missions to the Congo, Sudan and the Philippines.
- Israeli smart weeding system ensures more crops with less pesticides.
- Alibaba uses Israeli technology to help US companies ship their products.
- 9 million people voted in the Israeli Dead Sea photo competition.
- New technology accurately dates ancient Jerusalem structures.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Keeping Covid-19 patients off ventilators. (TY UWI) Israel’s Respinova developed Pulsehaler to help COPD patients improve their lungs and avoid ventilation. Repinova is now preparing for clinical trials in Israel on patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) as caused by Covid-19.
https://www.israel21c.org/copd-innovation-may-keep-covid-patients-off-ventilators/
Detecting Covid-19 in India. Israel’s Zebra Medical was being deployed last year (see here) to detect TB cases across India. Zebra is now assisting Apollo (India’s largest hospital group) to diagnose coronavirus cases using its machine-learning algorithm that analyzes CT scans of suspected Covid-19 infected patients.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3829337,00.html
Testing CPAP on Covid-19 patients. Israel’s Itamar Medical (reported here previously) is funding a trial of its disposable WatchPAT ONE CPAP device. It will be given to 200 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in the Mount Sinai Health (US) system with respiratory symptoms but who do not require hospital admission.
https://ir.itamar-medical.com/news-releases/news-release-details/itamartm-medical-funds-clinical-study-evaluate-potential-impact
BGU doctors on the Covid-19 front lines. A webinar from Israel’s Ben Gurion University featuring a student developing software to help advance Covid-19 treatment trials and two alumni - one working for the World Health Organization, and another helping implement a Covid-19 surveillance system in the state of Oregon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYlm9PKm5JI
Bacteria protects cancer cells. Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have discovered that bacteria exist inside all types of cancer cells. They protect the cancer by “digesting” and de-activating chemotherapy. These anti-cancer treatments may be made more effective by targeting or manipulating the bacteria.
https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/life-sciences/cells-inside-cells-bacteria-live-cancer-cells
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6494/973
Nitric Oxide treats babies with Bronchiolitis. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Beyond Air announced positive top-line results from its third pilot study in bronchiolitis patients. 89 infants under 12 months were treated at 8 sites in Israel. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/20/2036389/0/en/Beyond-Air-Achieves-Primary-Endpoint-in-Pilot-Bronchiolitis-Study.html
US approval for latest exoskeleton. Israel’s ReWalk Robotics received FDA clearance of its Exoskeleton Personal 6.0 https://investorplace.com/2020/06/rewalk-robotics-news-boosts-rwlk-stock/
DNA editing to cure diseases. Israel is establishing a consortium to make CRISPR genome editing more precise. Israel’s Innovation Authority has allocated NIS 36 million to CRISPR-IL, for the country’s academic institutions and bio-techs to use AI to advance the technology for repairing disease-causing mutations.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-aiming-to-enable-unprecedented-dna-edits-to-help-cure-illnesses/
Free prosthetics for children. (TY Janglo, Hazel & ILTV) Scientists at Israel’s Technion 3D-print prosthetic hands for children in Israel, Gaza, the PA and Syria – all for free. They are built to the child’s specifications –and can be even better than a normal hand.
https://www.jpost.com/jpost-tech/iron-mans-hand-technion-gives-prosthetic-hands-to-children-629839
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCu8gIdPTeU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgpSr5cFaHU
Keeping transplants alive. Israeli courier Mishel Zrian races against time for NGO Ezer Mizion, delivering life-saving transplants for bone marrow patients. During the pandemic he often performs logistical acrobatics to avoid quarantine and get transplants to their destinations amid the shortage of flights and restrictions on travel.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/70-days-in-airports-an-israeli-courier-keeping-global-organ-transplants-alive/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Takeaway benefits the needy. Israel’s TAKE is a social impact food delivery service. Order food from certain restaurants that deliver using TAKE’s network of freelance couriers. Separately, when the restaurant has surplus food, it contacts TAKE to deliver it to those in need, providing hot, fresh meals to those who cannot afford it.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3827180,00.html https://take247.co.il/
Off-grid wastewater treatment at Bedouin village. A solar-operated wastewater treatment system developed at Israel’s Arava Institute has been installed at Umm Batin, a Bedouin village near Beersheba. The water is recycled for agriculture. Previously, residents polluted the groundwater because there was no sewage system.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/first-off-grid-wastewater-treatment-unit-in-bedouin-village-piloted/
Drive-in Covid-19 testing in the Congo. Israel’s Magen David Adom has built software for managing a drive-thru facility in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They also prepared a training program of videos and written procedures, which they have passed on to local medical professionals who will operate the facility in Africa.
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/mda-helps-set-up-coronavirus-drive-thru-testing-in-the-congo/2020/06/02/
More ties with Sudan. (TY JTA) Israel sent a medical team to try to save the life of a Sudanese diplomat who had been working to improve relations between the two countries. Other news includes the first commercial Israeli airplane (El Al from Argentina) to be given permission to overfly Sudan, saving 2 hours flight time.
https://jewishjournal.com/israel/316460/israeli-medical-team-comes-to-sudan-for-lifesaving-mission-despite-lack/
Coronavirus aid for the Philippines. (TY Hazel) Israel donated a large shipment of medical supplies to the Philippines to help the southeast Asian nation cope with the coronavirus pandemic. It included thousands of medical gloves, surgical masks, medical gowns, N95 face masks, face shields and non-contact thermometers.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/06/03/israel-donates-large-shipment-of-medical-aid-to-the-philippines-for-coronavirus-fight/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
A health-tech revolution. Newsletter subscribers will know that the coronavirus pandemic has fast tracked the merger of Israeli high tech with the health sector. This article highlights some of Israel’s major advances in remote healthcare and telemedicine that are saving lives thanks to an improved regulatory approval process.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/coronavirus-pandemic-is-fast-tracking-the-health-tech-revolution-expert-says/
Roads and rail upgraded. (TY Atid-EDI) The Israeli Government has injected over NIS 1 billion to upgrade Israel’s road and rail network during the pandemic’s lull in traffic. The final stretch of the Jerusalem – Tel Aviv fast train and the expansion of a central Israel highway will be finished six months to a year ahead of schedule.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/israel-is-using-the-coronavirus-crisis-to-up-construction-efforts-625665
Virus-killing sanitation tunnel. (TY UWI) Israel’s RD PACK has developed a sanitation tunnel that sprays incomers with a safe anti-viral disinfectant. The tunnel can be placed at the entrance to stadiums, hospitals, airports, schools or office buildings. It is being piloted at the VIP entrance to Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv.
http://nocamels.com/2020/06/water-disinfectant-israeli-scientists-sanitation-tunnel-tlv/
https://www.rd-pack.co.il/index.html
Smart way to tackle weeds. Israel’s Greeneye (mentioned here previously) utilizes Artificial Intelligence and deep learning technologies to revolutionize the weed control process in agriculture. It accurately detects weeds at the species level and then sprays with precision in real-time, avoiding dangerous, wasteful use of pesticides.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3827256,00.html https://greeneye.ag/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCOuTemX_cc
Developing Facebook’s digital wallet. Facebook Vice President Tomer Barel is Chief Operating Officer at Israel’s Novi, the team developing the main components of Facebook’s digital wallet – also to be called Novi. He expressed his pride to be part of the thriving technology community in Israel.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3827475,00.html
Generator for remote villages. Israel’s Aquarius Engines (reported here previously) is launching a field test of its revolutionary lightweight linear engine on a Philippines island where residents have no access to electricity. Aquarius is partnering with Nokia to bring electricity to remote populations and telecommunications centers.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-company-to-bring-electricity-to-remote-villages-in-asia/
Google’s wireless earphones have Israel inside. (TY Hazel) Israel’s DSPG makes the chip that provides Artificial Intelligence for Google’s new wireless earphones. It includes voice-activation and instant translation. DSPG also produces the chip is responsible for the entire audio system of the Panasonic Technics headset.
https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/rJL2J6ciU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MmAbDJK8YY
Alerting lifeguards to swimmers in danger. Israel’s Sightbit uses AI and computer vision technology to detect and prevent drowning, as swimmers return to Israel’s beaches. Sightbit’s pilot program at the popular Palmachim Beach aims to turn the area into one of the first “smart” beaches in Israel.
http://nocamels.com/2020/05/israel-drowning-prevention-beach-sightbit/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDXBboMmMMk
Join the virtual Houseparty. With 50 million sign-ups in March alone, the app Houseparty, developed by Israel’s Life On Air, has become a top competitor to Zoom, especially among younger crowds. Houseparty recently hosted a 3-day virtual party “In the House” with Alicia Keys, Katy Perry, John Legend and Snoop.
http://nocamels.com/2020/05/house-party-coronavirus-pandemic-app/ https://houseparty.com/
Discover your data leaks. Israel’s 1touch.io uses network analytics, repository scanning, plus management interfaces to discover personal and sensitive data that a company does not even know about. Only then can the company protect that data from accidental or deliberate unauthorized exposure.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3829911,00.html https://1touch.io/
https://1touch.io/blog/the-story-behind-our-series-a/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyYKXIc5aQo
How do you compare with your competitors? The intelligence platform of Israel’s Watchful reveals useful information about the product strategy of competitors by analyzing their apps. It provides detailed information on the changes that their applications are undergoing and compares it to your own company’s app.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3829997,00.html https://www.watchful.ai/
https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/03/tiktok-deepfakes-face-swap/ (an example of Watchful’s app analysis)
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Opportunities in South Korea. Israel’s $2 billion annual trade with South Korea is set to surge. Covid-19 infections are low in both countries and Korea’s digital and green “New Deals” plus its K-Startup Grand Challenge will attract Israeli innovators. Samsung, Hyundai, LG etc. already partner many Israeli companies.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3829191,00.html
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3829930,00.html
Locating a doctor overseas post Covid-19. Israel’s Air Doctor (reported here previously) locates a trusted physician if you fall sick abroad. In Dec 2019, it launched a telemedicine service for travelers to virtually meet with physicians who speak their language. Usage of the service has soared 150 percent in the last two months.
http://nocamels.com/2020/05/air-doctor-coronavirus-travelers-networks/
http://www.digitaljournal.com/life/health/air-doctor-launches-new-telemedicine-service/article/564163
https://landing.air-dr.com/covid-19-global-updates/
Virtual fitting room takes off. Business for Israeli startup Zeekit, has surged during the Covid-19 pandemic. Zeekit’s technology (reported here previously) virtually dresses on-line shoppers and fashion models. Recent new customers are Walmart, Macy’s, UK’s Asos, Adidas and Tommy Hilfiger.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3828775,00.html
Monday.com is worth $2.7 billion. The valuation of Israel’s Monday.com, which makes software to help employees work remotely, jumped to $2.7 billion - a 42% increase since it last raised funds. The company says its tools help its 100,000 paying customers keep tabs on assignments and avoid communication breakdowns.
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/valuation-of-israel-s-monday-com-jumps-42-to-2-7-billion-1.1439713
Israeli tech powers Alibaba’s shipping for US companies. E-Commerce giant Alibaba has launched Alibaba.com Freight to help American companies dispatch their goods by sea and air. It uses technology from Israel’s Freightos (reported here previously), which compare prices and manages shipments in real time.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/alibaba-unit-uses-israeli-tech-to-offer-shipping-services-to-us-businesses/
Starting a business during a pandemic. Four Israeli entrepreneurs launched their companies during the coronavirus pandemic. Stayy Live streams live broadcasts; Gooo allows greengrocers and farmers to sell direct to consumers; Canditech provides remote recruitment; and Wishbox manages hotel guests during the pandemic.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3829073,00.html
Investing in cybersecurity. Israeli Venture Capital fund Cyberstarts has just closed its second $100 million fund for investing in early-stage cybersecurity startups. To date, the fund has made six investments, and highlights the growing demand for innovative cybersecurity solutions, particularly in times of crisis.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-vc-fund-cyberstarts-closes-100-million-second-fund/
3d Signals is a European Red Herring. Israel’s 3d Signals has won a Red Herring top 100 Europe award, recognizing it as one of Europe’s outstanding and promising companies. 3d Signals is an Industry 4.0 pioneer with its AI-based IoT Asset Performance Monitoring platform for digitalizing production floors.
https://3dsignals.com/blog/news/3d-signals-named-2020-red-herring-top-100-europe-winner/
Optimal+ exits for $365 million. US giant National Instruments Corp bought Israeli data analytics Optimal+ (reported here previously) for $365 million. Optimal+ founder and CEO Dan Glotter said the deal was “testament to the leading-edge innovation delivered by our R&D, Product and Data Science teams in Israel”.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-national-instruments-to-buy-israels-optimalplus-for-365-million/
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200602005179/en/National-Instruments-Acquire-OptimalPlus
https://www.optimalplus.com/news/
NetApp spots a fifth Israeli startup. US IT data services company NetApp has acquired Israeli cloud services startup Spot.io for a reported $450 million. NetApp previously acquired Israeli startups Cognigo, Plexistor, Topio, and Onaros. The technology of Spot.io helps companies save Cloud computing costs.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3830090,00.html https://spot.io/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTSiEiAhSDc Beautiful publicity video by sand artist Ilana Yahav.
Startups raising funds. Latest funding includes: Fiverr raised $120 million; GreenEye raised $7 million, Saturas raised $3 million; 1touch.io raised $14 millionl; Watchful.ai raised $3 million.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Pick the cherries. (TY I24 News) Israel’s cherry-picking season in the Golan Heights lasts just one month – May. Thousands of Israeli tourists visit the region – even to some of the remote Kibbutzim. They enjoy the landscapes, the local culture and, of course - the fruits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCtR6Qqd2XU
An eco-friendly vineyard. (TY ILTV & WIN) The Tabor Winery in Israel’s Galilee enlists wildlife for a cleaner, greener wine. No pesticides, natural flowers between the vines to preserve the soil, trees and nesting boxes to attract birds. Rock islands for smaller animals. The results are complex wines with unique flavors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuF8T19Du7A
Huge response to Dead Sea photo competition. Over nine million votes were cast in an Israeli-organized competition in which some 3,500 photographers submitted over 13,000 photos of the Dead Sea. There were entries from more than 40 countries, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
https://www.jns.org/first-international-dead-sea-photo-competition-attracts-global-attention/
Jailbird recaptured. (TY Janglo) An exotic bird escaped from Israel’s Ramat Gan Safari Park and walked North along Route 4 near the busy Bar Ilan interchange. When the police arrived, they immediately blocked traffic for this show-stopping bird and returned it safely to the Safari Park.
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/israeli-cops-show-their-true-nature-rescued-large-bird-from-death-on-highway/2020/06/04/
THE JEWISH STATE
Exploring the City of King David. (TY INN) Two new videos exploring the 3,000-year-old City of David, where King David set up as his headquarters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P96sEZJNa5s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA9UswJXOEQ
New tech to date old stones. Weizmann Institute scientists used new radiocarbon-dating techniques and micro-archaeology to accurately date the construction of Wilson’s Arch, which supported one of the main pathways to the Second Temple. It was built in two phases, around 35BCE and then extended in the first century CE.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/setting-the-clock-for-ancient-jerusalem-scientists-finally-date-elusive-arch/
Fountainhead discovered from Talmudic period. An ancient fountainhead matching a description in the Babylonian Talmud was recently discovered in northern Israel’s Tzippori National Park. It has the shape of a face as described in the Talmud (Tractate Avodah Zarah, p. 12a) which specifically addresses idol worship.
https://worldisraelnews.com/talmud-comes-alive-after-ancient-fountainhead-found-in-galilee/
DNA analysis of the Dead Sea Scrolls. (TY UWI) Israeli and US scientists have decoded the DNA in the animal skins on which the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. It has proved connections between some fragments and disproved others. It has also distinguished locally written texts from those brought from elsewhere.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/pioneering-dead-sea-scrolls-dna-study-reveals-bible-was-changing-2000-years-ago/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNC_2BbioHQ
More real estate for Roman. (TY Janglo) Israeli-Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich (reported here previously) is certainly putting his money into the Jewish State. He has just bought his third property – this time it’s a 2.35-acre estate in Herzliya Pituah for a record $64.5 million.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281254
Disabled volunteer hero. Yerucham has been a volunteer food delivery driver for Israeli charity Yad Ezra V’Shulamit for over two decades, despite having regular dialysis treatment and being in wheelchair following a car accident. He drives a modified van and continues to deliver food to the needy.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-disabled-israeli-hero-feeds-thousands/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enANv8LzaRc
Movie proceeds to feed needy Israelis. The Jewish Community of Oporto (Porto), Portugal, is donating all proceeds from the Video on Demand film "The Light of Judah" to Leket Israel – the Food Bank of Israel. The film is part of an interfaith project, in conjunction with the Catholic Diocese of Oporto, to fight anti-Semitism.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/06/04/jewish-community-of-porto-lends-helping-hand-to-israeli-food-bank/ http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281260
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