If you want to watch a true eye opener go to NETFLIX and watch this movie: " Inside Job." All I will tell you is it is about Wall Street, government, the elite. and the disastrous decision making we tax payers have had to tolerate. It is extremely well done, very insightful and many of the same players and institutions they come from are back in the saddle forming Biden's Cavalry.
+++
Will Iran be stupid enough to seek revenge and attack, if so, when?
https://m.jpost.com/breaking-
+++
Sent to me by a dear friend and fellow memo reader and something to cogitate:
Win, lose or fraud...President Trump. I just want to say thank you for the last four years.Thank you for making it cool to be an American again.Thank you for showing us that we don’t need to be under China’s thumb anymore economically, or any other way.Thank you for one of the strongest economies we’ve ever experienced in my lifetime. Thank you for all you have done for the minority communities, and the outstanding decrease in the unemployment rate you had.Thank you for making it feel good to love our country and to be a proud patriot again. Thank you for supporting our Nation's flag and the men and women who fought for the freedom that stands behind that flag.Thank you for supporting our nation's law enforcement organizations, and understanding how difficult their job really is.Thank you for quelling the flood of illegal immigration, and bringing to justice the thousands of criminals that flood brought us.Thank you for giving corporations a reason to come back to America to make our own products and put Americans back to work.Thank you for bringing our troops home from endless deployments that presented us with little more than body bags; and for your commitment to strengthen our military.Thank you for operation warp speed and keeping your promise to bringing the Covid 19 vaccine to us in less than a year.Thank you for your never-ending attempts at bringing peace to the Middle East and your support for Israel.Thank you for your Tax relief, and thank you for our energy independence. Most of all though...THANK YOU for taking a damn rotten job that you never had to take!!Thank you for caring enough for this country to want to try and make a difference.Thank you for showing America how little Career Politicians actually work for their constituents; and for showing us how much those politicians despise you for showing America how easy it is to build a great nation, rather than rape her to line their own pockets and stock portfolios.Thank you for allowing us to experience a President that wasn’t a lifelong politician, but a lifelong American.THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT..... YOU DID YOUR BEST....
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Salena Zito:
There is something off about having someone else curate your bookshelf. It is like having someone else curate your credibility or personality. It is amusing, tragic, shallow — and honestly, more than a little bit sad.
There is also something off about having someone rate or judge your home or office on social media.
Click here for the full story.
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Wars are always imminent and avoidable. It depends on the path presidents wish to take. Leading from strength is always a good approach. In this regard, I fear Biden and Kerry being in charge of anything regarding Iran. Allowing another rogue nation to go nuclear is insane and only challenges the security of democracies. China, Russia are not threatened and are delighted because those weapons are pointed at ourselves, Israel and other nations that seek peace.
Is war with Iran imminent?
On the one-year anniversary of the assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani, rumors are rampant about a military confrontation between the US and the Islamic republic.
The traditional New Year's Eve party at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, took place without US President Donald Trump.
Faithful to his typical D'Artagnan style, Trump – who will leave the White House to President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20 – abandoned his friends and returned to Washington D.C. a day earlier than expected. No one knows why, but rumors have been spreading about grandiose moves and controversial gestures he intends to make before Biden takes the reigns.
The chatter among members of the international village centers on a possible war with Iran. Today, Jan. 3, is the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani, killed in a US missile strike in Baghdad. Soleimani's face is plastered on thousands of walls throughout Tehran, and wherever lurk his admirers – from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, from the Houthi rebels in Yemen to the various Shi'ite militia groups in Iraq – and is tied to calls for "severe revenge" against the United States and Israel.
The noise about retaliation has become particularly thunderous over the past few days. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave a furious speech; Hamas wanted to demonstrate its readiness for war through an unprecedented military drill and additional rocket fire on southern Israel.
All this followed the flight of US Air Force B-52 bombers over the Persian Gulf on Dec. 29, in response to signals that Iran may be planning imminent attacks on US-allied targets in Iraq or elsewhere in the region.
Less than two weeks earlier, on Dec. 20, a rocket attack on the US Embassy compound in Baghdad by Iran-backed Shi'ite militias spurred Trump to warn Tehran that any harm to American citizens would warrant his reaction. Since Dec. 25, the Israel Defense Forces also have been on high alert.
It is plausible that Iran intends to carry out its revenge through its numerous "proxies" in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen – the countries, as Mordechai Kedar wrote recently, where Soleimani had been masterminding his plans for Iran's regional domination. It seems likely that Iran's revenge, which is directed at the US and Israel, may hit the moderate Sunni-Arab countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain or Saudi Arabia, which are more pro-American. This might explain why Trump, within the last month alone, on three separate occasions, has dispatched B52 bombers, a nuclear submarine and two warships to the region. An Israeli submarine has also headed to the Persian Gulf.
Iran could carry out its revenge just before Biden's inauguration, in order not to attack the incoming president too directly, especially as its leaders hope to obtain a new treaty with his administration. However, it could even be difficult for Biden to find common ground with Tehran at this juncture, with news from the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran now has more than 12 times the amount of enriched uranium permitted under the 2015 nuclear deal signed by former US president Barack Obama and other world powers.
In addition, Iran's continued state sponsorship of terrorism has consolidated an anti-Iranian and pro-American Middle Eastern front, which Trump could count on if he intends to end his term with a spectacular gesture. Perhaps he wants to seal his legacy by ending the Iranian threat that has loomed over the Middle East for more than four decades.
What would Biden do? All scenarios are possible. America would be shocked by a strike on Iran, but the ayatollahs would nevertheless find themselves in the most difficult moment since coming to power in 1979. And not many in the western world would really be sorry about it, notwithstanding their proclaimed hate for any form of war.
+++
Good News Israel resumes (edited.):
Best regards
Michael
-
In the 3rd Jan 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
- Israeli surgeons used Augmented Reality to repair a patient’s eye socket.
- An Israeli NGO brought water and light to 200 African villages in 2020.
- Israeli prize-winning technology for hydrogen production.
- An Israeli startup is developing floating video phones to keep seniors safe.
- The UAE-Israel Business Council now has over 3,000 members .
- Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman 1984 is the most successful new release in the pandemic.
- Despite the pandemic, more than 20,000 people made Aliyah in 2020.
If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
One million vaccinations. Over a million Israelis have now had their first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. More than 150,000 vaccinations are being administered each day – the highest per capita in the world. The number of vaccinated Israelis is now double the total number that have ever been infected with Covid-19.
https://www.
https://www.jns.org/netanyahu-
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Positive results for Covid-19 treatment. Preliminary data from Phase 2 trials of opaganib from Israel’s Redhill (reported here previously) on 40 hospitalized Covid-19 patients showed positive results. Patients receiving opaganib had significantly reduced dependence on ventilators and faster time to discharge.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/
Treatment may cure genetic deafness. One in 400 children are born with a genetic mutation that causes hearing loss. Tel Aviv University scientists have developed a harmless synthetic virus that replaces defective genes with healthy genes. It may prevent deafness when injected into the inner ear hair cells soon after birth.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://english.m.tau.ac.il/
https://www.embopress.org/doi/
Futuristic surgery today. Doctors at Israel’s Galilee Medical Center successfully completed the first-ever repair of a fracture in the floor of an eye socket using augmented reality (AR) and 3D technology. A CT-scan of the patient’s eye was used to 3D print the new socket and the surgeon used HoloLens AR glasses to insert it.
https://www.jpost.com/health-
15-minute Covid-19 test. Several years ago, Bar-Ilan University’s Dr. Amos Danielli founded the biotech MagBiosense (reported here previously) to commercialize his innovative device to detect an imminent heart attack and also to diagnose the Zika virus. He has now adapted it to diagnose Covid-19 in just 15 minutes.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Race for the vaccine. An opportunity on 5th Jan to attend a Technion UK webinar featuring Professor Yotam Bar-On of Israel’s Technion Institute. Professor Bar-On is a virologist, specializing in COVID- 19 who will speak about immunity, about the virus itself along with its variants and how different vaccines work.
https://technionuk.org/event/
Genesis winner donates prize to medical startups. Israel’s 2019 Genesis Prize winner, Natan Sharansky, donated his $1 million prize to 10 Israeli startups developing innovations to combat Covid-19. The 10 are Kamada, Pluristem, Sight Diagnostics, Sonovia, Biobeat, EyeControl, K Health, Picodya, IAI and MyZeppi.
https://nocamels.com/2020/12/
https://www.genesisprize.org/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Helping seniors get vaccinated. Israeli non-profits United Hatzalah and Yad Beyad for the Development of Mevaseret Zion have partnered in a project to transport the over 60s and the disabled to Covid-19 vaccination centers during lockdown. The volunteer EMT will also assist with registration and drive them home afterwards.
https://israelrescue.org/blog/
81 Haredi women complete tech training. 81 religious Jewish women completed the first two-year Adva program that trains women for tech development jobs. The virtual graduation event was attended by Israeli tech executives, who recruited the graduates for Apple, Facebook, Check Point, XM Cyber and others.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Proud female Christian Israeli IDF officer. (TY Stuart Palmer and BIG) Hadeel reveals what life is really like for minorities in the Jewish State. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Ethiopian woman is top advocate for Israel. (TY Meir) Ethiopian Israeli Ashager Araro (reported here previously) is one of Jewish News Syndicate’s top 40 global advocates for Israel. Born on the roadside on the way to Israel, she became a top IDF paratrooper, graduate of IDC Herzilya and ambassador at Stand With Us.
https://www.heyalma.com/this-
Israel becomes a green economy. The Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) has accepted the Bank of Israel as a full member. The NGFS helps financial systems manage risks and mobilize capital for green and low-carbon investments and environmentally sustainable development.
https://www.boi.org.il/en/
Top of their class. (TY EEJH) A study by Stanford University identifies the top 2% of researchers in various disciplines worldwide. It includes 333 researchers from Tel Aviv University, with 74 of them in the top 0.5%.
https://www.jewishpress.com/
The earliest grinding tool in history. Researchers at the University of Haifa have discovered that a rock found in the Tabun Cave on Mount Carmel near Haifa may be the earliest grinding tool used by prehistoric man. The artifact dates to the late Lower Paleolithic era. No similar finds from this period have ever been discovered.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Bringing life to Africa during a pandemic. In 2020 and despite COVID-19, Israeli NGO Innovation: Africa brought water and light to over 200 villages across Africa. They used Israeli technologies to bring solar energy, clean water, healthcare, and food security to millions of the world’s most vulnerable people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Israel Innovation lab. Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, and Teva are to establish an Innovation Lab at Rehovot Science Park to research digital health and computational biology. The Israeli government has allocated the lab a NIS 32 million budget.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Going up. Approval has been given to begin construction of the Ramat Gan Diamond Exchange in a suburb of Tel Aviv. The new tower is set to become Israel’s tallest building at 120 floors and 520 meters, surpassing the Sarona Tower which is 238 meters tall, with 61 floors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
The road to hydrogen-powered vehicles. Israel’s Bazan Group, an investor in Israeli startup H2Pro (above) is starting a NIS 12 million pilot project to create Israel’s first hydrogen refueling station. Bazan is Israel’s largest producer of hydrogen and set up the Bnnovation cleantech innovation lab (reported here previously).
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
An eco-village in the Negev. Israeli NGO Ayalim Association is building an eco-friendly neighborhood in the Negev city of Dimona. Shahak Heights will rely on sustainable solutions for its water, electricity and sewage. Israeli HomeBiogas systems will supplement gas for cooking. Solar energy will provide most of the power.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Mandating green construction. 40% of all construction approved last year complied with the Israeli Standard for Green Building (No. 5281). In March 2022, the standard will be mandatory for all new construction. It will cut pollution, reduce waste, recycle materials and result in buildings being more energy efficient.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Growing coral in the lab. Ben Gurion University scientists are growing coral nurseries five times faster than natural coral production. These are then transplanted into the Red Sea and become floating coral islands. BGU is also partnering scientists in the Florida Keys, to grow coral tissue resilient to rising ocean temperatures.
https://lifewp.bgu.ac.il/wp/
A solar farm for Dead Sea minerals. Israel Chemicals Ltd is to build a 5.5 MW solar power plant to supply energy to its Dead Sea Periclase magnesium production facility. ICL will test storing excess solar energy in bromine-based batteries and plans to install solar systems at other production sites and on its water reservoirs.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Pollination complete. During March, drones from Israel’s Blue White Robotics (reported here previously) transported pollen to date palm trees’ flower stigmata. 90% of the trees were successfully fertilized. Due to lack of labor during the pandemic, the system has been successfully marketed to New York and California farmers.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
New species of Israeli bee. Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have found a new species of bee, joining the approximately 1,100 bee species known to live in Israel. The bee was discovered in the Alexander River National Park, which was established to reverse the effects of road construction and pollution on the area.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Eat my dust. (TY UWI) Scientists at Ben Gurion University have discovered that plants in desert regions grow hair on their leaves when they are short of the essential element phosphorus. The hairs trap dust in the desert air, which contains naturally occurring phosphorus. The dust can replace harmful chemical fertilizers.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Silently protecting millions of computers. Israel’s Morphisec in June 2018 was preventing cyber attacks on a million computers and mobile users. Its shape-shifting software now outwits sophisticated hackers on 4 million computers worldwide. System managers are amazed that it works in the background, without making a fuss.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Care-giving support. Israel’s Caring Company has launched a new app, CaringApp, to provide remote support and assistance to family members and relatives of the elderly. It can monitor and identify life-saving moments such as alerts to falling, mood monitoring, and inactivity. It can even interact with the senior’s phone.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Checkout by selfie. Israel’s Preciate has developed a facial recognition system called “Pay by Face”. A user registers with a selfie photo and uses the system to pay for goods and services. In use at Holon’s Azrieli Mall, it is relevant to fast food takeaways, stores with membership programs or just to acknowledge good customers.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Joint business council. Jerusalem deputy mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum has established the UAE-Israel Business Council which works to create deals in fields including technology, medicine and agriculture. The council already has 3,000 members and a similar Bahrain-Israel organization is in the works.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Cooperation with Croatia. Israel and Croatia signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a strategic partnership between the Foreign Affairs ministries, aiming to promote political and economic cooperation and strengthen relations in areas of mutual interest.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Promoting 5G deployment. Israel’s Innovation Authority and Ministry of Communications are to fund five Israeli companies a total of NIS 12.5 million to conduct pilots using 5G technology. They are Monogoto, Telicomm City Connect, Elbit C4I and Cyber Systems, Edgehawk Security and JpU.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://monogoto.io/ https://www.telicomm.com/ https://www.edgehawk-security.
Get trained in hi-tech skills. Israel’s Innovation Authority (IIA) is investing NIS 139 million in two new programs, the Human Capital Fund and the Emergency Training Program, to help the unemployed enter the Israeli tech ecosystem. It has selected 62 organizations to place 9,000 citizens in available hi-tech positions.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Good Night 2020. Ariella Drefuss’ summary of 2020 shows that it was a very good year for Israeli tech. Good news for investments, secondary sales, IPOs, venture capital, Arab partnerships, Covid-19 solutions and women entrepreneurs. The only low was the number of Israeli exits – which does not sound like bad news to me!
https://blogs.timesofisrael.
Toast 2021 with Israeli whisky. Say goodbye to the troubles of 2020 and l’Hayim to a better year with the award-winning single malt whiskies from Israel’s Milk & Honey. And enjoy a laugh with the second video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
More success for Gal Gadot. The movie Wonder Woman 1984 staring Israel’s Gal Gadot is the most successful film of the coronavirus pandemic, grossing $16.7 million over the holiday weekend. Gal Gadot’s next movie is “Cleopatra” and work has already begun on Wonder Woman 3.
https://worldisraelnews.com/
https://www.israelhayom.com/
The world’s most beautiful face. (TY UWI) Israeli model Yael Shelbia has been awarded the top spot on the annual TC Candler magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful Faces of the Year” list. Yael, currently serving in the Israeli Air Force, was 3rd in 2018 and 2nd in 2019. Israeli actress Gal Gadot is listed at number 21.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The shark shall swim with the dolphin. Although not quite the wolf lying down with the lamb, this video shows two aquatic predators swimming happily together. A taste of things to come?
https://worldisraelnews.com/
Ethiopian Israeli golfer wins Israel Masters. Iso Asher immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia in 1991 and has been working at the Caesarea Golf Club for 27 years. He decided to enter the Israel Men’s Masters tournament at the club for the first time. And at the age of 50, he won, after two rounds and a sudden-death playoff.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
THE JEWISH STATE
20.000 make Aliyah despite pandemic. Some 20,000 olim (new immigrants) arrived in Israel during 2020. They came from 70 different countries and despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Over half of the new citizens emigrated from the former Soviet Union, 2,550 from the US and 2,220 from France.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
More Ethiopian immigrants. As part of Operation Rock of Israel (see here previously), another flight has brought 219 Ethiopian immigrants to the Jewish State. Thanks to the support of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) it has united many Ethiopian families who had previously made Aliyah.
https://www.jns.org/second-
Pollard returns. Jonathan Pollard was a controversial figure, but most Israelis were pleased to see him come home. Together with Israel’s Prime Minister, he recited the Shehechiyanu blessing for auspicious events.
https://www.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
The Abrahamic family. The Arab delegation from the UAE and Bahrain in Israel this month visited historical and cultural sites in Israel. It was chaperoned by a new Israeli organization Sharaka (Arabic for “cooperation” or “partnership”). The delegation expressed its thanks for making them “feel like family members at home”.
https://www.jns.org/bahraini-
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
One million vaccinations. Over a million Israelis have now had their first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. More than 150,000 vaccinations are being administered each day – the highest per capita in the world. The number of vaccinated Israelis is now double the total number that have ever been infected with Covid-19.
https://www.
https://www.jns.org/netanyahu-
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Positive results for Covid-19 treatment. Preliminary data from Phase 2 trials of opaganib from Israel’s Redhill (reported here previously) on 40 hospitalized Covid-19 patients showed positive results. Patients receiving opaganib had significantly reduced dependence on ventilators and faster time to discharge.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/
Treatment may cure genetic deafness. One in 400 children are born with a genetic mutation that causes hearing loss. Tel Aviv University scientists have developed a harmless synthetic virus that replaces defective genes with healthy genes. It may prevent deafness when injected into the inner ear hair cells soon after birth.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://english.m.tau.ac.il/
https://www.embopress.org/doi/
Futuristic surgery today. Doctors at Israel’s Galilee Medical Center successfully completed the first-ever repair of a fracture in the floor of an eye socket using augmented reality (AR) and 3D technology. A CT-scan of the patient’s eye was used to 3D print the new socket and the surgeon used HoloLens AR glasses to insert it.
https://www.jpost.com/health-
15-minute Covid-19 test. Several years ago, Bar-Ilan University’s Dr. Amos Danielli founded the biotech MagBiosense (reported here previously) to commercialize his innovative device to detect an imminent heart attack and also to diagnose the Zika virus. He has now adapted it to diagnose Covid-19 in just 15 minutes.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Race for the vaccine. An opportunity on 5th Jan to attend a Technion UK webinar featuring Professor Yotam Bar-On of Israel’s Technion Institute. Professor Bar-On is a virologist, specializing in COVID- 19 who will speak about immunity, about the virus itself along with its variants and how different vaccines work.
https://technionuk.org/event/
Genesis winner donates prize to medical startups. Israel’s 2019 Genesis Prize winner, Natan Sharansky, donated his $1 million prize to 10 Israeli startups developing innovations to combat Covid-19. The 10 are Kamada, Pluristem, Sight Diagnostics, Sonovia, Biobeat, EyeControl, K Health, Picodya, IAI and MyZeppi.
https://nocamels.com/2020/12/
https://www.genesisprize.org/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Helping seniors get vaccinated. Israeli non-profits United Hatzalah and Yad Beyad for the Development of Mevaseret Zion have partnered in a project to transport the over 60s and the disabled to Covid-19 vaccination centers during lockdown. The volunteer EMT will also assist with registration and drive them home afterwards.
https://israelrescue.org/blog/
81 Haredi women complete tech training. 81 religious Jewish women completed the first two-year Adva program that trains women for tech development jobs. The virtual graduation event was attended by Israeli tech executives, who recruited the graduates for Apple, Facebook, Check Point, XM Cyber and others.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Proud female Christian Israeli IDF officer. (TY Stuart Palmer and BIG) Hadeel reveals what life is really like for minorities in the Jewish State. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Ethiopian woman is top advocate for Israel. (TY Meir) Ethiopian Israeli Ashager Araro (reported here previously) is one of Jewish News Syndicate’s top 40 global advocates for Israel. Born on the roadside on the way to Israel, she became a top IDF paratrooper, graduate of IDC Herzilya and ambassador at Stand With Us.
https://www.heyalma.com/this-
Israel becomes a green economy. The Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) has accepted the Bank of Israel as a full member. The NGFS helps financial systems manage risks and mobilize capital for green and low-carbon investments and environmentally sustainable development.
https://www.boi.org.il/en/
Top of their class. (TY EEJH) A study by Stanford University identifies the top 2% of researchers in various disciplines worldwide. It includes 333 researchers from Tel Aviv University, with 74 of them in the top 0.5%.
https://www.jewishpress.com/
The earliest grinding tool in history. Researchers at the University of Haifa have discovered that a rock found in the Tabun Cave on Mount Carmel near Haifa may be the earliest grinding tool used by prehistoric man. The artifact dates to the late Lower Paleolithic era. No similar finds from this period have ever been discovered.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Bringing life to Africa during a pandemic. In 2020 and despite COVID-19, Israeli NGO Innovation: Africa brought water and light to over 200 villages across Africa. They used Israeli technologies to bring solar energy, clean water, healthcare, and food security to millions of the world’s most vulnerable people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Israel Innovation lab. Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, and Teva are to establish an Innovation Lab at Rehovot Science Park to research digital health and computational biology. The Israeli government has allocated the lab a NIS 32 million budget.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Going up. Approval has been given to begin construction of the Ramat Gan Diamond Exchange in a suburb of Tel Aviv. The new tower is set to become Israel’s tallest building at 120 floors and 520 meters, surpassing the Sarona Tower which is 238 meters tall, with 61 floors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
The road to hydrogen-powered vehicles. Israel’s Bazan Group, an investor in Israeli startup H2Pro (above) is starting a NIS 12 million pilot project to create Israel’s first hydrogen refueling station. Bazan is Israel’s largest producer of hydrogen and set up the Bnnovation cleantech innovation lab (reported here previously).
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
An eco-village in the Negev. Israeli NGO Ayalim Association is building an eco-friendly neighborhood in the Negev city of Dimona. Shahak Heights will rely on sustainable solutions for its water, electricity and sewage. Israeli HomeBiogas systems will supplement gas for cooking. Solar energy will provide most of the power.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Mandating green construction. 40% of all construction approved last year complied with the Israeli Standard for Green Building (No. 5281). In March 2022, the standard will be mandatory for all new construction. It will cut pollution, reduce waste, recycle materials and result in buildings being more energy efficient.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Growing coral in the lab. Ben Gurion University scientists are growing coral nurseries five times faster than natural coral production. These are then transplanted into the Red Sea and become floating coral islands. BGU is also partnering scientists in the Florida Keys, to grow coral tissue resilient to rising ocean temperatures.
https://lifewp.bgu.ac.il/wp/
A solar farm for Dead Sea minerals. Israel Chemicals Ltd is to build a 5.5 MW solar power plant to supply energy to its Dead Sea Periclase magnesium production facility. ICL will test storing excess solar energy in bromine-based batteries and plans to install solar systems at other production sites and on its water reservoirs.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Pollination complete. During March, drones from Israel’s Blue White Robotics (reported here previously) transported pollen to date palm trees’ flower stigmata. 90% of the trees were successfully fertilized. Due to lack of labor during the pandemic, the system has been successfully marketed to New York and California farmers.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
New species of Israeli bee. Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have found a new species of bee, joining the approximately 1,100 bee species known to live in Israel. The bee was discovered in the Alexander River National Park, which was established to reverse the effects of road construction and pollution on the area.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Eat my dust. (TY UWI) Scientists at Ben Gurion University have discovered that plants in desert regions grow hair on their leaves when they are short of the essential element phosphorus. The hairs trap dust in the desert air, which contains naturally occurring phosphorus. The dust can replace harmful chemical fertilizers.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Silently protecting millions of computers. Israel’s Morphisec in June 2018 was preventing cyber attacks on a million computers and mobile users. Its shape-shifting software now outwits sophisticated hackers on 4 million computers worldwide. System managers are amazed that it works in the background, without making a fuss.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Care-giving support. Israel’s Caring Company has launched a new app, CaringApp, to provide remote support and assistance to family members and relatives of the elderly. It can monitor and identify life-saving moments such as alerts to falling, mood monitoring, and inactivity. It can even interact with the senior’s phone.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Checkout by selfie. Israel’s Preciate has developed a facial recognition system called “Pay by Face”. A user registers with a selfie photo and uses the system to pay for goods and services. In use at Holon’s Azrieli Mall, it is relevant to fast food takeaways, stores with membership programs or just to acknowledge good customers.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Joint business council. Jerusalem deputy mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum has established the UAE-Israel Business Council which works to create deals in fields including technology, medicine and agriculture. The council already has 3,000 members and a similar Bahrain-Israel organization is in the works.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Cooperation with Croatia. Israel and Croatia signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a strategic partnership between the Foreign Affairs ministries, aiming to promote political and economic cooperation and strengthen relations in areas of mutual interest.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Promoting 5G deployment. Israel’s Innovation Authority and Ministry of Communications are to fund five Israeli companies a total of NIS 12.5 million to conduct pilots using 5G technology. They are Monogoto, Telicomm City Connect, Elbit C4I and Cyber Systems, Edgehawk Security and JpU.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://monogoto.io/ https://www.telicomm.com/ https://www.edgehawk-security.
Get trained in hi-tech skills. Israel’s Innovation Authority (IIA) is investing NIS 139 million in two new programs, the Human Capital Fund and the Emergency Training Program, to help the unemployed enter the Israeli tech ecosystem. It has selected 62 organizations to place 9,000 citizens in available hi-tech positions.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Good Night 2020. Ariella Drefuss’ summary of 2020 shows that it was a very good year for Israeli tech. Good news for investments, secondary sales, IPOs, venture capital, Arab partnerships, Covid-19 solutions and women entrepreneurs. The only low was the number of Israeli exits – which does not sound like bad news to me!
https://blogs.timesofisrael.
Toast 2021 with Israeli whisky. Say goodbye to the troubles of 2020 and l’Hayim to a better year with the award-winning single malt whiskies from Israel’s Milk & Honey. And enjoy a laugh with the second video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
More success for Gal Gadot. The movie Wonder Woman 1984 staring Israel’s Gal Gadot is the most successful film of the coronavirus pandemic, grossing $16.7 million over the holiday weekend. Gal Gadot’s next movie is “Cleopatra” and work has already begun on Wonder Woman 3.
https://worldisraelnews.com/
https://www.israelhayom.com/
The world’s most beautiful face. (TY UWI) Israeli model Yael Shelbia has been awarded the top spot on the annual TC Candler magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful Faces of the Year” list. Yael, currently serving in the Israeli Air Force, was 3rd in 2018 and 2nd in 2019. Israeli actress Gal Gadot is listed at number 21.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The shark shall swim with the dolphin. Although not quite the wolf lying down with the lamb, this video shows two aquatic predators swimming happily together. A taste of things to come?
https://worldisraelnews.com/
Ethiopian Israeli golfer wins Israel Masters. Iso Asher immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia in 1991 and has been working at the Caesarea Golf Club for 27 years. He decided to enter the Israel Men’s Masters tournament at the club for the first time. And at the age of 50, he won, after two rounds and a sudden-death playoff.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
THE JEWISH STATE
20.000 make Aliyah despite pandemic. Some 20,000 olim (new immigrants) arrived in Israel during 2020. They came from 70 different countries and despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Over half of the new citizens emigrated from the former Soviet Union, 2,550 from the US and 2,220 from France.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
More Ethiopian immigrants. As part of Operation Rock of Israel (see here previously), another flight has brought 219 Ethiopian immigrants to the Jewish State. Thanks to the support of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) it has united many Ethiopian families who had previously made Aliyah.
https://www.jns.org/second-
Pollard returns. Jonathan Pollard was a controversial figure, but most Israelis were pleased to see him come home. Together with Israel’s Prime Minister, he recited the Shehechiyanu blessing for auspicious events.
https://www.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
The Abrahamic family. The Arab delegation from the UAE and Bahrain in Israel this month visited historical and cultural sites in Israel. It was chaperoned by a new Israeli organization Sharaka (Arabic for “cooperation” or “partnership”). The delegation expressed its thanks for making them “feel like family members at home”.
https://www.jns.org/bahraini-
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