POSITIVE NEWS FROM ISRAEL FROM MICHAEL ORDMAN
www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com
This week’s positive Israel newsletter highlights that despite the on-going war, Israel’s citizens, its organizations, and its many global friends are steadfast in their desire to recover from tragedy, eradicate evil, and work to make a better world. Michael Ordman
POSITIVE NEWS DURING A WAR
62% of Israelis have donated. Nearly two-thirds of the Israeli public donated to various initiatives relating to the war effort during the 3rd week of the Israel-Hamas conflict and gave more money than ever. The joint study by Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Universities reveals the average donation is NIS 458 a week in cash or in kind.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/nearly-two-thirds-of-israelis-giving-weekly-donations-to-war-effort-says-study/
Evacuated kids keep learning. Some 80 children who have been evacuated from their homes near the Gaza border are keeping up with their studies. They follow the Sprint EdTech platform from Israel’s MindCET innovation center at its Yeruham HQ in south-east Israel (see here previously). https://www.mindcet.org/en/
https://nocamels.com/2023/11/for-evacuated-israeli-kids-innovative-studies-keep-minds-sharp/
Free respite for rave survivors. Israeli Yoni Kahana, an ex-member of Chabad, is now owner of the Secret Forest retreat center in Paphos, Cyprus. He has assembled a team of trauma experts to provide free 5-day therapeutic retreats for groups of Supernova music party survivors. He is crowdfunding for more groups.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-an-exclusive-cyprus-retreat-center-supernova-rave-survivors-get-help-to-move-on/ https://charidy.com/recovering https://secretfo.rest/en/
Caring for employees. The Israel R&D Center of AT&T has a 6-point plan for looking after its staff during the war. 1. Staying in contact; 2. Discreet mental support; 3. Employee relief fund and charity donation facility; 4. Kids programs; 5. Support for employees in IDF; 6. Volunteering initiatives.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sys0x11r7p
Office becomes hotel for evacuees. US-based Varonis converted its Herzliya office’s open space into a huge camp for 250 evacuees from the southern cities of Netivot, Ofakim, and Ashkelon and the northern city Kiryat Shmona. After one week, it moved them to a hotel that its employees paid for by redeeming their vacation days.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/y0lql80z0 https://www.varonis.com/
Support for all. Western Galilee Now’s Support Package initiative enables people to send gift boxes to evacuees, soldiers or any loved one in Israel. The boxes are filled with premium products sold by small Galilee and Negev-based businesses who are suffering loss of income due to the war. Backed by JNF-USA.
https://www.israel21c.org/gift-boxes-support-israeli-people-and-businesses-in-wartime/
https://united.westgalil.org.il/product/support-package-for-your-loved-ones/
The spirit of volunteerism. nearly 4,000 of the 5,700 young Jewish adults (aged 18-30) from abroad on the Masa Israel Journey program ended up staying in Israel during the war and many who left are returning. This article features one participant who came to teach English and is now a volunteer chef for the IDF.
https://www.jns.org/the-indomitable-spirit-of-volunteerism-in-wartime/
Volunteers on the farm. Many foreign farm workers left Israel at the start of the war. Charities Hashomer HaHadash, Achim Lemeshek, and Zav 8 have been recruiting Israeli volunteers to replace them. 30 volunteers are currently working at the Ben Saadon farm and packing plant in Be’er Ganim, near Ashkelon.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/agriculture-ministry-seeking-to-lure-out-of-work-israelis-to-take-up-jobs-on-farms/ https://www.jns.org/volunteers-give-first-aid-to-israeli-agriculture/
Israel can count on its math department. The mathematics faculty at Israel’s Technion is helping Israel’s war effort. Many are in the IDF reserves and on the home front. Others are harvesting vegetables, preparing shelters, delivering food & clothing to the IDF, and assisting evacuees from border towns.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2023/11/the-math-department-helps-in-a-big-way-on-the-war-and-home-fronts/
Top US neurosurgeon volunteers. Immediately after the events of Oct 7, world-renowned US neurosurgeon Dr. Teodoro Forcht Dagi volunteered to work at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center. Sheba is treating many of those injured during the war. Dr Dagi brings his experience of the conflicts in Northern Ireland and Kosovo.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-us-neurosurgeon-volunteers-hard-won-wartime-expertise-at-sheba-medical-center/
War is dirty, but… We hope that the IDF will cleanse Gaza of Hamas terrorists. Meanwhile, Rabbi Shai Graucher has set up a mobile laundry with three trucks on the Gaza border to help keep Israeli soldiers fresh. It’s just one activity that his Klal Yisroel organization is undertaking in its Standing Together campaign. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-charity-aims-to-provide-it-all-for-soldiers-including-mobile-laundry-and-spas/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4boAx0sDmg
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
ReWalk for veterans. (TY Nevet) A CBS program that publicized the life-changing impact of the exoskeleton from Israel’s ReWalk (see here previously) that enables wheelchair-bound US veterans to walk. CBS didn’t mention that the product was Israeli or even its name. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/robotic-tech-helped-a-veteran-walk-again-now-shes-working-to-expand-access/
Rehabilitating the wounded. Israel’s Restart (see here previously) has shifted its focus from rehabilitating IDF veterans, to supporting soldiers wounded in the current war. Its scanners and 3D printers at hospitals instantly make devices to help restore mobility. Restart’s volunteers are mostly wounded veterans themselves.
https://nocamels.com/2023/11/veterans-provide-practical-help-comfort-for-wounded-idf-troops/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Watches alert the deaf to sirens. In cooperation with the Tel Aviv Municipality, NGO CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) has imported customized smart watches that vibrate whenever a siren goes off. They have been delivered to 300 deaf Israelis. CODA was co-founded by Israeli Shani Bibi, a child of hearing-impaired parents.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-startups-step-in-to-fill-wartime-gaps/
A Bedouin Arab woman speaks out. “If not for Israel I would probably be illiterate, penniless, herding sheep.
But I have an electrical engineering degree, I have a master’s from Stanford University, and I have my rights to live my life the way I wanted to live it.” Sophia Shramko’s father was the first Bedouin Lt. Col. in the IDF.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-an-arab-bedouin-israeli-dismantles-the-apartheid-narrative/
https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/hy11vp9pmt
Watergen machines are still working in Gaza. The three solar-powered water-from-air machines provided by Israel’s Watergen, installed by Israel’s Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in the south of Gaza, are still supplying clean water to at least 2,000 Gazans. https://www.timesofisrael.com/solar-run-machines-that-convert-air-to-drinking-water-still-working-in-south-gaza/
Arabs maintain ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia helped to block a resolution by Arab and Muslim countries to militarily and economically isolate Israel. They were joined by Egypt and Jordan, plus the Abraham Accords countries of the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. Mauritania and Djibouti also opposed the measures.
https://www.jns.org/saudis-help-block-anti-israel-measures-at-arab-summit/
Student-led public diplomacy. Students at Israel’s Reichman University have launched the ACT-IL initiative to fight antisemitism and positively influence the Israel narrative. The community of 26,000 activists from 73 countries uses systematic, sophisticated crowdsourcing and social media to fight anti-Israel bias.
https://nocamels.com/2023/11/digital-diplomacy-israels-advocates-get-creative-on-social-media/
https://www.abbaeban.runi.ac.il/act-il
Student task force share the truth. A group of 30 international students at Tel Aviv University have formed a task force to counter fake news and tell the verified story of what they’re seeing and hearing in Israel right now. They are uploading fact-checked reports and survivor testimonies onto Instagram, TikTok, X, and Facebook.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-770096 https://international.tau.ac.il/student-task-force
Christian support for Israel. US Christian groups, such as Christians United 4 Israel, are hosting fundraisers and sending volunteers and supplies to the Jewish state. One initiative “Don’t Look Away” is a video high above New York’s Times Square, to raise awareness of the Israeli hostages. CUFI has raised $2.65 million.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-sizeable-us-demographic-many-evangelicals-are-sending-money-and-manpower-to-israel/
Let our people go. Nearly 300,000 attended the March for Israel rally in Washington DC – the largest Jewish gathering in US history. Some 100,000 more watched the online streaming of the event. The main purpose was to call for the release of over 200 hostages kidnapped by the terrorist organization Hamas and held in Gaza.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/let-our-people-go-nearly-300000-rally-in-washington-for-israel-hostages-release/ https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-773312
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9CLSd8Alkk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EVMSEjz9Yo
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Euro patent for resistant plant tech. Israel’s PlantArcBio (see here previously) has received a European patent for its Direct in Plant (DIP) platform. It identifies the best genes for crops to withstand harsh climates, as well as pests and weeds. It then applies these traits in plant models to demonstrate its efficacy.
https://nocamels.com/category/news-briefs/#post-125311
Chocolate to lower blood sugar level. Israel’s SOLVEAT (see here previously) has produced a prototype of its herbal chocolate bar. A preliminary study found that it reduced blood sugar by 10 to 24 percent in 10 out of 12 participants with prediabetes. A clinical trial is underway; patient recruitment is unlikely to be a problem!
https://nocamels.com/2023/11/startups-herb-infused-chocolate-bar-supports-healthy-blood-sugar/
Disused mine to be Israel’s biggest data center. Israel Land Authority has published a development tender for the abandoned Timna copper mine near Eilat. It includes construction of a solar farm and an underground data center, on 520 acres, which would be the biggest in Israel.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israels-biggest-data-center-planned-for-disused-timna-mine-1001458928
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel is the Resilience Nation. OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved explains why despite the challenges, Israel’s tech community remains fully mobilized, contributing significantly to stability and functionality during these testing times. He cites “multitasking, because of redundancies built in, and because frankly, this isn’t our first rodeo.”
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-772455
$1 billion of Israel bonds. Israel Bonds has raised more than $1 billion in the past month. President and CEO Dani Naveh said, “This is Israel Bonds’ highest surge of investment ever, which demonstrates the strong support for Israel of the Jewish communities and Israel’s supporters in the United States and around the world,”
https://www.jns.org/since-oct-7-israel-bonds-has-raised-1-billion/
Compensation for War victims. Israel has approved an economic aid plan estimated at NIS 15 billion. It includes grants to war-affected businesses with turnover of up to NIS 400 million. It also includes a salary reimbursement program and provides relief for employees put on unpaid leave.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-greenlights-wartime-compensation-plan-for-businesses/
Azerbaijan buys a Barak. Azerbaijan has bought a Barak MX air defense system from Israel Aerospace Industries from $1.2 billion. Its purpose is said to protect Azerbaijan against the threat from Iran.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-azerbaijan-buys-12b-israel-aerospace-barak-missile-system-1001462371
Finland buys a David’s Sling. Israel has signed a landmark deal to sell a David’s Sling air defense system to Finland for NIS 1.3 billion. David’s Sling, produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, has successfully intercepted long range rockets from Gaza. Its capability is to intercept missiles with a range of 25-185 miles.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-signs-landmark-deal-to-sell-davids-sling-air-defense-system-to-finland/
Border farmhands get double pay. Israel’s Agriculture Ministry has promised to double the wages of farmhands in fields close to the Gaza and Lebanon borders. It seeks to lure out-of-work Israelis to take up jobs on farms. Israel is also hiring up to 10,000 farm workers from Sri Lanka.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/agriculture-ministry-seeking-to-lure-out-of-work-israelis-to-take-up-jobs-on-farms/ https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-sri-lanka-agrees-to-send-10000-farm-workers-to-israel-1001461789
Government funds for suppliers. Israel’s Defense Ministry is ensuring that key suppliers do not suffer from cashflow problems. It has paid more than four billion shekels to thousands of small and mid-sized suppliers and manufacturers with a quarter of this going to those on Israel’s borders. It is also making payments in advance.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/380298
Supporting suppliers and victims. Western Galilee Now’s Support Packages enable people to send gift boxes to evacuees, soldiers or any loved one in Israel. The boxes are filled with premium products sold by small Galilee and Negev-based businesses who are suffering loss of income due to the war. Backed by JNF-USA.
https://www.israel21c.org/gift-boxes-support-israeli-people-and-businesses-in-wartime/
https://www.facebook.com/westgalilnow/ www.westgalil.org.il
Supporting the hi-tech ecosystem. Israel’s Built Up Ventures and Besadno Group have launched a new Security Fund. The emergency Impact Investment Campaign is raising capital for its portfolio and affiliate companies involved in the defense, homeland security, and essential medical care sectors.
https://www.israel21c.org/promo/__trashed/
Helping NGOs and making a profit. Israel’s Monday.com (see here previously) supports some 360 different civilian-led projects including coordinating volunteer activities and locating homes for displaced people. Despite having 100 employees in the IDF and reserves, Monday.com made $7 million last year.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h15lenent
Rebuilding ecology. Israel’s Kenaf Ventures (see here previously) is based in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the communities hardest hit on Oct 7. The company is refinancing its business based on the kenaf plant. The kenaf absorbs large amounts of CO2 and heavy metals. Its fibers are made into construction and bioplastic products.
https://www.israel21c.org/war-wont-stop-this-startup-from-building-a-greener-world/
We’re doing OK. Most large Israeli companies are staying strong during the war. They include Teva, whose results far exceeded market expectations. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rkpnrmfqa
Exits, takeovers, and mergers – to 19/11/23: Israeli solar panel cleaning companies Solar Drone and Bladeranger have merged.
Investment in Israeli startups – to 19/11/23: Eleos Health raised $40 million; Vulcan Cyber raised $34 million; Ingonyama raised $20 million; Refine Intelligence raised $13 million; Guidde raised $11.6 million; lunar.dev raised $6 million; Entrio raised $3.5 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Safe haven for birds. Thousands of cranes are arriving at Israel’s Hula Valley nature reserve in the north as they do every fall. They join flamingos, pelicans, and thousands of other birds which migrate through Israel – a vital stop on their journey from Europe to Africa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SOvmwo3bjY
https://www.jns.org/despite-war-cranes-arrive-in-israels-hula-valley/
https://www.kkl-jnf.org/tourism-and-recreation/forests-and-parks/hula-lake-park/live_broadcast/
Good sports. (TY Hazel) Israelis are still having success in sporting competitions. Israel’s Daniel Bluman won the Longines International Equestrian Federation Jumping World Cup in Toronto. Maccabi Tel Aviv beat Zorya Luhansk 3-1 in the UEFA league, and Israel advanced to Europe’s rugby super cup semi-finals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGlVIW2bPY4
https://www.maccabi-tlv.co.il/en/2023/11/zahavi-this-victory-is-dedicated-to-the-entire-israeli-nation/
https://www.rugbyeurope.eu/news/black-lion-and-tel-aviv-heat-secure-re-super-cup-semi-final-spots/
Free trips for 130 kids and their families. 130 children and their families were treated to free flights to Hungary, plus accommodation, to watch the Israeli national soccer team play Romania and Switzerland. It was organized by Yigal Nisell, COO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement. Sponsors included ISRAIR & Fattal.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-773340
THE JEWISH STATE
Empathy for ordinary Gazans. Watch how IDF soldiers treat civilians who are moving out of the battle zone in Northern Gaza. https://unitedwithisrael.org/behind-the-scenes-the-idf-the-media-doesnt-show-you/
Weddings in a war. I unfortunately posted an incorrect link to my friend Leonie’s photo last week of a couple where both groom and bride were wearing IDF uniforms. Here is the correct link (see here) but you will still need a Facebook account to access it. Meanwhile, two wedding couples celebrated – in a bomb shelter!
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1073284580793787&set=a.708124733976442
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/380292
Ethiopian Jews celebrate Sigd. Despite war, Ethiopian Israelis celebrated the Sigd holiday on Nov 13 – 50 days after Yom Kippur. It is recognized by the Knesset as a national holiday. Sigd comes from the Aramaic word sged which means to prostrate oneself, as in prayer.
https://www.jns.org/despite-war-ethiopian-israelis-celebrate-sigd-holiday/
11 grade student takes the wheel. Hallel Kana, an 11th grader at Ohr Torah Stone’s Ulpanat Katz Oriya saw that the driver of her school bus was having a heart attack. Despite no driving knowledge, Hallel grabbed the wheel and pressed the brake. EMTs used CPR to save the driver. Hallel received a gift – 18 driving lessons.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/380299
Spiritual light. With the festival of Chanukah rapidly approaching, Jacob Richman has updated his blogsites containing educational resources, videos, and humor about the Jewish Festival of Lights. The Jewish State has come a long way since the victory of a small band of Maccabees over the Syrian-Greek rulers.
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/chanukah.htm https://jr.co.il/videos/chanukah-videos.htm
https://jr.co.il/humor/chanuka.htm
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/
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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