Abba Eban famously stated that the
Palestinian Arab leadership never misses an opportunity to miss an
opportunity. This week Israel made
another huge traumatic concession just to initiate another opportunity to
conduct peace talks. In parallel news,
Israelis continued to make the most of numerous opportunities to benefit
humanity.
Israelis have made several opportunist
discoveries recently. Scientists at Tel
Aviv University struck
gold when they found that heart cells integrated with nano-fibers of
the precious metal improve electrical signaling between cells to strengthen the
contraction of cardiac muscle. The TAU
scientists are using this to create cardiac patches for replacing damaged heart
tissues. At Ben-Gurion University
researchers discovered that methylphenidate - used to treat ADHD sufferers - is
also successful in reducing
the risk of falling by the elderly.
And TAU Professor Illana Gozes has created a new peptide (short protein)
called NAP which she has found has benefits for Alzheimer’s,
ALS and Parkinson’s sufferers.
Scientists at the Hebrew University in
Jerusalem had the vision to develop a method for detecting the cause of
diabetic retinopathy - a leading cause of blindness worldwide. The procedure will provide
the opportunity for early diagnosis and treatment of the condition,
minimizing damage and saving vision.
Meanwhile, parents of a child with a “lazy eye” condition now have the
opportunity to treat them with Amblyz eyeglasses from Israel’s
XPAND. Instead of a patch over one of
the lenses, Amblyz uses an electronic shutter to obstruct the strong eye in
automatic, intermittent intervals. And
a novel development by Israeli start-up CoreBone bone increases the opportunities
for successful bone implants (spinal, dental etc.). Corebone uses
corals to encourage bone growth, but the corals are grown in the laboratory so
as not to damage the ecology.
There were some opportune moments involving
Israelis recently. When 67-year-old man who fell while climbing a cliff in
Gwynedd, Wales, two Israeli military search and rescue team members just
happened to be close by. They helped bring the victim down safely and even the BBC couldn’t
ignore the event. Then a Greek
commercial airliner with 170 passengers on route from Athens to Amman, Jordan
was fortunate
to be over Israeli air space when it suffered a major hydraulic
failure. After it radioed “Mayday” -
the highest emergency distress signal - Israeli jets were scrambled and
escorted the jet to Ben Gurion airport where the plane landed safely with no
injuries. Finally, all participants on
the Talglit Birthright trip to Israel are
given the opportunity to register on the Jewish bone marrow
database. As a result, 23-year-old
Matthew Footerman from Houston, Texas donated bone marrow to save the life of
65-year-old Michael Weissner from New Jersey.
Many Israeli companies have spotted
opportunities to bring their innovative products to the world market. They include Blue I Water, which has
impressed the Chinese with its unique electro-optic test strip that monitors
drinking water for mold, harmful bacteria, caustic chemicals and
poisons. Another is Amiad
Water Systems, which has
developed filters for anticipated new legislation to prevent the spread of
invasive marine creatures through ships’ ballast water.
Israelis relish the opportunity to read
books - we are, after all, the “People of the Book” so why not have a
mobile library on the beach? We also
like to relive
our history - such as at the “Migdal Haroeh” tower tourism center in
the Samaria town of Shiloh,
which features a unique high-tech display of the site of the Jewish Tabernacle
3,300 years ago. And we definitely enjoy a
good party - as in Tel Aviv’s annual “White Night” when more than 70
musicians, artists, actors and dancers spun their tunes and moves into the wee
hours of the morning.
You probably haven’t read that Israel takes
every opportunity to integrate its diverse population into society. For example, the IDF runs a
special
program for
haredi (ultra-religious) Jews. It is so
successful that following army service they are highly sought after by the
hi-tech industry. Hareidi soldiers
designed an advanced computer system to help protect Israel’s northern and Gaza
borders. Recently, Commanders of the Israeli Air Force conducted a tour and
workshop in haredi areas of Jerusalem in order to prepare for a major
increase to the current 300 existing Hareidi IAF servicemen. “We’re looking forward to their arrival,”
said Major Elad Dadon.
Finally, many non-Jewish Israeli citizens
have also taken advantage of the opportunities in the Jewish State. They
include:
-
Anett
Haskia, a Moslem woman who is campaigning for
compulsory national service for Israeli Arabs.
Israel – it’s the land of opportunity.
Michael Ordman writes a free weekly
newsletter containing Good News stories about Israel.
For a free subscription, email a request to
michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
