Israel Active

In 1951, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion announced his plan to engage Diaspora Jewry in the building of the reborn Jewish homeland through the sale of Israel Bonds. Today, Israel Bonds is a global endeavor that, to date, has achieved  $49 billion in worldwide sales.

A new bill has been introduced in Israel’s Knesset to end the requirement of US citizens to make payments to Bituach Leumi in Israel if they already pay social security in the USA. It can save up to 15% of income for dual US-Israeli citizens who still work in the USA.

The Maryland/Israel Development Center (MIDC) was founded roughly 30 years ago. Maryland is home to 42 Israeli companies with new headquarters opening for Elbit Systems (and its subsidiary Cyberbit), Evogene, and Medispec.

The Virginia Israel Advisory Board (VIAB) is a state agency helping Israeli companies build and grow their businesses in the U.S. state. Virginia hosts The Israel Innovation Center, with Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon moving in. Its location close to Washington DC could also be advantageous.

The Manufacturers’ Association of Israel has signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates’ Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone. Its aim is to foster business and manufacturing ties and boost relations with institutions in industry, trade, and investment.

The Israel Innovation Authority is investing another NIS 40 million to advance “disruptive, future technologies” in the Jewish state. It gave examples of these technologies, including same-day delivery by walking robots, 3D-printed organs for transplants, and state-of-the-art school security.

The Israel Innovation Authority's Tnufa (“Ideation”) program provides grants as much as $54,000 for up to two years. The initiative aims to help entrepreneurs develop technological ideas and then decide whether to start a business and raise private equity.

Israel’s export of carrots and potatoes is breaking records due to drought in Spain, Portugal and Italy, and a wet Israeli winter. Potato exports grew from 140,000 tons to 200,000 tons with prices for farmers up 10%.  Carrots jumped from 15,000 tons to 50,000 tons with prices up by 20%.

The Canadian government is providing funds (estimated at $1 million) to Tel Aviv University, with the goal of improving Canada’s Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) systems. The EEW system developed by TAU and Israel’s SeismicAI (see ) is in use in many countries.

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