Israel Active

British Special Forces have reportedly adopted an electric motorcycle developed in Israel. In a recent exercise, the British Army parachuted the motorcycles from a helicopter together with soldiers, who then traveled 10 miles on the silent vehicles.

I reported previously on Ido Aharoni when he was publicizing Israel’s achievements in his work at the Israeli embassy in New York. Now at New York University, Professor Aharoni is still “changing the conversation” with his “Birthright for academics” program to positively rebrand Israel.

Hundreds of Jewish and non-Jewish educators visited Israel for a World Education Conference organized by KKL-JNF. The aim of the trip was to strengthen the teachers' connection to and understanding of Israel, in order to teach about Israel in a more informed way.

A couple of weeks ago I reported that Israeli archaeologists had unearthed an ancient mosque, showing that Israel respected the history of all religions. Now, excavations in Israel’s Galilee have uncovered remains of an ancient church said to mark the home of the apostles Peter and Andrew.

I reported previously on Israeli NGO Tech-Career that has helped 550 Ethiopian-Israelis get jobs at Israel’s top hi-tech companies. Tech-Career held a recent event to show that the Ethiopian-Israeli community can be a bridge between Israel and the African tech market.

NGO Access Israel creates awareness of the needs of people with disabilities. Its founder IAF pilot Yuval Wagner was invalided after a 1987 helicopter crash. Accessibility problems drove him to setup Access Israel with support from ex-IAF pilot, then President Ezer Weizman.

Israel’s Unistream operates after-school programs for teens and young adults to learn to be leaders and entrepreneurs. 80 startups from this program competed for business and social impact prizes. Winners were Genie (diapers), Homeet (cooking), Smart Shoes, and Segev Shalom (Bedouin education).

A Jew, a Christian and a Muslim have opened the first kosher restaurant in the diverse, northern Israeli port city of Acre (Akko). Called “Roots,” it combines dishes from all three traditions, “bringing peace to this place.”

Israel ranked number 10 of the 129 countries listed on the annual Global Innovation Index compiled by World Intellectual Property Organization, Cornell University and INSEAD. Israel has moved up every year since 2015, when it was ranked 22nd.

For the first time in Israel, scholars, journalists and lovers of the Spanish language from 40 countries gathered at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for a five-day academic conference hosted by the International Association of Hispanists.