Israel Active

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.

US Energy Secretary Rick Perry signed an energy cooperation agreement between the US and Israel covering cybersecurity in energy, gas projects and the US-Israel Energy Center. He also toured energy facilities in Ashdod with Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz.

A state of emergency was declared for Flint, Michigan since 2016, when toxic lead leaked into its water supply. A water-from-air system from Israel’s WaterGen has now been donated to Greater Flint Holy Temple church, which has been providing free bottled water to thirsty residents.

A group of Arab journalists and bloggers have come to Israel - including from UAE, Egypt and (the first time) Saudi Arabia and Iraq. They are expected to tour Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Last week I included a video featuring Lucy Aharish praising Israeli efforts to support the UN’s sustainable development goals.  I failed to mention, however, that Lucy is a Muslim Arab-Israeli reporter and Israeli TV host. She is currently the news anchor on Reshet 13.

I reported previously on Israel’s RavTech which employs yeshiva students who combine computer programming with Torah studies. RavTech provides QA automation services to Check Point and Elbit. It earned NIS 8 million in 2018 and has now raised an additional $4 million.