Safer trucking in South Carolina

Israel’s SaverOne (see previously) is to run a pilot program with South Carolina trucking company Motor Supply. SaverOne prevents drivers from accessing distracting apps such as instant messaging, while allowing others (such as those for navigation) to run without user intervention.

Giving voice to speechless Australians

Israeli speech recognition startup Voiceitt (see previously) has teamed up with Australia’s Superyou Tech, which helps people with disabilities access innovative assistive technologies. Voiceitt’s powerful AI addresses a diverse linguistic landscape, including accents and dialects.

Easier admissions policy

Students who serve in the IDF reserves may be able to study for a bachelor’s degree at Tel Aviv University (excluding medicine) without a psychometric exam. Only high school matriculation grades will be considered. The policy may be extended for other students adversely impacted by the war.

A place for Ethiopian Israelis at the hi-tech table

Haile means “within my power” in Amharic. Solomon Geveye recently established the Haile Venture Capital Fund to invest in pre-seed disruptive startups in which at least one founder is from Israel’s Ethiopian community. He also founded MetekuAI to combat fake news.

Arabs and Druze in the IDF

Eye-opening article for those who are unaware that minorities have equal rights in Israel.

Chassid ex-commando is head of security

Asaf Peleg walks to his Chassidic synagogue and to take his daily ritual bath wearing a long black coat and fur hat - an M16 over his shoulder and a pistol and walkie-talkie at his waist. The ex-IDF commando is head of the rapid response team in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Malachi.

Digital pen pals connect during wartime

Over 4,000 Jewish high schoolers from Israel and around the world participate in the One2One initiative. They engage in a series of five weekly English conversations of at least 30 minutes each. One2One uses an algorithm to match up students by age, interests and background.

Visitors

Friendly visitors to Israel in Jan included Chechia President Petr Pavel, former US Vice President Mike Pence, 9 UN envoys, 22 EU lawmakers, 40 US JCC leaders, 50 Hadassah leaders, Palantir directors, US student leaders, Christian Zionists, Indian influencers, Iran’s opposition leader, and many more.

50,000 volunteers mobilized

Last week’s article about Lev Echad (One Heart – see ) supporting wounded IDF soldiers didn’t give the US charity enough credit. Since Oct 7, some 50,000 volunteers have run Israeli mental health hotlines; supported displaced Israeli families and reservists; distributed food, and much more.

See Israel through the eyes of the IDF

If you, your children, or grandchildren live in the USA, are aged 21-39 and want to gain a deep understanding of IDF soldiers' mission in the current war, register for the Friends of the IDF’s National Young Leadership Mission to Israel from May 24 to May 30, 2024.