Israel Active

Israel’s oldest charity Colel Chabad has established nine dental clinics to serve Israel’s neediest. They include Jerusalem, Afula, Akko, Ashdod and Netanya. Heavily subsidized prices make oral hygiene affordable for thousands of adults who would otherwise have no recourse.

Israeli startups won first and second place at the Global Innovation Awards 2016 in Beijing.  NiNiSpeech’s ingenious digital platform for speech disorder treatment, won first place, and AerialGuard’s, autonomous navigation system for unmanned aircraft, came in second. Each startup receives $200,000 cash.

In the first half of 2016, a record 88,800 trucks of goods were transferred to the Hamas-controlled enclave through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Gaza.

A good article summing up Israeli positive impact on the world.  It includes security, drought solutions, renewable energy, humanitarian aid and rescue missions.

Togo is one of Israel’s strongest friends in western Africa. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told his counterpart from Togo that his country’s ability in agriculture, together with technological capabilities will be shared with the West African nation.

IsraAID chief Navonel Glick has won the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for his work on crises throughout the world.  IsraAID has served in Haiti, Japan, the Philippines, South Sudan, and the USA during Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, the Colorado floods and the Arkansas tornado. It has also assisted Syrian refugees landing on Europe’s beaches.  

Abd al-Mujid al-Hakim, director of the Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Policy in Jedda, is a member of the Saudi Arabian delegation that recently visited Israel. He said, “The Israeli society that I encountered embraces a culture of peace, has accomplishments it wants to (protect), wants coexistence, and wants peace.”

Robby Berman decided that rather than give money to begging Arab children from Hebron, he would bring them to Jerusalem to earn money teaching Arabic to Israelis and tourists.  It turned into a unique “win-win” co-existence exercise.

The Bnei Brak organization Achiya is changing the lives of thousands of Charedi children and their families. Achiya employs 250 trained professionals to help over 8600 children with learning difficulties ranging from ADHD to dyslexia to down syndrome.

Tel Aviv has 25,000 dogs - the highest (1 per 17) per capita anywhere. They have access to 70 public dog parks and special beaches.  A no-kill shelter, a city patrol checks on animal abuse and 24/7 veterinary services for homeless animals.  Aug 26 saw the first ever Festival of Dogs of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.