6 million seeds for Indian farmers
The Indo-Israel vegetable center of excellence in Haryana state, India has boosted the annual number of seedlings grown by state farmers from half a million in 2011 to six million in 2015. Farmers from Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are also using the facility.
Israeli-trained medics treat Paris trauma victims
15 French clinicians, trained by Israeli experts, provided psycho-trauma treatment to victims of the Nov 13 Paris terror attacks. The Israel Trauma Coalition trained 80 French mental-health professionals following the terror attack on a Paris kosher supermarket last January.
Water for Ethiopian kids
Israel’s Technion Institute chapter of Engineers Without Borders has built a safe drinking supply water system in a village school at Meskele Cristos, in northern Ethiopia. The system collects and stores rainwater from rooftops during the rainy season giving fresh water to over 600 schoolchildren.
3,000 come to honor fallen Druze hero
3,000 people, from all over Israel, attended the memorial of Druze policeman Zidan Saif, killed whilst responding to a terrorist attack at a Jerusalem synagogue one year ago.
New bridge to connect Israel and Jordan
A new bridge is to be built across the Jordan River to connect Israel and Jordan. The bridge is a key part of the Jordan Gateway project - a joint industrial and business area spanning the river that is a natural border between the two countries.
Glide awarded for work with hearing-impaired
US national advocacy group for the deaf and hard of hearing, TDI (Telecommunications for the Deaf and hard of Hearing) has awarded the Andrew Saks Engineering Award to Israeli startup Glide for making its video messaging app accessible to the hearing-impaired.
The Ethiopian festival of Sigd
The Sigd holiday, 50 days after Yom Kippur, is now celebrated annually in Jerusalem. Kessim (leaders of the Ethiopian Jewish community) in traditional garb sat under colorful umbrellas. Buses brought tens of thousands of Israeli Ethiopians from all over Israel to participate.
Public transport costs down, child benefit up
2.5 million Israeli travelers will benefit from expanded public transportation discounts or free travel. They include 2 million children aged between 5 and 18, 280,000 disabled people; the blind and those accompanying them. Child benefit will increase by up to 34%, backdated to May.
The best veggie food in the world
Tel Aviv has the world’s best vegetarian restaurants, according to Conde Nast Traveler magazine. It recommends several, including a Georgian vegan restaurant and an Ethiopian vegan cafe. Israel has some 300,000 vegans, the highest per capita anywhere in the world.
Druze Arabs promote Israel in US
A delegation of young Druze leaders from medicine, law enforcement and the IDF is visiting Boston, Los Angeles and New York, to spread awareness of their community’s unique place in Israel’s multicultural society. There are 104,000 Druze in Israel. 86% serve in the IDF.