With 0.1% positivity rate, Israel records lowest COVID cases since start of pandemic

(Photo By: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

By: i24NEWS - May 2, 2021

Israel's Health Ministry said on Sunday that only 13 new cases of the coronavirus were identified on Saturday, out of 9,236 tests carried out.

These results resulted in a positivity rate of 0.1 percent, a record-low number since the start of the pandemic last March.

According to the ministry's latest toll, there are currently 102 Israelis hospitalized in serious condition with complications from COVID-19, including 62 on life support.

Separately, two new people died from the virus over the weekend, bringing the death toll from the pandemic to 6,365.

Israel, which has carried out a vaccination campaign feted as one of the most efficient in the world, announced in mid-April the gradual reopening of its borders for tourist groups from May 23.

Read More: i24News

Israeli scientists develop tiny swallowable ‘tweezers’ for use against bacteria

(Photo By: Dr_Mircrobe via iStock by Getty Images)

By: Nathan Jeffay - May 6, 2021

Israeli scientists have developed tiny “tweezers” capable of breaking down defenses that bacteria build to survive the human immune system.

In a bid to stay alive and reproduce in humans, bacteria construct biofilms — shields to protect themselves against the immune system that is programmed to try to destroy them.

Such protection helps many infection-causing bacteria survive. It’s also the mechanism that bacteria use to live in our mouths — part of dental plaque is a biofilm that helps bacteria survive underneath despite our toothbrushing. Biofilms are also grown by bacteria in plants, animals and other environments.

Read More: Times of Israel

Dead Sea Scrolls: Mysterious scribe wrote eight diverse scrolls, scholars find

(Photo By: Baz Ratner/Reuters)

By: Rossella Tercatin - May 4, 2021

Some 2,000 years ago, one scribe wrote at least eight of the Dead Sea Scroll manuscripts, making him the most prolific sofer ever identified, according to a group of scholars.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are a corpus of some 25,000 fragments unearthed in caves on the shores of the Dead Sea in the 1940s and ’50s. The artifacts include some of the most ancient manuscripts of the Bible, other religious texts that were not accepted in the canon and nonreligious writings.

Over the past few years, an artificial-intelligence-based paleographic project carried out by scholars at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and supported by the European Research Council has been focusing on understanding more about the identity of the scribes who copied the scrolls.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

2,000-year-old oil lamp found in Jerusalem's City of David

(Photo By: Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

By: i24NEWS - May 5, 2021

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a rare oil lamp in the City of David in Jerusalem dating back some 2,000 years ago after the destruction of the Second Temple. 

Researchers with the Israel Antiquities Authority (AAI) said in a statement Wednesday that they believe the bronze lamp, shaped like a face cut in half, was likely used as a "foundation deposit" or ritual burial offering to bring good fortune to building structures and their Roman occupants. 

It is estimated to date from the end of the 1st century AD.

Read More: i24News

Making oxygen from moon sand, startup eyes long-term life in space

(Photo By: Helios)

By: Shoshanna Solomon - April 26, 2021

An Israeli startup, Helios, says it has developed technology that can produce oxygen needed for fuel from the lunar soil. This will make multiple and long-term missions to the moon economically viable, as it will allow moon colonies to “live off the land” instead of having to carry all of their fuel and other resources from Earth.

The initiative has been awarded funding from the Israeli Space Agency and the Energy Ministry to develop a system that will be launched in two space missions over the next three years, the company said in a statement.

Read More: Times of Israel

Dubai conference highlights online security, cooperation with Israel on cyber defense

(Photo By: Israel Aerospace Industries)

By: Yaakov Lappin - April 29, 2021

A cyber exhibition held in Dubai earlier this month drew the participation of Israel Aerospace Industries, and saw Israeli and Emirati professionals explore new ways to cooperate on cyber defense.

The CyberTech exhibition, which took place between April 5 and April 7, was the first significant in-person cyber conference since the start of the global coronavirus pandemic.

IAI sent a large delegation to Dubai, seeking local cooperation with government agencies, defense forces, local industries and academic initiatives in order to further expand the company’s activity in the Gulf region.

Read More: JNS

Israel places 4th in world COVID resilience ranking

(Photo By: Avshalom Sassoni/Flash 90)

By: i24NEWS - April 27, 2021

Israel has climbed to fourth place among the most resilient countries facing the COVID-19 health crisis, according to a report released by Bloomberg News on Tuesday.

The ranking was introduced in November 2020 to track how the world's most dynamic economies are coping with the pandemic.

Israel has steadily climbed the rankings, which primarily measure infection rates and the number of people vaccinated, which has led the world in per capita inoculations since launching its drive in December.

Read More: i24News

Toyota affiliate teams with Israeli startup to create electric commercial vehicles

(Photo BY: REE Automotive)

By: JNS - April 28, 2021

Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors Co. and the Israeli startup REE Automotive announced on Tuesday their partnership to develop electric commercial vehicles to transport people and goods.

The companies said the signing of their business agreement shows their shared vision of “providing new value to society through next-generation commercial mobility” that is geared to “improve quality of life on a global scale by lowering carbon emissions, minimizing strain on infrastructure, reducing congestion and allowing companies to better allocate resources.”

Read More: JNS

As competition heats up, Intel touts new $200 million Haifa campus

(Photo By: Courtesy)

By: Shoshanna Solomon - April 29, 2021

US tech giant Intel Corp. said Wednesday that newly appointed CEO Pat Gelsinger will be visiting Israel next week to announce the setting up a new $200 million campus in Israel to develop the “chips of the future.” The company also said it intends to recruit some 1,000 new employees locally this year.

The announcement comes as competition among global chipmaker titans is heating up. Multinationals are competing for top talent that will keep them ahead of the game, as the world turns online following the coronavirus pandemic.

Read More: Times of Israel

Israel welcomes 104 new immigrants from North America

(Photo By: Nefesh B’Nefesh)

By: JNS - April 27, 2021

Israel welcomed 104 olim (new immigrants) from North America at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Monday. The group arrived on a specially chartered New York-Tel Aviv flight, facilitated by the organization Nefesh B’Nefesh, in cooperation with the Israeli Aliyah and Integration Ministry, the Jewish Agency, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL) and Jewish National Fund-USA.

The group included 28 families, 18 singles and 27 retirees—the eldest of whom is 98 and the youngest four months old—from New York, New Jersey, Ontario, California, Minnesota, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Maryland. All passengers produced a negative PCR coronavirus test prior to arrival and will undergo mandatory quarantine in Israel.

Read More: JNS

Tel Aviv lawyer on Everest hopes to become first Israeli woman to reach summit

(Photo By: Screenshot/Ch. 13)

By: TOI Staff - April 27, 2021

The woman aiming to be the first Israeli female to summit Mount Everest has just a few weeks left on her journey to the mountain’s peak, according to Channel 13.

Danielle Wolfson, 43, a lawyer who lives in Tel Aviv, was born in Russia and moved to Israel when she was 10 years old. A lifelong lover of sports, she trained for months before setting off to Kathmandu, Nepal, earlier this year.

Wolfson is several weeks into her Everest climb, which usually takes around two months to complete. She has ascended nearly 5,000 meters, with 3,400 more to go, according to Channel 13.

“I have fears, but there I feel like I’m myself,” Wolfson told Channel 13. “To stand there, to be a woman, to reach the summit and to raise the Israeli flag, and to say: ‘I was here too, on the famous Mount Everest.'”

Read More: Times of Israel

Israeli doctors save the life of Gaza child in complex surgery

(Photo By: Shutterstock)

By: Nicky Blackburn - April 25, 2021

Doctors at the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa have saved the life of a 7-year-old boy from Gaza after performing a complex 11-hour medical procedure involving three simultaneous surgeries.

Madchat Tapash was born with a defect in his renal system that caused life-threatening kidney failure and an improperly functioning bladder.

To fix the problems, doctors at Rambam had to perform three different surgeries to reconstruct the boy’s bladder, implant a new kidney donated from his mother, Sumar, and connect the new kidney to the reconstructed bladder.

Read More: Israel21c

1,600-year-old multicolored mosaic with geometric motifs uncovered in Yavne

(Photo by: Assaf Peretz/Israel Antiquities Authority)

By: TOI Staff - April 26, 2021

A 1,600-year-old mosaic uncovered in Yavne, which archaeologists said may have once graced a mansion in an affluent neighborhood, is set to go on display in the central city, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Monday.

The multicolored mosaic flooring dated to the Byzantine era (4th-5th century CE) was unearthed during excavations and was initially thought to be plain white due to a patina coating.

“At first, we did not realize that the floor is multicolored,” said Dr. Elie Haddad and Dr. Hagit Torgë of the IAA in a statement.

Read More: Times of Israel

Israeli Deni Avdija out for rest of season with ankle injury

(Photo By: Washington Wizards)

By: Howard Blas - April 22, 2021

On Wednesday night, 2,133 lucky Washington Wizards fans saw their hometown team in person at the Capitol One Arena for the first time this season and for the first time in 407 days. They cheered as the Wizards defeated the Golden State Warriors 118-114 for their sixth win in a row and eighth in their last nine games. The fans also gasped as 20-year-old rookie forward Deni Avdija from Israel went down in pain just before halftime, grasping his right leg.

The 20-year-old Israeli had just gotten a defensive rebound and went up for a layup at the other end of the floor. Warriors player Andrew Wiggins blocked the layup, possibly fouling Avdija, who came down and landed unnaturally on his ankle. Teammate Jordan Bell observed the fall from the bench, ran out, took off his training jersey and covered Avdija’s leg. He left the court in a wheelchair.

Read More: JNS

Rare ‘fortress synagogue’ in Ukraine to return to Jewish ownership

(Photo By: The Center for Jewish Art/Foundation for Jewish Heritage, via JTA)

By: Cnaan Liphshiz - April 23, 2021

A municipality in Ukraine pledged to return to Jewish ownership what’s left of a 17th-century synagogue that the Nazis partially destroyed and the Soviets turned into a sports school.

The building that contains parts of the former Great Synagogue of Lutsk will be gifted to the Jewish Community of Lutsk, a nonprofit that represents Jews there, a city official told the news site Suspilne last week.

The former synagogue is in poor condition, requiring millions of dollars to be renovated. Hanna Matusowska, a local Jewish community leader, said the community will raise funds to renovate the building and reopen it as a synagogue that also functions as a museum.

Robust and reminiscent of a medieval castle, the synagogue is one of a few Jewish houses of worship built to also serve as a fortress, according to the London-based Foundation for Jewish Heritage.

Read More: Times of Israel

Earth Day: Hebrew University opens Academic Center for Sustainability

(Photo By: Yoram Aschheim/The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

By: Jerusalem Post Staff - April 23, 2021

Just in time for  Earth Day, the Hebrew University unveiled its new Academic Center for Sustainability. The center will focus on sustainability research and work in collaboration with the Green Campus initiative at the university. 

The campus itself intends to add more solar panels to the Rehovot and Safra campuses, as well as a more energy-efficient cooling system and environmentally safe buildings. The university is also working to eliminate plastic ware and encourage the student body and teachers to use public transportation.

"Sustainability needs to be a central goal of our University," announced HU President Professor Asher Cohen. "As recent years have indicated climate change must be addressed, the university has set out to promote research in the field and support sustainability projects across the country."

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Twenty-One Israeli unicorns now call New York City home

(Photo By: Ivan201 via Wikimedia Commons)

By: Noga Martin - April 20, 2021

Following a flurry of investment activity in recent months, New York is now home to 21 Israeli-founded unicorns—privately held companies valued at $1 billion or more—according to the United States-Israel Business Alliance. Each of these companies’ global or U.S. headquarters is based in Manhattan, establishing New York as the city with the second most Israeli-founded unicorns in the world, behind Tel Aviv.

“The numbers we’re seeing in New York are unprecedented,” USIBA president Aaron Kaplowitz said. “Despite a year filled with challenges and uncertainty, New York remains a global hub for growth industries that Israeli entrepreneurs continue to disrupt.”

Read More: JNS

Can a magnificent art museum help save the dying Dead Sea?

(Photo By: Tzvika Stein)

By: Abigail Klein Leichman - April 20, 2021

When 1,200 Israelis posed nude at the Dead Sea for American art photographer Spencer Tunick in 2011, project initiator Ari Leon Fruchter hoped the eye-popping images would start a wave of activism to save the unique saltwater lake from environmental extinction.

But although “Naked Sea” was viewed by half a billion people, a few years later the situation had only worsened. In fact, the spot where the photographs were taken had collapsed into a giant sinkhole.

The Dead Sea, the lowest place on Earth, is shrinking fast and dramatically due to evaporation and industrial extraction of its minerals.

Fruchter learned that if it isn’t stabilized with a steady infusion of freshwater, this ancient wonder of the world will be nothing more than a series of dry sinkholes within 50 years.

Read more: Israel21c

Israeli scientists find ‘hunger switch’ in the human brain

(Photo By: Weizmann Institute of Science)

By: Jon Schiller - April 19, 2021

When Hebrew University of Jerusalem medical student Hadar Israeli studied a family with multiple members suffering from severe obesity and plagued with constant hunger, she found that they all shared a common mutation affecting a specific receptor in the brain: Melanocortin Receptor 4, or MC4.

Though scientists have long known that the MC4 receptor was in some way connected to hunger and appetite, Israeli helped uncover just how instrumental it was in regulating our sensations of hunger and fullness.

Read More: Israel21c

In Mexico, Israeli expat makes a buzz with refuge for endangered stingless bees

(Photo by: Julie Masis)

By: Julie Masis - April 17, 2021

When Nataniel Moshe Sagi first came to Mexico and learned about bees that don’t sting, he says he fell in love. He had no idea that such bees existed and was alarmed to learn that after being on this planet for millions of years, they were now in danger of dying out. So he uprooted permanently to Mexico and now runs a bee conservation sanctuary on Cozumel Island, where he keeps several species of stingless bees and gives tours to visitors.

“They are my friends,” the 24-year-old Sagi assures visitors to his bee sanctuary on a recent afternoon as he lifts the lid off a wooden box where his bees live. “They know the flower where they collected the pollen yesterday, so of course they know me. There are experiments showing that bees have great memory and they can recognize faces.”

Read More: Times of Israel