The Plague of Locusts One of the recent winners of Grand Challenge Israel was Israeli startup BioFeed, which uses odor to attract insects to poison that eliminates the Zika virus carrier without spraying crops. Admittedly, the insect Aedes aegypti which carries the virus is a mosquito rather than a locust, but BioFeed’s technology can eradicate many species of insect.The Plagues of Wild Animals and Pestilence Israelis today are more concerned with saving wild animals than eradicating them. Israeli scientists have helped isolate the tilapia lake virus that is killing both wild and farmed tilapia fish - an important global food source and essential for freshwater quality. Even when building roads, Israel tries to protect its wildlife. It is constructing an eco-bridge over Highway 1 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv so that jackals and hyenas can cross in safety. And the bond between man and animal could not be closer at the Red Mountain Therapeutic Riding School, in Israel’s Arava desert, where therapists, volunteers and 22 beautiful horses each week give 200 special needs children and adults increased control of muscles whilst helping their emotional development.
The Plague of Hail In contrast to the destructive power of Biblical hail, Israeli water technology is now sought worldwide. And no wonder, thanks to the un-mistakable fact that Israel’s wastewater recycling, desalination and conservation allowed it to escape the eastern Mediterranean area’s worst drought in 900 years. Israel’s agriculture minister Uri Ariel recently opened India Water Week in Delhi, which featured eleven innovative Israeli companies specializing in irrigation, desalination, water purification, measurement and management for municipalities and farms. Even the United Nations is hearing about Israeli water technology from Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon. And for the second consecutive year, Israel’s Desalitech has reached the finals of Global Water Intelligence’s Global Water Award for Breakthrough Water Technology.The Plague of Darkness The fog in Egypt was so thick that Pharaoh and his people couldn’t see the hands in front of their faces. Today, Israel’s threshold for the six most carcinogenic or toxic substances listed in the Clean Air Law are more stringent than European and US standards, making Israel one of the most advanced countries in terms of environmental regulation. Overseas, meanwhile, Innovation: Africa has connected 104 rural villages in Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Senegal, Tanzania, DRC and Ethiopia to electricity. It has brought solar energy to hundreds of thousands of people. But some Israeli scientists don’t need the sun in order to see. As with those working for Israel’s Opgal, the inventors of NDTherm and its Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) solution that uses thermal imaging to see faults in machinery and infrastructure.
Splitting the Sea It would be interesting to imagine how Israelis today would react to seeing thousands of Egyptian soldiers washed up on the shores of the Sea of Reeds. First of all, the Israel Defense Forces would set up a functioning field hospital within 12 hours of arriving at the site. Israel would have likely prevented many from drowning by previously training them in water-safety. The Egyptians would probably also have been equipped with smartphones containing the unique emergency video app supplied by Israel’s Magen David Adom. But the most fascinating aspect of this Biblical event is that an Israeli has replicated it in a very small way. Professor Lilac Amirav of Israel’s Technion, has just developed a nanotechnology and solar energy system to split water into hydrogen and oxygen with 100% efficiency. Moses would have been proud! 40 Years in the Wilderness
And finally 3,500 years after the Hebrews built storehouses for Pharaoh, Israelis are still building in Africa. Ghana’s State Housing Company has just signed a contract with Israel’s IDM International to build 20,000 housing units. The project will ease the massive housing problems facing Ghanaians. And it took an Egyptian - journalist Ramy Azizto - to publicly praise Israel’s freedom, in that it has built the only true democracy in the Middle East and is open and accepting of religious and ethnic minorities.There is nothing that can compare with the plague that finally convinced Pharaoh to release the Hebrews – the killing of the firstborn of Egypt. But if anyone wonders about the plague of frogs, I left that to the end with this short video that shows the indispensability of Israeli technology. It will really make the BDS idiots hopping mad!
Happy Passover!
Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com and a searchable archive www.IsraelActive.com