This week from Israel
Back to Turkey
Antalya and other Turkish cities have always been a favorite vacation destination for Israelis. In the past year or so, there has been a significant reducing in Israeli tourism to Turkey, do to some unfortunate diplomatic incidents between the two countries and a few unpleasant statements made by Turkish Prime Minister, Erdoğan, which lead to a cool-down in the Israeli-Turkish relationship . Now, it appears that all is back to normal: figures released by the Turkish Statistical Institute point to a 157% increase in the number of Israelis who spent their summer vacation in the “club land” in August.
Read more “> here.
New therapy in brain cancer may make a difference
Each year, approximately 22,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening brain tumor, Glioblastoma, and only about 10 percent of them live five years or longer after diagnosis. A recent Israeli discovery of a cancer-driving protein could lead to a new weapon in fighting this deadly disease.
Read more “>here.
Natalie Portman is back home
Jerusalem-born Oscar winner Natalie Portman is currently staying in Israel, working on her directorial debut. Portman will direct and star in a film adaptation of an autobiographical novel by Israeli author Amos Oz. The film, “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” will be filmed in Jerusalem.
Read more “>here.
A simpler way to learn Hebrew
A new Israeli startup provides Hebrew learners worldwide a simpler, friendlier way to learn Hebrew. Lingua.ly is a website which teaches Hebrew, alongside other languages, by using quizzes, voice-overs, practice exercises, games, and constant reinforcement.
Nursing video became more popular than expected
They call us “the Zionist devil,” and spent many years trying to kill as many Israelis as possible, but turns out we can also do good for the Arab countries surrounding us. Breastfeeding training videos in Arabic by Clalit Health Services, an Israeli health maintenance organization, are gaining tremendous popularity in Arab countries.
Where does the international humanitarian aid to PA go?
This week I encountered this very disturbing video that shows that the Palestinian Authority, which receives more humanitarian aid per-capita more than any other place in the world, uses the money for all the wrong purposes.