© David Burton 2017

     I’m Jewish and proud of it!

     I was born in Chelsea, a suburb of Boston, that was nearly 50% Jewish when I grew up there in the late 30’s, the 40’s and the 50’s. Chelsea’s population was around 45,000 then. Today, Chelsea is the 2nd most densely populated city in Massachusetts with a population of just over 35,000 and a total area of just 2.21 square miles. It is the smallest city in the state in terms of total area.

     Nathan Morse was reportedly the first Jewish resident of Chelsea, arriving in 1864. As of 1890 there were only 82 Jews living in the city. However, Chelsea was a major destination for the "great wave" of Russian and Eastern European immigrants, especially Russian Jews, who came to the United States after 1890. By the 1930s there were about 20,000 Jewish residents in Chelsea out of a total population of about 45,000. Chelsea may have had the most Jews per square mile of any city outside of New York City. When I grew up in Chelsea, it was estimated that there were about a dozen synagogues in the city. At the time, it was estimated that there were about a dozen synagogues in the city. Also, there were kosher bakeries, kosher butcher shops, kosher delicatessens, a kosher slaughter house, a fish smoke-house and more in Chelsea.

     My father was born in Czarist Russia just before the start of the 20th century. He, along with my paternal grandparents, came to Boston in the first decade of the twentieth century as a very young boy. In Yiddish, Russian emigres were called “Rusheshas”. Around the age of 20, he joined the the Navy during World War I, making an Atlantic Ocean crossing on a troop ship bringing soldiers to France.

     My mother was born in Chelsea of Jewish parents who had emigrated from the Lithuania-Latvia region of western Europe and whose ethnicity was denoted as “Litvak” in Yiddish. My parents were considered to be part of a “mixed-marriage” - my father being a “Rushesha” and my mother being a “Litvak”. Being the offspring of this “mixed-marriage”, I was a Jewish “half-breed”.

     My parents were a combination of orthodox and secular Jewishness. My father was what is called a “three-day Jew”, meaning he only went to a synagogue on the 3 Jewish High Holy days of the year – Rosh Hashanah (Jewish new year) for 2 days and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement for 1 day). He had left school before completing high school in order to help with the family finances and to help a younger brother get through college and dental school. While I was growing up, my father worked 6 days of the week, including Friday evenings and Saturdays as a food store manager, teaching himself accounting, advertising and other necessary skills as needed in his occupation.

     My mother kept a kosher kitchen as I grew up, but she would occasionally take me to the very non-kosher only Chinese restaurant in Chelsea. With my father working Friday nights, there were no Friday night services to attend and no formal welcoming of the Sabbath at home, except for lighting of the Sabbath candles.

     At age seven, I was sent to “Cheder”, a form of Jewish religious school. In my case, the “Cheder” was run by an educated Jewish woman who set up a classroom in a room in her house. I learned an Eastern European dialect of Hebrew, called Ashkenazi Hebrew, Judaism, the Hebrew bible, Jewish holidays, etc. I attended this “Cheder” five days a week – Sunday through Thursday - for about an hour each day until I was Bar Mitzvah’d at age 13. Following my Bar Mitzvah, I attempted to be a good Jew by attending synagogue services on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. I did this exactly once, and, except for the Jewish High holidays did not again attend synagogue services until the death of my father, some seven years later.

     Upon the death of my father, I became a more or less regular synagogue attendee, going to services as many days a week as I could - morning service, afternoon service, and evening service - most times, seven days a week. For the first time in my life, I learned the various prayers of the services, got proficient enough to be permitted to lead the service, became familiar with the nuances of the daily and holiday customs in the synagogue, and began to learn the Torah in more detail than my basic “Cheder” learning had provided. Although I became somewhat educated in the orthodox Jewish tradition, I consider myself to be a secular, or perhaps a modern orthodox, Jew. Today, I attend synagogue services weekly on Saturday and Sunday mornings throughout the year, as well as on many of the major Jewish holidays.

     I feel that my Jewish education was not completed until I started to make frequent visits to Israel, beginning in 1996. That year, a subsystem on a project I was working on was being supplied by an Israeli company. I, and two others from my company, visited the company in Israel for a few days and later I interacted with Israeli designers who came to and worked at our company for a several weeks. I immediately fell in love with Israel and started taking modern Hebrew language courses. Later, I began making annual multi-week visits to Israel each winter. All in all, I have now visited Israel a dozen times, with most of these visits lasting between 4 and 8 weeks. These annual visits to the Jewish homeland turned me into an ardent supporter of the Jewish state. What I saw and learned in Israel has made me a better Jew and one who is proud to be a Jew.

     Why should I, along with every other Jew, be proud of our Jewish heritage and of the accomplishments of Jews throughout history? Read on.

Tikkun Olam

     One of the guiding principles of Jews and Israel has been and continues to be "tikkun olam" - healing the world. This concept requires that Jews and Israel work to create a better world for all.

     “On Independence Day 2017 Israel's population stood at a record 8,680,000. This is a 10-fold increase compared to when Israel was founded in 1948.” (Ref. 1) This tiny Israel, with its miniscule Jewish population or around 6.5 million has taken the concept of tikkun olam and is making it into a modern-day reality.

     On Israel’s 60th birthday in 2008, the New York Post wrote that, “the world should recognize the enormous gifts the Jewish state has given the world. Israel has exported more lifesaving medical technology to the far-flung corners of the earth than any nation of comparable size. It has done more to protect the environment, to promote literature, music, the arts and sciences, to spread agricultural advances and to fight terrorism within the rule of law.” (Ref. 2)

     The world today is better because of Jews and because of the existence of the State of Israel. If you watch cable or satellite television provided by DirecTV, Sky or Star TV, you are using set-top box technologies developed by Jerusalem-based NDS, now part of Cisco Systems, Inc. If you eat vegetables, it's very likely that they were grown using Israeli developed drip irrigation technology. If you use a mobile phone, it's quite likely that the software that calculates your phone bill was developed by Amdocs in Israel. And these are but a few of the innumerable advancements in modern life brought to you by Jews and by Israel.

     As a Jew, one of the things that make me proud is the huge percentage of “accomplishments” which Jews have earned. Think Hollywood, Nobel prize winners, leading medical researchers, and even the military power of the IDF. We “Jews are one of the oldest nations in the world, and by natural law we should have ceased to exist. We have survived despite being exiled from our land – twice! – scattered across the globe and persecuted with a vengeance. This tiny nation miraculously returned to their homeland, revived their language and is making a mark on the world that far surpasses its numbers.” (Ref. 3)

     Most Jews gave up or were forced to give up farming in the Middle Ages. Their descendants – mine included - have been living off their wits ever since. They have continually migrated – frequently forced out the countries in which they settled – and have consequently developed the migrant’s ambition and drive as a result.

The Jewish Religion is the Foundation of Christianity and Islam

     Jews initiated monotheism and also became the basis for the world’s other two great monotheistic religions, Christianity and Islam. Jesus, the founder of Christianity was himself a Jew, as were his first disciples. Both Christianity and Islam incorporate Jewish history and much of its tradition as parts of their own. The founder of Islam, Mohammed, adopted some features of the Jewish worship and customs such as fasting on the Yom Kippur day. Also, the Jewish practice of having three daily prayer rituals appears to have been a factor in the introduction of the Islamic midday prayer. Muhammad initially adopted the practice of facing north towards Qiblah (Jerusalem) when performing the daily prayers.

     “As former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said: ‘The Jewish people is the only people that still inhabits the same land, embraces the same religion, studies the same Torah, hearkens to the same prophets, speaks the same aboriginal language – Hebrew – and bears the same aboriginal name, Israel, as it did 3,500 years ago.’ “ (Ref. 4)

Jewish Contributions to the Founding of the United States

     Jews have played a prominent role in the history of the United States. One of the earliest contributors to this country was Haym Salomon. In his honor, “The U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp hailing Salomon as a ‘Financial Hero of the American Revolution.’ . . .
      - - -
     “Born in Lissa, Poland, in 1740, Salomon spent several years moving around western Europe and England, developing fluency in several languages that served him well for the remainder of his life. Reaching New York City in 1772, he swiftly established himself as a successful merchant and dealer in foreign securities. Striking up an acquaintance with Alexander MacDougall, leader of the New York Sons of Liberty, Salomon became active in the patriot cause. When war broke out in 1776, Salomon got a contract to supply American troops in central New York. In 1777, he married Rachel Franks, whose brother Isaac was a lieutenant colonel on George Washington's staff. . .
     “In the wake of a fire that destroyed much of New York City, British occupation forces arrested and imprisoned Salomon. He gained release because the British hoped to use his language skills to communicate with their German mercenaries. Instead, Salomon covertly encouraged the Hessians to desert. Arrested again in early 1778, Salomon had his property confiscated. A drum-head court martial sentenced him to hang. Salomon escaped – probably with the help of other Sons of Liberty – and fled penniless to Philadelphia. . .
     “In Philadelphia, Salomon resumed his brokerage business. The French Minister appointed him paymaster general of the French forces fighting for the American cause. The Dutch and Spanish governments also engaged him to sell the securities that supported their loans to the Continental Congress.
     “In 1781, Congress established the Office of Finance to save the United States from fiscal ruin. Salomon allied himself with Superintendent of Finance William Morris and became one of the most effective brokers of bills of exchange to meet federal government expenses. Salomon also personally advanced funds to members of the Continental Congress and other federal officers, charging interest and commissions well below the market rates. James Madison confessed that ‘I have for some time ... been a pensioner on the favor of Haym Salomon, a Jew broker.’
      - - -
     “Within five years of his arrival in Philadelphia, Salomon advanced from penniless fugitive to respected businessman, philanthropist and defender of his people. He risked his fortune, pledged his good name and credit on behalf of the Revolution, and stood up for religious liberty. Despite financial setbacks at the end of his life, Salomon's name is forever linked to the idealism and success of the American Revolution, and to the contributions Jews have made to the cause of American freedom.” (Ref. 5)

     Another example of Jewish influence in the establishment of American independence can be seen in the Seal of the United States. “If you take a one dollar bill out of your pocket and look at the back at the Eagle, the stars above the Eagle's head are in the six point Star of David to honor Jews. If you turn the Eagle upside down you will see a configuration in the likeness of a Menorah....both at the insistence of George Washington who said we should never forget the Jewish people and what they have done in the interest of America. . . This is the seal of the United States of America.” (Ref. 6)

Jews Have Been Significant Contributors to Democracy and Civil Rights in the United States

     American Jews have been among the strongest defenders of democracy and Civil Rights. In the 1950's and 1960's, Jews were in the forefront of the activists in the Civil Rights movement, with some losing their lives in the fight to gain equal rights for Blacks in America.

     The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States. It is described as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency". The ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all", doing so through "information, education, legislation, and advocacy".[7][8] Historically, the ADL has opposed groups and individuals it considered to be anti-Semitic and/or racist, including: Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis, the American militia movement and white power skinheads. One of the ADL's major focuses has been religious freedom for people of all faiths. In 1997, the National Center for Black-Jewish Relations of Dillard University, a historically black university in New Orleans awarded the director of the ADL with the first Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. – Donald R. Mintz Freedom and Justice Award. In 2004, the ADL became the lead partner in the Peace and Diversity Academy, a New York City public high school with predominantly black and Hispanic students.

     Jews identified themselves forth­rightly with the Civil Rights movement of the 50's and 60s. In 1954, the United States Supreme Court rendered its judgment in Brown v. Board of Education, striking down racial segregation in public schools. Within the next dozen years, a series of federal laws and court orders shattered every legal support of racial segregation.

     “As far back as the 19th century, Jewish storekeepers were virtually the only Southern merchants who addressed black customers as ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ and permitted them to try on clothing. By the early 20th century, a few Southern Jews even ventured to speak out against the evils of white supremacy. In 1929, Louis Isaac Jaffe {a Jew}, editorial writer for the Norfolk Virginia-Pilot won the Pulitzer Prize for his denunciation of lynching and the reactionary Harry Byrd political machine.
     “Julius Rosenwald, chairman of Sears Roebuck, contributed more generously in behalf of Southern blacks than did any philanthropist in American history. Rosenwald was Chicagoan, but his munificence was continued by his daughter, Edith Stern of New Orleans, whose Stern Family Fund in later years contributed vast sums to civil rights activities in the South. It was known, too, that Southern Jews privately tended to be more liberal on the race issue than Southern gentiles, and often quietly provided manpower and funds for civil rights causes.
      - - -
     “. . . Rabbi Julian Feibelman of New Orleans opened the doors of his Temple Sinai in 1949 for a lecture by Ralph Bunche, the black United Nations ambassador, permitting the first major integrated audience in New Orleans history.
     “At the height of the anti-integration effort, in 1957, Rabbi Ira Sanders of Little Rock testified before the Arkansas Senate against pending segregationist bills. Rabbi Perry Nussbaum of Jackson, Mississippi, also courageously lent his support to the integration effort, as did Rabbis Jacob Rothschild of Atlanta, Emmet Frank of Alexandria, and Charles Mantingand of Birmingham. . .
     “If Southern Jews believed that a low profile would permit them to continue living peacefully, they were wrong. Klan groups exploited the integration crisis to launch acts of anti-Semitic violence. In one year, from November 1957 through October 1958, temples and other Jewish communal edifices were bombed in Atlanta, Nashville, Jack­sonville, and Miami, and undetonated dynamite was found under synagogues in Birmingham, Charlotte, and Gastonia, North Carolina. Some rabbis received telephone death threats.
      - - -
     “{The participation of Northern Jews in the Civil Rights movement was of immense help in making the movement a success.} These were the people, it is recalled, who were the earliest supporters of the fledgling National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1914, Professor Emeritus Joel Spingarn of Columbia University became chairman of the NAACP and recruited for its board such Jewish leaders as Jacob Schiff, Jacob Billikopf, and Rabbi Stephen Wise.
     “Jews also were the earliest supporters of the Urban League, founded in New York in 1911 to help newly arrived black migrants from the rural South. The International Ladies Garment Workers Union and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers took the lead in organizing ‘our black brothers’ for union membership (over the opposition of the American Federation of Labor national board). And, in the climactic civil rights drives of the 1950s and 1960s, Jewish participation was all but overwhelming.
     “In the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling itself, the Supreme Court accepted the research of the black sociologist Kenneth Clark that segregation placed the stamp of inferiority on black children. Clark’s study had been commissioned by the American Jewish Committee, and it appeared in the amicus curiae brief the Committee submitted to the court. The Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Congress also submitted amicus curiae briefs in behalf of the cause. . .
     “Jewish participation in the Civil Rights movement far transcended institutional associations. One black leader in Mississippi estimated that, in the 1960s, the critical decade of the voter-registration drives, ‘as many as 90 percent of the civil rights lawyers in Mississippi were Jewish.’ . . .
     “Jews similarly made up at least 30 percent of the white volunteers who rode freedom buses to the South, registered blacks, and picketed segregated establishments. Among them were several dozen Reform rabbis who marched among the demonstrators in Selma and Birmingham. A number were arrested. . .
     "Two young New Yorkers, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, served in 1964 as voting-registration volunteers in Meridian, Mississippi. One of their coworkers was a young black Mississippian, James Chaney. Together they were waylaid and murdered by Klansmen, their bodies dumped in a secret grave. As much as any single factor, it was the nationwide attention given the discovery of their corpses that accelerated passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Jews had long since achieved their own political and economic breakthrough. Rarely had any community gone to such lengths to share its painfully achieved status with others.” (Ref. 9) As an American and as a Jew, I supported the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s, becoming a member of the NAACP, and traveled by bus from Boston to Washington to participate in the memorable March on Washington in August of 1963.

Jews Around the World Have Fought for the Countries in Which They Lived

     Except in the case of Nazi Germany, Jews have generally shown their loyalty to the countries in which they have resided by fighting and often giving up their lives in defense of their host countries.

     Here in America, Jewish participation if the military dates to 1654, when Jewish settlers, from Recife, Brazil, and the West Indies, came to New Amsterdam seeking religious freedom and equal opportunities and obligations alongside the Christian citizens.

     At first, Governor Peter Stuyvesant denied them these basic rights, including the right to be a part of the defense force of the city. Pressure from Holland forced Governor Stuyvesant to grant them these rights. This was the beginning of Jews serving in the military of our country – more than 360 years ago.

     Since then, many American Jews have served their country in its armed forces. My father served in the U.S. Navy during World War I. My sister’s brother-in-law gave his life in the Pacific during World War II. Other relatives of mine have served in the American military. [9a]

     “The finest tribute paid to the Jewish fighting men in World War I was given by General John J. Pershing: ‘When the time came to serve their country under arms, no class of people served with more patriotism or with higher motives than the young Jews who volunteered or were drafted and went overseas with our other young Americans to fight the enemy.’ After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan and Germany. Over 550,000 Jewish men and women responded to America’s call for the Armed Forces in World War II. About 11,000 were killed; over 40,000 were wounded.” (Ref. 10)

     Jews have fought for the Russian Czar, for Kaiser Bill and Germany in World War I - 100,000 Jews served in the German forces and 12,000 were killed in action. Jews have fought for the Russian motherland during World War II, for France, for Poland, and for England - the Jewish Infantry Brigade Group served in Europe during the Second World War. More than 30,000 Palestinian Jews volunteered to serve in the British Armed Forces in the fight against Nazi Germany.

     Joseph Trumpeldor was an early Zionist activist. He helped organize the Zion Mule Corps for the British in World War I. In 1920, Trumpeldor died defending the settlement of Tel Hai and subsequently became a Zionist national hero. His dying words are reported to have been "It does not matter, it is good to die for our country."

     But prior to that, Trumpeldor fought for the Russian Czar and the country in which he was brought up. In 1902, Trumpeldor volunteered for the Russian army. During the Russo-Japanese War, he participated in the siege of Port Arthur, where he lost his left arm. He spent a hundred days in the hospital recovering, but elected to complete his service. When he was questioned about his decision and told that he was heavily advised not to continue fighting given his handicap, he responded "but I still have another arm to give to the motherland." Trumpeldor received four decorations for his bravery including the Cross of St. George, which made him the most decorated Jewish soldier in Russia. In 1906, he became the first Jew in the army to receive an officer's commission.

     Ze'ev Jabotinsky, was another Russian Jew who was one of the founders of the Jewish Legion of the British army in World War I. Later he helped establish the Irgun, the predecessor of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). His initial military training and career were in support of England.

     When called to serve in the armed forces of the nations in which they lived, Jews throughout history and around the globe have answered the call.

Jews Have Made Major Contributions to Science and Other Fields of Endeavor

     While Jews make up only 0.2% of the world population, they constitute 27% of the Nobel physics laureates, 31% of the medicine laureates and 54% of the world chess champions. Here in the good old U. S. of A., Jews make up only 2% of the population, but 21% of the Ivy League student bodies, 26% of the Kennedy Center honorees, 37% of the Academy Award-winning directors, 38% of those on a recent Business Week list of leading philanthropists, and 51% of the Pulitzer Prize winners for nonfiction. As World Chess champions, Jews have held the title 54% of the time since 1866.

     Jews have been significant contributors to science throughout the world. From 1901 to 2016, at least 197 individuals with Jewish ancestry were awarded the Nobel Prize. During this same period, 36% of all US recipients were of Jewish backgrounds. Some 22% of all organizations awarded the Nobel Peace Prize were founded principally by people of Jewish descent. Since the beginning of this 21st century, Jews have been awarded 25% of all Nobel Prizes and 27% of those in the scientific research fields.[11]

     Perhaps the greatest scientist of all time, Albert Einstein, was a Jew. Dr. Sigmund Freud, a Jewish Austrian physician, was the founder of psychoanalysis and father of psychiatry.

     Jews created the first department stores: B. Altman & Co. (1865-1990), Gimbels (1887-1987), Kaufmanns (1871-2006), Lazaruses (1851-2005), I. Magnin & Company (1876-1994), Mays (1877-2005), and Abraham & Straus, later A&S, (1865-1995). Isadore & Nathan Straus ("Abraham & Straus") eventually became sole owners of Macy's, the world's largest department store, in 1896.

     Julius Rosenwald revolutionized the way Americans purchased goods by improving Sears Roebuck's mail order merchandising. Hart, Schaffner, Marx, Kuppenheimer, and Levi Strauss became household names in men's' clothing.

     Louis Santanel was the financier who provided the funds for Columbus' voyage to America, while the fortunes of English-Jewish financiers such as Isaac Goldsmid, Nathan Rothschild, David Salomons, and Moses Montefiore helped England become an empire.

     Jews have figured prominently in the field of computational and information science technology in terms of logical as opposed to hardware development. This includes areas such as computation theory, artificial intelligence, the statistical theories of information, communication, systems control, cryptography, operations research, network architectures, and algorithm and software design. The level of Jewish achievement in this field of science is reflected in the roughly 45% Jewish membership in the Computer and Information Sciences division of the US National Academy of Sciences and in the percentages of Jewish recipients for several of the most prestigious awards in the field. These include:

• 32% of recipients of the ACM A.M. Turing Award in Computer Science were Jewish,
• 35% of recipients of the IEEE C.E. Shannon Award in Information Theory were Jewish,
• 41% of recipients of the John von Neumann Theory Prize in Operations Research were Jewish,
• 41% of recipients of the EATCS/ACM Kurt Gödel Prize in Theoretical Computer Science were Jewish,
• 45% of recipients of the ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory & Practice Award in Computer Science were Jewish, and
• 56% of recipients of the IMU Rolf Nevanlinna Prize in Computer & Information Science were Jewish.[12]
  
  

• “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” - Exodus 22:20.
• “You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the soul of the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” - Exodus. 23:9.
• “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” - Leviticus 19:34.
• “You too must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” - Deuteronomy10:19.
• “You shall not hate an Egyptian, for you were stranger in his land” - Deuteronomy 23:8.
• “Always remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore do I enjoin you to observe this commandment”

• Between 1939 and 1948, approximately 110,000 Jewish immigrants came to Palestine, both legally and illegally – the majority illegally. Between 1939 and 1945, another 6 million European Jews were murdered by the Nazis.
• In May 1948, when Israel became independent, there were only some 600,000 Jews in the country. By the time the fighting subsided, toward the end of that year, 110,000 immigrants had arrived.
• By the end of 1952, 738,891 immigrants had arrived, including the 110,000 who had earlier arrived in the second half of 1948. Israel had more than doubled its population in four short years. Most of these new arrivals were Holocaust survivors.
• Israel absorbed nearly all of the 850,000 Jews who were expelled or had to flee from Arab and other Muslim countries after the Arab world initiated hostilities against the Jews of Israel in 1948. Nearly all were destitute, having to leave nearly all of their possessions behind. They have never been compensated for their losses.
• More than 1.2 million immigrants have come to Israel from the Former Soviet Union, peaking in the years following the Soviet Union’s breakup. Israel absorbed them, even though many were of questionable Jewish background.
• From 1948 through 1991, Israel absorbed about 40,000 Ethiopian Jews - these were almost totally uneducated black Jews, unfamiliar with the modern world, and whose religious practices were mostly different from the practices of Israeli Jews. From 1991 – 1997, Israel took in another 32,000 "Falash Mura" Ethiopian immigrants. These are Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity under pressure during the 19th and 20th centuries. By 2013, the number of Ethiopians who had immigrated to Israel had exceeded 90,000.

1. ”Drip irrigation: Probably no other advancement has been quite as significant. . . Israeli drip and micro-irrigation solutions {have} rapidly spread worldwide. . . 700 farming families in Senegal {were able} to reap crops three times a year instead of just once, even on infertile land. MASHAV has {fostered} similar activities in Kenya, South Africa, Benin and Niger.
2. ”Grain cocoons: Israeli-designed GrainPro Cocoons provide a surprisingly simple and cheap way for African and Asian farmers to keep their grain market-fresh. The huge bags . . . keep both water and air out. They’re used all over the developed world, including Africa and the Far East . . . Subsistence farmers in developing countries tend to store their crops in primitive baskets or bags, which are not effective in keeping hungry bugs and micro-contaminants out. The Cocoon solves that problem, even in extreme heat and humidity.
3. ”Biological pest control: {A} company called Bio-Bee breeds beneficial insects and mites for biological pest control and bumblebees for natural pollination in greenhouses and open fields. Subsidiary Bio-Fly sells sterile Mediterranean fruit flies to control this major pest in fruit trees. . . Bio-Bee exports eight different species of biological control agents, plus pollinating bumblebees, to 32 nations from Japan to Chile. Bio-Fly collaborates with Jordanian and West Bank Palestinian Authority agricultural experts.
4. ”Dairy farming: 10 Israeli companies {are} involved in a five-year project in Vietnam to implement every aspect of a vast $500 million dairy farm project. It’s the largest project of its kind in the world. . . In the meantime, China is sending groups of dairy farm manager trainees to Israel to learn how to boost milk production there as well.
5. ”Tailor-made farm solutions: {A} Kibbutz-based {company} makes unique software to help producers grow fruits and vegetables, raise poultry and dairy cows, manage vineyards and make olive oil. . . {The} project gives farmers anywhere in the world access to information from Israeli experts. Hundreds of thousands of farmers can obtain tailor-made solutions, arrange group purchases of supplies and communicate with colleagues.
6. ”A better potato: It took nearly 30 years of research, but {a} Hebrew University professor developed strains of potatoes that thrive in hot, dry climates, and can be irrigated by saltwater. Potatoes are one of the top sources of nutrition in the world, but they never before grew well in hot, desert regions like the Middle East. Now farmers in these regions can grow potatoes as a cash crop.
7. ”Squeezing every drop of water from the air: {Another Israeli company has} developed reusable plastic trays to collect dew from the air, reducing the water needed by crops or trees by up to 50 percent. . . {T}he trays also block the sun so weeds can’t take root, and protect the plants from extreme temperature shifts. ‘Farmers need to use much less water, and in turn much less fertilizer on the crop,’ which translates to less groundwater contamination.
8. ”Unparalleled crop protection: {A} Hebrew University tech-transfer company teamed with {a} world leader in crop protection products to develop and commercialize slow-release herbicides and a targeted insecticide that doesn’t harm beneficial insects. . . The novel insecticide kills caterpillars of night-flying moths – a common scourge for farmers worldwide – but unlike common commercial preparations, has minimal or no effect on any other creature. High levels of control can be achieved with much less product, greatly minimizing environmental impact.
9. ”Fishing in the desert: Overfishing is a serious threat to the food supply, a grave situation since fish is the main source of protein for hundreds of millions of people. . . {An} Israeli developed ‘zero-discharge’ system eliminates the environmental problems in conventional fish farming, and doesn’t depend on electricity or proximity to a body of water. Specially developed microbes purify fish waste byproducts right in the tank, with no need for spillage and refilling.
10. ”Food from greenhouse gas: {An} Israeli clean-tech company {has} launched a commercial algae farm in China and does business in the United States and Italy as well. People don’t eat algae, but algae ponds nourished by power-plant effluent conserve farmed produce for human consumption because they generate 30 times more feedstock for biofuel than do land-based crop alternatives. Plus, the tiny plants, which thrive on carbon dioxide and sunlight, produce a valuable . . . food additive that is especially popular in the Far East.
11. ”Reintroducing carp to Africa: Half a century ago, Lake Victoria carp was a significant part of the diet of the nearby Ugandan villagers. But when Nile perch was introduced to the lake, it decimated most of the smaller fish including the carp. Villagers had neither the equipment nor the expertise necessary to start fishing the huge perch, and symptoms of protein deficiency started becoming apparent in their children. {A} Hebrew University {professor} came to the rescue with a multiyear project near to help these African families. Her team was able to apply techniques developed over many years for Israeli fish farmers. The Israeli project not only successfully spawned carp on Ugandan fish farms, but also provided training on how to dig and fill ponds and raise the small fish. Now local children have an abundant supply of protein to eat with their fruit and vegetables.
12. ”Hardier seeds for better crops: Hebrew University agricultural scientists . . . developed . . . a . . . technology that enables the introduction of genetic materials into seeds without modifying their DNA. This method immediately and efficiently improves plants before they’re even sowed. ‘The new ability to deliver traits within days instead of years, and to offer a treatment with results similar to breeding to all current species, answers a long and unmet need that will revolutionize modern agriculture and significantly impact the vegetable and commodity crop markets.’ “ (Ref. 10)