Israel Beyond Politics - August 2004

The Peace Beat Goes On:
Givat Haviva hosts Jewish and Arab Kids Camp
by Lydia Aisenberg

August 2, 2004: For the last two weeks 165 Jewish and Arab children from the Wadi Ara-Menashe area have been participating in camp activities in the shadow of the Givat Haviva Peace Tree hewn by Arab and Jewish youth last summer.

A normally quiet corner of the Givat Haviva campus was turned in to a pulsating day camp for 2 weeks by the children and their Jewish and Arab teenage counsellors, some of whom participated in the Peace Tree project exactly the same time last year.

I caught up with the children at work and play during a day of making music with thick bamboo sticks that they had fashioned in to musical instruments and decorated with electric pencils. Learning to use the sticks to bang out a musical beat in the mid-morn heat, the children were seriously in to having high volume fun – together.

Definitely giving peace and co-existence a chance the Arab and Jewish children are from moshavim and Arab villages in the area of Givat Haviva that belong to the Menashe Regional Council. A close on-going working relationship promoting co-existence projects has built up between the two organizations over a long period of time involving many hundreds of local youth and educators from both the Jewish and Arab sectors.

Last year Shaked Ronen (18) from Moshav Sde Yitzhak, Mazen Arda (17) and his cousin Alaa Arda (16) from the village of  Meiser were amongst 25 Jewish and Arab teens that sculpted the Peace Tree from a 100 year old eucalyptus tree blown over in a heavy storm the previous winter. In the shade of the tall pine trees in the corner of Givat Haviva, they are continuing to pull together to build bridges over the divide between their different communities.

While I was chatting with Shaked, Mazen and Alaa, a few 8 and 9 year-old boys and girls gathered around to listen in on the conversation and were more than willing to huddle together for a photograph with their camp leaders. Some of the children wore tee-shirts they had designed themselves during a previous days camp activities and white doves of peace were very prominently displayed on most.

With the focus this year on environmental issues and road safety, other children were wearing tee-shirts designed by the local council with luminous yellow strips around the sleeves and various logos encouraging caring about their shared planet and its inhabitants.

The fruits of the physical labor of Shaked, Mazen and Alaa, who all worked with the same children in camp last year before undertaking the Peace Tree project, are now being reaped as the children relate to each other as just that while also seeing their young leaders as people they can trust immaterial from which community they might hail. 

The much admired Peace Tree stands tall and proud in the centre of the green lawns of the Givat Haviva campus grounds casting a giant and protective shadow over Arab and Jewish children, youth and adults who embrace the messages emanating from therein.

Givat Haviva, The Jewish-Arab Center for Peace 
http://www.dialogate.org.il
Tel: +972-(0)4-6309266
Fax: +972-(0)4-6309305

Israel at the Olympics - Athens 2004

August 2004: On August 13 the Olympics Games will open in Athens. The Israeli delegation will be composed of 36 athletes from all walks of Israeli society: men and women, native-born and immigrants, city dwellers, villagers and kibbutznikim.    

The team will compete in 13 sports: athletics, fencing, gymnastics, judo, wrestling, swimming, synchronized swimming, kayaking, shooting, sailing, taekwondo, tennis and table tennis. The team members include Olympic medal winners, world and European champions and athletes who have reached impressive achievements in world sporting events.

The athletes are hoping to win the first gold medal for Israel. Four Israeli athletes have to date won Olympic medals: Yael Arad (Judo, Silver Medal, Barcelona 1992), Oren Smadga (Judo, Bronze Medal, Barcelona 1992), Gal Fridman (Mistral Wind Gliding, Bronze Medal, Atlanta 1996), and Michael Kalganov (Kayaking, Bronze Medal, Sydney 2000).

These three sports are depicted on the series of stamps issued on the occasion of the 2004 Olympics.

Israel’s flag was waved for the first time at the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952.  Since then Israel has participated in all the Olympic Games apart from Moscow 1980, which was boycotted by the United States and 60 other countries because of the war in Afghanistan.

The murder of eleven Israeli athletics during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games will be engraved in history as the worst tragedy in Israeli sport and in the history of the Olympic Games. The Israeli team will hold a ceremony in remembrance of the eleven athletes, at the memorial in Tel Aviv, before they leave for Athens. 

Israel at the Athens Olympics: A summary

Israel completed its participation in the Athens Olympics with two medals, most notably its first gold:
Gal Fridman - Mistral windsurfing (gold)
Arik Ze'evi - judo 100 kg (bronze)

Several other achievements are worthy of note:

* Gymnast Pavel Gofman recorded the first appearance by an Israeli gymnast in the all-around final.
* Kayakers Roei Yellin and Larissa Peisakhovitch reached the finals in the men's 1,000 meter and women's 5,000 respectively, Larissa finishing in 6th place.
* Yoni Erlich and Andy Ram played in the quarter finals of the mens tennis doubles.
* Marina Kravchenko made it to the third round in the table tennis tournament.
* Alex Averbukh competed in the pole vault final, finishing 8th.
* Haile Satayin, born in Ethiopia and at 49 the oldest contestant, placed 20th in a feild of over 100 runners in the men's marathon.

Gal Fridman: "I am honored to be the first Israeli athlete to bring home an Olympic gold, and I hope there will be many more to follow. Remember, there is no such thing as impossible. It's wonderful that the gold medal made everyone so happy."

The Olympic Committee of Israel
PM Sharon congratulates judoka Zeevi
PM Sharon congratulates Israeli Olympic gold medalist Gal Fridman

Israeli device provides heart monitoring at home
By Nicky Blackburn  

August 1, 2004: Ronen Arbel, the founder and CEO of medical devices start-up CardioMeter has developed an innovative diagnostic tool, which can evaluate a person's cardiovascular system in minutes, and assess the risk of a cardiovascular event such as a stroke or heart attack.

The test, which takes just 90 seconds, is non-invasive and completely painless, and tests the functionality of three main physiological functions of a patient's cardiovascular system - arterial flow, which gives an indication of how well blood is flowing through the arteries; autonomic nervous system, which gives a picture of how the heart's control system is functioning; and arterial stiffness, which shows the flexibility of arteries. Low flexibility indicates high cholesterol levels, or high blood pressure - both high-risk factors. Together these indicators enable the calculation of a risk factor for future cardiovascular events.

The CardioMeter, which has not yet reached commercial stage, is cheap, and easy to operate. It can be connected to a PC, laptop, or even a pocket PC. In years to come, users will also be able to connect it to a mobile phone.

The test is carried out by clipping a device probe onto a person's finger. The tested person must then carry out a number of simple and relaxing deep-breathing exercises. During these exercises pulse waveforms are optically measured by the probe. The CardioMeter software then analyzes the recorded data and obtains diagnosis by examining the response of the cardiovascular system to the breathing exercise.

Recent figures indicate that one in four women will die of coronary heart disease, making it the number one killer in North America and Europe today.

As the number of men dying from cardiovascular events has declined, the number of deaths among women has risen dramatically. Heart attacks are twice as deadly for women as they are for men. According to statistics from the American Heart Association, every year about half a million American women die of heart disease, and it has claimed the lives of more women than men each year since 1984.

One of the difficulties in identifying heart problems in women is that there are often no specific symptoms before some kind of event. Fatigue is probably the most common symptom of cardio-vascular problems in a woman, but as Ronen Arbel, founder and CEO of CardioMeter, points out, this could relate to virtually any kind of illness and can be easily overlooked by a doctor. As a result, doctors often mistake heart related complaints in women as anxiety, depression, or even indigestion.

The other problem is that many of the diagnostic tools available today do not give accurate answers. Work on the technology behind the CardioMeter is now completed, and the company has already carried out a number of clinical trials on patients at the diabetic clinic in Soroka Hospital in Tel Aviv. Results have so far proved encouraging.

The company is now planning to start a Phase III clinical trial of one thousand people with a large HMO in Israel in a bid to receive FDA approval. The study will follow patients in the wake of a cardiac event to see whether the device accurately indicates continuing heart problems. If the study goes well, the company hopes to expand it to the US. The study should be completed by 2005.

CardioMeter plans to penetrate the noninvasive cardiology monitoring and screening market with three different applications. The first is aimed primarily at cardiologists, and focuses on secondary prevention. The second market is clinics and GPs. Arbel believes this product will focus on primary prevention.

Both these markets are potentially huge. More than $3 billion is spent in the US every year on ECGs. The last market is the homecare, or consumer, market. Arbel foresees two homecare monitoring products in this market, one for patients who are already at high risk of a cardiac event, and the second - a lifestyle monitor - for people who want to monitor the general condition of their heart. Interest in the consumer device is already high, and the company is now negotiating with a large US distributor that specializes in electrical consumer goods.

CardioMeter was founded by Arbel in November 2003. Arbel, the former COO for ophthalmic company, Visionix, set up the tiny five-man start-up with research carried out by cardiologist Prof. Amos Katz, the director of the clinical electrophysiology laboratory at the cardiology department of Soroka University Medical Center.

Courtesy http://www.israel21c.org/

A big Israeli heart
by Etsegenet Gedlu  

Etsegenet Gedlu is a member of the medical faculty, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at Addis Ababa University.

August 1, 2004: I was a Fellow in the Cardiology Unit of the Wolfson Medical Center, in Tel Aviv, from May 2003 through April of this year as part of the Save A Child's Heart program. During my training, under the supervision of chief pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Akiva Tamir, I was able to participate actively in the clinical evaluation of children with congenital and acquired heart diseases.

Based at the Center, the Save A Child's Heart program provides children from Third World and developing countries with heart surgery and follow-up care. The fact that the SACH organization brings children from different part of the world - especially from the third world - who haven't got the chance to be operated on at an early stage gave me an opportunity to see children with complex cardiac lesions at different ages. I was also able to see and participate in the work-up of these patients before surgery and follow their clinical course after the surgical treatment.

I also attended a weekly Out Patient Cardiac Clinic run for Palestinian children. There I got a chance to appreciate the effect of environmental and genetic factors on congenital heart diseases. These children suffered variety of complex heart diseases, partially as a result of the cultural influence and marriages among cousins which predisposes them to complex heart diseases and other associated anomalies. Lack of examination during early pregnancy for genetic or cardiac anomalies by doing fetal echo and of treatment option with abortion - due to religious beliefs - makes the diagnosis of complex heart diseases very frequent in this group of patients.

The Palestinian children who were operated on were then monitored at the weekly clinic which gave me the opportunity to see the progress of the children after the intervention. This improved my knowledge and gave me the experience that will enable me to monitor my patients back at home in Addis Ababa after they return following surgical correction of their congenital heart diseases in Israel.

The teamwork and the friendly working atmosphere at the Wolfson Center facilitated my learning because it allowed me to whole heartedly focus on my training. I am pleased to firmly state that the set up of the Save a Child's Heart has enabled me to have a wide exposure to different types of congenital heart diseases within a period of just one year. Only now can I appreciate how much I have learned during my stay at Wolfson Medical Center.

Lastly, I would like to mention, besides my training, that the social aspect of my stay in Israel was enriched from different angles. Everyone at the Save a Child's Heart contributed to make my life easier during my stay in Israel. They helped me to adjust well and experience, share and enjoy the way of life in Israel and at the same time appreciate the historical aspects of Israel. This has enriched my life and my stay in Israel will remain a cherished memory.

My stay in Israel was not only a step in my career, but I gained friends who care for me and my patients. My wish is that Save a Child's Heart will continue to help the developing world in this noble work of capacity building and human resource development together with their mission of healing the sick hearts of children.

http://www.saveachildsheart.com/

Courtesy http://www.israel21c.org/

Red Sea Jazz 2004
August 23-26

Blue sea, Blue sky, spectacular scenery, cool breeze and great music - all come together in the biggest musical event in Israel, which returns for the 18th time!

Every year, at the end of August, an enormous group of people gathers from all over the country and the world, to take part in a celebration of life and music, and have an unforgettable experience together.

With the spectacular backdrop of the red mountains of Edom on one side and the Red Sea on the other, The Red Sea Jazz Festival takes place once again - this year celebrating it's 18th anniversary - in the unique ambiance of the port of Eilat.

In its 18 years of existence, Red Sea Jazz has led a revolution in the Israeli cultural scene, and has succeeded in bringing jazz music to the center of attention, not only by persistently bringing major international jazz musicians to perform in Eilat, but also by supplying Israeli jazz veterans, as well as promising young musicians who represent the future of Israeli jazz, with a stage and an audience of thousands of cheering music lovers. Some of these young artists went on to become welcome guests on stages all over the world and in renowned international festivals. Some even have CDs released by international labels. The result is already visible - every year the number of accomplished musicians who apply to take part in the festival grows, making the choice of the artistic committee even more difficult with each passing year.

What distinguishes Red Sea Jazz from other events of its kind is the unique combination of great music, good food and drinks, breath-taking scenery and refreshing sea breeze, all comfortably squeezed together into 4 satisfying days. 36 concerts take place in 4 open-air stages created by huge containers, with tall cranes looming over. All of this is complemented by the many attractions of the world famous beach resort town, Eilat.

The biggest challenge of the festival is to remain exciting and surprising after 18 years. In order to satisfy its ever growing audience, it persists in bringing them only the best of the international and local jazz scene, from the great jazz legends to the newest, most refreshing discoveries. One such discovery, performing twice in the festival this year, is The Bad Plus - one of 2003 greatest breakthrough stories, which during the last year has already been electrifying crowds all over Europe and the US. Now it's Israel's turn!

As the years go by, the regular crowd of the festival, initially consisting of hardcore jazz lovers, has grown considerably. In recent years the open-air halls of the festival are full of young people - some of whom are even younger than the festival itself! - arriving in Eilat with their backpacks, with the sole intention of celebrating the end of summer to the sounds of jazz.

Aware of the high standards set by the festival in former years, the recently elected mayor of Eilat, Mr. Meir Itzhak Halevi, along with the producers of the Festival, Avi Ifrach and Dina Eldor, and The artistic director, Mr. Dan Gottfried, has embarked on the adventure of producing the 18th Red Sea Jazz festival.

After many months of research, an exciting program has emerged, bringing together "straight-ahead" jazz, vocal jazz, fusion, world music and other styles. Such artists as Eric Truffaz, with his influences of electronic music, Grammie award-winning Diane Shcuur, jazz legends Charlie Haden and John Scofield in a duo promising a once-in-a-lifetime experience, master of the saxophone Charles Lloyd, and others, have all proved, in their willingness to perform in the festival, that it deserves to be included in the list of "Top Ten International Jazz Festivals". All these are the last in a long list of artists who have performed in the festival in the past. To name but a few:  Chick Corea, Kurt Elling, Stephane Grapelli, Diana Krall, Kevin Mahogany, Brad Mehldau, Mingus Dynasty, James Moody, Michel Petrucianni, Dianne Reeves, Zawinul Syndicate, Patricia Barber, Michael Brecker, Regina Carter…and the list goes on and on…

Following the success of former years, the festival once again hosts artists from the field of world music - this year Hevia, the bagpipe player from Spain, whose passionate tunes are familiar to all, and Manu Dibango, one of the "fathers" of world music, whose music is an intoxicating combination of African music with jazz.

Part of the special environment and the fun of spending long nights at the festival area, is created by "The Taste of Jazz" - a colorful food-fair which will delight the palettes of all with the excellent products of local chefs. As the evening draws to a close, the crowd is invited to enjoy an all-night jam session at the Riviera Hotel, around the pool. To complete the picture, some of the guest artists will hold master-classes at the King Solomon Hotel.

MDA first aid course for Arab youth

August 16 - A unique venture initiated by MDA has just completed a first and successful run. Twenty-two teenagers Arab assembled in MDA's station in Jerusalem for a first aid course taught entirely in Arabic.

The students, both girls and boys, hailed from Abu Tur, Silwan, Ras el Amud, and Beth Hanina – all neighborhoods and villages in East Jerusalem. Their instructor was Jabar Azat, a senior EMT and ambulance driver who works in the MDA Jerusalem station.

The Jerusalem regional director and MDA's Training Department set up the course following a request made by local Arab youth to receive professional training. The course is one of MDA's many communal activities to incorporate all members of the population in its professional training schemes.

The trainees were trained in basic anatomy, physiology and identification of medical emergencies: unconsciousness, resuscitation, cardiac arrests, respiratory problems and common animal-related injuries. The teenagers also learned how to attend to injuries received in various situations: road and industrial accidents, as well as terror attacks. Additional subjects studied were treatment for hemorrhages, applying splints and dressing wounds.

The trainees all passed the theoretical and practical courses successfully, were granted diplomas by MDA's Training Department.