- Let’s get this one behind us, simply because we’ve recorded it so often that it’s at risk of becoming obvious. But let us assure you that it isn’t. So here goes; The TASE indexes continue their relentless climb northwards, breaking all records on the way. And this is the result of, and a contribution to the phenomenal growth rate of an annualized 6.3% in the first quarter, arguably, and read this carefully, the highest growth rate by a developed country in the world. Now read this even more carefully; when everybody, including the Treasury and the Bank of Israel were predicting 4.8% growth for 2007 we were predicting 5.5%. It now looks as if 6% is well within reach.
- But not only that, Israel is now in its longest period of economic expansion since the establishment of the State in1948, with a growth rate of nearly 20% in the last 3.5 years. Well, well, well and long may it last
- But the GN is not all about financial success. There is a humanitarian face to Israel which is really GN. This week a baby from the Gaza Strip, with a potentially fatal heart defect was brought to the Safra Childrens Hospital for treatment. The head of the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery reports that an average of three babies a week are brought to the hospital from the Strip irrespective of the security situation. Politics, he says, stay outside of the operating theater.
- Israel’s blind bowlers are hosting a team of fellow sportsmen from England and in a closely contested two day test match right here in Ra’anana, the hosts ended with a tally of eight wins; seven losses and one draw to the guests’ seven wins eight losses and one draw. This Israeli squad had finished runners-up among twelve nations in the last World Championships in 2005.
- While on the subject of those magnificent people who overcome insurmountable odds simply to enjoy the delights of normal living, the GN is that the physically and mentally challenged amongst us are being employed in higher numbers than ever before. GN has always believed that being employed is much more than simply making a living and it gives us more than a feeling of satisfaction to see the above statistics.
- Total assets held by Israelis amounted to NIS2 trillion ($500bn approx,) at the end of the first quarter. And, need we say it, that figure is also an all-time record for the citizens of the State of Israel.
- For those Israeli citizens who don’t serve in the army the State provides the alternative of National Service which creates a second ‘army’ of 10,000 volunteers who assist in a large variety of caring tasks. The not so GN is that only 400 of the 10,000 are Arabs. The GN is that both the government and Arab NGO’s are about to make every effort to redress this imbalance and to assist this segment of the population with further integration into Israel’s institutions.
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 Yossi Benayoun is a household name in Israel and is certainly well known to football fans in Europe and England and Yossi has just signed a contract that will net him $3m a year for the next five years. That’s really GN for Yossi et cie. The GN for us is that he comes from a development town in the south, he served in the army, he represents his country on the football field whenever called upon to do so and serves as an excellent example of the determination to achieve. A classic example of local boy makes good, big time, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. - While Israel has excelled in many areas of engineering production, the manufacture of motorcars has never really been a win here. Although many of the older locals remember the all-Israel Susita, with nostalgia, and some of these cars are still on the road, they never really threatened Rolls Royce or Mercedes. But all that is about to change with Toyota and Renault conducting serious talks with Israeli and Jordanian officials with a view to setting up an automotive plant for the production of ecologically friendly hybrid electric cars. The factory will be sited in Peace Valley on the border of the two countries. Roll on the day when the first vehicle rolls off the assembly line.
- Another film festival and another slew of prizes for Israeli entries, but this time it is the one and only Cannes Festival, probably the most prestigious in the world. We won’t attempt to record the names of all the prizes because they’re in French (where do they find place on the trophies to inscribe these ridiculously long names?), but Israel’s two entries, ‘The Band’s Visit’ won the Coup de Coeur du Jury, roughly translated- ‘(the film) that captured the jury’s heart- Ah those French certainly have a way with titles for prizes!-and ‘The Jellyfish’(not exactly an award- winning title!) walked away with two top awards. 2007 has been a remarkable year for Israeli cinematographic art with every festival having Israelis on its list of trophy takers
- Right now there are 5,000 lone soldiers serving in the IDF, soldiers who are in Israel on their own with their parents and families spread throughout the world. The army and the Jewish Agency for the first time set up conference calls linking parents with their children. Doesn’t quite capture the warmth of a personal meeting but it certainly beats a letter or an email. An interesting fact-about 70% of these soldiers actually settle in Israel.
- Israel Corp and its Indian partner have just acquired full control of Globeleq Americas, owners of a number of energy companies in the Caribbean and Central and South America. The cost of the deal? $585m.
- Prices of luxury apartments on Tel Aviv’s Rothschild Blvd have risen by 70% in the past four years and returns on investment don’t come much better than that. Bricks and mortar still pay off especially in Israel it would seem.
- Professor Lior Gepstein, the third in our series of four Israelis who have excelled in the field of medicine has won the Zipes Award the most prestigious in the field, granted by the American College of Cardiology. Perhaps the best way of summing up the Prof’s work is to quote the words of the award committee. “Professor Gepstein is a brilliant research doctor. His scientific achievements in mapping the electric activity of the heart and in stem cell research are of the highest standard for all of which he is granted this award.” Need we say more?
- “Dear, there’s a leopard in our bedroom and he’s eating the cat.” A leopard, in the bedroom, eating the cat, here in Israel? No! Yes in fact. A resident of Kibbutz Sdeh Boker woke up to find a wild, as opposed to a tame, leopard making a meal of the family’s kitty. The resident, an immigrant from Holland then proceeded to save the cat, subdue the leopard and call the game rangers who then took over. The leopard is now in a reserve in the Negev and everybody, including the leopard seems to have behaved impeccably throughout. It looks as if these beautiful animals still roam free in their natural habitat here in Israel and that is really GN… just as long as they keep out of people’s bedrooms that is.
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