B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JULY 23, 2020
16
The Week In News
Israel Pilots Instant COVID Detection Test, Expected to be Operational by this Fall A pilot program has been launched for a rapid COVID-19 detection test, employing a revolutionary device that uses light waves to analyze molecular content. Israeli startup Newsight is collaborating with Sheba Medical Center to identify and classify evidence of coronavirus in the body in less than a second, using a sample of fluid – blood serum or saliva. Concrete results of the trial are expected within the coming months. Newsight employs spectral technology (using light waves) to develop advanced image sensor chips for 3D machine vision and spectral analysis. The sensors have been integrated in dozens of devices and solutions in various fields including robotics and automotive industrial manufacturing. The use of spectral technology to detect the presence of pathogens is not new, but to date, has necessitated a cumbersome, costly device. The new innovation being piloted with Sheba involves a cost-effective chip. Experts from Sheba’s Infectious and Tropical Disease departments are
already working with Newsight. Initial studies of the device’s ability to identify the coronavirus has shown an accuracy of close to 100%. Newsight and Sheba’s ARC Innovation Center intend to establish a joint company that will make the instant COVID detection test commercially available to the medical community worldwide. “Newsight is yet another outstanding example of how ARC@Sheba Medical Center and the Israeli start-up ecosystem are working in tandem to reinvent existing technology to battle the scourge of COVID-19,” said Dr. Eyal Zimlichman, Chief Medical and Innovation Center at Sheba. Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer is the largest medical center in the Middle East. It is the only hospital in Israel that offers treatment for acute care as well as rehabilitation on one campus, and is at the forefront of medical treatments, patient care, research, innovation and education. In 2019 & 2020 Newsweek magazine ranked Sheba as one of the top ten hospitals in the world.
Meet CoronavirusFriendly Tel Aviv Noodle Shop A Tel Aviv noodle joint thinks that it has found the post-coronavirus business model. With most restaurants forced to close due to the rising rates of infection, Tel Aviv’s ‘Go Noodles’ has found a novel way to operate: Pre-
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venting staff and customers from having any physical contact throughout their dining experience.
Go Noodles’ new setup features a giant touch screen at the entrance of the restaurant that is to be used by customers for ordering. After the food is prepared, it is placed in a glass locker while the code to open it is sent to the customers via SMS. Done properly, the innovative system ensures that there is virtually no risk of catching the deadly pandemic. Servers do not interact with customers, the store does not accept cash, and all orders must be paid for online. “I came up with this concept a year ago, with no connection to the coronavirus, from a business and financial need,” said Shmulik Gal, the restaurant’s manager. “As fate would have it, the coronavirus broke out a few months ago and this thing gained major significance.” Gal had originally come up with the idea prior to the global COVID-19 outbreak. The Tel Avivian figured that with rising overhead costs, operating a “bare bones” system with no servers could save money. But with eateries limited in how they could open for business, Gal realized that the time had come to turn his vision into a reality. “People are looking for less contact with others, less intermingling, less touching,” Gal said. “I think this thing has a lot of strength and people will embrace it.”
Google, Apple, Erase ‘Palestine’ From Maps Palestinian activists are furious amid claims that both Google and Apple erased the ‘State of Palestine’ from their apps. As of last Thursday, a search of
the word “Palestine” in Google Maps yields only the West Bank and Gaza Strip without any additional identifying information. However, the two aforementioned technology giants had never listed Palestine in the first place. After the discovery, Palestinian and other left-wing activists circulated an online petition demanding that Google and Apple recognize ‘Palestine’ as a country. “We’re all deleting Google Maps until it acknowledges the #FreePalestine’s rightful place on the map,” tweeted prominent activist Issa Amro from Ramallah. Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Riyad Al Maliki fired off an official complaint to the tech behemoths that blasted them for submitting to Israel’s “pressure and blackmail.” “Removing Palestine from the maps was not a coincidence. Rather it was a prelude to the implementation of Washington’s Middle East plan and the last nail in the coffin for the Palestinian issue,” said Maliki. The minister added that Google and Apple “may be able to remove the name of Palestine from the maps, but they will not be able to remove it from the souls of the Palestinians, no matter how long it takes.” The Hamas terror group also weighed in, stating through a spokesperson that the two companies are complicit in “a denial of historical facts and a move that contradicts international and humanitarian laws ... making it possible for Israel to continue and violate international laws and decisions.” The current controversy is not the first time Google has been accused of erasing the State of Palestine. Four years ago, the search engine giant was condemned by the Forum of Palestinian Journalists ‘condemning’ Google for not marking Palestine on its map service.
IDF Topples Hezbollah Drone Shooting Music Video The IDF hacked a Hezbollah drone that was videoing a music video the
