Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem Blog

In addition to my work as a business coach, one of my interests is blogging about life in Israel. This is a country full of contrasts – over eight million citizens living in an area the size of Wales. You can see snow and the lowest place on the globe in the same day. Although surrounded by geopolitical extremes, Israel has achieved a decade of high economic growth. My work brings me in contact with an array of new companies, exciting technologies and dynamic characters. Sitting back with a relaxing cup of strong tea (with milk), you realise just how much there is to appreciate in the Holyland. Large or small operations, private sector or non profit, my clients provide experiences from which others can learn and benefit.

Israel has a history of sending successful ‘medical SWAT’ teams to disaster zones. For example, it was the first country to set up a field surgery in Haiti. And now three teams are being dispatched from the Holy Land in order the fight the Ebola epidemic.

However, the Israeli contribution to combatting Ebola may turn out to be far more effective than just sending  aboard an airplane some top medics and a whole load of equipment

POINT ONE: Israel’s CollPlant has strong expertise in preparing vaccines from tobacco, which is seen as a key to the treatment to Ebola. They appear to be one of the few companies with an ability to mass produce an antidote, although the results of such drugs are still mixed.

POINT TWO: Argaman, based in Jerusalem, is manufacturing a set of fabrics that can used in hospitals: Sheets, clothing attire, socks, etc – by using Argaman products, infection rates have dropped by tens of percentage points in trials. At least one NGO operating in the Ebola region has approached the CEO of Argaman to consider how such products could protect their employees in the field.

POINT THREE: SYS Technologies near Haifa, Israel, has begun to send special sterile tents to Liberia and other countries in the region. The tents can be used as either field operating surgical units or sterile isolation areas. This latter issue is critical, when one considers that there is yet to be prescribed a comprehensive vaccine. So, it is essential to ensure that any person suspected of having the disease can be set aside effectively from the rest of the surrounding population and then monitored effectively.

If you follow Israel this week on CNN, BBC or SKY, the country comes across as a militaristic, uncaring society, determined to punish Palestinians. And yet there is an old phrase that ‘actions speak louder than words’. On the issue of Ebola, Israel is acting way beyond what any other Middle Eastern country is doing and even beyond what most fellow members of the OECD are providing. So why is the world so determined to silence these holy voices of hope and play to rhetoric of distrust?

0 comments

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

Client Feedback

"Michael transformed the way I think and approach working, and also how to monetize my social media and communal projects."

CEO of digital media company

"Michael helped my high tech company take off."

CEO of clean energy start up

"Michael has been an invaluable resource to me throughout all of the steps of starting up my business."

Art Studio owner

“Working with Michael Horesh is like having root canal treatment, marriage counselling and business coaching all rolled into one, successfully.”

CEO of digital media company
CEO of clean energy start up
Art Studio owner