Rehovot Youth: Is The Search for Extra-Curricular Activities for Children a Nightmare?

Finding an extracurricular activity for children, in which to exercise, release energy and come home content, has only recently become a difficult task for parents. Parents used to simply inquire after the closest class in judo, basketball, ballet, jazz or football, and cross their fingers for prices to be reasonable and for their children to stick to the activity; then they would enroll their children. Those children who wanted to learn to skate had to do it the hard way - by trial and flat-on-the-face error, and those who wanted to ride a bicycle practiced at the park with their fathers.

Today the search for extra-curricular activities for children is a nightmare. Choosing between a rock climbing course, a kite surfing course, an extreme sports class, a technical bike riding course, an archery class or personal fitness training has become a practically impossible mission. The basic sports of bygone days have also undergone a makeover, and those interested in martial arts no longer consider Judo or Karate, but rather Kung-Fu, Jujitsu, Capoeira, Taekwondo, Aikido, and every other known (some more, some less) martial art. Instead of stepping on a skateboard and learning to skate in the parking lot, children enroll in the "Skating Academy."

Also, clearly no one learns to surf anymore by trial and (drowning) error, but rather at one of the many schools along the country's coastline. Football is taught at various "academies," preferably ones with English names, such as "Total Sport."

Extreme kids

Options abound, from classes for extra-sensitive children, to extreme sports for 5-year-olds and up. Yoga fans, for instance, will discover it is never too early to start practicing asana positions: In "Yoga Flowers," a class for Rehovot-, Ness Tziona- and Rishon Letzion-area children, yoga is practiced through movement and stories, and correct breathing is taught to the tune of music. Tougher kids will find their niche at the Yoga Center in Yehud where Ashtanga Yoga is taught, a method that uses a structured series of postures and focuses on combining breathing with movement.

In the martial arts, as well, it seems it's never too early to begin. At the "Martial Arts Gymboree" coach Itzik Franco teaches 4- to 6-year-olds "Gymbo-Kick" (Karate Katas combined with various games). At the North Tel Aviv gym, Franco also teaches children from the age of 6 and up "Combined Martial Arts," a mix of Karate and Thai Boxing.

Yoga and marital arts classes are held in gyms. And what of those who love the beach? Exceptionally brave children can learn to kite surf in Beit Yanai with Amit Inbar. They may learn together with their parents, or on their own. Those who seek something more exciting than regular surfing, but find kite surfing to be a little too daring, may join the "Ocean Challenge" class in Haifa, in which surfing, wind surfing, body boarding, kayak rowing and kite flying are taught.

Children who won't bother leaving home for anything less than extreme may join the "Progress Extreme Sports" class in Ra'anana, for kids aged 3 to 9 (in separate age groups). "We use various objects - balls, hoops, rings, ropes," says Guy Salame, "the studio has modular extreme routes ... in varying height levels, with ladders, balance beams and benches, which strengthen the muscles and instill self confidence in heights."

And what of children who asked for rollerblades on their 10th birthday? The "Jerusalem Skating Academy," a center for skating studies, relieves parents of the teaching chore. The center is run by Radan Reiss and Lior Uliel, members of the Israeli national skating team, and classes are open to children aged 4 and up.

Yuval Bar Halevy, 10 from Tzur Hadassah, studies hockey and rollerblading with Uliel. "When my brother taught me to rollerblade a year ago, I fell a lot and it wasn't fun ... So I joined the rollerblading class and today I'm an ace skater."

Removed parents

Rollerblading led Bar Halevy to hockey, and today he participates in the "Rollerblade Hockey" class, and hopes to be a hockey player when he grows up. "I go to the class because it's fun. I also do Judo, that's also fun," he says.

"Since when do we need national team members to teach our kids to rollerblade and do what every mother, father or brother have done so far?" asks Hani German, an elementary school counselor and mother of two from Ramat Hasharon. "Teaching kids to skate, ride or surf is part of being a parent, and the multitude of classes which remove this role from the family is disturbing."

What bothers German is a "trend of less parenting and more consumerism of services of entertainment, occupation for the kids and skill training. Parents are removed from their children's side. Parents should be with their children and assist also in learning physical skills such as roller skating. When you give up on that you not only damage the parent-child relationship, but you also damage the chance for children to develop their athletic hobbies in a healthy manner that is suitable for them."

How is the process of acquiring athletic hobbies damaged?

German: "Classes in which children learn football, surfing, bike riding or roller skating are structured classes, whose progress is pre-planned and runs on schedule. As soon as a child attends a class or course, he no longer discovers things on his own. There are no individual learning processes and no self-discovery of personal capabilities. The difference is the same as between walking on a treadmill in a gym, at a set pace and with a static view, and running outdoors, in the fields or parks, at your own pace."

An interim solution may be for parents and children to attend classes together. At the "Israeli Center for Sports Climbing" (which has branches in Kibbutz Haogen, Kiryat Ono and Ashdod) climbing is taught from the age of 5, in a class for parents and children together. "We climb on the big wall, but the routes are easier and adjusted for children," explains guide Ofer Fischler. "The class is suitable for everyone, boys and girls, and it doesn't require special physical attributes. There is an added value in having the parents come with their children and share the experience, and since it involves dealing with fear, it helps children to have their parents by their side."

Source: Danit Nitzan. Rollerblade academies replace parking lot skating. Haaretz.com (21 Nov 2006) [FullText]

Made in Rehovot: Proteologics Reports Progress in Research Collaboration with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Proteologics Ltd., a leader in ubiquitin research, announces the achievement of a major milestone in its collaboration with Teva. The alliance fortifies companies’ efforts in research, development and commercialization of novel anti-cancer therapeutics. Proteologics and Teva partner in two independent, yet complementary projects, focusing on specific components of the ubiquitin system. Successful identification and validation of a novel target triggered entrance into the second phase of the collaboration moving ahead into drug discovery. This progress follows the accomplishments of another joint Proteologics and Teva project, whereby small molecules are expected to enter animal tests later next year.

Under the agreement Proteologics is responsible for the research and early drug discovery activities while Teva retains the option to continue development through preclinical and clinical phases, as well as commercialization of products. Proteologics shall be entitled to payments pending on the achievements of clinical development milestones, as well as royalties from sales.

“The achievement of this Milestone in agreement with Teva demonstrates Proteologics' ubiquitin expertise and strong drug discovery capabilities,” said Proteologics CEO, Mr. Avishai Levy. “We are pleased to be working side by side with world’s key pharmaceutical player in search for promising anti-cancer therapeutics.”

About Proteologics Inc.

Proteologics is a leading force in investigating the ubiquitin system for the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. Drs. Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover - the 2004 Nobel Prize in chemistry laureates for the discovery of the ubiquitin system - direct the company’s scientific advisory board. Specific components of the ubiqutin pathway, such as E3’s, are believed to offer novel targets for cancer, viral diseases, and CNS related pathologies. The unique know-how, biocheminformatics, and advanced technologies constitute Proteologics Proprietary Target & Drug Discovery Platform. Concurrent with major efforts in small molecule development, Proteologics pioneers the implementation of siRNA technology into the therapeutic pipeline. At present, Proteologics propels programs aimed at identifying novel, broad-spectrum antiviral drugs to provide more effective treatment against drug-resistant HIV and a variety of other viruses. The company also develops therapeutic agents to interfere at specific pathways relevant to several cancers.

Source: Biowire2K. Proteologics Reports Progress in Research Collaboration with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Business Wire (21 Nov 2006) [FullText]

Spy Alexander Litvinienko Death: The Nuclear Assassins OR Rehovot Noted with Regard to Polonium-210 Sales Contract

By David Dastych

On Saturday morning, a day after Alexander Litvinienko died of poisoning by a radio-active isotope, Polonium-210, I got a phone call from England. Mr. Gordon Thomas, a famous British investigative journalist and intelligence author, told me he had obtained information from MI5 and MI6 sources that the rare isotope came from China. Was the notorious Chinese intelligence service interested in assassinating former KGB-FSB spy, Alexander Litvinenko? If so, perhaps only for money.

Warsaw-Poland: The case of Alexander Litvinenko is probably not the first of its kind. A former KGB and FSB covert agent, specially sent to Britain to kill a Russian billionaire and Putin’s opponent, Boris Berezovsky, did not carry out his secret mission and defected six years ago. Just a month ago, he became a British subject. Protected by MI5 and the Police, he became known as a fervent opponent of President Vladimir Putin and of his KGB-derived establishment, presently ruling over Russia. A price for granting him political asylum in Britain must have been his voluntarily sharing of FSB secrets with the British counter-intelligence and intelligence services. Just enough to be rewarded by a death-sentence in Russia, according to a new bill passed in 2006 and allowing the Russian secret services to execute their “traitors” abroad.

Oleg Gordievski, a former KGB “station-chief” in Britain, who defected in 1985, and a well-known critic of the Soviet’s and Russia’s ruthless methods, told the Polish Radio in Warsaw that his good friend, “Sasha” Litvinienko, had some trouble with the KGB and the FSB before. He was even put into prison twice and, when released, fled to Britain via Turkey. Before falling ill, about three weeks ago in London, Litvinenko met with two former KGB agents and drank a cup of tea with them in a hotel bar (he was a rare brand of a Russian, abstaining from alcohol). This cup of tea – claimed Gordievski – was “treated” with Polonium-210, causing devastating effects in Sasha’s body and his ultimate death a few weeks later. One of these Russian ex-spies, Andrei Lugovoy, came forward in Moscow and “said they had met to discuss a business project at Mr. Litvinenko’s request and that he had nothing to do with the former spy’s death” (Peter Graff, Reuters). But Mr. Gordievski was sure not telling that these “businessmen” effectively planted the deadly radio-isotope into Litvinenko’s cup of tea.

No proof has been established so far, of who in fact caused the poisoning of the Russian defector, and in whose interest his assassination could have been. Let’s leave this case, then, to the British investigators, who are already working on it.

One thing is perfectly sure: the FSB had plenty of reasons to kill their “black sheep” in Britain, or anywhere in the world. I have heard stories from former Russian spies about dispatching Spetsnaz killers even to Australia and South Africa to carry out their mission. And Gordon Thomas, in his bestseller Gideon’s Spies, described similar actions of Mossad’s kidon squads, one being the assassination of Robert Maxwell, the late British billionaire and Israeli spy then a “traitor”, put to death by a shot of poison and dumped into the sea from his own luxury yacht Ghislaine near the Canary Islands.

Yet, as the use of poison by spy-services can be traced to ancient Egypt and China, more than 5,000 years ago, not much has surfaced so far about the application of nuclear materials for individual assassinations. The nuclear devices, from heavy warheads and bombs to small “suitcase” demolition charges, have been identified always with mass homicide and total destruction. This time, perhaps the first, Alex Litvinenko’s father, Walter, emotionally revealed: “My son died yesterday. He was killed by a little, tiny nuclear bomb.” Has the epoch of “nuclear assassins” begun?

A “Polish” trail to Po-210
Atomic number 84
Atomic mass (210) g.mol -1
Electronegativity according to Pauling 2.0
Density 9.51 g.cm-3 at 20°C
Melting point 254 °C
Boiling point 962 °C
Vanderwaals radius 0.164 nm
Ionic radius 0.102 nm (+4)
Isotopes 12
Electronic shell [ Xe ] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p4
Energy of first ionisation 813.0 kJ.mol -1
Discovered by Pierre and Marie Curie in 1898

In 1898, a Polish-born chemist Maria Sklodowska-Curie (then a Nobel Prize Laureate, together with her husband Pierre Curie) discovered a new chemical element and named it “Polonium” (a derivative of “Poland”). This natural isotope was discovered in uraninite (pitchblende) from Jakimov in Bohemia. Polonium was later proven to be a product of disintegration of Radium – so called Radium F.

The natural isotopes, Polonium 208 and 209, occur in trace quantities in some minerals – they are the “daughter products of the decay of uranium” (Dr. Andrea Sella). Polonium 210 is a synthetic and small amounts of it (no more than 100g/year) are made every year in specialist laboratories by bombarding bismuth with neutrons in a nuclear reactor.

Polonium 210 is highly dangerous to life, if it is taken into the body – by breathing it, drinking or eating, or if it gets into a wound. But it is not a radiological hazard as long as it remains outside the human or animal body. This isotope, however, is the only component of cigarette smoke that has produced cancers by itself. A really killing agent, indeed.

Its practical applications are also just a few: as a single gram of Polonium-210 generates 140 watts of heat energy, it is used as a heat source for satellite power supplies, and as an alpha particle source. It can act as a portable source of neutrons, which normally only access to a nuclear reactor can provide.

Being very rare, Polonium-210 is very expensive and hard to get. Dr. Andrea Sella, a lecturer of chemistry at University College London, told Peter Graff of Reuters: “This is not a random killing. This is not a tool chosen by a group of amateurs. These people had some serious resources behind them.” What people? We still don’t know. Po-210 is produced in nuclear reactors and particle accelerators in very few countries of the world: primarily in the United States, but also in Russia and China. The “Polish” trail leads only to the origins of this deadly isotope, a Chinese (or Russian) trail might lead to the producer of a dose, which killed Alexander Litvinenko.

From Russia, via the KGB

The discovery of Polonium-210 used as a killing tool against the ex-FSB spy, Alexander Litvinenko, reminded me of some events I observed or took part in during the early 1990s. Following a meeting with my long-time friend, a nuclear physicist and a former head of the Atomic Energy Commission of Israel – Mr. Shalheveth Freier – I volunteered to monitor the illegal trade of nuclear materials, technology and weapons between the states of the former USSR and the outside world. This meeting, arranged at the historical King David Hotel in Jerusalem, in February 1992, had started my “private investigation”, which lasted several years and covered about 20 countries. Shalheveth Freier died in 1994. Earlier in the same year, I obtained from a London-based intelligence source a full commercial offer for the sale of Polonium-210 and a number of other rare isotopes. This offer had the original markings and stamps of a Russian military nuclear laboratory, affiliated to a commercial enterprise “Promekologia”, singled out by a decree of the then President of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin, as a channel for exports of nuclear materials.

If I remember well, the price of one gram of Polonium-210 exceeded 2,000,000 US dollars, and the prices of other rare isotopes reached even $4,000, 0000. I was asked to try to sell the product. The copy of the Russian offer and contract was faxed to Rehovot in Israel for examination. The result was positive, showing that the documents and technical descriptions were authentic. Then, I offered the product to a president of a U.S. corporation, Aerospas, based in Atlanta, Georgia. The President of this corporation, mainly dealing in aircraft parts, Dr. Amin Ghanem, was well known to me through a number of previous phone and fax contacts on nuclear materials from Russia. He made frequent trips to Europe on his executive jet, looking for “special products”.

His answer to my offer was positive. He told me these isotopes were hard to sell but very valuable. The Russian offer and the technical specifications were sent to Los Alamos National Laboratory and to nuclear labs in California. But there was no deal, as – in the words of Dr. Ghanem – these labs could not obtain bank credit to purchase the wanted isotopes.

In that case, the Russian offer was at least legitimate, backed by the government and handled by a Russian secret service. The “end users” of the isotopes were also legal and government-sponsored American laboratories. But a lot of the trade in nuclear materials, weapon parts and even in people (nuclear specialists) were “black market deals”, often handled by Russian, Chechen or other mafias. And the End User Certificates, demanded for legal trade in nukes, were often made under a false flag.

In the 1990s, I was also in China, a number of times. I learned about the Chinese military intelligence handling Russian nuclear products and selling them to unknown customers via Hong Kong companies, often owned by the Chinese Intelligence. China was aggressively trading in nuclear materials, weapon parts and designs, for its own sake and also providing them to such foreign countries as North Korea, Pakistan, Libya, Indonesia, Iraq and Iran. In some cases, the original source of these materials was Russia, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan. In most of the cases, which I could examine, the handlers were intelligence services on the seller’s and buyer’s side.


The world of nuclear assassins

In spite of my long, over 40-year-long connection with the particular world of the nuclear weapons policy, I have never run into a proven case of using nuclear materials for deliberate assassination. But the intelligence underworld develops according to its own rules. From the early 1940s, when Polonium-210 was used in the Manhattan Project as an initiator of a chain reaction in the atomic bombs, this rare product of the nuclear reactor technology might have found new applications. One of them has been just proven by the recent killing of Alexander Litvinenko in London. A defector from the GRU told me some time ago: “David, mind you, they never forget”. They, the intelligence services of major world or regional power probably don’t mind spending two or three million dollars on a tiny sample of Polonium-210 to get sure that their “target” has been properly killed.

Today, a liberal writer from Berkeley, California, reacted to the Litvinenko assassination with an outburst of an apocalyptic vision: “What the heck is Polonium? It is extremely dangerous, about 200 billion times as toxic as cyanide. A piece so small it can’t be seen with the naked eye could kill many people. Anyone who had contact with the unfortunate ex-spy may also have been exposed. Dozens, maybe hundreds of people may be doomed to die of cancer if the Polonium contaminated any location this man frequented before his death, though authorities are downplaying any possible danger. I hope they are right.” (Doug Stych, writer, Berkeley, California).

True or not, somebody, or rather an organization who can serve itself with a deadly nuclear isotope to kill a single victim, can also use it against more people. Is Po-210 one of the future terrorist weapons? Will it be used by al-Qaeda in Britain or in the United States to kill more men, women and children and create panic? The high price of this unique nuclear product is not a hindrance to such acts of terror. They can afford it.

International journalist David M. Dastych writes for Poland's acclaimed weekly, WPROST, the CFP and The Polish Panorama (Canada), Ocnus Net (Britain), FrontPageMagazine and The New Media Journal (USA), AIA (Israel), Agentura.ru (Russia), and runs his own David’s Media Agency. He can be reached at: davids@aster.pl

Source: CFP (25 November 2006) [FullText]

45-year-old Man Reported Missing in Rehovot

A 45-year-old man from Rehovot went missing on Sunday afternoon, ZAKA reported, and there was a concern that the man's life was in danger.

The man, Eliyahu Shabira, was described as slim and wearing a white shirt, black pants and glasses.

Search teams were sweeping the Rehovot area.

Anyone with information on the missing individual has been asked to contact ZAKA's emergency hotline at 1220.

Source: by JPost staff. 45-year-old man reported missing in Rehovot. JPost.com (19 November 2006) [FullText]

Rabin's Assassination: Rabin’s Spirit Hovers Over Rehovot Synagogue

Because prime minister's assassin was a kippah-wearing Jew, a group of religious Jews in Rehovot prays at a synagogue named for him. Among the religious they’re seen as marginal, even bizarre: 'Why mention the murder of Rabin in particular, and not the murder of every person, women murdered by their husbands, or traffic accidents?'

For a group of Rehovot residents, a synagogue named for Yitzhak Rabin is not a contradiction in terms. Among those who memorialize the slain Israeli leader, this group is unique. Eleven years after his death, they’re trying to bridge the wide chasm between religious and secular, and between themselves and other religious Israelis.

Since a man with a kippah shot three times at the prime minister’s back, the feeling of shame has given them no rest. Five times a year they say prayers in Rabin’s memory, and tonight, too, their Orthodox synagogue will be filled with special prayers in honor of the official remembrance day.

Yigal Amir is a religious murderer. This statement, which will probably infuriate some readers, is one of the routine terms used to identify individuals or groups.

They’re the vanguard in the religious camp, where many people have still not done serious soul searching. Some have been in denial, some have used incitement, and others have dismissed the connection between the incitement and the despicable deed.

While a few have acknowledged responsibility, none but the members of this synagogue have attempted to incorporate the assassination into daily religious worship. “This is our response to a murder committed by a man calling himself ‘religious,’ and this is the place where you can speak out clearly against the deed,” they say.

Visitors to the synagogue are greeted by two plaques with Rabin’s name. A small inscription inside the synagogue indicates that Rabin’s family made a contribution for the ascent of his soul, though in his lifetime he didn’t exactly frequent synagogues.

Does the fact that Rabin was secular bother you?

“Who decides who is religious and who is secular? What’s definite is that during his life he saved many Jews, and that’s what’s important,” says Gadi Gevaryahu, founder of the synagogue.

Not all the members of this synagogue—where Yossi Sarid, Chanan Porat, and Haim Ramon all managed to dance at a Torah scroll dedication—are on the left politically. In fact, all sides of the political spectrum are represented here. Some have moved from one side to the other. “Before the assassination I demonstrated against Rabin and against the Oslo process. The murder caused me to make a real change of direction. I felt ashamed, I felt that nothing was worth it,” says synagogue chairman Yossi Elran.

They are angered by the recent survey showing that one in three Israelis supports a pardon for Yigal Amir, with even higher percentages among the religious public. “They haven’t learned their lesson,” they say. “If our prayers get through, that criminal won’t be released,” says Gevaryahu.

Not everyone in their immediate environment is pleased by this approach. When the synagogue was founded in 1997, people said they wouldn’t get a minyan (prayer quorum) for Rabin, and later, posters announcing prayers to mark the anniversary of the assassination were vandalized. According to Gevaryahu “To this day there are parts of the city where our notices are removed immediately.”

'It’s not even clear Amir murdered him'

In the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood two streets away, they’re mourning a community member who died, and dozens are gathered around the Poalei Agudat Yisrael synagogue. Mention of the Yitzchak Rabin synagogue is met with the chilly response that “it’s always good to have another synagogue.”

But some are dismissive of the need to mention Rabin at all. “Why mention the murder of Rabin in particular, and not the murder of every person, women murdered by their husbands, or traffic accidents? That’s murder too,” said Rabbi Mordechai Kikus.

The various conspiracy theories have taken hold in the neighborhood. “There were all kinds of strange things there, it’s not even definite that he murdered him,” says one.

The time for evening prayers is approaching, and several men begin to gather at the Rabin Synagogue for a Torah class.

Do you deal with other aspects of Rabin’s legacy, or just the assassination?

Gevaryahu: “We don’t deal with Rabin’s legacy, this isn’t the Palmah Museum, but Rabin’s spirit hovers over us. I just have to admit that if Rabin hadn’t been killed by a man wearing a kippah, it’s very doubtful we would have founded a synagogue in his name.”

Source: YNet News (5 Nov 2006) [FullText]

Police Probing New Case of Illegal Rehovot Hospital Experimentation

Police are investigating another case of suspected medical malpractice involving Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot and Hartzfeld Geriatric Hospital in Gedera. The two medical centers are alleged to have collaborated in illegal experiments carried out on 870 elderly patients during the period 2001-2004.

Police believe that the experiments, for which no approvals were given, were performed on patients who had undergone orthopedic surgery at Kaplan and were then admitted to Hartzfeld. According to the suspicions, two-thirds of the patients involved in the experiments were given abnormally high dosages of blood-thinning medication (Coumadin), and at least three of them died as a result, without there being any report or inquiry into the matter, as required by law.

Police are also looking into suspicions that at least 50 of the patients who were involved in the experiment suffered severe circulatory-system problems as a result, including acute blood insufficieny and serious cardiac difficulties.

The police investigation into the affair is part of a wider inquiry that has been underway at the National Fraud Squad over the past few months into suspicions that dozens of illegal and unethical experiments were performed on thousands of elderly patients at Kaplan and Hartzfeld, which are under a single management, headed by Dr. Yosef Bar-El.

Haaretz has learned that the blood-thinning experiment currently under investigation was initially reviewed by a Health Ministry panel led by Prof. Jacques Michel, who filed a scathing report on the matter to the ministry's management in July.

According to the panel's report, the experiment was performed illegally and contrary to the directives of both the Health Ministry and the Clalit health maintenance organization, which owns the two hospitals: The doctors failed to seek or receive approval for the experiment from the Helsinki Committee; they failed to seek or receive the consent of the patients involved in the experiments; and they failed to report, as required by law, on anomalies encountered during the experiment and on incidents of mortality.

The report names Dr. Shmuel Levy, former director of Hartzfeld, and Dr. Nadia Kagansky, his deputy, as the chief culprits in the affair.

Police involved in the current investigation are reviewing the medical files of numerous patients involved in the experiment. One case involves A.S., an 82-year-old woman who was admitted to Hartzfeld in April 2002 and was allegedly given a high dose of Coumadin. Despite subsequent blood-clotting tests that returned very dangerous readings, A.S. was given the medication again. Two weeks after being admitted to Hartzfeld, A.S. suffered massive internal bleeding and was taken to Kaplan's intensive care unit, where she died.

Another case involves D.B., a 77-year-old man who was admitted to Hartzfeld in May 2002 for the treatment of an acute liver disorder. D.B. was given high doses of Coumadin over a period of two days; he died a few days later, presumably from inhalation of blood into his lungs.

The Health Ministry panel report filed in July also mentions, among others, another experiment involving blood-thinning medication that was allegedly conducted by Levy and Kagansky. This experiment, the report says, included 323 patients, 98 of whom died as a result of the tests carried out on them.

"The issue is under police investigation, and we believe that the police will get to the truth, and we are cooperating with them," a statement from Kaplan-Hartzfeld said yesterday.

Attorney Ofer Doron, who is representing Dr. Levy, said that his client "denies the claims made regarding the use of the medication."

According to attorney Doron, "We are dealing with the accepted, necessary and correct treatment, administered in the standard and permissible doses. As is the case with numerous medications, Coumadin can also be administered in various doses, all of which are considered acceptable and permissible alternatives.

"Hence, it is not true to say that the treatment endangered the lives of the patients, and it is not true to say that the treatment caused the death of patients or put them at risk."

Source: Ran Reznick. Police probing new case of illegal hospital experimentation. Haaretz.com (9 November 2006) [FullText]

Professor Zajfman Elected President of The Weizmann Institute of Science

Today, the Board of Governors of the Weizmann Institute of Science elected Prof. Daniel Zajfman the tenth president of the Weizmann Institute.

He will take office on Dec. 1, 2006, at which time he will replace Prof. Ilan Chet, who finishes his term of office. Prof. Zajfman will be the youngest president to serve the Weizmann Institute: He will be 47 when he takes office.

Prof. Daniel Zajfman was born in Belgium in 1959 and moved to Israel in 1979. He received a B.Sc. in 1983 and a Ph.D. in 1989 from the Technion, in Haifa, in atomic physics. He then completed post-doctoral research at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago. In 1991, he returned to the Weizmann Institute as a Senior Scientist in the Particle Physics Department. In 1997, he was appointed Associate Professor and was promoted to Full professor in 2003. Since 2001, he has been an external member of the Max Planck Institute of Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany, and in 2005, he was appointed as a Director in the Max Planck Institute.

Prof. Zajfman's research focuses on the reaction dynamics of small molecules and how they influence the composition of the interstellar medium. He recreates the conditions of outer space in the laboratory using special devices called ion 'traps' or 'storage rings.' In these devices, he is able to briefly store and measure the properties of small amounts of material, as little as a few hundred atoms or molecules-worth, under the extreme conditions of interstellar space (especially very low temperatures and low densities). Some of his research has focused on the puzzle of how complex molecules are formed in outer space.

In addition to his research, Prof. Zajfman has invested much time and effort in community outreach, to the public in general and youth in particular. One of his goals is to broaden interest in and knowledge of the advances taking place on the scientific front.

Prof. Zajfman is married to Joelle, who has an M.Sc. in physics and works as a sculptor, and is father to Eyal (17) and Noga (15).

Immediately following his election, Prof. Zajfman spoke to the Board of Governors, Weizmann Institute scientists, Institute employees and friends. The following are excerpts from his speech:

The Zionist Dream

'It is for me an immense privilege to have been elected the tenth President of the Weizmann Institute of Science at the age of 47. It is an immense privilege because when I immigrated to Israel, as a young student, just after finishing high school in Belgium in 1979, I had two dreams: The first one was related to the Zionist idea: as a young Jewish boy, I was educated with a strong vision for Israel, and I wanted to help in the development of a modern homeland for the Jewish people. The second dream was more personal: During my previous visits to Israel, before I immigrated, as a tourist, I got the feeling that this is the country of unlimited opportunities, where a young adult can realize himself, and that anything which is being done here in Israel, has a very different taste than if it is done abroad. A taste of milk, honey and without any doubt, the taste of victory of a small tribe of Jewish people who exemplify in their achievements the notion that it is quality, not quantity,that really matters.

Knowledge will become an industry, research a commodity, and education a must

'What should the Weizmann Institute's goal be today? I’m convinced that the goal of this Institute is linked to the cornerstone of our civilization: The mandate of Weizmann is to work on new ideas, to foster innovation, and its no less important mandate is to prepare young people, who will bring these new ideas to fruition. I’m convinced that there are no more important tasks in the world than developing new ideas and engaging in education. This is the ultimate act of faith in the future of our country, the future of the world, and the future of mankind. This is what Weizmann is all about. And this is why I have accepted to take up this position.

'Today, the time between basic discoveries in the laboratory and their application in the everyday world has never been so short. It is a secret to nobody that the world economy is directly and strongly influenced by technologies which have been developed only very recently in research laboratories. And the large increase in human life expectancy, which has almost doubled over the last century, is the direct result of this scientific revolution. All this happened in the past century; in the present century, I believe knowledge will become an industry; research a commodity, and education a must.

The speed of light and the speed of life will be equivalent

'Big challenges are waiting for us in each of the different scientific fields in which Weizmann is involved: Physics is today reinventing itself and is on the verge of new breakthroughs in quantum technology, in the understanding of the universe, and on the unification of the force of nature. Chemistry is going through a transformation with the development of the most sophisticated analytical tools ever created, allowing the scientists in this field to probe with incredible detail into the structure of nature, from synthetic materials to the most complex bio-molecules. Mathematics, the field which is so opaque to many, is already forging new avenues into our life by influencing the way biologists understand living organisms. The life sciences themselves are right now undergoing a revolution. And this revolution will change completely the way diseases will be treated, and drugs will be designed. It is the century where speed of light and speed of life will be equivalent.

The Weizmann Institute will remain forever young, so that it can renew itself forever

'However, the privilege to be the President of the Weizmann Institute does not come without a commitment. And my commitment is to bring this Institute to an even better and stronger position than it has held in the past. It is my commitment to ensure that it remains forever young, so that it can renew itself forever. It is my commitment to promote and support the best ideas of our scientists so that they, in their laboratories, can create a better world.

We will share our scientific knowledge with the public

'In the education arena, we need to restructure our educational activities, and create new ventures which will increase the awareness of the general public to the great scientific challenges facing our society, and use this as a tool to create a community which understands what science is all about, is not afraid of new developments, and is able to use knowledge for the purpose of a better life. We must face irrationality directly, and we can do this by educating a wider portion of society. An education into the scientific basics that shape our lives so fundamentally gives citizens vital tools for rational decision-making in their daily lives, be it in medicine and health, in marketing and advertising, in economics and investments, in technology and gadgets, in environmental issues, in fact – in every field of life. Weizmann has a role to play, and it will raise the flag.'

Source: Weizmann Institute of Science PR Department. Weizmann Wonder Wander (13 Nov 2006) [FullText]

Rehovot Rabbi Files Petition Against Gay Parade

A fourth petition against the impending gay parade planned for this Friday in Jerusalem has been filed in the High Court of Justice by Rehovot Rabbi Simcha HaCohen Cook, according to Israel Radio.

The petitions to prevent the homosexual parade from marching down the streets of the holy city will be discussed in the High Court this afternoon.

Petitions were filed by Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai, the chairman of Sephardic religious party Shas, as well as ZAKA founder Yehuda Meshi-Zahav and right-wing activist Baruch Marzel.

The parade is scheduled to begin from Kaplan Street at 11:00 am and end with a rally at the Givat Ram stadium at 3:00 pm, less than two hours prior to the start of the Jewish Sabbath. Some 12,000 police officers will be deployed to protect the marchers.

Source: Rehovot Rabbi Files Petition Against Gay Parade. IsraelNN.com (8 Nov 2006) [FullText]

Rehovot Youth Convicted for 2005 Rape, Murder

The Tel Aviv District Court convicted a 17-year-old on Thursday for the 2005 murder of 15-year-old Ma'ayan Sapir from Rehovot, who was raped and killed on her way to a shopping mall.

The murderer, who was 16 at the time, confessed to police after being arrested that he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. He had already amassed a long sheet of petty criminal offenses prior to the murder and was on furlough over the weekend he murdered Sapir.

According to the indictment, the teenager met Sapir on her way to the mall, knocked her violently to the ground and dragged her into the empty schoolyard. He then raped, sodomized and strangled her. The suspect, according to the charge sheet, then fled the scene of the murder and disposed of Sapir's clothing in a nearby alley. He was arrested shortly after the murder and was found to have been under the influence of glue fumes and alcohol.

'She [Ma'ayan] didn't do anything to that piece of trash, ' Sapir's mother told reporters last year after the youth was indicted. 'He needs to go to jail forever and what he did is just as bad as what Yigal Amir [Yitzhak Rabin's assassin] did.

'I did not only lose a daughter,' Sarah Sapir continued, choking on her words. 'But each and every one of you lost a great person. She would have achieved greatness.'

Source: Yaakov Katz. Youth convicted for 2005 rape, murder. JPost.com (9 Nov 2006) [FullText]

Rehovot's SciGen Announces Marketing Approval of Hepaptitis Vaccine in India

SciGen announces the marketing approval of its third generation hepatitis B vaccine, Sci-B-Vac. in India. Commercialization of the vaccine will commence as soon as the manufacturing facility in Rehovot, Israel is commissioned. Commissioning is expected in the second quarter of 2007.

SciGen Limited (ASX: SIE) announces the marketing approval of its third generation hepatitis B vaccine, Sci-B-Vacin India. Commercialization of the vaccine will commence as soon as the manufacturing facility in Rehovot, Israel is commissioned. Commissioning is expected in the second quarter of 2007.

India forms the second largest pool of Hepatitis B carriers in the world. It is estimated that at least 45 Million people in India were infected with Hepatitis B in 2005, 10% develop chronic infection and 89000 people were estimated to have died of Hepatitis. Revenues in 2005 were estimated to be over US$40 Million dollars with a compounded growth rate of 6% (1). SciGen hepatitis B vaccine will be distributed by Shreya Life Sciences, one of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in India.

About Sci-B-Vac:
Sci-B-Vacis a third generation recombinant vaccine produced in mammalian cells culture (CHO) that contains all three regions (epitope) of the hepatitis B virus surface antigen (proteins) and elicit a faster immune response than other hepatitis B vaccine presently available. Sci-B-Vac has been proven safe and effective after testing in more than 5000 men, women, children and newborn in the Asia Pacific Region, Europe and Israel.

About SciGen:
SciGen Ltd is a biopharmaceutical company involved in commercializing later stage research. It co-develops and markets biopharmaceutical products for human healthcare. SciGen focuses in the areas of gastroenterology, endocrinology and immunology. Its product portfolio includes vaccines and therapeutics.

SciGen acquires rights to manufacture, distribute and market biopharmaceutical products under exclusive licensing arrangements. SciGen’s portfolio currently includes proprietary biotechnology-derived products, and Biosimilar products, which allow for faster entry into the market, as Biosimilar products have undergone much of the clinical development and trials required to bring drugs to market. This minimizes the risks associated with early stage product development. SciGen currently undertakes R&D activities in collaboration with strategic partners and institutions.

SciGen’s competitive advantage is in identifying research with commercial potential at an early stage to which it adds its expertise in clinical development, gaining regulatory approval and bringing products to market. SciGen is a Singaporean biotechnology company, established in 1988 and listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX code SIE). SciGen is headquartered in Singapore, with subsidiary companies in the USA, Australia, S. Korea, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, Israel and India, a Joint Venture in China, commercial partners in Europe and collaborative partners in the USA and the Netherland

Source: SciGen Ltd., pipelinereview.com (8 Nov 2006) [FullText]

Japan imports pomelits from Israel, Thanks to Research Done in Rehovot Hospital

Some half-million crates of Israeli fruits exported recently to Tokyo, where they are rapidly becoming a major hit

Some half-million crates of Israeli pomelit fruits were exported recently to Japan, where they are rapidly becoming a major hit.

Though a ripe pomelit is generally yellow, it is shipped to Japan while still green, the color symbolizing health and flowering in Japanese culture. The pomelo is a citrus fruit, somewhat larger than a grapefruit but with a similar flavor and a thicker rind. The pomelit is a hybrid of the two fruits.

The Agriculture Ministry notes that pomelit juice has special qualities enabling the reduction of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as proven by studies in Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Another 500,000 crates of the fruit are soon to be on their way to European markets. The citrus export season in Israel begins in September, and so far some 25,000 of the anticipated 160,000 tons - up 15 percent from last year - have been exported.

Some 36,000 tons of citrus fruits are to be sent to Eastern Europe, also a large increase over previous years.

The Chairman of the Citrus Fruit Growers Association says that the citrus fruit sector has flourished once again over the past years. Citrus fruits are grown in 200,000 dunams (50,000 acres) worth of orchards around the country and thousands of families work in farming, packing and related industries.

Source: Japan imports pomelits from Israel. YNet.com (5 Nov 2006) [FullText]

Pedestrian Killed at Rehovot's Herzl Street

Three people were killed on Friday morning in road accidents in the North, the South and the Shfela.

In one of the fatal accidents, in the Western Galilee, a 62-year-old resident of the area was hit by a car when she crossed the road, while in Rehovot, a 70-year-old man was killed in similar circumstances [at major town's Herzl street].

In the third accident, near Revadim, a driver was killed when his car was hit by a bus.

Source: JPost.com staff. Three killed in road accidents across Israel (27 Oct 2006) JPost.com [FullText]