SAN DIEGO — Following are some of the stories of Jewish interest that hit our editor’s computer mail box at editor@sdjewishworld.com on Wednesday, June 20. We are interested in local, national, and international news of Jewish interest, and welcome comments from members of the Jewish community about these news items.
Tel Aviv University researchers perfect Archimedes Laser Screw
An active field of research, laser optical trapping works to control the movement and position of particles of different sizes and shapes. The ability to move small particles in a precise and controlled manner is important to both basic and applied science. For example, the ability to control the movement of single atoms can be used to realize quantum computing, and the research also contributes to the study of biological specimens and pollutants.
Now scientists at Tel Aviv University have harnessed a 2,300-year-old water displacement technology to develop a novel laser beam that traps and moves particles in specific directions.
“We have created a light beam that looks and acts like Archimedes’ screw,” says Dr. Alon Bahabad of the Physical Optics Laboratory at TAU’s School of Electrical Engineering. “Instead of traveling in a straight line like regular laser beams, our beam consists of two helical strands, akin to the shape of DNA, and we can use this beam to move very small particles. The rotation of the beam determines the direction in which the particles, whose size ranges between tens of nanometers to about 10 microns, are conveyed.”
The study, published in the journal Optica, was conducted by Dr. Bahabad’s students Barak Hadad, Sahar Froim and Yaniv Eliezer in collaboration with Dr. Yael Roichman at TAU’s School of Chemistry and her students Harel Bagar and Tamir Admon.
Archimedes, a Greek scientist who lived in the 3rd century B.C., is credited with inventing one of the first effective water pumps: a broad-threaded screw, bent around an axis encased by a cylinder or a tube.
“A major challenge in laser optical trapping is how to move particles toward a light source,” Dr. Bahabad says. “This is a problem because particles tend to move with the flow of light, or are pushed ‘downstream,’ so to speak. Our objective was to generate an upstream movement of trapped particles to create a ‘tractor beam.’ We’ve done just this by referring to an ancient idea.”
Archimedes demonstrated that the rotation of a mechanical screw displaces water along the axis of the screw, against the pull of gravity. “We have devised an elegant tractor beam based on this simple idea,” Dr. Bahabad says. “The movement of trapped particles in our case depends on the rotation of the beam. If you rotate it one way, the particles are pushed downstream. Rotate it the other way, and they are pulled upstream.”
Dr. Bahabad and his team combined different light beams to create an interference pattern called a standing wave. Such interference patterns are characterized by alternating bright and dark areas. Particles within the beams were trapped by air movement near the particles due to heat deposited by the laser beam.
“When the particle is in a bright area of the beam, it gets hot and is pushed away by air molecules toward darker regions,” says Dr. Bahabad. “When we rotate the beam, the dark areas move and carry the trapped particles with them. This is how a vending machine that has a screw for moving snacks operates.
“We believe our discovery can find uses in biology, materials sciences, spectroscopy or any field that requires monitoring different materials or biological samples.” — From Tel Aviv University
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Pompeo says U.S. does more for refugees than any other country
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued the following statement for World Refugee Day:
“On World Refugee Day, we join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and our international partners in commemorating the strength, courage, and resilience of millions of refugees worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes due to persecution and conflict.
“As global displacement has reached record levels, it is vital that new actors – including governments, international financial institutions, and the private sector – come to the table to assist in the global response to address it. The United States will continue to be a world leader in providing humanitarian assistance and working to forge political solutions to the underlying conflicts that drive displacement.
“The United States provides more humanitarian assistance than any other single country worldwide, including to refugees. In FY 2017 alone, the United States provided more than $8 billion in life-saving humanitarian assistance, which included food, shelter, healthcare, education, and vocational training and livelihoods to tens of millions of crisis-affected people worldwide, including refugees. This assistance is provided as close to refugees’ homes as possible in order to facilitate their voluntary, safe, and dignified return if and when conditions allow. This commitment to the world’s most vulnerable individuals remains a critical component of America’s national security policy.
“The United States was one of the first international donors to the Rakhine State crisis, providing nearly $204 million in life-saving assistance to those displaced in Burma, Rohingya and other refugees in Bangladesh, and host communities since August 2017.
“In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the U.S. government remains the largest single country donor, having provided nearly $277 million in response to increased insecurity and violence against civilians since October 2016. This funding helps the 4.5 million displaced people within the country as well as more than 700,000 Congolese refugees in the region.
“The United States also maintains a steadfast commitment to getting life-saving support to Syrians wherever they are. Since the start of the crisis, the United States has provided nearly $8.1 billion in humanitarian assistance for the millions of people displaced inside Syria and the region.
“Since 1975, the United States has accepted more than 3.3 million refugees for permanent resettlement – more than any other country in the world. The United States will continue to prioritize the admission of the most vulnerable refugees while upholding the safety and security of the American people.
“Through active humanitarian diplomacy, humanitarian assistance, and tireless efforts to end conflicts and achieve durable solutions for persecuted people around the world, we will continue to help the world’s most vulnerable refugees, reflecting the deeply held values of the American people. — From U.S. State Department
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‘Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes’ ineffective way to understand other’s feelings
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and relying on intuition or “gut instinct” isn’t an accurate way to determine what they’re thinking or feeling,” say researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), the University of Chicago and Northeastern University.
“We incorrectly presume that taking someone else’s perspective will help us understand and improve interpersonal relationships,” they say in a new study published in the American Psychological Association’s 
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. “If you want an accurate understanding of what someone is thinking or feeling, don’t make assumptions, just ask.”
The researchers debunk the theories canonized in Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People that assuming you understand someone else’s thoughts, feelings, attitude, or mental state is a correct approach to interpersonal insight.
The study included an exhaustive series of 25 experiments designed to separate accuracy from egotism. The researchers asked participants to adopt another person’s perspective and predict their emotions based on facial expressions and body postures, identify fake versus genuine smiles, spot when someone is lying or telling the truth, and even predict a spouse’s activity preferences and consumer attitudes.
“Initially a large majority of participants believed that taking someone else’s perspective would help them achieve more accurate interpersonal insight,” the researchers said. “However, test results showed that their predictive assumptions were not generally accurate, although it did make them feel more confident about their judgment and reduced egocentric biases.”
Ultimately, the researchers confirmed gaining perspective directly through conversation is the most accurate approach.
The research team included Dr. Eyal Tal, a member of BGU’s Department of Psychology; Prof. Nicholas Epley, the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, and Prof. Mary Steffel, who is a member of the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. — From Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
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American Jewish Committee condemns separation of children from parents at U.S. border
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) condemns the unconscionable separation of nearly 2,000 children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent weeks and urges immediate congressional action to change the administration’s policy.
In a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, AJC joined 25 other Jewish organizations in denouncing the child separations and calling upon the Administration to rescind its “zero tolerance” policy toward asylum seekers and immigrants. The policy is not only morally wrong, but actually adds to the backlog of deportation cases and legal challenges in federal courts, places thousands more immigrants in detention facilities and shelters, and could endanger the lives of more children.
AJC CEO David Harris commented, “The time is long-overdue for common-sense, bipartisan solutions that meet the economic and national security needs of the U.S. while affirming our American values of justice, equal opportunity, family unification, and human dignity. AJC supports border security, but believes America is better than this. A society that upholds family values, and recognizes the contributions immigrants have made and continue to make to American life, must find a better way to secure the border.”
While long committed to bipartisan advocacy, AJC is supportive of two Senate bills addressing this urgent issue that currently have no GOP cosponsors – although they reflect concerns voiced in recent weeks by a range of prominent Republicans. AJC urges bipartisan support for the HELP Separated Children Act and the Keep Families Together Act, measures intended to reunite families separated at the border and prohibit future separations.
“We try hard to support legislation that is bipartisan, but we feel compelled to make an exception here. We applaud those Republican leaders who have gone on record objecting to this unprincipled and un-American policy, but we ask them now to reach across the aisle and work with their Democratic colleagues to put a stop to it,” Harris continued.
Imbued with the Jewish historical memory of undergoing the immigrant experience, AJC supports a fair and just immigration policy that upholds the rights of asylum-seekers and other immigrants, while also strengthening the security and prosperity of the United States. The organization, principally through the Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs and its national Latino Jewish Leadership Council, works to strengthen the Jewish community’s bonds of friendship with growing Latino communities across the United States. — From American Jewish Committee
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Warren Buffet helps raise $80 million in Israel Bonds investments
Calling Israel’s independence “a good day for the world,” Berkshire Hathaway Chairman, President & CEO Warren Buffett recently demonstrated his support for Development Corporation for Israel, commonly known as Israel Bonds, by welcoming the organization back to Omaha for a second event in the global magnate’s hometown and his third with the Israel Bonds enterprise in 18 months. The June 7 event with the internationally-renowned investor and philanthropist helped raise $80 million in Israel bonds investments and intentions to invest at a gathering at which he met with investors who each made a new minimum $1 million Israel bond investment to attend.
The exclusive evening with the famed ‘Oracle of Omaha,’ which took place at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, included a dinner reception attended by over 70 investors from the U.S. and Canada, in addition to Israeli dignitaries and members of the diplomatic corps, including Shai Babad, Director General, Israel’s Finance Ministry; Ambassador Danny Danon, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations; and Ambassador Dani Dayan, Consul General of Israel in New York.
Buffett, who made Israeli tool company ISCAR Metalworks his first major overseas acquisition in 2006, spoke warmly of the Jewish state noting, “I’ve lived through Israel’s entire 70-year history and I believe it is one of the most remarkable countries in the world.” He emphasized, “I’m delighted to own Israel bonds.”
When asked why he remains committed to Israel and the Bonds institution, Buffett stated, “I have nothing but good feelings about what I am doing. The United States and Israel will always be linked. It is a good thing for Israel that there is an America, and it is a good thing for America that there is an Israel.”
Since its founding in 1951, Israel Bonds has secured more than $41 billion in global sales. In 2017, worldwide Israel bond sales exceeded $1.3 billion. — From Israel Bonds
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Preceding culled from news releases