President Rivlin visited IAI and was briefed on its activity in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of computers were donated on his visit to help close the digital gap for school children who cannot participate in remote learning
President of Israel Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin visited Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in Yehud and was briefed on its activity in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The president was escorted on his visit by IAI Chairman Harel Locker and CEO Nimrod Sheffer.
During the visit, hundreds of computers were donated in the presence of the president to Mitchashvim, a national initiative to help close the digital gap for schoolchildren who do not have a computer at home. The president thanked IAI’s employees for joining up to the initiative and said it was an opportunity to ensure that thousands of schoolchildren are not left behind. “Instead of crying over what we haven’t done in the past, we try to close the gap as far as possible right now, before it is too late and we are left with gaps that cannot be bridged. Corona has taught us that things are possible at distance. We must give the children the opportunity to learn with their classmates now. In nearly 200,000 houses in Israel there is no computer and we must close that gap.”
Mitchashvim is a national initiative to collect, upgrade and distribute computers to schoolchildren in the geographic and socio-economic peripheries of Israel, which was launched in Israel under the auspices of the president and the leadership of the Socio-Economic Forum of the Presidency of the Israel Business Sector, along with many private companies, business people, non-profits, government ministries and local authorities in order to close the digital gap in Israel. So far, more than 5000 computers have been collected, 2000 have been distributed and the aim is to reach 200,000 computers in the next two years.
Nissim Piotrkovsky, a volunteer at Mitchashvim and its operations manager, collected the computers donated by IAI and said that the aim is to reach all households without a computer in the next two years.
Chairman of IAI Harel Locker said during the donation ceremony that IAI will put its technological capabilities at the disposal of the project and that they were looking into the possibility of setting up a workshop to help refurbish and upgrade their surplus computers and to transfer them to Mitchashvim.
During his visit, the president was shown IAI’s developments to fight the coronavirus pandemic: production lines for respirators, the Tamar system – which takes physiological measurements of temperature, respiration and pulse remotely, apparatus to turn over intubated patients, a low-pressure tent that creates an isolated area around corona patients, a monitoring system for ICU patients with corona and developments for anti-viral personal protection equipment for medical teams and more.
In addition, he was shown IAI’s capabilities in the fields of missiles and space – the control room of the Ofek 16 satellite, which was launched successfully recently and was handed over to the IDF Intelligence Branch for operational use, classified missile systems and systems whose developers were recently awarded the Israel Security Prize for 2020 by the president.
“IAI is an integral part of the State of Israel’s security. An integral part of our technological superiority in this field,” said the president. “For you, even the skies are no longer the limit. You have broken through the atmosphere, past the skies and into space.”
“Your support for the fight against corona is another example of IAI’s extraordinary blend of a successful economic and business model together with a commitment to the national interest,” said the president, referring to the recent period and congratulating them on the award of the Israel Security Prize. “I have no doubt that you will continue to star in the list of recipients in the years ahead. You make us so proud. Continue to dream big, to bring innovative solutions and answers to every challenge and to inspire us all. Thank you.”
Chairman of IAI Harel Locker thanked the president for his visit and for the opportunity to show the company’s activity in the fight against corona. Locker noted that “IAI is one of the cornerstones of the State of Israel’s security and is committed to all aspects of our country’s national security. As soon as the pandemic broke out, we worked together with the security establishment on different solutions for the health system, based on our technological capabilities and human capital. The company’s ground-breaking innovation will always be at the disposal of the State of Israel.”
Photo by: Mark Neyman (GPO)
