State-to-State Cooperation:
Washington, D.C. and Israel

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Jewish History of Washington, DC

• Important Trade and Population Statistics
• Binational Foundation Grants
• Bilateral Institutions
• Cooperative Agreements
• Government Missions to Israel
• Partners for Change - Overview
  • Business & Industrial Advantages
  • Scientific Innovations
  • Agricultural Benefits
• Other Cooperative Programs
• Washington, DC - Israel Sister Cities
• State Contacts

Trade and Population Statistics: ^top

Binational foundation grants shared by Washington, DC and Israel: ^top

Grant recipients in Washington, DC from U.S.-Israel binational foundations:

Advanced Power Tech, Inc.
American University
Carnegie Institute of Washington
Catholic University
George Washington University
Georgetown
Georgetown Medical
Howard University
International Bank of Reconstruction
Medlantic Research Foundation
Naval Research Lab
Sitel/MedStar Health
Smithsonian
USDA Agricultural Research Center
VA Medical Center
Washington Cardiology Center

Bilateral Institutions ^top

US-Israel Business Initiative - The first District of Columbia-based effort to advance and strengthen US-Israel commercial relations, the UIBI was formed with the sponsorship of the Middle East Department at the US Chamber of Commerce. This initiative is dedicated to the advancement of relations between American and Israeli commercial actors at all levels. Through the U.S.-Israel business initiative, the Chamber is creating a national forum for dialogue on innovation, entrepreneurship, and the key commercial and economic issues of interest to American and Israeli companies. Read more about the US-Israel Business Initiative, CLICK HERE.

Cooperative Agreements - "Memoranda of Understanding" ^top

None.

Washington, DC Government Missions to Israel ^top

April 2012 - Deputy U.S. Park Police Chief Robert MacLean and assistant D.C. police chief Diane Groomes traveled to Israel on a homeland security-inspired trip where they got a first-hand look at how Israeli police and the public respond to security threats and disasters. Both officials were struck by the similar and familiar balance of the need to preserve civil liberties and at the same time maintain strict and effective security measures. Groomes was impressed by the speed with which the Israeli police and public seem to recover from tragedy: "I was struck by how they can handle a scene, process and clear it and plant within it," she said. "If we had a bomb on a bus, it would take us maybe a day or two to handle. They said they just want life to go back to normal as soon as possible." MacLean, who has worked with the Anti-Defamation League before, was particularly touched by his visit to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

Partners For Change ^top

The U.S.-Israel relationship is based on the twin pillars of shared values and mutual interests. Given this commonality of interests and beliefs, it should not be surprising that support for Israel is one of the most pronounced and consistent foreign policy values of the American people.

It is more difficult to devise programs that capitalize on the two nations' shared values than their security interests; nevertheless, such programs do exist. In fact, these SHARED VALUE INITIATIVES cover a broad range of areas, including the environment, science and technology, education and health.

Today's interdependent global economy requires that trade policy be developed at the national and state level.

Many states have recognized the opportunity for realizing significant benefits by seeking to increase trade with Israel. No fewer than 33 states, including the District of Columbia, have cooperative agreements with Israel.

The District of Columbia does not yet have a formal partnership with Israel; nevertheless, in 2010, the District exported over $2.25 million worth of manufacturing goods to Israel. The total exports since 1996 is over $143 million. Israel now ranks as the District of Columbia's 45th leading trade partner.

Though Washington, DC received no foreign military financing (FMF) as military aid to Israel in 2010, it has received large contracts in the past, such as in 2006 when the District received over $475,000 in FMF.

Israel is certainly a place where potential business and trade partners can be found. It can also be a source, however, for innovative programs and ideas for addressing problems facing the citizens of the District of Columbia.

Israel has developed a number of pioneering education programs. For example, AICE introduced an innovative Israeli peer tutoring program to North Carolina that educators adapted for use in the United States. Now known as Reading Together, the program is used in 28 states. The program is designed to help students achieve reading fluency and is mostly used for children in second grade. The hope is that with its implementation, increasing numbers of students will perform at grade level or above.

A range of other exciting approaches to social problems like unemployment, environmental protection and drug abuse have been successfully implemented in Israel and could be imported for the benefit of Americans.

The potential for greater cooperation with Israel for the benefit of the District of Columbia is limited only by the imagination.

DC Firms Profit From Business With Israel ^top

One good way to break into the Israeli market is through a joint venture with an Israeli company. Funding for such projects is available from the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD). BIRD funds projects in 36 states and the District of Columbia and hundreds of companies including AOL, GE, BP Solar, Texas Instruments and Johnson & Johnson have benefitted from BIRD grants.

The United States and Israel established BIRD in 1977 to fund joint U.S.-Israeli teams in the development and subsequent commercialization of innovative, nondefense technological products from which both the Israeli and American company can expect to derive benefits commensurate with the investments and risks. Most grant recipients are small businesses involved with software, instrumentation, communications, medical devices and semiconductors.

Since its inception, BIRD has funded more than 800 joint high-tech R&D projects through conditional grants totaling more than $210 million. Products developed from these ventures have generated more than $8 billion in direct and indirect revenues for both countries and has helped to create an estimated 20,000 American jobs. Dr. Eli Opper, the former Israeli chair of BIRD, has said that BIRD is a strong pillar of US-Israel industrial cooperation and that the extreme success of BIRD has led Israel to adopt similar models of R&D with other countries.

DC-based companies have benefited from more than $150,000 in BIRD grants in the last three decades.

In 2011, the BIRD Foundation awarded the DC-based Sitel/MedStar Health Company a grant to collaborate with the Israeli-based company Semantic Medical Solutions to develop a semantic medical simulation platform.

Scientific Innovations ^top

District researchers are making scientific breakthroughs and developing cutting-edge technologies in joint projects with Israeli scientists thanks to support from the Binational Science Foundation (BSF). BSF was established in 1972 to promote scientific relations and cooperation between scientists from the United States and Israel. The fund supports collaborative research projects in a wide area of basic and applied scientific field for peaceful and non-profit purposes. Since its inception, BSF has awarded some $480 million through more than 4,000 grants in 45 states and the District of Columbia.

BSF-sponsored studies are highly successful in achieving their two main goals: strengthening the US-Israel partnership through science and promoting world-class scientific research for the benefit of the two countries and all mankind. The BSF grants help extend research resources to achieve milestones that might not otherwise be attainable; introduce novel approaches and techniques to lead American researchers in new directions; confirm, clarify and intensify research projects; and provide unmatched access to Israeli equipment, facilities and research results that help speed American scientific advances. BSF has documented no less than 75 new discoveries made possible by its research grants and counts 37 Nobel Prize and 19 Lasker Medical Award laureates among its joint partners.

DC scientists have shared with their counterparts in Israel more than $1.3 million in BSF grants awarded since 1996 alone.

Agriculture Benefits ^top

In 1978 the United States and Israel jointly created the Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) to help fund programs between US and Israeli scientists for mutually beneficial, mission-oriented, strategic and applied research into agricultural problems. Since its inception, BARD has funded more than 1,000 projects in 45 states and the District of Columbia with a total investment of more than $250 million. In 2000, an independent and external economic review of 10 BARD projects conservatively projected more than $700 million in revenue by the end of 2010, a number which far outweighs the total investment in all BARD projects over its 33 year existence and helps to continually strengthen the foundation.

Most BARD projects focus on either increasing agricultural productivity, plant and animal health or food quality and safety and have been influential in creating new technologies in drip irrigation, pesticides, fish farming, livestock, poultry, disease control and farm equipment. BARD funds projects in 45 states and the District of Columbia and at present is beginning to administer collaborative efforts between Australia, Canada and Israel as well. It is difficult to break down the impact on a state-by-state basis, but overall, BARD-sponsored research has generated sales of more than $500 million, tax revenues of more than $100 million and created more than 5,000 American jobs.

Institutions in the District of Columbia have received nearly $70,000 in BARD grants since 1979.

Other Cooperative Programs ^top

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington runs two highly successful programs to help at-risk and impoverished youth in Israel. "Youth Futures-Afula" provides such children with comprehensive, tailored programs, interventions and community resources. Currently this program is being used with over 150 Israeli children. Read more, CLICK HERE.

Additionally, the JFGW also runs a program entitled "Parents and Children Together" (PACT) in Afula which provides comprehensive enrichment and community services for Ethiopian-Israeli youngsters, their family, and the community. The support of this program helps to bring this "educational head start" to 800 children, birth through 12 years of age. Read more about "PACT- Afula", CLICK HERE.

Sister Cities: ^top

None.

UJA Partnership 2000 Communities:

Hillel Campus Profiles

Ian Berkowitz
Director
America-Israel Chamber of Commerce of Washington
1714 N St., NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. 202-462-8994
Fax. 202-462-8995
Email. hlg1@erols.com

DC Jewish Community Center
1529 16th St., NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. 202­775­1765

Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington
6125 Montrose Rd.
Rockville, MD 20852
Tel. 301­881­0100

UJA Federation of Greater Washington
6101 Montrose Rd.
Rockville, MD 20852
Tel. 301­230­7200

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