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State-to-State Cooperation:
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Trade and Population Statistics:
Exports to Israel in 2012: Percentage change from 2011: Israel's rank as trade partner: Total exports since 1996: Foreign Military Financing Contracts with Israel in 2012: Jewish Population in 2011: Jewish Percentage of Total Population:
Binational foundation grants shared by Louisiana and Israel:
Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (1979-2010): $623,300 Binational Science Foundation (1996-2009): $354,540 Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (1977-2010): $0
Grant recipients in Louisiana from U.S.-Israel binational foundations:
Fifth Generation Systems
Louisiana State University
LSU- Health Sciences Center
Tulane University
Tulane Medical School
World Trade Center of New Orleans -
Though not exclusively setup to deal with trade between Louisiana and Israel, the WTC New Orleans, which serves to facilitate the addition of wealth and jobs in Louisiana through international trade, has a number of contacts with Israeli companies that have opened offices or developed collaborative business in Louisiana. At least nine Louisiana-based companies have expanded into Israel with help from WTC-NO. Learn more about the Trade Center, CLICK HERE.
Cooperative Agreements - "Memoranda of Understanding"
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Louisiana Government Missions to Israel
October 2011 - Senator Mary Landrieu will lead an energy-related mission to Israel for Louisiana businesses in an effort to increase collaboration between the energy sectors of both states. The U.S. Department of Commerce is supporting the trip while Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliances is organizing it. Read more, CLICK HERE.
October 2007 - Baton Rouge Mayor-President Melvin Holden went to Israel along with six other mayors from the United States to attend the annual Jerusalem International Conference of Mayors. Holden's trip offered him the chance to meet with Jerusalem’s mayor and Israeli officials to learn about the country.
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 Louisiana, have cooperative agreements with Israel.
Louisiana does not yet have a formal partnership with Israel; nevertheless, in 2010, Louisiana exported more than $306 million worth of manufacturing goods to Israel. The total value since 1996 is almost $4 billion. Israel now ranks as Louisiana's 17th leading trade partner.
In addition, Louisiana companies received approximately $12,101,852 in 2006 for U.S. government-funded military contracts with Israel through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program (U.S. military assistance to Israel).
In 2004, the Louisiana Department of the Treasury purchased $5 million in State of Israel bonds “to diversify investments and develop economic ties between the State of Louisiana and the State of Israel,” according to a Treasury statement from Baton Rouge. “"This is a win-win situation for Louisiana and Israel," Louisiana State Treasurer John Kennedy told Globes (October 20, 2004). “Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. It is America's only true friend in the Middle East, and it is one of our staunchest allies.”
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 Louisiana.
Israel, for example, has developed a number of pioneering education programs. One, the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters, has been praised by President Clinton as “the best preschool program on earth” and replicated throughout the country, including New Orleans, Lafayette, Harvey, Bogalusa, Rayville, Baton Rouge and Shreveport.
Additionally, 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 Louisiana is limited only by the imagination.
Louisiana Firms Profit From Business With Israel
As the only country with free trade agreements with both the United States and the European community, Israel can act as a bridge for international trade between the United States and Europe. Moreover, because of the deep pool of talent, particularly in high-technology areas, Israel provides excellent investment opportunities. Some of the nation's largest companies, such as IBM, Microsoft, Motorola, Intel and McDonald's have found that it is indeed profitable to do business in Israel.
More than 40 Louisiana companies have discovered the benefits of doing business in Israel, including Reilly Benton Co., Petroleum Helicopter and Pellerin Milnor Corporation.
According to the President of the Reilly Benton Co., Warren Watters, they were extremely satisfied with their business in Israel. Reilly Benton provided the marine insulation for the Israeli warship Saar-5, which was built in Mississippi. "I would love to do more business with them," said Watters, "they are good customers."
Petroleum Helicopter has also done some work for the Israeli military and the Ministry of Defense. They also did some work for the Rambo movie that was filmed in Israel.
Pellerin Milnor Corp. has an Israeli dealer for their commercial laundry equipment. Pellerin Milnor is one of the largest manufacturers of laundry equipment in the world. They have been doing business with Israel for a number of years.
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.To date, no Louisiana companies have yet taken advantage of the reduced risks and added funds that a BIRD grant offers.
As of September 2, 2011, Israel is ranked 17th in Louisiana's trade partners. In 2010, Louisiana exported over $306,000,000 worth of manufacturing goods to Israel. To read more, CLICK HERE.
Louisiana 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.
Institutions in Louisiana have shared nearly $400,00 in BSF grants awarded since 1996 alone. The Louisiana State University (LSU) and Tulane Medical are two Louisiana institutions that have shared funds from the BSF in the last ten years.
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.Louisiana institutions have shared grants worth more than $600,000 since 1979.
LSU scientist Raymond Schneider and his colleagues are studying how fungus evolves to become a plant pathogen. The fungus develops strains and races that overcome resistance. After 15 years of research, they can forecast how these new resistant strands will develop. Working with the Israelis has helped them progress significantly toward answering this question of development of resistant strands of fungus. Dr. Schneider states that the "BARD grant allowed us to make a great deal of progress, it was the seed of the whole program." Dr. Schneider said that he benefitted from working with Israelis because of their different strategies to attack problems of this nature. This research will be helpful in disease-resistance in tomatoes and dozens of other crop species.
With funding from BARD, Professor Robert Rhoads of LSU has been able to collaborate on a number of research projects with Dr. Itamar Barash of the Israeli Agricultural Research Organization at the Volcani Center. Since before 2000 these two have spearheaded research on a number of projects in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology. In 2004 they published a very important paper in the Molecular Endocrinology journal where they outlined BARD-sponsored research in which they found that giving insulin and prolactin to animals will stimulate the synthesis of milk proteins much more than giving either one alone. Understanding this mechanism will have important medical and agricultural implications. Read this study online HERE.
Tulane biologist Milton Fingerman researched the aquaculture and growing conditions of shrimp. He looked at the reproductive cycle of shrimp and hopes to increase the reproductive cycle from once a year to twice a year by stimulating the gonads to develop. His experiments with his Israeli counterparts have led to pond-water experiments in India. The collaborative work led to a number of publications. "I enjoyed working with Israelis and can't wait to get back to Israel," said Fingerman. This research is not only applicable to shrimp growers worldwide, but also to the crayfish industry, which is one of Louisiana's bigger industries.
BARD research done outside the state also benefits Louisiana. Studies on economizing cotton plantation by computerization will be useful for Louisiana cotton growers. New methods for optimizing wheat storage developed by BARD researches will aid rice-producing states such as Louisiana.
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UJA Partnership 2000 Communities:
LOUISIANA . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ISRAEL |
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Hillel Campus Profiles
Jewish Federation of Central Louisiana
4307 Whitefield Blvd.
Alexandria, LA 71303
Tel. 318-487-9810
Jewish Federation Greater Baton Rouge
3354 Kleinert Ave
Baton Rouge, LA 70806-6836
Tel. 504-387-9744
Jewish Federation Greater New Orleans
3747 West Esplanade Avenue
Metairie, LA 70002
Tel. 504-780-5600
Fax. 504-780-5601
Email. c/o eric stillman, eric@jewishnola.com
Jewish Federation Shreveport
2032 Line Ave
Shreveport, LA 71104-2125
Tel. 318-221-4129
Jewish Federation of Shreveport
4700 Line Ave., #117
Shreveport, LA 71106
Tel. 318-868-1200
Email. SJFED@juno.com
