NORTHThree students from the Rodman School in Kiryat Yam won first place in a national competition for creating technological products for the special-needs population, World ORT Kadima Mada – which is affiliated with the school – announced Sunday.In the framework of the contest, named “I can do it too,” the students developed a unique device for cutting and folding paper using just one hand.The competition is held every year in cooperation with Eshkol Payis, and is managed by its director of science and technology with support from Word ORT Kadima Mada.The winning students, Or Rahamimov, Yuval Wolf and Zohar Fizitzki, are in the seventh grade. They developed their device for Baruch Troup, a former employee of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., whose left hand was paralyzed after he suffered a stroke. Troup, a 59-year-old Kiryat Bialik resident, formed a relationship with the students at the beginning of the school year, when they were struck by his persistence in keeping up his hobby of making shapes out of origami paper. His main difficulty was folding the paper with one hand, and the students, guided by their teacher Yifat Schecher, subsequently decided to build a device to aid him in the endeavor.Before developing the model the students conducted market research, through which they discovered that there was no existing product that met Troup’s demand. “When we saw and heard how much Baruch likes what he does and how much he wanted to continue doing it conveniently and comfortably, we decided to make this special device for him,” Rahamimov said.“When Baruch tried out the product that we made for him for the first time, and we saw the excitement on his face and the sparkle and gleam in his eyes, we were thrilled,” Rahamimov added, saying that the trio feels proud of its contribution to the special-needs community.Police nab Na’ura resident who allegedly harassed women by phone Police on Sunday arrested a 43-year-old resident of the Arab village of Na’ura who allegedly threatened and harassed women over the phone for over a year, the Local website reported. The woman allegedly made these phone calls at all hours of the day and night; police said her calls were of a sexual nature, and at times also included threats. Police were due to bring in the suspect for a remand extension.Driver hurt after car burned near Afula A vehicle was burned in Moshav Gadish near Afula under unknown circumstances, the Local website reported. The 40-year-old driver suffered light to moderate injuries. Afula police said they had opened an investigation into the incident.CENTER Garage by day , drug dealing by night Taiba police last week arrested two suspects for allegedly selling drugs from their garage in the area.The police noticed unusual activity in the garage; it was operating during irregular hours and car owners were going there for just a few minutes and then leaving without having their cars tested or fixed.Taiba police subsequently opened a joint probe with a special investigation team in the Sharon, leading to the arrest of a 42-year-old father and his 23-year-old son. The duo, residents of the area, were allegedly involved in drug trafficking. Police searched the garage and found a total of NIS 350,000. The investigation continues.Tel Aviv hosts annual book fair Israel’s annual 10-day Hebrew Book Week kicked off in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square last week, marking the 52nd year of the event. Fairgoers may peruse a wide variety of both old and new books for sale, and mainly youthoriented attractions include entertainment by poets and actors, as well as shows and musical performances.The fair was open Sunday through Thursday between 6 and11 p.m., and will be open after Shabbat between the hours of 8 and midnight. Other events were also being held throughout the city. The Beit Ariela Public Library hosted children’s storytime and literary meetings to discuss issues such as the social protests, the struggle of poets and animal rights. Additional events were also being held at Beit Bialik, the Einav Cultural Center and the Simta Theater in Jaffa.The event is sponsored by the Book Publishers Association of Israel and is held throughout the country.
