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October 15, 2004/Tishri 30 5765, Vol. 57, No. 7
High tech, high hopesBusiness, youth exchange would link cities
DEBORAH SUSSMAN SUSSER
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 From atop Phoenix City Hall, Rabbi Robert Kravitz, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, right, shows Ramat-Gan delegate Mully Dor some of the city's highlights. Photo by Deborah Sussman Susser |
The similarities were many, and striking.
"Can anybody say high-tech?" Kravitz asked rhetorically. "Bio-technology?"
The Israeli delegates - Moshe Meron, president of the Ramat-Gan Foundation and Foreign Relations; Shraga Brosh, deputy mayor of Ramat-Gan; and Eli Moseri and Mully Dor, of the Ramat-Gan city council - nodded in agreement. Three other delegates, also from Ramat-Gan, were out and about: Shaul Shani, Idan Tamir and David Benyamin met the same morning with, respectively, representatives of the Youth and Education Commission, the CEO of Ribomed, and the city manager.
Kravitz also brought up the airport and the zoo, which are points of pride in both cities.
Stanton pointed out another similarity: "We also have water issues in common." Like Phoenix, Stanton explained, Ramat-Gan must contend with a limited supply of water.
Ramat-Gan is the fourth largest city in Israel, and was identified as the best fit for Phoenix by the Phoenix/Ramat-Gan Founders Council, which has been working on a Sister Cities affiliation between the two cities since May 2002. An 11-member Phoenix delegation visited Ramat-Gan in May of this year, to assess interest there and to tour the Israeli city. Delegates included members of the Founders Council, as well as city managers and represen-tatives from the fields of law, aviation, biotechnology and education.
The Ramat-Gan delegates seemed pleased to reciprocate. In the course of their three-day visit, they maintained a fast pace. Among other things, they ate dinner at Eddie Matney's, toured both the BioDesign Institute at Arizona State University and T-Gen, met with Gail Howard, Gov. Janet Napolitano's economic policy adviser, and were feted at the zoo by Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon.
Sitting at the conference table, sipping bottled water, the delegates spoke of the benefits of their eight other Sister City relationships, which include cities in China, Peru and France, and have involved exchanging dele-gations from art schools and youth orchestras. They said they hope an affiliation with Phoenix will produce similar mutual benefits.
Meron explained his idea for an international essay program to include high school students in Arizona. "The two best essays will be sent to Ramat-Gan and evaluated with all the other Sister City essays." Then, Meron explained, "the two best essayists overall will win tickets to Ramat-Gan, where they will be guests for a week."
Stanton said, "Most of the successful programs of this kind are youth exchanges." They provide a sense of international affairs. We expect that a Sister City relationship with Israel will continue that tradition."
Brosh agreed; furthermore, he said, "with Phoenix we have an interesting draw that we don't have with the others. We're trying with the Phoenix initiative to develop business relationships between both cities, to support the growth of both cities. We're proud of Ramat-Gan, and of our standard of living."
A sheet titled "From the Media" contained quotes such as "Ramat-Gan is the best quality city in Israel" (from a survey published by the Israeli Department of Statistics), and "Ramat-Gan is the most beautiful city in Israel" (from the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot).
"The municipalities (pay) our salaries," Brosh said. "We have to get results. One of our goals is creating jobs."
"This relationship is uniquely positioned to benefit both cities economically," Stanton said. "In Phoenix, we're creating a critical mass. We need to think and act like an international city." He cited the exchange of ideas and scientists as one of the key benefits of a relationship with Ramat-Gan. "Ramat-Gan is a leader in biotech. We want to be. So we can learn a lot from them."
Councilman Dor chimed in: "I'd like to add a human touch. In the exchanges we've had, one couple got married."
A conversation regarding Ramat-Gan's population of unmarried women - the highest in Israel, according to the delegates - ensued, which led to a discussion of other relevant statistics. For instance, the delegates said, Ramat-Gan boasts the lowest unemployment rate in Israel: just 3.6 percent, compared to a national average of 10.7 percent. And Russians, who number 10,000, make up 8 percent of the population.
"Both of our communities are melting pots," Stanton said. "We view that as a huge benefit. It's also a challenge. We can learn from each other."
The next step in the Sister City process is a trip to Ramat-Gan by Gordon, which is scheduled for March. The Israeli delegates said they are looking forward to it.
"We hope that a business delegation will come over with the mayor," Brosh said. "We'll arrange meetings for them."
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