New Jersey-Israel Commission celebrates sister-city agreement with Yavne, Israel
During a December visit to Israel, East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen signed a sister-city agreement with Mayor Roei Gabay of Yavne that centers around economic development, education, and cultural partnerships.
The agreement was initiated by the East Brunswick Office of Economic Development and the New Jersey-Israel Commission of the New Jersey Department of State. The Federation of Local Authorities in Israel and the Consulate General of Israel in New York helped to bring the cities together, furthering the close relationship between New Jersey and Israel as well as the spirit of friendship between the communities.
“The agreement aims to develop a mutually beneficial relationship to promote and broaden economic development, art and cultural exchanges, and youth programs between East Brunswick and Yavne,” Dr. Cohen said. “We discovered a place with shared values that is a fertile ground for inter-community cooperation. We look forward to exploring an exchange of ideas and resources in fields such as science, technology, sports, health, education, arts, and music.”
“We are pleased to create partnerships with our new friends from East Brunswick. We agreed to open a joint channel for connections and information-sharing when the emphasis will be on sharing communities, environment and innovation in education,” Mr. Gabay said. “The relationship we embroidered today will create value for the residents of the two cities, and we are certain that we will establish a unique cooperation between the cities, which will also strengthen the relationship between the countries even further. I would like to express my appreciation to Mayor Cohen and his team and hope that we will find many ways for cooperation between our communities.”
East Brunswick and Yavne share a strong commitment to education and the arts. The agreement encourages cooperation between their schools. East Brunswick is home to a community arts center that hosts festivals, public events, and theatrical programs.
Yavne is more than 3,000 years old and New Brunswick is just 160, but today the cities have much in common. Both are home to diverse communities of approximately 50,000 residents and will continue to develop their relationship through engagement, programming, and cooperation.
“Thanks to the vision of Mayor Cohen and partnership from the Israeli Consulate and the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel, we finally have another exciting milestone in New Jersey-Israel relations,” Karin Elkis, co-chair of the New Jersey-Israel Commission, said. “We look forward to assisting both Yavne and East Brunswick to fulfill the mission of this agreement.”
“As we head into Israel’s 75th anniversary next year, now is a time to reflect and build on the great achievements that bind Israelis and New Jerseyans alike,” Mark S. Levenson, co-chair of the New Jersey-Israel Commission, said. “This agreement reaffirms our state’s special connection with Israel as we share best practices, ideas and innovations that binds our unequivocal friendship.”
“Our Commission congratulates East Brunswick and Yavne for signing this special partnership that is another step in bringing our communities closer between New Jersey and Israel,” Andrew H. Gross, executive director of the New Jersey-Israel Commission, added. “Sister-city agreements like these can bring tangible benefits and will strengthen the already flourishing New Jersey-Israel relationship.”
“This is an opportunity to develop ties between residents and businesses in both communities,” Robert Zuckerman, East Brunswick’s economic development officer, concluded. “While we share a similar vision and dedication for fostering economic development and education around life sciences, food innovation, technological discovery, and the arts, the beauty of this relationship is that the possibilities are limitless. There is no doubt we will learn much from one another.”
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