Two famous “Cities by the Bay”, Haifa in Israel and San Francisco in California, just celebrated their 50th anniversary as sister cities. Appropriately, both are currently led by female mayors.
And when San Francisco Mayor London Breed was in Haifa recently to sign a memorandum of understanding with Haifa Mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem on the evolution of the sister relationship into the next half century, they discovered something else in common : resilience.
“We were touched by how our entire delegation dealt with the issue of rocket attacks during our visit,” Breed told ISRAEL21c, referring to more than 1,000 rockets fired from Gaza May 9-13, so on the same five days that she and a person of 30 worked The delegation visited Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Bethlehem as part of a trip organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area.
“Although it was disheartening and a previously unknown risk factor for many members of the delegation, security issues were approached with courage and a new understanding of everyday Israeli life,” Breed said.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and part of her delegation visit Jerusalem’s Western Wall Square in May 2023. Photo courtesy of the JCRC Bay Area
After touring the missile-proof, 2,000-bed underground hospital at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus, a medical center that shares best practices in emergency medicine and trauma with Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Breed remarked that San Francisco might be “the demolish the old general”. Hospital, build it as big as possible [and] go underground – just what they did in Rambam.”
Breed said she saw her own city reflected in images of early Haifa shown to her during a visit to Haifa University.
“We were all amazed that we couldn’t tell the difference between decades-old photos of the San Francisco and Haifa waterfronts – which shows how similar our cities really are,” she said.
A tale of two inner cities
Post-pandemic, both municipalities are struggling to revitalize their inner cities. This was a top item on the agenda during Breed’s visit to Israel’s third largest city.
“We thought that the ‘Haifa 2030’ initiative that we learned about was relevant to San Francisco’s urban renewal plan, especially as we face the challenge of bringing people into downtown San Francisco,” Breed told ISRAEL21c.
“Haifa 2030 is a planning, strategy, research and development organization focused on urban renewal, including the revitalization of its inner city. “It was impressive how they assembled a team of experts from different fields into a multi-faceted approach to urban regeneration,” she said.
“They touched on everything from bike paths and sports to trade and tourism to the preservation of antiques. Likewise, my future plan, Roadmap to Downtown San Francisco, is a very comprehensive blueprint for the revitalization of our downtown area, and I look forward to seeing these strategies materialize.”
The President of the University of Haifa, Prof. Ron Robin, with the Mayor of San Francisco, London Breed. Photo by Yaniv Kopel
Among other aspects of the Haifa 2030 plan, Breed toured the University of Haifa’s new Lorry I. Lokey City campus, which is intended to be a central engine for academic and high-tech activities.
lack of water
The impacts of climate change, including droughts, were another pressing topic of discussion between Breed and the scientists she met at institutes like the University of Haifa and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
Are there potential areas of collaboration to address these challenges?
“Absolutely,” said Breed.
“For one thing, San Francisco can learn a lot from how Israel has overcome droughts, including desalination efforts. JCRC Bay Area and other local stakeholders previously hosted Israel’s former desalination director in the Bay Area, where he met with SFPUC [San Francisco Public Utilities Commission] Officials and experts in this field.”
Additionally, Breed told ISRAEL21c, “Israel is a leader in water recycling and water-efficient toilets, while San Francisco has made great strides in water-efficient faucets and other municipal environmental protections.”
“Sharing best practices and continuing to work together is a wonderful way to overcome climate change-related water challenges.”
ethnic diversity
As the leader of a city with a mostly Asian and Hispanic minority population, Breed was particularly interested in the ethnic diversity of Haifa, where about 10 percent of residents are Arab Christians and 25 percent Jews from the former Soviet Union. and in Tel Aviv, home to about 40,000 African migrants.
“Our entire delegation was deeply moved and impressed by our visit to the Ethiopian Israeli Heritage Center Battae [in Tel Aviv]and the personal story and mission of the center’s founder, Ashager Araro,” said Breed.
“Ashager recounted her family’s near-death encounter while crossing the desert while making aliyah to Israel, and how this led to her current mission to empower and empower Ethiopian-Israeli youth and community,” Breed continued.
“Additionally, our African-American delegation members found many similarities between their local, ongoing work and Ashager’s work, which focuses on cultural representation and equity in education.”
Breed and her delegation also worked with Arab citizens of Israel, Palestinians and LGBTQ activists. She visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust memorial, and the Western Wall and met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Meeting of San Francisco Mayor London Breed with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in May 2023. Photo courtesy of JCRC Bay Area
“We are proud to take Mayor Breed with us on her second trip to Israel,” and first time as mayor, said Tye Gregory, CEO of the JCRC Bay Area.
“Our Sister City Mission itinerary reflects the shared values of San Francisco and Haifa, such as our commitment to democracy and civic engagement, empowering diverse communities, celebrating arts and culture, and fostering innovation in health and science.”
