The aims of twinning cities, a worldwide phenomenon, are manifold: to learn about other nations, to broaden social, economic and cultural links, and to gain greater international understanding and friendship. These are achieved by official municipal visits, commercial contacts, and exchanges of youth, sports, music and other special interest groups. The intensity of the contacts varies from case to case, but due to the varied mutual activities, many close personal bonds are formed.
Twinning cities has found an enthusiastic response in Israel: more than 100 cities and districts have "twins" worldwide. Two outstanding examples of vigorous "twin" activity merit special mention: Rishon Lezion, a seaside town of 175,000 inhabitants founded in 1882, and Emek Hefer, an area in the center of the country comprising some 50 villages and kibbutzim.
Rishon Lezion has nine partners - Tianjin (China), Lublin (Poland), Brasov (Romania), Prince George's County (US), Debrecen (Hungary), Muenster (Germany), Teramo (Italy), Nimes (France) and Heerenveen (Holland) - while Emek Hefer has just two: the county of Siegen-Wittgenstein in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany, and the city of Farum in Denmark. Although these cities are very different from each other, all have become familiar with Rishon's challenges and achievements by virtue of the personal contacts they have formed. In addition, relations in the fields of industry, commerce, high tech, education, the arts, entertainment and sports have been formed and strengthened.
The importance of these contacts is evident especially in difficult times. During the Gulf War (1991), a delegation from Muenster led by the mayor brought financial aid which was used to protect the schools in Rishon from Iraqi air attacks. Muenster, with its 280,000 inhabitants, is the oldest of Rishon's twins: the agreement between the two cities was signed 25 years ago. The residents of the German city have also donated a grove of trees in Rishon, as well as an extension to a memorial for the town's fallen soldiers. School delegations, visits by members of clubs for the blind and chess players take place on a regular basis.
When the mayor of Brasov, a mountain city in Romania, began his search for a twin city in Israel, he discovered that the mayor of Rishon is of Romanian descent - and the choice was made. Since then, cooperation has flourished between contractors' associations of the two cities, and Rishon's travel agents have been offering attractive tour packages to the Romanian resort town. On the other hand, the common factor between the southern French city of Nimes and Rishon Lezion is their very established wine-making industries. When the mayor of Rishon recently visited Nimes, he was honored by being made a member of the city's Order of the Knights of Wine. In contrast, the ties with Tianjin are strongest in the commerce and tourism sectors.
Rishon Lezion's twinship with Lublin, a city in Poland of some 350,000 residents, is especially significant. An important center of European Jewry before the Second World War, a majority of its Jewish residents were murdered by the Nazis. Today the city is home to a Lublin-Rishon friendship center, and folklore groups perform in each other's cities.
In 1966, the first delegation from Germany arrived in Emek Hefer. Since then, there have been regular academic and youth exchanges, with visitors spending a few weeks in each other's homes and forming firm friendships. Delegations of dance groups, artists, and art exhibitions occur frequently in the two cities, and were a factor in bringing about economic contacts between them.
The mayor of Farum, Denmark, the second of Emek Hefer's twins, intends to have every schoolchild of his city visit Israel. Last year a class from Farum spent a week in the homes of Emek Hefer citizens. And beginning in September 2001, some 600 pensioners will receive a 10-day vacation in Israel, two of which will be spent with their "siblings" in Emek Hefer.