An official delegation from San Francisco visited its sister city in Israel in late May, marking the 40th anniversary of the formation of the San Francisco–Haifa Sister City Committee.
The purpose of the visit to Haifa was to share knowledge and information about emergency preparedness, according to a press release.
The local delegation was led by Arthur Wachtel, who chairs the S.F.-Haifa sister city committee, and included engineer Fuad Sweiss, San Francisco’s deputy director for infrastructure design and construction, and Anita Lee, wife of Mayor Ed Lee. Other travelers to the port city included emergency management personnel, health officials and retired military.
The visit grew out of discussions a few years ago between Haifa Mayor Yona Zahav and then–San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, now California’s lieutenant governor, the Israeli Consulate noted in its press release. Zahav visited San Francisco in 2010.
The delegation witnessed Israel’s national emergency response drill on May 27 and participated in an emergency management symposium on May 28. The trip also included visits to the Golan Heights and Jerusalem, where the delegation met Yuli Edelstein, the speaker of the Knesset.