Tiberias up-to-date

Electrinic Newsletter no' 9 NEW JUNE

2007-08-31T11:30:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends of Tiberias,

I invite you to read our new Tiberias-up-to-date newsletter with this special edition covering the activities and celebrations of Israel’s 60th Independence Day. The special events span through the whole year and your will be hearing more in the following editions to come. However, it is important to emphasize that in Tiberias we celebrate 60 years of return to Jewish rule of the city from the British Mandate ending in 1948 and Tiberias was the first city in Israel that was officially claimed in Jewish hands during the fighting of the Independence War.

Although we rejoice and celebrate on this special occasion we continue to work hard regardless, with the purpose of moving forward and becoming better at what we do and what we offer. I hope you continue to share your interest with us and I thank you for it.

Sincerely,

Zohar Oved,
Mayor

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to bring this new edition of our newsletter spanning the events of April and May 2008. It is the month and the year of our Israel’s 60th anniversary and independence – the only democratic and free state in the Middle East, the first homeland for the Jewish people.

Tiberias carries much honor as one of the holy cities to the Jewish people as well as the first town to be released from British rule in to Jewish rule as the brave Jewish warriors overcame the Arab armies in 1948. Tiberias release from the British Mandate paved the way for other towns across the country. Bravery and determination not void of blood shed and lives lost brought about Israel’s independence. As we celebrate we experience the mix between the joy and the sorrow. This mixture has become present throughout our history and part of our everyday life in the Middle East.

The story of the State of Israel is the continuation of the Jewish history expelled from its homeland 2000 years ago. It is strong faith and longing to return that kept the dream alive as promised to our forefathers by God.

We are proud to witness and be part of a thriving state, 60 years after its establishment. I believe this is a real miracle. Yet we still struggle for our survival confronting terror, religious fundamentalism. So as we celebrate our 60th Independence Day I would like to wish all of our friends a continued connection and friendship uniting all of us in love, peace and development.

Sincerely,

Eitan Oved, Councilman
In charge of Security and Foreign Affairs

Events:

The Annual Celebration in honor of Rabbi Meir the Miracle Worker

May 18. This was the 141st year that the celebrations are held. It began with a mass prayer session at the “Ez Hahayim” (Tree of Life) Synagogue and continued with a lively procession towards the Tomb of Rabbi Meir including a Hasidic band, drums and a flags display. A record of over 20,000 visitors from across the country participated in the event.

Passover celebrations and events

April 21-24. This year continued the tradition of hosting thousands of visitors from across the country and tourists from all over the world. Visitors could enjoy various Arts and Crafts fairs, open air shows, street parades, guided tours music shows and free activities for children. All these were part of the annual Passover festival of “Tiberias on the Water”. The end of the holiday was concluded with the Mimuna celebration (the traditional Jewish Moroccan festivities marking the return of bread instead of Mazza) held at the municipal beach and open to the public.

Tiberias children salute their homeland

May 5. Over 2300 children participated in this unique event gathering the various youth movements active in the city, educational staff, IDF soldiers and community leaders. This Independence march marked a special salute to 60 years of existence. The event included dances, popular sing-a-long, white and blue balloon flying display and a special performance by the Wizo municipal band.

60th Anniversary Independence Celebrations – Lighting Up the Sky

May 8. As part of the 60th Anniversary Independence Day events, the Events department produced a spectacular musical performance with several attractions lighting up the sky. 20,000 residents and gusts flocked down town and enjoyed various shows by leading Israeli artists and performers. The night was concluded with a breathtaking laser and fire works display.

Tiberias honors its veteran warriors of World War II

May 11. This unique annual event marking the victory over Nazi Germany was produced by the department of absorption at the memorial park across from the Astoria hotel. Russian Consule, Vasili Kobbel was the honorary guest along side other prominent guests. The ceremony included performances by the singer Lev Friedlander who performed songs from the WWII era and dancing.

A Multicultural Celebration for the Newly Arrived Immigrants

May 19. Tiberias has become a home for many Olim (immigrants) in recent years arriving from Ethiopia, Spain, Argentina, Latin America and the various Republics of the Former Soviet Union. The department of Absorption in conjunction with the Events department produced a special event with performances by artists from various backgrounds. The event turned out to be a wonderful display of multiculturalism and an expression of the various cultures from the countries of origin.

Lag Ba’omer Celebrations (The annual Jewish Bonfire Holiday)

May 22. Lag Ba'Omer, the thirty-third day of the Omer period between Passover and Shavuot, celebrated with the lighting of bonfires took place across town. The municipality arranged for major areas where bonfires could be jointly lighted and provided all the safety measures necessary.

Memorial Day Events:

Holocaust Memorial Day Events – Voice of the Children

April 30. The event that took place at the Yad Shitrit Cultural center focused this year on the voice of the children victims and survivors of the Holocaust. The Yad Shitrit school of Theatre actors performed moving monologs written by children who survived or recorded evidence. In addition, performances by the Wizo music school and other local artists. The second part of the ceremony revealed the testimony of three Holocaust survivors who went through the war as children: Tischler Koka with her grandson Asaf Kadra, Efrayim Shmilovich with his grandson Yagel David and Shifra Sternberg with her grandson Yossi Trachman. The audience heard their horrifying testimony.

Memorial Day Events – The Fallen Soldiers

May 4. As Israel marked its 60th Anniversary, Tiberias marked its 60th year for the return of the city to Jewish rule. Several memorial events were held across town. A memorial service at the Yad Labanim Memorial Hall was held with the representatives from the various youth organizations active in Tiberias. On May 6th, the central ceremony took place at the memorial for the Fallen in the Old City. On May 7th a memorial procession took place from Shimon garden to the military cemetery lead by Mayor Oved, town council members and school students.

Culture:

Tiberias Child Violinist invited to participate in International Concert in Moscow

May 13. Viki Gelman, Tiberias 5th grade student has been invited to participate in the International Childrens Festival to be held in the Kremlin, Moscow. This prestigious event is the initiative of the Spibakov Foundation. It is the 5th year in a row that it is being held offering talented children artists in areas of music, dancing and painting from across the globe to perform and create.

The Annual OKIE Young Pianist Competition Winner performs in Tiberias

May 14. Anna Starzec, a graduate student at Oklahoma City University majoring in piano performance who won the OKIE Young Artist competition and arrived in Israel for a piano performance tour. As part of the tour, Ms. Starzec performed at the Tiberias Wizo school of music to a fascinated crowd. This great opportunity for experiencing culture at its best is a unique experience made possible by the Oklahoma Israel Exchange (OKIE).

Scotland Festival at the Scots Hotel

May 25. This annual event spanning a week of celebrations opened with a grand concert by the Raanana Symphonette and other leading performers. The week provided participants with various Scotch and beer tastings and workshops, gourmet food classes and meals, Scottish and Celtic musical performances and more.

Community:

Round Table Volunteering forum expanding collaboration

April 9. The forum, giving roof to all 47 volunteering organizations operating in Tiberias and coordinating the activities, held a ceremonial Passover toast to celebrate a year of activity. Mayor Oved who participated expressed satisfaction from the expansion of collaborative efforts and spoke of future plans to build the municipal volunteering center.

Volunteer high school students painting the town

April 8. The Tiberias Ort students initiated this unique project for enhancing and improving public buildings. Lead by the Ort art teacher Ludmila Senina and the volunteer coordinator Eti Zadok-Haker, the students painted various public buildings with innovative paintings including the municipal Youth center. This is part of an overall volunteering project where bye high school students join a volunteering initiative. Currently over 150 students (ages 14-18) participate in volunteering activities such as assistants to Paramedics at the Red Magen David station, assisting the social workers at the social services department, after school activities for disadvantaged children and home help.

Living with Dignity

May 14. In a open ceremony held at the Ceasar’s Hotel in Tiberias, the municipal social services department launched the new project “Community supporting independent life in Tiberias”. This project made possible by several organizations including the UJC and the Jewish Federation of Minneapolis offers a set of valuable services to the physically challenged population enabling to lead independent lives. The services offered include: a 24 hour emergency alert button, emergency medical services on call, leisure activities, home maintenance assistance, personal and professional guidance etc.

Development and Public Construction:

Northern promenade construction and paving begins

April 29. Another major step in creating a continuum for the Sea of Galilee Surounding trail with the beginning of paving and construction of the northern promenade. This will improve public accessibility to the beaches with walking and bike routes, lighting and seating corners. The construction and paving of the Yigal Alon promenade continues near the Tiberias marina and will be completed shortly.

Khan Court Development works in progress

May 20. As part of the overall program for rejuvenating Tiberias town center, the Khan Court (El Omar Mosque) has been under construction and will be concluded shortly. This projects joins other recently concluded projects such as the wall painting on Lev Hagalil building, Ceasar’s garden, the northern promende, Yigal Alon promenade and more.

Tourism:

Opening the bathing season

April 15. The eve of the Passover holiday marked the opening of the bathing season at the local beaches. One million NIS where spent on major upgrading improvements in the 8 public beaches including: a children’s playing zone at the municipal beach, a family camping site at the separate beach, sun sheds and pavilion, green areas expanded. During the summer, various cultural and artistic performances will take place along the beaches.

Tiberias blossoming tourists in Spring

April 29. The Passover holiday witnessed a surge of tourists visiting the city including guests of the hotels and visitors to the public beaches. This adds up to the general statistics of the 1st quarter in 2008 showing a 76% increase in tourists staying at the hotels.

Security:

Being prepared - another comprehensive emergency drill

April 8. Tiberias municipal emergency services participated in another comprehensive national war drill. All emergency services participated according to conclusion from the 2nd Lebanese war results. Sirens were sounded across town and students from all schools practiced entering the shelters. Yaacov Zigdon, Tiberias municipality general manager who commanded the drill marked that the purpose was to see how all systems work together under pressure.

Foreign Affairs:

Historical visit by Worms delegation in Tiberias

April 28. An official delegation from Worms, Tiberias twin-city since 1986 from Germany, visited and met with Mayor Oved. The delegation with over 50 participants was lead by Dr. Joseph Mattes and his wife Traudel who were recently appointed to be the new contact persons for this twin city relationship by Mayor Kissel of Worms. However, they are by no means new to this connection and have been active especially in regards to exchanges of school and cultural delegations. The visit was in conjunction with the 60th anniversary celebrations and offered support and sharing of the celebration as expressed in a heartwarming letter from Mayor Kissel to Mayor Oved that the delegation delivered. Along with Dr. and Ms. Mattes, was Director of the municipal Archive in Worms Dr. Gerard Bonnen. Nehama Fischbein, Neomi Truman and Ilanit Malma, Foreign Affairs committee member assisted in the project. A visit of Mayor Kissel is planned in 2009.

Independence Day visit from Montpellier

May 8. A mixed delegation of Christians and Jews from our twin city of Montpellier in France arrived to celebrate the Israeli Independence Day in Tiberias. Councilman Eitan Oved escorted them on a tour of the town and they participated in the spectacular festivities of the day, including the laser and fireworks display.

Officials from Feodosia in the Ukraine visiting

May 13. A high ranking official (Son of the late former Mayor of Feodosia and representative of the current Mayor) accompanied by Ukranian Embassy representative visited Tiberias. He met with Mayor Oved to discuss shared interest. Feodosia is located on the Cremerian Peninsula with 100,000 citizens on the shores of the Black Sea with over 2500 years of history. Its economy is largely based on tourism and the similarities to Tiberias are clear. After meeting with Mayor Oved, the visitors accompanied Councilman Eitan Oved on a tour of the town. Mayor Oved was officially invited to visit Feodosia and advanced actions are being made for preparation for future collaboration.

From the French Riviera to the Sea of Galilee

May 10-14. Mayor George Ginesta of Saint Raphael accompanied by his wife Madeleine, Mr. Gabriel Aymard Head of the Jewish Community of Saint Raphael and other leading officials have arrived for a return visit for the purpose of signing the final accord of the twin city agreement. Initiated by Madeleine Ginesta who is a staunch supporter of Israel, this civil diplomacy act was developed over the course of the past 2 years to its current fruition. The delegation had a chance to visit 2 local kindergartens where the children performed Israeli song and dance, participate in a concert at the local music school, toured the historical and archeological sites of the town. They also visited the important Christian religious sites of Tabgha, Mt. Beatitudes, Capernaum, and Domus Galilee. In addition, they visited the Jordan River baptism site (The Yardenit). This 4 day official visit, carefully planned and executed by Councilman Eitan Oved with the assistance of many of the Foreign Affairs committee members: Ilanit Malma, Hana Persi, Guy Shabi, was very fruitful and marked the launch of several cultural, tourism and community initiatives.

Sports:

Tiberias Marine center hosted the Olympic Kayak competition for ages 10-16

April 11. Over 100 competitors participated in this national event. Tiberias Kayak rowers won 4 gold medals with impressive achievements.

The Golden team – more achievements for Tiberias Skiff rowers

April 24-26. The Tiberias team shined again in the spring national competition held in the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv. The Tiberias team won 32 gold medals, 10 silver and 3 bronze. Worth mentioning is the gold medal won by our very own Councilman Eitan Oved. Following this continued success, the Tiberias team will participate in several upcoming international events: The World Championship in Munich Germany; The youth competition in Lynch Austria and the World Cup in Poznan Poland. This will help determine the criteria for the Olympic team to Beijing.

The 1st annual Extreme water sports happening and open competition

May 30-31. For the 1st year and with hope of establishing a new annual tradition, the extreme water sports happening was launched with thousands of surfers, skiers, barefoot skiers, water skateboard and more, from Israel and abroad flocked the Sironit beach. The organizers produced a colorful event including musical performances, children’s activities, fine food and more. The first Israeli extreme water sports championship 2008 was concluded successfully.

Electronic Newsletterl no' 8

2007-08-31T11:25:00.007+03:00

Dear Friends,

As we celebrate the Holiday of Passover which signifies for us a celebration of freedom and how God protects us against enemies and tremendous odds, we do not forget that we have to actively work and make an effort to advance ourselves in times of Peace and tranquility as well as always be prepared for the emergency, especially this year when we celebrate our 60th Independence day.

I wish all our Jewish friends a Happy Passover and Season's and Holiday greetings to everyone.

Sincerely,

Zohar Oved,
Mayor

Dear Friends and Supporters of Tiberias,

This new issue of our newsletter will once again reflect the efforts we are making to realize the tremendous potential of our beloved town. History, present and future are reflected here, just as the blossoming of spring (the season of the New Year in biblical times) mingles with the historical and religious events of the Exodus from Egypt.

For us at the Foreign Affairs office it is especially a busy period as we prepare to host many delegations arriving as of the end of April from Worms in Germany, Montpellier France, Mayor Ginesta from St. Raphael France, Passau Germany, Feodosia Ukraine, Naples Florida USA, a business delegation from Russia and more.

Beside the delegations that are arriving at an especially significant time when we celebrate 60 years of independence for Israel and 60 years of renewing the Jewish rule in Tiberias, we continue to work on advancing our town forward with development, projects, construction and planning. Tiberias, during the battles in 1948, was the first city to fall back in the hands of the Jewish warriors. On the anniversary marking this day victorious day, families of those who lost their lives in this battle will be honored in a special ceremony in Tiberias.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue. We are always pleased to receive comments and suggestions.

Passover & Season's greetings to everyone.

Respectfully,

Eitan Oved, Councilman
In charge of Foreign Affairs and Security

Events:

The 2nd Annual Senior Citizens Festival
January 27-31. For the 2nd year in a row, the National Senior Citizens Festival took place in Tiberias with hundreds of seniors flocking the town and enjoying the fabulous winter weather. The participants had a full week of activities, tours and hikes, enjoying the region's hot springs, archeology and history. The week was concluded with the central event and performance of Israel's latest idols winning the "A Star is Born" contest (the equivalent of "American Idol").

Purim Holiday events shared with Sderot evaquated children
March 23. As part of the Purim holiday events, the children and families of Tiberias enjoyed a festive event with various fun performances throughout the day, music, theater, dancing and comedy. 200 children from the southern border town of Sderot, which has recently been under constant bombing from Hamas in Gaza, were invited to join the celebrations and relax.

Culture:

The Annual National Wind Instruments Festival in Tiberias – for the 3rd year in a row
March 5. Over 400 gifted musicians participated in this unique event hosted in Tiberias by the Wizo municipal music school for the 3rd year in arrow. Various orchestras from across the country, including: Jerusalem, Holon, Acre, Carmiel, Kfar Saba and more participated and performed in the various events and the special wind instruments Marathon.

Tiberias Prodigy Violinist to light the ceremonial Independence torch in Jerusalem
March 25. The national 60th Independence day celebration administration announced the list of chosen children and adults who will light the ceremonial Independence day torch. Amongst the 12 children and youth chosen is 8 year old Genia Grishkov, Prodigy violinist and Tiberias resident. Genia was invited by Mayor Oved along with Dr. Anna Rosnovski, Director of the Violinist School of Music to receive the honorable City Shield and congratulated her on her achievements.

Photography Exhibition of Ethiopian immigrants depicting their everyday life and experiences
March 27. This unique photography exhibition initiated by the Restal Absorption center in Tiberias (Jewish Agency) and presented there is the result of the photography workshop offered to the absorption center residents, newly arrived immigrants from Ethiopia, as part of their enrichment and empowerment. The exhibit shows various aspects of the immigrants’ life and experience of absorption in and into the Israeli society.

Education:

The Annual Partnership 2000 Scholarship award at the Kinneret Regional College
February 6. As part of the annual tradition of the region's partnership communities (Milwaukee, Tulsa & St. Paul), a ceremony was held at the Kinneret regional college granting 35 generous scholarships to students of the college as well as student at the Holliday Inn Culinary College. All of the students are residents of the Tiberias surrounding region. 15 of the grants were awarded to students who participate in the "Youth Futures" project mentoring kids from disadvantaged backgrounds in return for their grant. A thank you letter written by one of the children mentored in the project was read drawing applause.

A new computer science laboratory in memory of Israeli Astronaut Ilan Ramon
February 7. Five years after the tragic Columbia shuttle disaster and in memory of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon who perished in this disaster, a new computer-science laboratory was opened at the Galil-Nofarim AMAL High school. Amal Nofarim high school has been running a Space-Studies department for 6 years and with the new laboratory the program will expand. This project was donated by YTEK Technologies Company and in conjunction with the Jewish Agencie's "Space Club" enrichment project. The opening ceremony was honored by the presence of Israeli Education minister Prof. Yuli Tamir and Mayor Zohar Oved.

Tiberias Youth volunteering in the Community
February 12. As part of the department of Youth and the Joint organization, the new AMAN project for volunteering youth began in Tiberias. Over 150 youth from 9th-12th grade joint the project and were assigned various projects after a comprehensive training course. Some of the projects involving the youth are: Therapeutic Clowning, Youth in Motion (working on increasing transportation safety issues), Fire department volunteers, social councilors in Kindergartens and more.

More Tiberias Students in the Academy
March 31. Data released by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics shows an increase of 10.2% in the number of Tiberias students studying for the undergraduate degree in academic institutions throughout Israel in the 2007 Academic year. This data is especially impressive when comparing to the national statistics showing general increase of only 3.4% in the number of students in the country.
Community:

Green Neighborhood – Drug rehabilitation project
March. The first class of this unique drug rehabilitation project has concluded their gardening training course and have received an official Gardener's certificate. The 9 participants have undergone an intensive 800-hour course including on the job training as well as community empowerment workshops. All nine participants have been hired by the Tiberias Economic Company and have been assigned to maintain various public gardens and parks across town.

A new Legal Aid service at the Social Services Department
March 26. As part of a new collaborative effort between the Social Services department in the municipality and the National Lawyer's Bureau, a new Right and Legal Aid Center was established at the social services department offering legal aid and consultation free of charge to those in need. Volunteer Attorneys at law will be providing this pro-bono service.

Development:

Corner stone ceremony for new major road at northern entrance
February 21. Israeli Minister of Transportation, Mr. Shaul Mofaz honored the ceremony marking the beginning of works for building and paving the new 348 road leading in to Tiberias from the north. This road is meant to solve the major traffic jams occurring especially during the holidays and high seasons.

The new Tiberias Rakat Water Corporation
March. This new corporation joining the water treatment and supply system for Tiberias, Migdal and Yavniel municipalities will improve service to the public and quality of water supply. The corporation being a separate unit from the municipality will also enable turning valuable resources in to upgrading the water system. In future more municipalities are planned to join the corporation.

Security:

Continuing efforts and preparations
March 16. As part of the general actions for preparing the city for possible emergency situations and promoting general awareness of the citizens and the municipal systems, Mayor Oved performed a full day of work with his senior staff at a local shelter. This was in order to send a message to all residents to keep maintaining their shelters and keeping them ready for possible emergency. The renovation and utilization of 0ver 100 public shelters was completed after many efforts lead by Councilman Eitan Oved who is in charge of Security. A current survey shows that over 90% of shelters in Tiberias are operative.

Archeology:

Memorial ceremony in honor of Professor Yizhar Hirschfeld
March 9. Prof. Hirschfeld one of Israel's leading archeologists who passed away last year. He left a tremendous body of work after many years of digging and excavating in Tiberias. Unfortunately, his untimely death left many questions unanswered. The ceremony was honored by the presence of Prof. Hirschfeld's family, Mayor Oved and many senior representatives of the Archeological community in Israel. A presentation of Prof. Hirschfeld's work and achievements was shown. This was made possible thanks to Mr. Guy Shabi of the Foreign Affairs office, Mr. Uri Mazar, Head of the Tiberias Preservation Society and lead by Councilman Eitan Oved who is constantly working against the odds to keep the excavations alive.

Excavations renewed at the Roman-Byzantine city
March 11. The final digging season took place during March 2008. Some of the new and exciting findings were: ruins of an ancient Roman Bath-house, a new mosaic floor and 8 massive granite columns. The new findings combined with the late Prof. Hirschfelds work will be published in a new book about Roman Tiberias.

Archeological Park and visitor center to be built at Roman-Byzantine site
March 31. This new initiative "Berko Park" will allow the general public to experience the glorious history of Tiberias through reconstruction of ancient Roman and Byzantine life. The archeological park will be combined with a natural park and lying on the shores of the Sea of Galilee will become one of Israel’s most attractive. The first part of the planned park is planned to be open to the public by Summer 2009.

Tourism:

Over a million and a half tourists visited Tiberias in 2007
February 5. Statistics concluding 2007 published by the Israel Hotel Association shows a massive increase in tourism in Tiberias of 25%, while other major tourism cities showed a decline. Also showing, for the first months of 2008, a continuation of this positive trend with an additional 8% increase in visits compared to the previous season.

Chinese and Russian market showing interest in Tiberias
March 4. Following the Tourism agreement signed by Israel and China as well as the twin-city agreement between Wuxi and Tiberias, the first delegation of Tour-operators and agents from China arrived for a visit in Tiberias. Dalia Sluzki, Director of the Tourism Department, prepared a comprehensive tour of the city and its highlights and spoke to the group about possible collaborative efforts. In addition, three more municipal and business delegations from Beijing following intensive talks with our General Consul in China will also be arriving soon. The Russian Ambassador will also be visiting Tiberias as part of the preparations for increase in tourism from Russia following the cancellation of visas between Israel and Russia.

Foreign Affairs:

Partnership 2000 - updates
February 25. A young leadership mission from the twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul in Minnesota visited Tiberias and the Sovev Kinneret region. The purpose of the visit was to learn of the various projects operating in the region and the group had a chance to meet with the Kinneret regional college senior staff, students. Over dinner they met with the various participants of leading P2K projects in the region such as: Taglit, Chef Exchange, Rosario project, Youth Futures and the Education Bridge.

Romanian Minister of Tourism and Commerce visits Tiberias
March 4. As a continuation of previous efforts and with the assistance of the SKAL tourism local branch, Romanian Minister of Tourism and Commerce, Ovidiu Silghi paid a visit to Tiberias. Mayor Oved met with the minister who then went on to visit the various ancient and religious sites in Tiberias and the region.

Hosting a Spanish Delegation representing 10 major municipalities
March 6. The delegation consisted of directors of tourism departments in each city: Barcelona, Toledo, Cordova, Girona, Segovia and more. The purpose of this visit was to initiate collaborative projects based on shared history between these ancient towns in Spain and historical cities in Israel. Following a meeting with the directors at the Tiberias Town-Hall, the delegation went on to visit the Maimonides (RAMBAM) burial site and other historical sites in the city.

Sports:

Tiberias rowing club - achievements at the Kishon tournament
March. The Tiberias Rowing Club participants won first places at both the Eight and the Four boat race. This achievement allowed them to keep the title of leading club in Israel. In May 2008 the club will be attending the World Championship in Munich, Germany after having achieved the minimum score required for representation of Israel in the championship.

More achievements for Tiberias youth Kayak rowers
March 15. Tiberias youth Kayak rowers continue to show their outstanding abilities. In the recent AHAVA (Love) competition for Kayak rowers from across the country held in Beit Yerach, Jordan Valley, the Tiberias rowers won 8 medals (Gold, Silver and Bronze) in the various competitions.

Electronic Newslitter no' 7

2007-08-30T02:32:00.004+03:00

Dear Readers,

We begin a new year with a great feeling of satisfaction and achievement as we look back at a very fruitful year of 2007. Once again I hope you find the information we are offering helpful and significant in maintaining our city of Tiberias close to your heart. Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns or suggestions as we work to improve services.

Respectfully,

Zohar Oved,
Mayor

Dear loyal friends of Tiberias,

It is this time of the year, when our region is blossoming and exhibiting its glorious green, we continue the task of working and promoting the city. Over a thousand runners from across the globe had the chance to enjoy this splendor during the 31st Tiberias International Marathon which took place in January. You may read more details below.

We have numerous tasks that are in the pipe work. One important project is the computerization of all control systems of water supply, electricity, tax collection and more. Once complete, this will enable us to save on the one hand and improve services on the other. Other initiatives are the beginning of construction of the Power open-air shopping mall at the western entrance to the city; renovations and paving of the lake front promenade; opening of a new service telecommunications center providing 300 new jobs to the residents.

These are but a few of the new initiatives, some of which you will be able to read of in our new issue below.

In addition, this year is the year Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary. We find ourselves leading the Western World in the combat against terror in one of the most politically complex areas in the world. We sincerely hope that our persistence will bring about the peace and prosperity we all are hoping for.

I hope you find this information useful, at least in maintaining our connection to you. We would appreciate any input that you may wish to give as we have shown before we rely on it to improve our work.

We hope you choose to come and visit us in Tiberias and be part of Israel's 60th anniversary. This will no doubt encourage and empower us as we strive to achieve our goals.

Best regards,

Eitan Oved,
Councilman
Incharge of Foreign Affairs and Security
Tiberias Municipality

Events

Hanukah Events
The Hanukah holiday celebration took place December 5th. The celebrations included a festive Torch Parade by all the Tiberias youth movements, marching through the central downtown streets, calumniating in a formal candle lighting on the lake front which included a mass prayer for blessed rains.

Celebrating Humor
December 20. As part of the cultural activities of the Yad Labanim memorial hall for the fallen soldiers of the city, a unique humor and stand-up celebration took place. The proceeds were donated by the Cornfein family who produced the evening in conjunction with Yad Labanim for children with special needs, in memory of their two sons Oded and Eran.

Lighting up Tiberias
December 26, as part of the Ministry of Tourism initiative, a special full day celebration took place with performances of Israel's leading performing artists. Thousands of viewers gathered at the Yad Shitrit cultural center to watch the shows.

Culture

Promoting art of the newly arrived immigrants
December 20. The municipal department of Absorption issued a special catalogue displaying artwork by 6 of Tiberias prominent artists who have recently emigrated from various countries such as: Argentina, the Former Soviet Union, France and more. The project's purpose is to reveal the unique work of these talented artists including: sculptures, paintings, jewelry and poetry. The catalogue was produced in Russian, French and Spanish and will be available to the wide public.

Planning for a new open-air sculpture museum
December 25, announced the establishment of this new cultural project. Sculpture by various Israeli artists including the well known, Tiberias born sculpture Ilana Gur, will be displayed at the picturesque alley near the Scotts Hotel.

Fascinating stories of Tiberias
January 6. The new book launching by Morris Zemah "Tiberias Stories" took place at the Scotts Hotel. Zemah is a well known Galilee educator and guide who gathered an impressive collection of stories and tales of Tiberias past. The stories tell of the varied and unique characters such as the fishermen, the hotel owners, the famous Rabbies and more.

Reading together - A new reading club
January 14. In conjunction with the Payis Lottery Company, the municipal culture department and the municipal library produced this new initiative with the purpose of promoting the quality cultural consumption. Ten gatherings will take place throughout the year, each meeting dedicated to a well known Hebrew or translated book.

Tuesday cultural events continue
The new tradition of cultural events on Tuesdays every week continued through December and January. Various performances for children and adults, theatre and music, were open to the public.

Community

Rape Crisis Center – to be established in Tiberias
December 4. The Tiberias Women Forum announced their intention to establish a rape crisis center for battling the issue of violence against women and assisting women in crisis. The center will operate a 24 hour hotline as well as provide consultation and guidance to victims of sexual violence. In addition, the center will operate special workshops and lectures for raising awareness and prevention.

Leading the culture of housing
January 1. The department of Housing one first prize awarded by the Ministry of Housing for its achievements in improving the housing environment and the involvement of the residents in maintaining their living standards.

Positive conclusion for the Cancer awareness drive
January 2. The event concluding the annual Cancer Awareness Drive took place at the Golden Tulip hotel. The Cancer Association volunteers together with hundreds of school students from across town worked together to produce the positive results. The event included performances by local artists and concluded with the awarding of appreciation certificates to the outstanding volunteers.

Women of Valor - Launching the new center
January 14 marked the launching of the new Woman of Valor center at the Human Resource center in Tiberias. The woman of Valor project has been operating in the past year offering various workshops and support groups for women interested in reentering the workforce.

A new service for divorcing couples
The social services department is offering a new service for couples experiencing difficulties in their marriage. This new support group and workshop will provide and teach parenting skills, effective personal management, communication skills and self awareness.

Education

Promoting safety on the road
December 31. In an effort to raise awareness for safety on the road and prevention of children’s involvement in traffic accidents, Mayor Oved and many of the municipal leaders participated in the morning drive and assisted school students street crossing. The event was initiated by the Or-Yarok (GreenLight) Association for prevention of traffic accidents through community awareness and involvement.

No to violence begins in early childhood
December. A new program for prevention of violence has begun operating in all the municipal kindergartens in the city. It is part of the national program operating in Tiberias: “City without Violence”. As part of the program, a task force of 25 social workers and counselors model proper behavior and setting boundaries for the children and the education team at each kindergarten. In addition the program staff operates lectures and workshops for the parents.

Young Leadership Initiatives
The young leadership class in Nofarim Junior High school prepared a special Hanukah event for the Ramat Kinneret home for mentally challenged adults. They also went to the Poriya hospital children’s ward and produced a festive event for the children. On January 28, they met Mayor Oved, to present their plan for contributing to the community. They spoke of the various activities that they are working on, in particular the plan for adopting 2 central municipal beaches which they will maintain on a regular basis, including: cleaning, painting, decorating etc.

Municipal Youth Council Initiative
The Youth Council produced a new youth certificate which allows holders to enjoy discounts in a variety of shops in Tiberias. The Youth Council will promote this initiative in the schools.

Tourism

Stories of Ancient Houses
January. The Tourism department has concluded the project for putting up signs across town at all the ancient sites and historical attractions. The signs are bi-lingual (Hebrew/English) and give an overview of the site as well as the historical context.

Friday morning of events open to the public
January. The Tourism department has produced a variety of events for the public including: guided tours of the historical and archeological sites, an Arts & Crafts fair, visits of the Dona Grazia and the Scots Hotel museums, water sports, Spiritual workshops, Culinary workshops and more.

Tourism on the rise
The general trend of recovery in numbers of tourists arriving in Tiberias has continued. The numbers are evident from the statistics published by the Israel Hotel Association regarding Fall 2007. The statistics show 28% increase in numbers of visits compared to the previous year and 11% compared to 2005.

Environment

Public gardens upgrade project concluded
January. Following 2 years of intensive work upgrading and repairing public gardens throughout the town, the project was successfully concluded in January. Two new active parks were built, Hayim Park and Jabotinski Park in Upper Tiberias, offering a soccer field and various playground facilities.

Employment

Significant decrease in unemployment rates
January 20. Statistics published by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics shows a significant decrease in unemployment rates in Tiberias. The current unemployment rate stands at 5.5% compared to the national rate of 6.6%. Tiberias ranks among the ten towns showing the most substantial decrease.

Emergency Services

Comprehensive emergency exercise
January 3. As part of the preparation for emergency events, the municipal emergency headquarter operated a comprehensive drill including all municipal emergency services. During emergency the town is divided up into 6 sections with local management at each area. The drill included several emergency scenarios and was concluded successfully.

Visits

December 4. Visit of General Manager of the Ministry of the Prime Minister Mr. Raanan Dinur.
January 8. Visit of Minister of Development of the Galilee and the Negev, Mr. Yaacov Edri.
January 29. Visit of Aliza Ulmert, wife of Prime Minister Ehud Ulmert.

Foreign Affairs

Jewish student delegation from the USA volunteering in town
December 30. The Social Services department in collaboration with International Hillel organization, has hosted a group of 22 students from the USA for a volunteering seminar. The group arrived on Dec. 30th for 8 days of extensive seminar and actual volunteering work. The students painted and renovated homes across town, as well as worked with children in various after school centers.

Partnership 2000 projects
October. A women’s mission from the Milwaukee Jewish Federation visited the Sovev Kinneret Tiberias region headed by Ms. Rakefet Ginsburg, Community Shlicha. As part of their 4 day visit in the area they attended the Tiberias Restal Absorption center where they met with single parent mothers who had recently emigrated from Ethiopia to Israel.
January. A Taglit Birthright group of students visited the Tiberias Sovev Kinneret region. Most of the American students came from the University of Minneapolis and the University of Wisconsin which are part of the Tiberias partnership. The students volunteered in various projects, packing food supplies, painting the Restal Absorption center, meeting with peers from the Kinneret Regional college and even participating in a cooking class at the Holiday Inn Culinary school.

One photo is equal to a thousand words…
January 3. Mayor Oved presented Tiberias photographer Joan Krohn with her prize for winning an honorary mention in the International photography contest “Seasons around the world” administered by the Tulsa Global Alliance. Ms. Krohn’s photo depicting a summer sunset over the Arbel Mountain is displayed in the month of June 2008 in the calendar issued with the various winning photos.

Sports

Hapoel national tournament – Significant achievements for Tiberias Kayak rowers
December 21-22. The national tournament took place at the Tiberias Marine Sports Center during the weekend. Tiberias youth rowers won 7 medals bronze, silver and gold.

The Annual Tiberias International Marathon
January 10. Over 1000 runners from 15 countries attended the 31st Tiberias International Marathon this year. This year’s winner was Leonard Muchero Mayena from Kenya, winning for the second year in a row. His time was a new Israeli and event record at 2:10:32 and his prize was 40,000$.

This anchor event drew thousands of spectators and participants who enjoyed a festive atmosphere with the help of students of the Yad Shitrit acting class performing with colorful costumes to the public. Other sportive events that took place as part of the festival were: bicycle contest for the physically challenged; a ten KM race for the IDF soldiers; a 5 KM run for school students; a 3.5 run for families.

The annual basketball tournament in memory of Doron Klein
January 19. This 6th annual event took place at the Tahkemoni elementary school basketball court. The event began with a friendly game between Hapoel Tiberias children's team and Karmiel (39:38). The adults match was played between Hapoel Tiberias and Hapoel Misgav (79:68). Mayor Oved presented the winners with trophies at the end ceremony.

7 new Olympic Kayaks purchased for the local club
January 27. The municipal sports department performed a formal launching ceremony for the new boats. The purchase is part of the general development plan for advancing the competitive marine sports in town and in light of the substantial achievements of the Tiberias Kayak rowing club.

Electronic newsletter no' 6

2007-08-29T09:41:00.001+03:00

Dear Friends of Tiberias,

As we continue the extensive development work and activities, once again we invite you to share our lives with you all. In this issue you will find details and information on several important topics such as events, culture, education, foreign affairs, sports and more. We hope you share our notion of satisfaction and enthusiasm as we watch the city and the residents enjoy the rich life Tiberias has to offer.

With best regards and greetings for a Happy Hannuka, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Zohar Oved,

Mayor of Tiberias

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The year 2007 has been full of events and challenges. We are enthusiastic to continue 2008 with development projects and activities. This past year, we brought to you all the interesting and important events in Tiberias and received many comments and observations. Together we upgraded the Foreign Affairs web site and completed the production of a colorful brochure representing Tiberias in English and French which will be distribute in the following weeks.

Some of the exciting achievements we are proud to report are the rehabilitation of the tourism infrastructure following the war of Summer 2006, renovation of schools and improving of the public shelters and security. We strengthened relations with our twin cities abroad and forged new ties in China and France, promoted new community and voluntary projects for the benefit of the community. Worth noting is the advancement in the sport of rowing on the national and international level as well as achievements in Tennis, Basketball, Soccer.

We are currently witnessing the American efforts for reconciliation and peace talks between Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab world. I believe this shows the understanding of all parties of the importance of this process for the development of the nations of the region and the significance they attach to economic prosperity and personal security for the benefit of future generations.

Together with the volunteers of the Foreign Affairs office, we are working to strengthen our ties with the communities and the cities in Israel and our many friends abroad. These are our ambassadors sharing our moments of joy and distress. By sharing our lives we are inviting you to take part and help our empowerment and strengthen the state of Israel, the only safe homeland of the Jewish people. As the new year begins, together we will begin the celebrations of 60 years of Israeli independence.
I wish you all prosperity and development, good health and security and peace.

Sincerely,

Eitan Oved,
Councilman
Head of Foreign Affairs and Security
Tiberias Municipality

Events:

Dahka Circus in Tiberias:
The events department in collaboration with the "Acco Theater Center" produced a colorful circus performance open to the public on Oct. 11. The show took place at the archeological Park with circus performers from across the globe: Israel, Ireland, Switzerland, Bulgaria, USA and France. The public was also invited to take part in various workshops to learn a little bit of the magic of the art of the circus.

The 12th Annual Memorial Ceremony for Yitzhak Rabin:
The annual ceremony commemorating the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin took place Nov. 4th at Yad Labanim Hall. A moving film of the life of PM Rabin "1922-1995" was shown and at the conclusion of the ceremony, a new sculpture by artist Shlomo Simoni of Rabin was revealed.

Culture:

Books for the community:
The Ketter publishing company in conjunction with the local HOT TV station offered a unique book fair on Oct. 17 in Yad Shitrit cultural center. The fair offered and displayed a vast variety of books to the public for purchase at 1$ each book. Hundreds of Tiberias residents flocked to the fair. The proceeds will be used for the benefit of the development and improvement of the children's section at the local municipal public library.

Wuppertal Choir performance:
Oct. 18. As part of the warming relationship between the Tiberias community and the Jewish community of Wuppertal in Germany, the Wuppertal Jewish choir gave a memorable performance to a packed audience in the local WIZO music hall. The choir sang a variety of tunes and songs in Hebrew and Yiddish, leaving the crowd applauding in excitement. The choir members were greeted by the representative on behals of the Mayor who awarded them with the city flag.

Tuesdays of Culture:
A new tradition, a cultural initiative produced by the department of Culture begun Oct. 23. This is a joint venture of the Municipal library, the WIZO music school and the Theatre school of Yad Shitrit. Every Tuesday the public is invited to participate and enjoy performances by local artists and groups at Yad Shitrit cultural center including street performances, music, children's plays and more.

Community:

Mothers' Camp:
The Social Services department offered a unique 4 day experiential camp for mothers of children with learning disabilities. 17 mothers participated in the activity beginning October 14, offering a variety of lectures, workshops in numerology, Thai massage, psychodrama and challenge activities at the Yarden Park. An emphasis was put on empowering the participants and broadening their abilities to cope with the challenges of raising their special children.

The Night Owls Program in Tiberias:
Beginning November, as part of the comprehensive program dealing with offering activities for youth at after school hours until night, the municipal Youth department has begun operating various classes and activities including Karaoke, juggling, arts and crafts, soccer matches and trainings and a mobile coffee shop roaming the city at different locations from 9:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. every night. In addition, a parent volunteering patrol unit has begun touring the streets during the hours of the night with the purpose of watching and preventing undesirable activities by youth and improved involvement and understanding of the adults for the youth culture and behavior.

"Good Start" early childhood program:
November. As part of the national "Schmidt Plan" for treatment of at-risk youth and children, a "Good Start" headquarters will begin operating for the provision of services for families and children at risk. The program aims at reducing risk factors in the life of the younger children (0-6) through an individual treatment and plan tailored for each child. The "Good Start" program staff will coordinate all the different public entities dealing and serving early childhood in the city in order to improve the outreach to the target population.

Senior Citizen's month in November:
The week of Nov. 18 marked the concluding activities of the Senior citizen's month. The Social services department produced various activities and events that included: fun days for seniors at the Caesar's Hotel in Tiberias, sporting events for seniors, screening of films, hikes and tours of the area, crisis workshops and more. Other partner organizations involved were: Israel Joint, the Senior Citizens Association, Amcha association, the National Insurance organization and the MATAV company. The closing event included a lecture by Dr. Dina Eizen dealing with the healing qualities of humor, a folk dancing and sing-a-long session. Mayor Oved, revealed the upcoming plans for the senior population, in particular a new blueprint of services for the elderly.

The community marks the international day for prevention of domestic violence:
Nov. 25. The artist Michal Shir, who personally battled and won domestic violence, performed in an unforgettable performance called "Into freedom" revealing her personal journey from the crewel cycle of domestic violence. The play, written and composed by Ms. Shir, told her story while sending a message of empowerment and hope to all those women experiencing violence in their lives. The evening was the initiative of the Tiberias Women's Forum and included a lecture on the various ways of dealing with domestic violence. The Tiberias Women's Forum comprises of over 20 volunteer women, residents of Tiberias, who are active in the community, promoting women's issues and participation.

Education:

True diversity in youth leadership:
October 29. For the first time ever in Israel and Tiberias in particular, a student of Bedouin-Arab descent has been chose to head the student council of a school. 14 year old Shari Suaed was elected by her Ort-Tiberias middle school peers to head the student council. Shari expressed her enthusiasm and feeling of responsibility for the position, especially since she is a proud Bedouin. Shari said she was brought up to see each individual as equal and therefore not surprised for being elected. Her future plans are to serve in the Israeli military and study medicine.

The national teacher's strike – dealing with the consequences in Tiberias:
The strike of the national teacher's union which began in October has continued leaving hundreds of high school students at home. The department of Education devised an alternative plan for keeping the students occupied by establishing a strike administration, providing activities of various sorts for the youth. In collaboration with the Afik College, students are offered special enrichment classes at after school hours for approximately 650 children in areas of: theory studies for driving lessons, verbal cognition, youth leadership, computer skills, health, communications, English and more.

Employment:

Unemployment figures in Tiberias are down:
September statistics show a drastic decrease in unemployment figures as published by the national Employment Service. Figures are down by 17.7%. Unemployment rates in Tiberias are now at 5.5%.

Environment:

Beautiful City:
For the second year in a row, Tiberias keeps the 5 star title of beauty in the national contest "Beatiful City – Beatiful Israel" administered by the Ministry of Interior and the Local Government Authority.

Foreign Affairs:

Enghein Le-Bain, France:
Oct. 25. Following the visit of the Tiberias delegation to France in June, lead by Mayor Oved and Councilman Head of Foreign Affairs Eitan Oved, and new connection was made with Enghein Le-Bain and the Bnei-Brith chapter. A return delegation from Enghein visited Tiberias. The parties agreed to further promote cooperation, especially in regards to the establishment of the Technology Incubator in Tiberias and ties between the rowing clubs of each town. The city of Enghein is located close to Paris and is well known for its hot springs and Casino district. In the photo, Chairman of the Enghein Nautical club Mr. Andre Suchet II receiving the Tiberias gifts.

Official signing of Twin City agreement between Wuxi and Tiberias:
October 29. A Tiberias delegation, lead by Mayor Zohar Oved and Counciman Eitan Oved, arrived in Wuxi to attend the International Twin City conference and for the official signing of the agreement between the two cities. Following a long process initiated by Israeli General Consul in Shanghai, Uri Gutman, the agreement was signed by the mayors and in front of an audience of over 200 guests attending the international conference from the USA, Germany, France, England, Denmark, Belgium, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Greece, the Philippines and more. In addition, the delegation spent efforts in meeting with various representatives of international business groups represented in Wuxi for the purpose of initiating different collaborative efforts in areas of medicine, technology, education and academy.

Joan Krohn of Tiberias honorary winner at international photo competition:
As part of the twin-city partnership with Tulsa Oklahoma, several Tiberias photographers participated in the annual photo contest administered by the Tulsa Global Alliance (TGA) for all its twin cities. This year the contest focused on "Seasons around the world". Joan Krohn of Tiberias won an honorary prize for her photo "the whispering wind" depicting a summer sunset over mount Arbel and will have her photo displayed in the calendar produced of the winning photos.

Sports:

Making international rowing headlines:
The October issue of the FOAR Rowers electronic magazine, the official magazine of the Masters Rowing Association, dedicated a cover story to Tiberias residents and councilman Eitan Oved. The title of the story: "Israel's Elder Oarsman" tells his impressive involvement in rowing in Tiberias, since he was 13 years old and goes on to describe his work in advancing Rowing in Tiberias and in Israel at large. Also covered, Mr. Oved's accident and loss of his leg which he overcame with the help of the skills rowing taught him through the years.

Rowing for success:
The Tiberias rowing club participated (Oct. 19-21) in the new coastal rowing world championship that took place in Canne at the French Riviera. The Tiberias rowers, lead by Coach Genadi Sapognikov qualified for the finals with 20 of the world's leading teams. Two weeks earlier, Oct 4-6, the Tiberias team won the Israeli rowing championship once again and achieved the international criteria set by FISA (The International Rowing Association).

The Love Journey begins in Tiberias:
This 5 day bike journey began October 28 with the purpose of raising 3 million dollars by 470 bikers from over 13 countries for the benefit of the Alin Children's hospital in Jerusalem.

Electronic newsletter no' 5

2007-08-26T21:33:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends,

As we conclude an excellent summer of events and activities, followed by the Jewish New Year high holidays bustling with tourists, we offer the 5th newsletter to you, so you can share in our lives and be updated of all that occurred.

In addition to the information presented in this issue, I am pleased to report that our town is showing many signs of recovery from the crisis of Summer 2006. Unemployment rates are down, visitor's numbers are significantly up and many new construction and infrastructure projects have begun.

I hope you share our optimism and keep staying in touch with us in the future.

Respectfully,

Zohar Oved.

Dear friends of Tiberias in Israel and abroad,

As we have begun doing in the past months, we are offering the 5th issue of "Tiberias-up-to-date" newsletter to you. The Foreign Affairs committee has decided to create a new and independent web site open to all. You may reach the newsletter through a link from the official municipal web site www.tiberias.muni.il , click "English information" and read all the latest news and events.

This issue offers links to other related sites including: information on the Second Lebanese War, the archeological excavations web site, touristic information and much more. We are sure that you will find the information interesting and get a wider perspective of the various activities and projects taking place in the city.

On October 25th, a municipal delegation lead by Mayor Oved, including myself and other leading businessmen from Tiberias will be visiting Wuxi in the Peoples Republic of China for the signing of a Twin city agreement between Wuxi and Tiberias. We plan to develop new collaborative efforts in areas of culture, sports, economy and other friendly relations. One major area of cooperation being discussed is the establishment of the new Research and Development incubating center for the development of inventions in areas such as environment, medical and para-medical products and industry. We see in our new ties with China a fit with the global trends. China is undergoing massive development in recent years and the connection with Tiberias and Israel is of great importance.

As in every issue of the newsletter, we welcome your comments and suggestions leading to strengthening the ties with our friends abroad.

We invite you to come and visit Tiberias, the historical city which is currently renewing infrastructure and image.

With sincere feelings of appreciation and friendship,

Eitan Oved,
Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee
And Councilman

Events and Celebrations

A summer of world cultures
The Events department organized a full schedule of activities during the month of August. The city that saw the largest surge in tourists since 2005, welcomed the visitors with a full program showcasing various cultures of the world: a fire and sound legends show, Chinese circus, African drummers and circus, "Los Brazileos" brazilian dance show, Russian circus, and a special illusion and magic performance.

Sukkot (Tabernacle) events in Tiberias
Celebrating the Sukkot holiday with a surge in tourists in September-October, the city offered a multitude of events for the visitors and Tiberias residents. An open Sukkah was set at the promenade offering fun activities for children, public sing-along and joint folk dancing. The tourism department produced a “Seak the Treasure” family game throughout the ancient sites and buildings of the city with prizes for the winners as well as special guided tours of the town. On October 2nd, the Watoto children choir from Uganda performed an exciting concert at the archeological park amphitheater. Many of the crowd stayed after the show to speak with the children of their courageous journey from homelessness and orphanage to becoming Uganda’s future leaders.

Culture

Tiberias performing arts school concludes three years of activity
July 2007 marked 3 years of activities for the Tiberias performing arts school at the Yad Shitrit cultural center. Every year has marked an expansion of productions and participants with 4 acting groups and over 70 participants ages 6-70. This year, 4 successful plays were produced. The coming year will introduce additional workshops dealing with stage lighting, sound, management and directing classes.

Tiberias 10 year old Viki Gelman candidate for "Star of the Future" award
10 year old, Viki Gelman, a promising young violinist has been chosed as a candidate for the title of "Star of the Future" award. This is a very popular award offered by the Channel 9 national television network.

Education

A successful opening for the school year
On Sunday, September 2, the academic school year opened with over 10'000 students in the various educational settings. Specially trained volunteer safety instructors where assigned throughout the city, briefing students on the importance of keeping safe on the road.

Environment and public health

Open air Yoga classes – open to the public
The municipal department of sports has initiated a unique program of open-air yoga classes every Sunday in the evening during the summer months at the Archeological park. This project is part of the general Public Health project promoting a healthy lifestyle and includes workshops on physical activity, group walks and nutrition.

Cleaning up the shores of the Sea of Galilee
As part of a special initiative of Raanana highschool students, the Robotics department, a full day of cleaning the shores of the Sea of Galilee took place in August. The students wanted to promote an initiative for the betterment of the environment and together with Council for a Beautiful Israel they decided to go with the cleaning up project.

Hayim Park renewed
During August, extensive renewal works were performed at the Hayim park. This is part of the municipal priority for upgrading the public parks and playgrounds around town and expanding the green lung effect. The Hayim park was renovated at a cost of 1.2 million NIS, with new paying facilities, lighting, benches and gardening.

Removing Cellular antennas from public buildings in Tiberias
August 2007. In an effort to reduce rediation exposure, Tiberias municipality is leading a major project for removal of cellular antennas from public buildings. Following a meeting of Mayor Oved with a group of Tiberias residents, a decision was made to move forward with the removal, starting with the municipal buildings.

Electricity saving and efficiency system in Tiberias
September 17, the municipal department of Electricity hosted delegations electrical engineers from Cameron and Denmark who have come to learn of the unique street lighting system operated in the city. The system that was installed three years ago, utilizes a special control system that promotes energy saving of approximately 25-35%.

October: Cancer awareness month
Monday, September 24, Mayor Oved launched the Cancer awareness month of October. The project lead by Dalya Sluzki, Director of the Tiberias Cancer Prevention Society will include a fundraising drive and campaign. The Cancer Awareness Society in Tiberias is one of the oldest operating in Israel for over 50 years. The society offers workshops for cancer prevention awareness to the public, schools students, support groups to families and cancer patients and more.

Foreign Affairs

Tiberias – China relations
A delegation of senior economic journalist from the leading “Asian Business Leaders” journal in China have arrived on August 26th for a tour and an interview with Mayor Oved on economic topics and overcoming the security crisis. The journalists were particularly interested in the unique achievements in Tiberias that exhibited an impressive economic growth in 2006 despite the Second Lebanese war of Summer 2006. Other topics discussed were the ssister city relations with Wuxi and the intended collaboration in the Technology incubator and the water purification system in Tiberias. At the end of October a delegation lead by Mayor Oved will be visiting Wuxi for the official signing of the Sister city agreement and participation in the Wuxi Sister city conference.

Journey to Tiberias (Masa) Volunteers
On August 20th, the second group of Masa volunteers to Tiberias has arrived. Once the school academic year began, they immediately started volunteer work in the schools, teaching English. In addition, the young American volunteers assisted in food distribution for disadvantaged families through the Latet and Shachen-Tov (Good Neighbor) organizations. They will also be involved in volunteer work in army base Naftali near Tiberias. Some of the members have opted for special volunteering projects in Poriya Hospital doing unique research and medical work. We are proud to report that one of the volunteers this time is Julie Waisbren from our partner city Milwaukee Wisconsin. We hope to expand the number of volunteers arriving from our partner communities in future.

Expanding public services

Open Office Policy
As part of the process for improving services to the residents and strengthening the connection with the citizens, in September the Mayor has begun a new tradition of "open office", inviting the residents to meet with him on a regular basis. Any citizen of Tiberias is invited to meet personally with the Mayor in order to communicate relevant concerns. The office of Citizen's Services, will then follow up and see each issue to its completion.

The municipal 106 hotline – an increase in public utilization
2007 has marked an increase in public utilization of the hotline and treatment of reported problems. The hotline operates 24 hours a day with a volunteering unit. 92% of appeals to the hotline have been treated successfully. On September 9th, the hotline was made accessible through the municipal website as well.

Community and Welfare

Flying kites – remembering the MIA's
On July 26th, the Fani Kaplan community center network produced a kite flying demonstration involving all summer camp participants across the city. Over 700 children participated with the purpose of reminding the public of the 3 Israeli abducted soldiers still in captivity in Lebanon and Gaza.

Paz after school center and Zas House for the elderly opened
The opening ceremony for the Paz after school center and the Zas home for the elderly took place on July 31st. The Paz center, named after the late Dalya Paz, a child and youth inspector who dedicated years for the benefit of at-risk youth and children. The center was established with the support of Sacta-Rashi foundation, the Friendship foundation of Rabbi Ekstein and IVN. The center operates 5 days a week and offers an enriching and treatment environment to at-risk children (ages 6-12) after school hours.

Shimshon military base soldiers adopting Tiberias welfare projects
The Tiberias Welfare department has set a goal of developing collaborative efforts with various community and state organizations. As part of this goal, during September, a partnership was struck with the Shimshom military base at Golani junction near Tiberias. The soldiers serving will get involved in the various welfare programs. The first initiative took place during the September high holydays where they conducted an extensive cleanup drive for the Center for the Blind and the Egoz after school center where murals were painted on the walls. The soldiers will continue volunteering in these facilities as instructors.

Economy and development

A new French Technology Research & Development center
On July 22nd, Mayor Oved announced the establishment of the Technology R&D center TIBERTECH by the Tiberias Economic Development company in conjunction with the Israel –France Association. This is the result of the successful visit of The Tiberias delegation to France in June, lead by Mayor Oved. The center will house scientists and inventors and provide all the necessary services for developing unique inventions in areas environment and water purification, plastica and para-medical products. Tiberias was chosen to host this initiative due the fact that it provides a proper setting and infrastructure. Inventors for French speaking countries will be invited to submit their project for development.

10% decrease in unemployment for January-June ‏2007
According to official statistics, a positive trend is being shown, marking a decrease of 10% in job seekers in comparison with the previous years data.

Renovation of public bomb shelters
A major renovation project of the public bomb shelters in the city has begun in September. The municipality has allotted over 800.000 NIS for this project. This is the first stage in the preparation of the emergency services in Tiberias, which will be followed by a joint private shelter renovation project as well.

Archeology

New digging season at the excavation site – the Roman and Byzantine city
Following the tragic death of Professor Yizhar Hirschfeld who lead Tiberias excavation for over 10 years, at last a new diging season was approved for March 2008. Hopefully this will allow for the conclusions of the massive work of Prof. Hirschfeld and publication of a book on the topic. This will enable to set up a continuing plan for continues excavations with a new archeologist.

Visits

The Chief Israel Rabbi visit in Tiberias
Israel Chief Rabbi, Shlomo Amar paid a visit to Tiberias, September 17th. Rabbi Amar toured the various schools and then performed a personal prayer session at the Rabbi Akiva tomb. A reception at the Mayor’s office concluded the visit, followed by the annual gathering of all municipal synagogue workers.

Sports

Tiberias rowing coach appointed to head Israeli national handicapped rowers team
The Israeli national handicapped rowing team won 3rd place in the world championship B that took place in Munich Germany. Genadi Sapoznikov, the Tiberias coach was a 4 time Soviet champion and Bronze medalist at the 1987, Silver medalist at the 1988 World championships. He has been heading the Tiberias rowing team since 1996.

More achievements for the Tiberias Rowing club
September 6-8, the Tiberias rowing club returned from the Tel Aviv Open Championship with several gold medals. The team lead by coach Genadi Saposhnikov won first place in the various courses including the eighth race, the quarter as well as several youth races. The championship was concluded with a Dragon boat demonstration sail on the Yarkon river.

October 5-6, at the Israel Rowing Championship

held in Tel Aviv, the Tiberias rowing club won all possible gold medals. The winning rowers will participate in the Nice, France tournament in November as the Israeli national team.

elctronic newsletter no' 4

2007-08-25T23:02:00.001+03:00

To all our friends,

Once again, we are connecting with you, this time, at the midst of a very productive summer of activities. Now that a full year has passed since the Second Lebanese War, we can witness the fruits of our intensive recovery work and welcome the tens of thousands of tourist that flocked Tiberias. Tourism is a major factor in our life, but as you will see from this issue, we continue to work and develop all aspects of our lives in the city. I hope you enjoy the reading and keep staying in touch with us in the future.

Sincerely,

Zohar Oved,

Mayor

Dear Friends,

This is our 4th Newsletter. We were glad to receive your wonderful responses to our previous issue, and we are accordingly making the changes you suggested to improve it. The Foreign Affairs committee is working hard broadening and adding new projects for public benefit. We are sharing with you part of the multiple activities that took place in Tiberias during the past two months.
A group of members of our Foreign Affairs committee, together with Mayor Zohar Oved and my self came back from France after signing a Twin-City agreement with Saint Raphael, in France. We visited a Technological Center in Montpellier and from there to Paris to begin an international technological “start up” project in Tiberias.
Next October we’ll be sending a commission to China to sign the Twin-City agreement between Tiberias and Wuxi.
It is the intention of the Foreign Affairs committee of Tiberias, to strengthen and broaden our ties with friends and supporters across the world in order to build friendly bonds based on trust, security, honesty and democracy as a way to achieve personal and public peace and prosperity in all aspects, based in our being a democratic state based on ethics and moral.
I strongly believe that the collaboration and exchanges with Twin-Cities achieving economic and cultural improvements as equal partners will help to strengthen our friendly relationship with the world.
Once again we invite you to come and visit our beautiful and interesting city. We will be pleased to assist you with any comment, request or opinion.
My best regards,
Eitan Oved,
Councilman, Chairperson of Foreign Affairs Committee

Headlines

Events and celebrations:
- To Our soldiers with love
- 47th “Rotary Israel” Congress in Tiberias

Culture, Arts and Music:
-Tiberias children at a concert commemorating 40 years to Jerusalem’s unification
-Events at the “Month of the Hebrew Book” in Tiberias
-First Literary Festival of Writers in Spanish
-Concert of the Music School at the end of the Academic year

Education
- Students campus will be built at the Absorption Center site
- English teaching program in Tiberias kindergartens
- Annual scholarships granted to Tiberian citizens
- Secondary school “Ort Tiberias” wins 1st prize at the national science contest

Community
- Southern Lebanese students in Tiberias communicating with relatives in Lebanon
- Convention of newly released soldiers
- End of year award ceremony for the at-risk youth of “Hostel Tiberia"

Foreign Affairs:
- Cooperation activities: Ort school in Tiberias and Branderburg schools in Germany
- From Tarbut Tora in California to Tiberias
- Council delegates headed by Tiberias Mayor, to France
- 1st youth exchange delegation between Passau (Germany) and Tiberias
- Shared tour between Ort middle school (Tiberias) and Contra Costa in Lafayette (California) school students.

Tourism:
- Magic on the Sea of Galilee
- New Hotel Complex at the northern coast of Tiberias to be built

Sport News:
- 24th Golani Running Competition “visits” Tiberias
- Rowing Club wins at “Kinereth Cup” competition
- 1st Basketball Championship for Elementary Schools in Tiberias
- Achievements for Tiberian kayaks rowers

Events and Celebrations

To Our soldiers with love

On May 21, the Organization for the soldiers in Tiberias and Lower Galilee organized an impressive evening for the soldiers serving in the North. All the proceeds were collected to be used for the improvement of service facilities of the soldiers serving. It was a special and varied artistic program, with the presence of well known Israeli singers.

47th “Rotary Israel” Congress in Tiberias

The Rotary Israel Organization, jointly with the Events Department of Tiberias organized its 47th annual Congress. The assembly marked its support for Tiberias after last year's 2nd Lebanon War. It dealt with the premise “business are good for the community and the community is good for business”. Dr Ran Lyn, Rector of Rotary Israel, Eran Fogel President of Rotary Israel and other members of the organization were present at the event.

Culture, Arts and Music:

Tiberias children at a concert commemorating 40 years to Jerusalem’s unification

On May 27th, Tiberian children performed a unique Concert at the cultural center “Yad Shitrit”, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the unification of the capital city Jerusalem. The event was organized by the Education Office of Tiberias jointly with “Keren Karev”. The repertoire consisted of musical performances dedicated to Jerusalem.

Events at the “Month of the Hebrew Book” in Tiberias

The Month of the Hebrew book was celebrated in June in Tiberias with several interesting events. These events take place annually all over the country to mark the strong bond of the Jewish people with written culture, by giving the public an opportunity to get closer to the varied literary production in Hebrew and foreign languages. Each day during the month there was a Book fair at Yad Shitrit, the main municipal cultural center, as well as meetings with local writers, reading sessions for children and theatre representations of books.

First Literary Festival of Literature in Spanish

On June 25th, as part of the “Month of the Book”, took place the “First Festival of Literature in Spanish”, organized by Mrs Ruth Segal, President of the Union of Spanish speaking Writers in Tiberias and volunteer at the Foreign Affairs office. Aproximately 100 Spanish speakers arrived from all over the country and had the chance to meet Israeli writers that write in the Spanish language and presented their books. Five anthologies, published in 2007 were also presented. Within the activities of the festival there was a Spanish book market, where authors signed their books. This first festival will hopefully became an annual tradition in Tiberias.

Concert of the Music School for the end of the academic year

On July 2nd, at the Conservatorium Amphitheatre “Wendy Craftman” was celebrated the end of the annual course of the Municipal Conservatorium, with the support of Wizo Tiberias. A festive concert performed, which included the best performances of the children`s band, young and adult choirs, instrumental band, the Big–Band Group and the official band. Hundreds participated and enjoyed the event.

Education

Student campus will be built at the former Absorption Center site

The site of the Absorption Center which was recently shut down will be renovated for the purpose of becoming dormitories for students of the Academic Regional College " Kinneret " in the Jordan Valley. The purpose of this initiative is attracting the student population to Tiberias by offering reasonably priced convenient accommodations. The new site is located downtown and in the proximity to the necessary everyday facilities such as : Supermarkets, lines of transportation and comfortable accessibility to the commercial centers. The municipality will offer to the students living in the residences: job opportunities, volunteering opportunities, scholarships and grant options and more.

English teaching program in Tiberias kindergartens

The Municipal Department of Education has begun operating a new and unique program teaching the English language at the kindergarten level. The program began in February 2007 and has operated as a pilot program in 15 facilities across town. Due to its great success the program will expand to include 30 kindergartens throughout the city. On Sunday, May 17th was the certificate of completion award ceremony. Children and parents of the 15 kindergartens gathered for an impressive show of the results of the course, singing in English accompanied by dance, movement and music. The children received final course certificates.

Annual scholarships granted to Tiberian citizens

The annual scholarship award ceremony took place on June 17th. Students were granted scholarships by the Education, Culture, Sports and veteran soldiers Departments for 2006/7 academic year. 166 students living in the city received a total of 133,000 NIS. The event was sponsored by the Sepharadic Federation and the Aboulafia Foundation. In addition, 131 scholarships (total of 590,000 NIS) were granted to veteran soldiers by the Gross Foundation. This scholarship is granted for the course of 2 years to soldiers that have finished their service in the last 5 years.

Secondary school “Ort Tiberias” wins 1st prize at national science contest "Smart by the Square".

The "Smart by the Square" program in schools is aimed at improving an intelligent and responsible consumer. This is the 5th year the project is running across the country aiming at teaching youth of the values of educated consumerism, quality of the environment, as well as a healthy lifestyle, health food, keeping its quality and service. Each year the program concludes nationally with a contest between schools sponsored by the Education Ministry. This year the Tiberias`s school “Ort Tiberias” won 1st place. The event was celebrated at Bat Yam, with the presence of Ms. Yuli Tamir, the Israeli Minister of Education. Pupils presented their works. The winners received certificates and prizes.

Community

Southern Lebanese students in Tiberias communicating with relatives in Lebanon:

The month of May marked the initiation of the special Internet Communication Corner at the Ayelet Hashahar middle school for the benefit of the 40 Lebanese students of the school. These students are the children of the Southern Lebanese Soldiers who fled from Lebanon during the Israeli withdrawl in 2001 and settled in Tiberias. This enables them to keep in touch with their families in Lebanon, through Internet.

Convention for newly released soldiers

On June 21st, a Convention for newly discharged soldiers was held at the culture center “Yad Shitrit”, with the presence of aproximately 700 veteran soldiers. It included a studies and work fair with the participation of regional employers and colleges as well as workshops dealing with adjusting to civilian life. The evening was concluded with a comedy act.

End of year award ceremony for the at-risk youth of “Hostel Tiberia"

The end-of-year award ceremony was held July 10th at the Culture Center “Yad Shitrit”. The certificates of appreciation were awarded to the Youth residents of “Hostel Tiberia". These at-risk teenagers (ages 14-18) are undergoing a unique rehabilitative program whereby they participate in the community as volunteers. The ceremony aimed at thanking the young for their unique active volunteer work for the local community. During the event, they performed and shared their experiences on their way to recovery.

Foreign Affairs:

Cooperation activities: Ort school in Tiberias and Branderburg schools in Germany

The past academic year marked the developing collaborative effort between High School “Ort” Tiberias and 2 schools: Spreewald - Schule Luebben and Gymnasium Beeskow, State of Brandenburg, Germany. During this year, the English teachers organized a shared learning program, keeping a close communication through Internet and video-conferences. Students exchanged e-mails on the Holocaust theme, exchanged stories written by them. In October 2007 a delegation (teachers and students) from Tiberias is planned to visit Germany.

From California to Tiberias

A group of students from the Jewish school “Tarbut Tora”, from Ervine, California arrived in June 2007 for 20 days as volunteeris in Tiberias. This is part of a joint project of Foreign Affairs and the “Oranim” company. The volunteers decided to adopt the Elementary school “Reut” that was damaged by a missile during the war, last year. With the Principal`s help, they organized a renovation campaign, gardening and painting of the school building. The volunteers worked under severe hot conditions (40C) and yet there were no complaints.

Council delegates headed by Tiberias Mayor, to France

On June 19th, a delegation headed by the city Mayor left to France. Eitan Oved, councilman and head of the Foreign Affairs Committee and other local representatives accompanied the Mayor. During the 10 day visit, the delegates visited the city of St. Raphael, in the French Riviera where the Mayors signed the twin city agreement. They then went on and visited the city of Montpellier (another twin city) where they participated in the “Jerusalem Day” celebrations and they also met the mayor of Montpellier, Mrs Helen Mondrue, and visited the Montpellier technological Centre. Many discussions were held during the visit in order to promote the initiative to establish a High-Tech Start- Up Incubator in Tiberias with the collaboration of Mr Gerard Pomper from UFI. From there, the delegation parted to Paris and Enghien Les Bains (where many new ties were made). They met members of the French Senate and Congress and other leading political figures.

1st young exchange delegation between Passau (Germany) and Tiberias

On June 24th a College student delegation from Tiberias, lead by Dror Lalush, Deputy Mayor and Itzik Portal, Director of the Youth Department visited Passau, Germany for a social interchange with a group from this city. The group visited Passau, Bavaria, Munchen, Zalsburg in Austria and at the Mauthausen concentration camp, where a very moving ceremony took place. The Tiberian group returned together with the German group and spent a week visiting Tiberias, including a military base at the Golan, holy christian sites, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem and other places in Israel. This is a new annual project financed by the youth exchange council and the German ConAct organization. Due to the success this year, plans are being made to expand these exchanges in other areas between Passau and Tiberias.

Shared tour between Ort (Tiberias) middle school and Contra Costa in Lafayette (California) school students

On June 29th, students and 2 teachers from the Jewish school Contra Costa from Lafayette, California visited Ort middle school (Tiberias). The visitors, accompanied by a chosen group of school students and the English teacher from Tiberias went on a joint trip to Beit Shean Valley and the Kangaroo Park, bathed at the Sahne Falls and in the evening the American students were hosted for an overnight stay at the Israeli students' homes. The following day all went together to Ort middle school and celebrated the end of the school year.

Tourism:

Magic on the Sea of Galilee

The Tourism department in Tiberias offers varied experiential tours this Summer covering the numerous ancient sites. Tours such as: “The marvels of Ancient Tiberias”, “Following tastes and scents”, “From the old settlement to the modern one – from Tiberias to the Kinereth”, “Tiberias in the moon light” and more. In addition, a new cellular guiding system has been installed, offering information for the individual traveler at 10 major locations around town through cellular/mobile phone communication.

New Hotel complex at the northern coast of Tiberias to be built

After 25 years during which no new hotels were built in Tiberias, a new Hotel complex with an extent of 46.4 dunam (unit for measuring land area, about 1/4 acre) at the northern coast of Tiberias was authorized on July 2007. The entrepreneur will build a 650 rooms' hotel, half of the rooms will be vacation apartments and the rest 5 stars will be hotel rooms. The land bordering on the lake will be developed into a 400 meter promenade, that will be a continuation to the northern promenade and will link the new complex with Tiberia`s downtown.

Sport News:

The 24th Golani Run “visits” Tiberias

On June 3rd, 2007, the 24th annual running competition of the Golani Military Infantry Division hosted in Tiberias, celebrating 65 years of the “Association for Soldiers Welfare” and 40 years of the “6 days War”. In this competition, running torch emissaries cross the country, from Metula in the North, to Eilat in the South. It aims at motivating the youth to join the combat units in the military and deepening the relations between the military and the community. High Scool students and soldiers ran together through Hagalil Street, downtown to the Archeological Park.

Rowing Club wins at “Kinereth Cup” competition

The Weekend activities of “Kinereth Cup” took place on 8th and 9th of June at the Promenade by the lake. This annual event commemorates the helicopters collision tragedy of 1997were the Club graduate and Israeli rowing champion, Navigator/Pilot Major Ronen Halfon and all 72 soldiers on board perished. The competition opening ceremony was honored by the presence of Mr Itzak Aharonovich, the Minister of Tourism. Especially worth noting is the eighth race following the English style competition between Cambridge and Oxford universities. Tiberias Club rowers won most of the medals with excellent time results.

1st Basketball Championship for Elementary Schools in Tiberias

As a new initiative, on the 11th of June, Elementary school Mini basket-ball finals took place. The “Keinar” School team played against “Reut” school team. Keinar won the game and was crowned as Champion of the Tiberias Schools. Many children and parents enjoyed the event.

Achievements for Tiberian kayak rowers

Rowers from the Marine Education Center won several medals at several competitions held in recent weeks, the Israel Championship of Olympic Kayaks on the 8th/9th of June in the Sea of Galilee and the Israel Cup on 12th/13th of July in the Yarkon River, Tel Aviv. Rowers from Rowing Clubs all over the country participated. The Tiberias rowers collected first places medals and impressive achievements.
On 3rd of August the rowers Aviv Eliyahu and Sapir Fahima, members of the Israeli youth team, will represent Tiberias, in the kayaks competition at Moscow.

elctronic newsletter no' 3

2007-08-25T18:18:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends of Tiberias around the world,

I am pleased to present to you the third Tiberias-Up-To-Date electronic newsletter. This is a special opportunity for us to communicate with all our friends and supporters abroad and show how important you are to us.

Tiberias is an ancient town with over 2000 years of history, but also a thriving and constantly developing modern town, only beginning to realize its potential. Lying on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the city is surrounded by numerous historical, religious and leisure sites which are unique to the area.

I invite you to keep this connection and continue to be updated of the many exciting events, projects and activities, the vivid fabric of our lives in Tiberias.

Yours Sincerely,

Zohar Oved
Mayor

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We are pleased to present to you, the third and improved edition of the newsletter.
The Mayor, the Municipal administration together with all the citizens and volunteers are continuing to work on the development of our city through personal and community effort. The projects and initiatives are numerous and varied, and as reflected in this edition, very encouraging and even heartwarming.

The Foreign Affairs committee aims to strengthen and broaden our ties with our friends and supporters across the globe. This is especially important during these trying political times, when the world watches the Middle East and the State of Israel as it struggles to achieve a just and lasting peace for its people. Israel, a democratic state based on ethics and morals, surrounded by enemies who are ruled by totalitarian rulers, some of which are directly supporting fundamental terrorism, is at the forefront of the democratic western world’s struggle for the eradication of hate and religion based persecution.

We believe that striving to strengthen our relationships with the world through furthering our Twin-Cities collaborations and exchanges, reaching out to more communities in the world, we directly impact and empower Israel and its image in the eyes of the world. You, our friends, are our best emissaries and ambassadors in your communities and countries. Your support can be equated to the blood donation flowing directly in to our veins, allowing us strength and hope of a better future. Hopefully we will be able to witness, in time, the promise of God to his people coming true, a prosperous and peaceful land.

I want to reiterate my invitation to you to come to Tiberias. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us and we will be more than please to assist you with any question, comment or concern.

Warm Regards,

Eitan Oved, Councilman &
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee
Tiberias Municipality

Events, Celebrations and Festivals:

Israel 59th Independence day - Waving the flag proudly :

The annual Independence day celebrations on April 22nd, included the traditional kindergarden demonstration. Hundreds of childrens and their parents crowded the lawn at the First Community Center for a display of flags and public singing of Israeli songs

Rabbi Meir the miracle worker (Baal Hannes) – Annual celebrations

The Annual celebrations in commemoration of Rabbi Meir the miracle worker, of the leading scholars and religious leaders during the period following the Bar-Kokhva revolt against the Romans (2nd Century A.C.), took place on May 1st. This year was the largest celebration since recorded times (over 140 years) with thousands flocking to pray at the site of the grave and light a candle.

The traditional Lag Baomer Celebrations:

The annual Bon-fire celebrations commemorating the victory of the Hebrews against the Romans during the 2nd Century A.C. with Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai and the Hero Bar Kokhva in ancient times took place on May 5th. This year the municipality arranged for central lighting areas equipped with all the necessary equipment (wood, potatoes and marshmallows) and emergency services at hand. Thousands participated in the events, enjoying the festivities and performances by the young women of the National Service corps.

Tiberias Chosen to host the National Congress for Municipal Engineers

The national conference for Municipal Engineers was held this year in Tiberias May 13-15. This was in conjunction with the Union of Urban Engineers and the Local Government Authority. This year the conference topic was: "Transitions from place to place – the crisis and the challenge", dealing with mass transportation, infrastructure, parking solutions and the challenges facing the municipalities especially the possibilities of combining accessible, convenient public transportation with the environment.

Shavuot Festival:
May 20th, the week of Shavuot holiday (the Pentecost) was celebrated in Tiberias with a massive Israeli Rock music concert. Israeli rock stars spanning 3 decades of music performed in front of thousands of local Tiberians as well as the many Israeli guests that filled the hotels for the holiday. The concert took place on the shores of the see of Galilee under the Old City walls.

Memorial Day events

"songs in their memory"

As part of the annual Memorial day ceremonies commemorating the fallen Tiberian soldiers who died while defending the country in the wars since 1948, this year a special ceremony took place, April 19th: "Songs in their memory" at the "memorial of our sons Hall. Various local performance groups appeared, including "Shirei Kinneret", "Daughters of the Lake", The municipal WIZO Conservatorium. An art exhibition of sculptures and paintings by local elementary and middle school students was presented on site.

World War II Victory Memorial Ceremony

Wednesday, May 9th the Annual memorial ceremony commemorating the victory over Nazi Germany took place at the central memorial Garden near the Astoria Hotel. The department of Absorption has been honoring this tradition for 16 years. The tradition began with the large influx of immigrants that came from the former Soviet Union since the early 90's. This wave of immigration brought to Tiberias a substantial number of former World War II veterans and heroes who fought the Nazis within the ranks of the Soviet Red Army. They established a roof organization in Tiberias in 1991 and was joined to the Department of Absorption immediately upon their establishment

Cultural projects and activities:

Two new publications of Literary Anthologies of newly arrived Immigrant:

March 2007 was marked by the publication of two literary anthologies, one in Russian and one in Spanish written by newly arrived immigrants to Tiberias. This unique initiative is part of the efforts of promoting the absorption of the newly arrived immigrants and emphasizing and strengthening the cultural assets that they have brought with them. The publication gathers together a selection of poems and short stories dealing with the every day life of the immigrants and their challenges. This initiative was lead by the municipal Absorption and Housing Department.

The Annual Convention for Conservatory Orchestras Held in Tiberias this year:

The Municipal Coservatory in Tiberias hosted the Annual Convention for Conservatory Orchestras for Wind instruments on March 6th. The convention took place at the Yad Shitrit cultural hall. This is the second year in a row the convention is held in Tiberias and was participated by 10 youth orchestras from across the country: Tiberias, Afula, Haifa, Kiryat Biyalik, Kiryat Yam, Tirat Hacarmel, Acco and more.

Community & Human Resource:

Empowering the Blind community in Tiberias

April 2007, A collaborative project between the Department of Social Services and the Ridman College for Alternative medicine has produced a unique program for the visually challenged community. The participants are offered a specially designed series of reflexology workshops and treatments by alternative medicine caregivers. The program was designed to suit the visually challenged and the blind that usually have a more developed sense of touch and therefore pose a greater challenge to the caregiver. This is a continuation of the successful citizens empowering programs run by the municipality, the employment service and Ridman College.

Opening of the Human Resource Development Center:

In consideration of the high unemployment rate in our area which was worsened by the war of Summer 2006 and as a result of the collaboration of various municipal organizations such as: Tiberias municipality, Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Welfare, the Employment service, Kinneret College, the Israeli Women's Movement, JOINT-Israel, PERACH Student mentoring program and more, on May 15th, the Human Resource Development Center was established. The Center aims at providing various services for professional counseling and training, job placement and higher education guidance under one roof.

"Woman of Valor" project in Tiberias

On Monday May 25th, the completion ceremony for the "Eshet Hayil" program took place at the Human Resource center. This women empowerment program aims at training and advancing women. The project components deal with job and professional placements, professional guidance with special focus on the unique aspects relating to integration of women into the work force: CV writing, preparations for job interviews, empowerment and confidence building, tools for coping on the job and in the workforce.

The program has been successfully running in Israel for several years and this year opened a branch in Tiberias. It is a joint venture of the Israel Women's Lobby, The JOINT, the Social Services department in the municipality, the local Occupation Office and the First Community Center.

Education:

Tiberias My City:

The Hamat Archeological Park and visitor's center in conjunction with the department of Education in the municipality organized a full day of activities at the park for all Tiberias 4th graders on March 22nd. Over 500 school students participated in the event for the second year in a row. The activities included experiencing ancient handicrafts and ways of life of the ancient Jewish community of the city during the second temple. This included: coin minting, weaving wool, ancient scribing, mat straw weaving, mosaic work, herbal teas, oil and perfume extractions. The students also heard stories of ancient times and visited the excavations. This is part of the educational program meant to create an affiliation between the students and their town.

Foreign Affairs:

Twin City Agreement signed between Tiberias and Wuxi China:

Deputy Mayor of Wuxi in the Peoples Republic of China paid a visit to Tiberias on April 20th for the signing of the preliminary Twin City agreement between Tiberias and Wuxi. This is the result of a process initiated by the Israeli Consulate General in Shanghai and the Tiberias office of Foreign Affairs. The visit was hosted by Councilman Eitan Oved, in charge of Foreign Affairs. Also participated: Mayor Zohar Oved, who signed the agreement and Owner of the Galtronics High-Tech Company, operating in Tiberias and Wuxi. Following the signing ceremony, the visitors toured the city and were invited to take a boat tour of the Sea of Galilee. Deputy Mayor of Wuxi, Mr. Ma, invited Mayor Oved for a visit in Wuxi to participate in the Annual Sister City conference in Fall 2007.

Councilwoman Lee Seaman of Long Island in Tiberias:

On May 11th, Council Woman, Ms. Lee Seaman of Northhapstead, Long Island, New York, paid a visit to Mayor Zohar Oved and the Regional Poriya Hospital. Ms. Seaman expressed her support for Tiberias and promised to promote exchange initiatives between her region and Tiberias.

Tightening Relationships with our French Sister Cities:

Thursday, May 17th, the Jewish-Christian delegation from Montpellier arrived in Tiberias to express their support to the citizens of Tiberias. It was a very moving event to all those present. Mr. Felix Nataf, delegation leader said that the warm relationship and the united front between Montpellier and Tiberias helps in the struggle against world terrorism.

In June, a delegation lead by Counsilman Eitan Oved will visit the city of St. Rafael in the French Riviera for the signing of the sister city agreement and then continue on to Montpellier in order to participate in the Annual Jerusalem Day celebrations lead by Mayor Mondroe of Montpellier.

All the way from New Jersey to Tiberias:
The Tiberias MASA project, bringing groups of Jewish American and Canadian volunteers to Tiberias has entered into its second stage May 27th , with the arrival of 18 High school graduates from the Solomon Shechter School in New Jersey for a 2 week volunteering mission in the city. The students toured the city and the region and participated in volunteering activities throughout the city: Educational activities with the children at the Restal Absorption Center for Ethiopian families, Renovating Bomb-shelters, Cleaning and maintenance of boats at the Marine Educational Center and more.

Partnership 2000 - Engliyada - The Language Bridge

The annual Engliyada month project began on April 27th with the arrival of 11 English volunteer instructors from our 3 partnership communities: Tulsa Oklahoma, St. Paul Minnesota and Millwaukee Wisconsin. Over 100 local residents from Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee region participated in spoken English classes. The volunteers provided classes in two cycles every week day in the evening 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. During their stay, the volunteers were hosted by local families during the weekends. During the day they toured the region and met various representatives of the local partnership communities. Especially worth noting is the event on May 11, the volunteers were hosted for a festive Gourmet breakfast by Chefs Ofer Amos and Erez Amos of Holiday Inn Cullinary College. Chef Ofer Amos recently returned from his visit to Tulsa where he participated in a Chef professional exchange. The Engliyada and the exchange program is part of the Jewish Agency Parnership 2000 Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee region initiative

Environment:

Opening Ceremony for the new "Green Electricity" Power Plant

Tuesday May 5th marked the opening of the new power plant for generating electricity from Bio-gas from the "Talia-Hagal" waste sites. This is a calumniation of 2.5 years of collaboration between the various local institutions: Tiberias municipality, Jordan Valley municipality, Migdal local municipality, Beit Shean regional municipality, and other commercial companies. The plant currently generates 1.1 Mega volts and is expected to reach 3.3 mega volts in the future. The gas reservoir on site is expected to last for 20 years and will soon provide several of the local Kibbutzs in the area with electricity.
Tiberias Rowers in the Lead – Spring Season opening competition in Tel Aviv:
The Skiff rowing competition marking the opening of the rowing season took place in Tel Aviv in the Yarkon river on May 3-5. Four of the major rowing clubs in Israel participated: Tiberias, Haifa and two from Tel Aviv. The Tiberias club included youth, adults and veteran competitors, competing in all types of boats: the single skiff, double, quartet and octet. The Tiberias athletes displayed excellence winning 11 gold medals, 20 silver and one bronze. The team was lead by Councilman Eitan Oved with his share of Gold medals.

Sports news:

Gold Medals for the Tiberias Kayak Rowers:

The Tiberias Junior Rowers won several gold medals in the national Kayak rowing competition that took place Friday-Saturday April 20-21 in Beit Yerach Jordan Valley. Teams from across Israel competed in the races and the Tiberias rowers were very prominent winning first places in the 200 and 2000 meter race for female 12 year old and 16 year old; the 2000 meter race for males 12 years old; the 200 meter race for male 14 year old; the quartet male 2000 meter race; the double Kayak 500 meter race. Yaacov Segev, the Director of the Marine Educational center said this is the result of a year of intensive training of the participants and their coaches.

Gold Medal for the Tiberias Rowers in Croatia:

April 25th, The Tiberias Rowing team, who are the Israeli Olympic team, returned from the Croatia Open Championship in Zagreb. This prestigious event gathered the best of the European rowers to date who are preparing for the various world championships. The Tiberias Olympic rowers competed in several races. Yevgeni Sharmako & Daniel Bilia one firat place in the Olympic Skiff doubles heat for 18 years old after a very close race with their opponents along the 2000 meters.

A massive recruitment drive is currently conducted for the Tiberias rowing club, for the Athletics Excellence program in Rowing which is providing significant results on a national and international scale.

Tiberias Rowers in the Lead – Spring Season opening competition in Tel Aviv:

The Skiff rowing competition marking the opening of the rowing season took place in Tel Aviv in the Yarkon river on May 3-5. Four of the major rowing clubs in Israel participated: Tiberias, Haifa and two from Tel Aviv. The Tiberias club included youth, adults and veteran competitors, competing in all types of boats: the single skiff, double, quartet and octet. The Tiberias athletes displayed excellence winning 11 gold medals, 20 silver and one bronze. The team was lead by Councilman Eitan Oved with his share of Gold medals.

elctronic newsletter no' 2

2007-08-24T20:06:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends and Supporters Hello,
We are pleased to be able to bring to you the second edition of the Tiberias-Up-To-Date newsletter. The newsletter attempts to report the various aspects of life in Tiberias in recent months, including: community activities, Sister-City developments, economic developments, educational developments and various other issues.
This time we made an effort to produce the newsletter in four different languages: English, French, German and Spanish, in order to be more accessible to all our friends abroad. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all our dedicated volunteers at the Foreign Affairs office for making this possible.
Dear friends, I want to invite you to come and visit Tiberias soon, and witness first hand the major changes and face-lift that the city is undergoing. I will be delighted to receive your comments and ideas for further development and collaboration in the various aspects of community life in Tiberias both in Israel and abroad.
Sincerely,
Eitan Oved, Councilman
Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee
Tiberias Municipality

MASA - Journey to Tiberias – a new volunteering program

January 2007 opened a new tradition in the ISC project (Israel Service Corps) with collaboration with the Oranim Company, The Jewish Agency and Tiberias Foreign Affairs Office.
18 young Jewish volunteers arrived from USA and Canada, immediately after their graduation from their academic studies. They are housed in a special dorm facility and they take part in various volunteering assignment: During the mornings they help school students with their English studies at the schools, in the afternoons they work with children in community centers and welfare clubs, the local absorption center for Ethiopian immigrants, the local Red Magen David station, the archeological excavation, the municipal dog-pound and more.
Once a week is dedicated to renovating bomb shelters. The volunteers also have Hebrew Ulpan lessons and enjoy social activities and trips around the Galilee and Israel at large.

Two cycles of volunteers are planned for each year each for a duration of 6 months.
Every volunteer is “adopted” by a family and they spend together Friday nights, Saturday and holidays.
The first group that arrived in January has representative from across the North American continent: Boston, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Hawaii, Iowa, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Toronto, New York and more. They have all merged well into the everyday life in Tiberias as well as taking advantage of the active social student scene in the area.

Go Galilee – The 13th Annual Tourism Marketing Event
This international conference promoting tourism in the Galilee, for tourism industry agents, operators, journalists, decision makers and heads of congregations world wide has become a tradition hosted by Tiberias since 1990. This year had a special significance because of the war in the Summer which negatively impacted the whole region.
Led by the Tiberias Hotel Association, this 4 day conference, held January 30th – February 4th, hosting over 150 participants from across the globe, began with an opening ceremony at the new archeological excavation site of the Roman city in Tiberias. The purpose of this event was to expose the participants to the multitude of sites and experiences the religious, historical, leisure & sports that our region has to offer.
The participants from the USA, Philippines, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Hong-Kong, Russia, Bellarus and more, toured Tiberias, the Galilee, the Golan Heights, Nazareth, Acre (Acco) etc.
Two events especially worth while noting: The Friday evening Home Hospitality event, where Tiberian families, known for their unique and heart warming hospitality, opened their homes and hosted the participants for a traditional Sabbath meal.

Second – On the fourth day they participated in a Driving Rally. With a rented car, a map of the region and general directions they drove around the Galilee region. They had to arrive at certain set sites and then return to Tiberias. Well, it was a success, as they could see, first hand, that the area was safe and peaceful.
At the end of the convention – some participants noted – humorously – that the experience they had was so eventful that they think the convention should change its name to: Go – Go –Go – Galilee!!!

New Horizons for Civil Diplomacy
While widening the civil diplomacy activity in town, opening mere gates and developing connection’s with the world – we have added two more towns to the list of twin-towns that is growing rapidly
The town’s council confirmed agreements with St. Rafael in France and Wuxi in China.
St. Rafael, is located in the French Riviera and is a known recreational resort.
Wuxi, is the 10th largest city in China, about a 2 hours drive away from Shanghai, with over 4.5 million permanent residents and lies on the shores of Taho Lake.
2 delegated from foreign affairs in Wuxi arrived in March for a 3 days visit, as the town’s guests.
They met the Mayor Mr. Zohar Oved, and visited the local police station speaking with the Deputy Chief, toured an elementary school, the Dona Gracia Historical Museum, and other interesting and historical sites.
Especially worth noting the visit to the local High-Tech Galtronics Plant in Upper Tiberias Industrial zone – a major manufacturer and supplier of antenas to various known international communication companies such as Motorola and Samsung. Galtronics recently established a factory in Wuxi, a new branch to this company.

This was a preliminary visit in preparation of the visit by Deputy Mayor of Wuxi Mr. Ma, which will take place at the end of April which is arriving for the official signing of the formal agreement between the two cities.
These two cities will join our twin-cities:
France – Montpellier.
Germany – Worms
USA – Greatneck, New York
USA – Tulsa, Oklahoma
USA – Allentown, Pennsilvenia

News Events & Visits

Israel Youth Award
Tiberias has joined the International Youth Award, an international challenging program for personal leadership and excellence amongst youth in the community.
The participants are between 14-25 years old, exhibiting outstanding work and abilities in areas of volunteering in the community, youth activity and personal excellence. The participants will take part in an exchange delegation with peers from other countries.

Tourism in Tiberias
Tiberias has taken the lead as the most toured town in Israel during 2006 with 10% growth in the number of visitors despite the war in the Summer.
This is especially significant when comparing to major tourism cities such as Tel Aviv & Eilat with 2-3%.

Tiberias Youth Volunteering in Tourism
The Tourists Department in Tiberias municipality with the assistance of local Junior High Schools have created a program for training students for participation in welcoming the tourist in the Passover Holiday.
A tourist information stand will be placed in the town center and the students will hand out pamphlets, brochures information about events in town and places worth while visiting.
This activity is part of a project called “Tiberias welcomes Tourists”.
In this project the pupils will benefit as they’ll learn about Historical places in Tiberias, how tourism and tourists are important to the country in general and in Tiberias especially.

A rally in support of the three abducted IDF soldiers in Lebanon & Gaza
Many Tiberias pupils took part in a demonstration calling for the release of Israeli P.O.W in Lebanon and Gaza. On January 22, 2007, the “Ulpana” (a Junior High School for girls) which initiated the ralley with students from Tiberias Junior and high schools in the effort to free the 3 soldiers held in captivity – Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser

Parent Organization Annual conference
On February 2, the annual parent's convention took place with over 350 delegated from all educational facilities in the city. This year the subject was: Involvement and the will to influence the education of the students

Cleaning the Tiberias Marine
On January 26, the Police Underwater Volunteer Diving Unit initiated a cleanup campaign for removing the dirt from the bottom of the lake. Approximately a ton of dirt was removed – for the benefit of the lake and the environment.

Recital For Tiberias
The well-known American-Korean Artist Chiang Chekaing, performed a Piano Concert in the local Music Conservatorium as a tribute to Tiberias, which took place on 29.1.07. This was made possible through the Oklahoma-Israel friendship initiative (OKI).

The “Taste a Falafel” Celebrations
Sunday, February 18 was a special day for all Tiberias residents – The 50 years old “Center” of kiosks of Falafel and other food and clothing, was taken down and moved across the street, in order to allow the construction of a major office building. On the day, all residents and visitors were invited to enjoy free Falafel as a celebration of old and new.
The new building construction is part of a major development initiative taking place across town and evident to all visitors. Once the building is complete, the kiosks and Falafel stands will be moved back to their original location – with a new and improved modern facility. For all Tiberian residents and visitors this marks a major change that will inevitably result in a new Tiberias.

Comic-Sra’alla
In March famous Israeli artists from across the country participated in a unique exhibition of comics drawings portraying the 2nd Lebanese war from a humoristic angle. The comics showed the events and sentiments of the artists and of all those experiencing the war that burst into our lives in the middle of the summer

Visits

Mr. Rich Wolf, President of the Jewish Press Association in the USA paid a visit in town on the 25th of January. The Mayor, Mr. Zohar Oved gave a presentation of the various touristic and major construction projects going on around the city. Mr. Rich was then escorted around town to witness the changes. During the visit it was agreed to continue the co-operation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 19.2.07, a delegation from Bucharest arrived for a friendly visit. During their visit, they met the Mayor Mr. Zohar Oved, the municipality town council and department directors in the town hall.
They Romanian delegation was presented with future plans for the town’s development. Further collaboration was agreed upon.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prof. Yuli Tamir, the Israeli Minister of Education paid a formal visit to Tiberias hosted by Dror Lalush the Deputy Mayor and Head of Education. On her tour of the town she was introduced to the major educational facilities as well as met leading educators and administrators. Minister Tamir was truly impressed by the significant achievements she witnessed and promised to direct special funding for improvement and strengthening of the following issues:
- Expanding the Day-long educational program
- Computer and technology learning
- Improving achievement in matriculation exams.
- Dorm construction for college students.
- School facilities' renovation.

elctronic newsletter no' 1

2007-08-24T19:17:00.000+03:00

•Over 200 Katyusha missiles hit the city
•Numerous homes, businesses, public buildings were hit
•Miraculously - Zero fatalities
•Residents of Tiberias were forced to go into the bomb shelters
•Others fled to the south
•The city resembled a ghost town
•A special municipal-police-military task force was set up
•The municipal services provided food, supplies, educational activities to the shelter dweling citizens

Foreign Affairs Office
Tiberias Municipality
Dear Friends, Supporters and Guests of Tiberias,
The hardships of war as experienced by the residents of Tiberias, during July-August 2006 has taught us that your support and interest are priceless.
As the world celebrates the beginning of the New Year 2007, we have taken the opportunity to look back and reflect on the process of recovery that has taken place in the city following the war. We are pleased to begin a new tradition of updates of events that we will be sending every few months to all of our dear friends, supporters and guests. We hope this will help maintain an ongoing connection between you and our city, give an idea of current events as they take place, and send a message of optimism and hope.
We would greatly appreciate your feedback and response.
Sincerely,
Eitan Oved
Councilman in charge of Foreign Affairs
Tiberias Municipality

The Tiberias International Marathon
Approx. 4000 runners participated in the 30th International Marathon in Tiberias on the 4/1/2007, organized by the Tiberias Municipality and the Athletics Organization. Senior runners from Ethiopia, Kenya, Europe and Bajarain (Muslim state) as well as Israeli runners took part in the festive competition. More than $100,000 were distributed between the winners.
As a part of the Marathon, a number of additional competitions were organized: A 10 km race, A popular race (2,5 km) for school students, A 10 km run for IDF (military) champions, a waiters race, etc.
1st place- Moshir Salam G`auer from Bajarain (2:13.12 hours)
1st Israeli runner- Asaf Bimaro
1st Female runner- Nili Abramseh

Tiberias Excavation

The sixth digging season, was recently concluded in Ancient Tiberias, under the National Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During the present digging season the excavations focused on the exposure of the Presidential Bench and the Sanhedrin building (called the Tiberias Basilica); where the Palace of Justice of the Ancient Jewish of Israel functioned in Tiberias. Diggers found out that the building was built in the IV century AC - the golden époque of Tiberias during the Wise and Presidential Times.
In addition, planning was approved for the establishement of The Archeological Garden of Tiberias, a project of grand scope at 22 millions NIS, granted by the Prime Minister, Mr. Ehud Olmert.
The heart of the project will be the full exposure of the Roman Theatre, built at the foot of the Bereniki Mt., on the south border of modern Tiberias. The traces (the eastern wall of the theatre, 5 meters height and part of the seats) were discovered in 1990, during the initial excavations. The ancient theatre, located at about 200 meters from the Sea of Galilee with 5000 seats (the largest scale Roman theatre in Israel), is considered to have a tremendous economic and tourist potential. The park, that will be built at the spot, will be called “Berko`s Park”, after the name of Oz Bercovich, a high ranking official from the Treasure Ministry and a Tiberias citizen deceased a few months ago.
The archeological excavations have been led in the past ten years by Prof. Yizhar Hirschfeld from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Iosi Stefansky, from the National Antiquities Authority. Professor Hirschfeld has recently passed away, symbolically on the last day of the excavations, leaving a an enormous body of work and having advanced the process of recovering the rich ancient history of the region tremendously. A process has now begun to name his predecessor from the ranks of the Hebrew University academy.

Tiberias Rowing club
Israel Chmpion 2006

October was a month to remember in Tiberias and especially in the rowing club. Our team of young rowers and the adult group competed against the teams of Haifa and Tel Aviv for the title of 2006 Israel Rowing Championship.
The event took place on the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv and among the crowd that came to applaud and watch were Prof. Jan Bojua of Belgium and the 2 sport journalists from the “Rowing News” international sports newspaper.
The team competed in rowing boats for 8, 4 and 2 participants and also in a Skif Olympic boat. The young team as well as the adult team took all the first prizes and also gold medals as the Israeli Olympic team. They will take part in the 2007 World Championship as well as the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. This will be the first time ever, an Israeli team takes part in the rowing competition.
We wish all the luck and success to the team, the coaches and managers. We are proud to be a part of all this.

Taste of the Sea of Galilee
Tiberias food festival

During the first 2 weeks of December, we celebrated the annual food festival: “Taste of the Sea of Galilee”. A unique festival dedicated to the various dishes, tastes and scents of the region. The closeness to the Galilee Sea together with the influence of the culinary traditions brought to Tiberias from numerous countries of the world by the immigrants who settled in the city, has created a new culinary tradition which has become world renowned.
Thousands of tourists participated in the events which included open house visits to authentic homes in Tiberias who offered their home cooking to the public: couscous, falafel, unique fish dishes and much more. In addition, they experienced a wide range of guided tours and trips to the unique sites of the region: Tombs of the Righteous (Zadikim), 3000 year old archeological sites etc.
The public also had a chance to attend unique cooking and baking seminars and classes with well renowned Israeli Chefs utilizing the region’s special products: Bananas, dates, St. Peter’s fish, Anis and more.
This annual event has succeeded in raising awareness for the richness of culture, history and folklore of the region. Following the war in the Summer, this was the first show of public support of thousands of visitors that flocked to the area to participate