Twinning agreement with Kiryat Bialik
At its meeting yesterday, the city council decided that Chemnitz would enter into a city partnership with Kirjat Bialik in Israel. This will make the city near Haifa, which is home to almost 40,000 people, Chemnitz's twelfth twin city. It is planned to officially sign the agreement in Chemnitz at the end of October.
Civil society contacts and cultural links have existed between Kiryat Bialik and Chemnitz since 2009. These were initiated primarily by the Jewish community with Dr Ruth Röcher and Prof Rafael Wertheim. These contacts have since been strengthened by many visits by artists from Israel to Chemnitz and groups from Chemnitz to Israel, for example at music schools and chess tournaments.
These relationships have been recognised and taken up by official bodies. In 2018, for example, the mayor of Kiryat Bialik visited Chemnitz for the Jewish Culture Days and gave an opening speech. Since then, there has been a regular exchange between the city representatives. In spring 2022, a Chemnitz delegation travelled to Kiryat Bialik to get to know the city and get the town twinning off the ground.
"With the town twinning, we are recognising the special responsibility of German-Israeli relations. However, it's not just about looking back, but also looking to the future. Both cities can benefit from each other here. At a local level, we bring people together and thus promote international understanding, acceptance and exchange. The city of Chemnitz can also make a contribution to this and at the same time preserve and support Jewish life in our city," says Lord Mayor Sven Schulze.