In its last meeting held last week, the Raanana City Council ratified the proposal to sign a twin city treaty with Poznan, Poland.

As such, Poznan will join the six twin cities with which the Raanana Municipality has signed twin city treaties: Opsterland, Holland; Bramsche, Germany; Boulogne-Billancourt, France; Verona, Italy; Tainan, Taiwan and Atlanta, U.S.  Moreover, Raanana has also signed a friendship treaty with the city of Goslar, Germany.

The city of Poznan, the 5th largest city in Poland, is the capital of the Wielkopolska region, and has a population of a half of a million residents.  The city is the 4th largest industrial center in Poland and is situated between Berlin and Warsaw, a distance of 3 hours from each city.  Poznan has signed treaties with 12 cities around the world and is known for its many cultural institutions:  choirs, orchestras, theater, ballet and it has many sports centers.  Poznan will host the IFA games in 2015.

The governor of Wielkopolska and Mayor of Poznan are very pro-Israel.  The Polish representative in the Common Market in the European Parliament is a Poznan resident, who has established a pro-Israel lobby.

Poznan has 12 twin cities around the world and its Jewish community consists of 40 people, including a working synagogue that was renovated, a Jewish cemetery that was also renovated and a community building.  At Poznan high schools, there are courses given in Judaism, Israeli poetry translated to Polish and Jewish culture.  In honor of the State of Israel’s 60th anniversary, special concerts and ceremonies were held in the city.

The relationship between Raanana and Poznan began in 2008, when the Mayor of Poznan visited Israel in a delegation of mayors from around the world in honor of Israel’s 60th anniversary.  The Mayor of Poznan came as a member of the Polish delegation organized by the Friends of Israel-Poland Society, led by the region’s governor.

The director of the Raanana Symphonette, Orit Fogel, introduced the delegation members to Mayor Nahum Hofree.  A year later, the Raanana Symphonette traveled to the Wielkopolska region, on a trip sponsored by the region’s governor and Poznan mayor and they were highly acclaimed there.

In October, 2009, in a vote held in Poznan, on the city treaty, all 24 city council members unanimously voted to sign a twin city treaty with Raanana.

Raanana and Poznan are a symbol of two cities working together, based on their joint commitment to develop and promote sustainability and environmental protection. In December 2008, Poznan hosted the U.N. committee involved on global climate changes.  A few months ago, Raanana Mayor Nahum Hofree participated in the recent international climate committee held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Mayor Nahum Hofree:  “The city of Raanana is pleased to expand its circle of overseas partners and to add new cities in order to strengthen reciprocal ties in the fields of industry and sustainability and to expand the ties of friendships between the Jewish community in Poznan and the residents of Raanana.”