Rochester Celebrates 35th Anniversary of Sister Cities Connection with Rehovot

Rochester – Mayor Robert Duffy and City council President Lois Giess will hold the 35th anniversary celebration of the Rochester-Rehovot Sister Cities connection tomorrow evening at the City Hall Atrium.

The Rochester-Rehovot relationship was established by the two city governments in 1972, and since then the two communities have exchanged medical research information, dozens of high school students, dance troops, and visits by government officials and private citizens.

Rochester welcomed the Rehovot Municipal Youth Bank in 2001 and 2003.

The celebration features guest speaker Ms. Mazi Melesa from the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry, who will speak about the Ethiopian community in Israel. Melesa was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and migrated to Israel with her family at the age of 12. She attended high school in her new home and then served for two years in the Israeli army. She has been active for many years in addressing the needs of Ethiopian immigrants in Israel.

Similar to the many settlement houses established in Rochester generations ago, Rehovot is home to a center that helps Ethiopian immigrants adjust to life in their new community. The city has a population of 100,000.

Source: Rochester celebrates 35th anniversary of sister cities connection. EmpireStateNews.Net (8 August 2007) [FullText]