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Tiberias,
Israel
(Since May 1989)
One of the holy cities of Judaism, Tiberias
is located 680 feet below sea level on the shores of the
Sea of Galilee. Tiberias offers a look at an ancient world
of religious symbolism and heritage. Since Tiberias basks
in a mild climate, it is a popular winter resort. Tourism
is its main industry, as thousands of people visit the
city annually to enjoy its hot spring baths, lakeside
resorts, and charming shops and cafes. Tiberias has a
population of about 38,000.
Tulsa's Jewish community has been involved with Tiberias
since 1979 when it assisted an area in Tiberias as part
of the Project Renewal program. From this program, the
bond with Tulsa graduated into a Sister City relationship
with many educational and cultural exchanges. The mayor
of Tiberias brought a delegation of 15 persons and a dance
troupe of 45 dancers for the Sister Cities International
conference in 1992.
Tulsa mayors have led three delegations of community,
business, political and education leaders to Tiberias
to promote exchanges between our two cities. Two groups
of youth from Tiberias participated in the "Breaking Through
The Boundaries" program. Tulsa volunteers travel to Tiberias
to participate in teaching English as a second language
to immigrants. In the summer of 1998, The Tulsa Area Chapter
of the American Red Cross and the Tiberias Chapter of
Magen David Adom, the Israeli version of the Red Cross,
participated in a youth exchange. This marked the first
time that these two organizations cooperated on a youth
exchange, and it allowed participants to learn about each
others' countries and about the services offered by both
agencies.
Tulsa Partnership
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