A California pro-Israel group is "thrilled" that one city is ignoring opposition and upholding a partnership with an Israeli city.
Sacramento council members will join a pro-Israel group and an Israeli emergency response organization in dedicating an ambulance to honor a new sister city. The ambulance was donated by 13-year-old Robert Leeds for his bar mitzvah and will be sent to the city of Ashkelon in Israel.
Gail Rubin, the Sacramento/Davis area coordinator for StandWithUs, says the dedication on January 8 will honor Sacramento's new relationship with its sister city, Ashkelon.
"This ambulance dedication is a 'thank you' to the city of Sacramento for upholding its principles of sister city partnerships, despite the efforts of anti-Israel groups who opposed the resolution last August," Rubin explains. "Ashkelon shares with Sacramento its status as a port city, and the relationship will stimulate cultural, economic, and person-to-person exchanges."
Leeds feels the gift shows that he and many others stand with Israel. The Sacramento City Council voted to partner with Ashkelon despite opposition from Palestinian Americans and other groups.
In 2009, Sacramento partnered with Ashkelon to match its partnership with Palestinian-controlled Bethlehem.