Agreement signed: 21 June 2010
Range of cooperation: Exchange of experiences in municipal management, cooperation between non-governmental organizations, culture, education, science, the economy, tourism, sport, citizens' health care, environmental protection, mutual contacts between the communities of both cities.
Population: 78 thousand inhabitants
Location: The city is situated in Central District in Israel, north of Tel Aviv, on the Sharon Plain.
Information about the city: The city of Ra'anana was founded in 1922 as an agricultural settlement, then in 1936 it gained the status of a local government.
Throughout its history, the city of Ra'anana changed its profile, which was initially agriculture, to become one of the most important cities in Israel with a high standard of living.
The city authorities attach great importance to education, culture, sport and projects dedicated to young people. The Open University of Israel, which specializes in distance learning, has its seat in Ra'anana
Ra'anana is a green city and its authorities care about the quality of the environment which is confirmed by the ISO - 14 000 environmental quality certificate awarded to the City.
The largest park on the Sharon plain has been created in the western part of the city.. There is a lake with two fountains surrounded by numerous gardens connected by shaded lanes
and cycling paths. Many recreation areas, an amphitheatre, sports facilities, zoological garden and many other attractions await the inhabitants and visitors.
The World Heath Organization awarded Ra'anana with the "Safe Community" title. Ra'anana is a friendly place for everyone, that is why the authorities created the Park Chaverim (Friendship Park) playground for children with disabilities.
In recent years Ra'anana has become an important centre of advanced information technologies. Companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft Israel have chosen to establish their offices
in Ra'anana.
Recent events:
From 18 to 21 September this year, a delegation from the City of Poznań paid an official visit to its partner city of Raanana, Israel. The delegation had been invited by the partner city's authorities. The visit's mayor objective was to re-sign - on the initiative of the authorities of the City of Raanana - a cooperation agreement between Poznań and Raanana. The two cities commenced formally their partnership cooperation on 21 June 2010 by concluding an agreement on bilateral contacts in the area of e.g. culture, science, sport, economy. The signing of the agreement in Raanana is symbolic in its nature, and serves as a confirmation of the provisions of the first agreement.
The ceremony of signing the agreement by the Mayor of Poznań and the Mayor of Raanana took place on 20 September this year in the Yad LaBanim Gallery community center.
During their stay, the Poznań delegates visited e.g. the Raanana Music Center, which is a buoyant center for culture and music education with a modern concert and recording hall. Ms. Limor Akta, Director of the Raanana Music Center, and her husband Mr. Tamir Akta, an extinguished trumpeter, took part in the European Meetings of Jazz Traditionalists in Poznań in 2010, where Mr. Tamir Akta conducted master classes for the students of the Music Academy and the Mieczysław Karłowicz Comprehensive Second Degree Music School in Poznań.
The Poznań delegation met also with the representatives of the Polish Embassy in Israel, as well as of the Israel-Poland Friendship Association, which, together with the Poznań branch of the Association of Jewish Religious Communities in the Republic of Poland, was the initiator of the first unofficial contacts between Poznań and Raanana.
Contact in Ra'anana:
Municipality of Raanana
103 Ahuza ST.
Raanana
43 100 Israel
Tel. +972-9-7610200
Fax: +972-9-7610207
www.raanana.muni.il