Michael Pappo, Executive Director of the Indianapolis Jewish Federation and Chuck Cohen, chairman of its Allocations Committee visited this week in Akko. Together with area leaders, they toured the city and visited community police stations in an effort to measure the need for continued support of the community police project.

In collaboration with the city of Akko and the Mate Asher Regional Council, Akko's "Community Police Project" is supported by the Partner Communities of the IEC Consortium (Canton, Dallas, Dayton, Ft. Worth, Louisville, Omaha, San Antonio and Youngstown). The project calls for the establishment of nine community police stations, additional resources to the existing Bicycle Patrol and the establishment of a command and control center with video cameras strategically placed above the city's main thoroughfares. Furthermore, with Jewish Agency assistance and Partner Community financing, two "Community Police" patrol cars were added to the force and have begun patrolling Akko's streets.

Shimon Lankry, Akko's mayor called on city residents to join the Civil Guard and take an active role in providing security for their neighbors. To set a personal example, Mayor Lankry and the city's department heads were the first to join.

Daemon Rose, area manager of the Jewish Agency's Partnership 2000 and Bracha Tzuriel, the communities' representative in Israel toured the area with the American guests. Together they visited the Western Galilee Regional College where they reviewed continued support for the Student Security Scholarship Program and the Western Galilee Regional Health Center where they heard of the urgent need to purchase additional monitoring units for the hospital's emergency room.

The Jewish Agency's Partnership 2000 program promotes personal and professional contacts between the residents of the Central Area Consortium composed of 13 Jewish Communities throughout the Mid-West region of the United States and the Western Galilee, the city of Akko, the Mate Asher Regional Council for the enhancement and development of the area's cultural, educational, economic and communal resources.

For further information e-mail Sigalit Livni: SigalitL@jafi.org
Marketing Coordinator- Western Galilee Partnership with Israel
The Jewish Agency

  Sivan 5764 - June 2004