President Ron Robin greeted a mission led by San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed and over 30 business and community leaders, who travelled to Israel to mark the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco-Haifa Sister City relationship. During the visit, delegation members heard about the University of Haifa’s role in the downtown revitalization initiative from the Academic Director of the Technological City Campus, Prof. Shuly Wintner (Department of Computer Science) and Dr. Advocate Inbal Rivlin, Head of Strategy and Development for the Haifa Municipality. Participants also met with students from the Leaders of the Future Program, promoting first generation students.

“Our two cities have a lot in common, from evolving technology industries, prominent educational institutions, and a rooted culture that is rich in diversity. It was an honor to meet University of Haifa’s President, Prof. Ron Robin, to learn about ways we can collaborate on climate action, and share the efforts underway to revitalize Haifa and San Francisco’s downtowns. This exchange of ideas is vital to our respective economic futures and an example of the importance of San Francisco’s longstanding relationship with Haifa.”