July 09, 2026 • 12 Pages • Volume 23 • Issue 43
Celebrating 23 Years 2002 - 2026
Invitation From The Consul General Of Israel In Miami To Go On A Mission To Israel With European And North American Mayors
By Hallandale Beach Mayor, Joy Cooper
Jul 9, 2026
Last Month, I Received An Invitation From The Consul General Of Israel Here In Miami To Go On A Mission With European And North American Mayors. This Invitation I Did Not Take Lightly. It Is Not Easy To Pick Up And Go Halfway Around The World. With Plenty Going On In The City Including Budget And Tax Debate Going On It Has Been Nonstop. While Flying Into An Active War Zone Was Also A Consideration. I Knew How Safe Israel Is. Since October 7Th I Have Corresponded With Many People That Have Been There And Live There. The Question Became What If I Get Stuck There.
I knew this mission was going to be very educational since it was coupled with Israel Muni EXPO 2026. We would get a chance to interact and learn from mayors that have been dealing with a war for over 3 years. We also would be visiting surrounding areas that were impacted and other official facilities. Most importantly as an American Jewish Mayor, I decided that it was critically important to show solidarity with Israel leaders.
There were over 130 mayors in different groups that were escorted by diplomatic corps members, some former assistant consul generals. Our group was comprised of 5 mayors from south Florida, one from New Jersey and mayors from Germany, Portugal, Italy, Czech, Faro Islands, Romania and an Israeli influencer/reporter Josh Aronson who is an advocate for Autism or who happens to be on the spectrum. The following weekly articles will be a briefing on the mission.
Our first day in Israel started from our home base the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv. This area is considered southern Israel. It needs to be noted that Israel is geographically just about the same size of New Jersey but with a larger population. The topography is very diverse with mountains and plains to the north, the Mediterranean Sea along its coast and a vast desert south.
Tel Aviv has one of the best beaches in my opinion in the world. To it’s east is Jerusalem with the famous Old city. Our first stop was to visit with the Deputy Mayor Assef Weiss of Ramat Gan. This town is a vibrant urban area that has been strategically planned as mixed used. The top industries in the area are high tech and financial. This was one of the areas struck numerous times with cluster bombs. There was some speculation they were targeted due to their industries but in actuality it was due to the ability to reach the area with bombs.
We met at their municipal complex and walked their Emergency Operations Center two stories below ground in a converted underground parking garage. It houses various offices that run a commutation hub, rescue and municipal services. Like our EOC kitchen, showers and stored mattresses. The biggest difference is that their EOC and other municipalities have a direct interoperable statewide technology with every municipality on the same system. Much like our EOC but total technology interconnected with other cities’ national operations.
The amount of planning and resiliency of their city and the strength of their leadership that has been under bombing for years is remarkable. Next week I will continue with more information on our trip.
As always, I am available anytime for your questions, concerns, and ideas to make our City a better place on my Phone/Text at: (954) 632-5700. Or you can email me at: jcooper@cohb.org. Please visit me on my Facebook page at: Mayor Joy Cooper. Like! Follow! And share!