Yavne, Israel And East Brunswick Are Officially Sister Cities

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – Mayor Brad Cohen and Economic Development Officer Robert Zuckerman are currently in Israel and they recently signed an agreement to become sister cities.

In November, East Brunswick Council passed a resolution approving a sister city relationship with Yavne.

Located 15 miles from Tel Aviv, Yavne dates back to at least the 13th century B.C.E. With a population of over 55,000, around 65 percent of Yavne's population is younger than 39 and 36 percent of the population is under the age of 21.

Officials from East Brunswick and Yavne signed a twin city agreement and a joint statement to expand ties.

“We are proud of the relationship created today with the city of Yavne and we discovered a wonderful place that is a fertile ground for inter-community cooperation,” Mayor Brad Cohen said during the ceremony.

“We have common values that we would be happy to promote for the well-being of our residents who will enjoy the connection between the cities.”

Yavne is East Brunswick’s third sister city. The other two are with Rivne, Ukraine established earlier this year when the war had just begun and another with China that was signed before the pandemic.

"We are pleased to create partnerships with our new friends from the city of East Brunswick. We agreed to open a joint channel for connections and information sharing when the emphasis will be on sharing communities, environment and innovation in education,” Yavne Mayor, Roy Gabai said.

“The relationship we embroidered today will create value for the residents of the two cities and we are certain that we will establish a unique cooperation between the cities, which will also strengthen the relationship between the countries even further.”

Israel has not had such an agreement in many years. Only recently, Jersey City signed a sister city agreement with Beit Shemesh, Israel's youngest city.

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