Birmingham's Sister City

Rosh Ha’ayin

In November 2005, Birmingham became the first city to have joint signing with an Arab and an Israeli city. Birmingham and Rosh Ha’ayin signed a Sister City agreement that formalized the long-time relationship between our cities.

Birmingham’s Kimerling family, through building and upgrading Rosh Ha’ayin’s Kimerling Center, has played an important role in Rosh Ha’ayin’s growth.

Our Birmingham Jewish Federation involvement, which included raising money, partnering in the design and implementation of social programs, and creating a series of people to people exchanges between our two communities, helped put Rosh Ha’ayin on the road to progress.

Birmingham has helped Rosh Ha’ayin, but, once our partnership got underway, Rosh Ha’ayin has helped Birmingham.

It has been a two-way street. Our long partnership with Rosh Ha’ayin has given people in Birmingham their own “piece of Israel,” no small feat for a small, Southern Jewish community. In addition, the people who have come to Birmingham from Rosh Ha’ayin — musicians, entertainers, students, teachers, camp counselors, political leaders and community activists — have had a profound impact on our Jewish community.