Dear residents,
It is hard to believe that one year ago, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, we approached the New Year holiday with so much hope and optimism. Unfortunately, reality hit us hard and surprised us by its strength.
On Saturday, October 7th, instead of celebrating Simchat Torah, we found ourselves facing the worst and most brutal terrorist attack in the history of the State of Israel.
Since that painful morning, IDF men and women have been fighting with extraordinary courage; in the air, at sea and on land - I call them the "Victory Generation".
The brutal massacre in the southern settlements and the war which is still raging in the north, in the south and in Judea and Samaria, has painfully claimed many lives.
Our city has suffered an unimaginable loss; soldiers, commanders, in regular and reserve service, men and women of our city, who fell on the 7th of October and in the ensuing war.
I know they always say that the best fall, but I must say from my conversations with family members of the fallen, this is not just a clich?. We lost some of the best of our sons and daughters. May their memories be as a blessing.
In addition, two residents of our city were murdered at the party and there are other victims who have a connection to the city or who are buried in the city.
During the year we worked hard to commemorate the war dead. So far, we have dedicated 17 areas of our city, public pathways and stairwells, in municipal ceremonies in memory of those who fell in the Iron Swords War. This is our humble and respectful way of perpetuating the memory of the fallen.
The war brought with it a new security reality and difficult challenges here as well. The tragic events brought into focus the special nature of our city. Mutual responsibility was the order of the day. Already from the first day of the war, residents of the city understood the magnitude of the event, and began to act, hand in hand, with the municipality.
In view of the situation, we acted immediately and with full force to strengthen personal security for the city's residents, alongside the continuation of the regular functioning of the municipal system - operating the education system, keeping the streets clean, providing social services and many other municipal services.
We paid special attention to strengthening the security system in the city. We increased the number of security patrols, with an emphasis on additional security around educational institutions, expanded the deployment of security forces around the perimeter fence, added advanced technological means, purchased weapons and established, together with the Modi’in Police, six emergency response units.
These operations, which we carried out from the morning of October 7th, constituted significant additional security measures, in addition to the existing security forces operating in the city.
The past year emphasized the need for increased security preparedness, so we added hundreds of security cameras throughout the city as well as in the perimeter fence area. We will soon integrate a smart analytical system that will provide us with real-time updates and enable fast, available information about unusual events.
The task of maintaining routine during war was not easy, especially for families who experienced the sudden mobilization of army reserves, affecting thousands of residents, leaving families and children behind.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation to everyone who contributed, whether by serving in the military or by inspired volunteerism. Every one of you played an important role in the overall mobilization to protect home and community.
Today, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, our city continues to develop and expand. To our joy and pride, it is one of the most beautiful, developing and advanced cities in Israel with more than 108,000 residents. The city’s good reputation precedes it in many fields in education, volunteering and innovation, whilst a momentum of construction and development is taking place.
We are currently working on the municipality's budget for 2025. The budget was built during a challenging period in the shadow of the war, but it also includes proposals for continued progress and development of the city.
As always, half of the municipality's budget is earmarked for our education system. You already know that for me an investment in education is an investment in our future. I believe that investment in education is an investment in our security.
The new budget will also include special reference to improving personal and municipal security. During 2025 we will establish a security vision center, which will play an important and significant part in the "Safe City" model, so that through improved technological means we will be able to provide an even better service to residents.
In addition, the budget maintains the multi-year process we started, during which we continue to provide means to promote community activities, welfare, culture, sports, leisure and the development of employment areas.
We manage to do this thanks to optimization processes of the municipality's resources that we included in the municipal work plan as part of the "smart city" model and the work of the Municipal Innovation Center.
Despite the complex period we are all going through, we continue to advance several new programs and other significant projects. I would like to share some of them with you here.
I will start with perhaps the most important thing - future construction in the city -because we want our children to live here by our side.
We are now in the advanced planning stages of the master plan for the second phase of the city. The new plan includes about 39,000 new housing units of which at least 12,000 units will be earmarked for the city’s young adults - your children.
Archaeological excavations are being carried out in the area of the future neighborhood "Mayanot" which will be built west of Kramim neighborhood and is in detailed planning stages.
The plan also includes the construction of a hospital, an academic center, a new business district, and a third train station.
Occupancy of Moreshet neighborhood continues despite the difficulty of lack of workers due to the war, and therefore we will continue to invest many resources to make sure that the quality of life for residents of this neighborhood is not harmed.
There are currently 3 schools and 20 kindergartens operating here, and we are still working on the continued population of the neighborhood, which will include high schools and additional kindergartens. In addition, neighborhood businesses are starting to open. I visited some of them and met determined business owners who want to succeed and develop the neighborhood economically and commercially.
Another day care center is slated for the Moreshet neighborhood, to be managed by Sachlavim association, which manages the operation of day care centers in places where the national associations have failed.
We have built day care centers for ages birth to three in the Tsipporim neighborhood.
The plan to establish a neighborhood for students is progressing, which includes dormitories for young students who live in the city, comprising a wide variety of small apartments for rent at reasonable and predetermined prices.
Our city center is vibrant - and we're only at the beginning. The city's first hotel has already started a countdown to opening, and adjacent to it, work continues on the building of an innovative medical center, which will include a front emergency room, operating rooms and specialist clinics.
In the same location, Azrieli Group is building a large complex of cinemas, commercial areas, restaurants and offices, which will be another economic anchor for the city center.
We have just published a tender for the construction of an underground parking lot and exhibition center in the city center (Ma'ar), with 350 parking spaces; and hundreds of meters of commercial and exhibition space is to be established with an investment of over 60 million NIS.
The beating heart of the city is local businesses. We will continue to advance and assist existing businesses on the city center boulevard and in all the commercial centers throughout the city, and to to promote urban renewal in cooperation with the owners of commercial centers.
Construction of the Olympic climbing wall complex is currently being completed and we are preparing for its opening. There is no doubt that this complex will afford the city a central place in the growing climbing industry.
Public transportation, something which bothers you, is slated for change and improvement. Earlier this month I met with the Director General of the Ministry of Transportation. At the meeting it was agreed that soon a tender will be published to select an operator for the array of bus lines in the city. As part of the new plan the number of bus lines will significantly expand, as well as their frequency and routes, with a cost increase of tens of millions of shekels; all for the benefit of our city residents.
Another action plan under way is renewable energy and energy efficiency, out of concern for a better environment and also financial savings. We will complete the installation of solar panels on roofs of public and educational buildings, and continue replacing lighting fixtures with economical LED fixtures, and more.
I would like to conclude by praying for the full recovery of our wounded, for the safety and safe return home of our soldiers and members of the security forces, those fighting in the north, in the south and in Judea and Samaria, on land, air and sea. May they all return to us in peace, healthy and safe. I pray, together with you, for the safe return home of all the hostages – each and every one of them.
Shana Tova.
