Washington, DC – A bipartisan group of mayors has returned from Israel as part of a joint delegation sponsored by American Jewish Committee (AJC) Project Interchange and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

The intensive program, which ran from March 17-22, enabled the mayors to gain first-hand knowledge of the situation in Israel at a time when the nation continues to confront ongoing terror attacks and threats from the Iranian regime and its proxies on multiple fronts and grapples with the fate of the 59 hostages still being held in Gaza by Hamas.

“These are powerful experiences that expose mayors to the deep complexity of Israel and the region while also providing insight into how their counterparts navigate challenges often under difficult conditions,” said AJC Chief Field Operations Officer Melanie Maron Pell. “They also get to see how diverse Israeli society really is and draw their own conclusions about life in Israel. Invariably, they come away impressed. This year was no exception.”

This was the fifth delegation sponsored by AJC Project Interchange and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. It was chaired by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and included:

  • Mark Hamm, Mayor, Moore, Okla.
  • John Muns, Mayor, Plano, Texas
  • Christina Muryn, Mayor, Findlay, Ohio
  • Kim Norton, Mayor, Rochester, Minn.
  • Nancy Rotering, Mayor, Highland Park, Ill.
  • Victoria Woodards, Mayor, Tacoma, Wash.
  • Chris Barnett, Supervisor, Orion Township, Mich.

“We are fortunate to have had a delegation of exceptional mayors in Israel last week, where they had the opportunity to discuss common challenges and engage with a range of experts and leaders,” said U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran. “The Conference values its strong partnership with AJC. This collaboration continues to provide a profoundly moving experience for U.S. mayors and gives them a deeper understanding of the country and the challenges it faces.”

The impact of the war against Hamas was a core focus of the trip. The delegation went to Hostage Square in Tel Aviv and met with several hostage families. They also spoke with municipal leaders of affected communities, including Giora Salz, Chair of the Upper Galilee Regional Council, which oversees municipal services for 29 kibbutzim and the Druze community in northern Israel, where thousands of Israelis have been displaced because of the threat of rocket attacks by Hezbollah in nearby Lebanon.