The local arena with Raz Kinstlich, the mayor of Rishon Lezion/Walla!
Raz Kinstlich, mayor of Rishon Lezion, is running for a second term in the upcoming elections on 27.2.
In an interview with the local magazine of Walla!
Tells about the assessments of the city during the war and what is expected in the coming years in Rishon Lezion.
We are about two and a half weeks before the elections, in the midst of difficult and complex war days, the city of Rishon Lezion received many alarms and direct hits, and unfortunately also killed, wounded and kidnapped, how do we deal with this situation?
The Iron Sword War inevitably turned the city of Rishon LeZion into one of the most remote cities in Israel.
In recent years we have continued to hold emergency practice and let's not forget that before "Iron Swords" we also experienced 4 military operations.
Already on the second day of the war, we were the first city to establish the neighborhood watch, to which approximately 1,700 residents volunteered to help the security company and the police carry out patrols throughout the city's neighborhoods.
In addition, together with the Home Front Command, we established the "Local People" classes that were mobilized in order 8 for security missions in the city.
Until this moment, we maintain constant supervision at all construction sites.
The city of Rishon Lezion is a 141-year-old city, but mostly protected.
Out of 300 thousand residents, only about 23 thousand residents are without protection at all.
At the beginning of the war we ordered shielding rooms which we place in old kindergartens and educational institutions.
In addition, during these three months, we mapped all the parking lots and educational institutions that residents without protection could reach if, God forbid, a northern front opens.
We have trained dozens of parking lots to be a solution for an extended stay.
During an emergency - the residents without the protection will receive messages informing them which regional parking lot they should go to.
After every alarm, or in any case of an event - we send out an SMS to all the residents of the city to inform them.
In the state of anxiety and panic that we are all in since October 7th, we will do everything so that our residents know that nothing is being hidden from them and everything is transparent and accessible to them.
I must also mention the responsible behavior of our residents, who obey the directives of the Home Front Command and this proves itself.
Where is the city in the field of education, and what are your plans for the future?
One of the things I am most proud of is our education system in recent years.
Rishon Lezion also won the national education award for the first time in its history, which is a huge honor, and an award that testifies to our quality and investment in education.
In Rishon Lezion we have created a unique model in which what was previously reserved only for the private education system, is accepted in the municipal public education system.
This means that in our public education system, you can choose between education in democratic schools, nature parks, Montessori education, English and more.'
We teach a chess class and robotics from kindergarten... things that maybe in other cities you only get in private education.
I want that in the city of Rishon Lezion, every boy and girl will be able to receive the appropriate education in an equal way.
About 36% of the municipality's budget last year was invested only in education!
This is a huge investment and a share that makes it clear how much education is at the forefront of our minds.
We want our children to receive an education for excellence, an innovative, up-to-date education.
We have a school for the gifted among the best in Israel (Ron Verdi), we are the first city to introduce an imagination lab to some of the schools - these are interactive labs where you can learn whole lessons through a combination of visual, sound and touch.
I am very happy that my children study here in the city and every year we also receive requests from parents from other cities who want to integrate their children into our frameworks, but as mentioned - they are only intended for those who study in the city.
The local scene with Raz Kinstlich, the mayor of Rishon Lezion and a candidate in the elections/official website, voila!
What projects are you most proud of?
I am finishing a five-year term, which is indeed considered successful, but it must also be remembered that it was a complex term and I never thought at any point that I would have to face so many challenges in my first term.
As I was sitting on the chair, a military operation "Black Belt" began, during which rockets were also fired at the city.
Immediately after that, the corona epidemic began and it's managing a city while an epidemic is raging outside and no one understands what's going on, and then 3 more military operations and one war that's still going on.
More than anything, I am proud that despite the difficulties and challenges, Rishon Lezion is considered one of the cities that excels in emergencies.
Thanks to the model we created from all these events, today we are truly at the forefront of the issue of security in Israel.
Along with all these challenges, it was also a term full of achievements:
we signed a historic agreement to evacuate the military base located in the city (Range 24)
, thanks to the evacuation agreement, in the first stage, we will clear the city's canopy, which currently stands at only 1 km. We will clear huge areas that will become a nature reserve For the public,
the city of Rishon Lezion was ranked as one of the best cities to live in
in a survey by the CBS that ranked all the cities in Israel according to quality of life parameters.
We have the largest construction evacuation project in the country
in the Ramat Eliyahu neighborhood, which has already begun, the most advanced mixed-use and employment complex built in the Alef complex, we are in the midst of a transportation revolution in the city that will make Rishon Lezion one of the most advanced cities in terms of transportation in the country, we won a beautiful and sustainable city, the award Green Ten, for being a green city.
In these five years, Rishon Lezion has become one of the cities that most encourages medicine in Israel -
a branch of the Ichilov Hospital will open here in the Alef complex in the coming years, Assuta will soon open a new hospital
in the city that will specialize in everything related to orthopedics, there is also a Maccabi institute building that opened here just this week, which includes An MRI machine and all this so that the residents of the city can receive all the medical services close to home and in addition, we are also working on establishing a medical school here in the city of Rishon Lezion - this is not an easy challenge but an important one at the national level as well.
More than anything, I am proud of our residents and residents, thanks to whom Rishon LeZion is one of the most volunteering cities in the country.
The percentage of volunteering here in the city is huge and it warms the heart to know that we have such residents.
It seems that you are marching confidently towards a second term, did the residents of Rishon even go out to vote in the elections?
I am not a single contestant.
There is another candidate for mayor in front of me.
You touch on an important point because it is necessary to understand that the composition of the council is just as important as the election of the mayor.
Without a broad faction it is impossible to work.
It's like a prime minister who failed to bring in enough Knesset members and is bound to a narrow coalition and the interests of each small party.
It is important for me to take advantage of this stage and explain that those who want me to continue the action, should vote for me on two ballots for both the presidency and the council.
I must have the strength and ability to promote my plans and realize the vision of the city.
Raz Kinstlich, the mayor of Rishon LeZion in the local arena/official website, voila!
Rishon Lezion received over 12 thousand new immigrants.
What are your plans for them?
The municipal reception department is committed to the optimal reception of the new immigrants in the city and offers a wide range of services, accompaniment, assistance, activities and events aimed at facilitating the process of their reception and integration into Israeli society.
The wing operates the Immigrant Home and the Veterans Home and operates a variety of programs and a broad envelope in various areas of life: housing, education, employment, education and more.
Through the wing, we provide personal support in all the first stages of reception in Israel and in the city and assistance in exercising rights and assist in reception by Kelt apartments throughout the city.
The municipality operates studios and language reinforcement for immigrants who are interested in it and complementary frameworks for children such as camps, classes and informal activities.
Throughout the year we hold social and leisure activities for all ages, with an emphasis on the topics of the holidays and Israeli society.
We also run groups to empower emerging women.
As for our goals: I plan to establish additional frameworks to reduce language gaps in order for the immigrants to integrate optimally in the city.
To act to integrate academics in the employment market in an appropriate and dedicated manner.
Together with the members of my faction, we will work to establish an array of emotional and psychological torturers for immigrants and open the establishment of complementary social leisure frameworks for immigrant children and youth.
I am also working to establish another housing cluster for the benefit of the immigrant community.
How do you see the city in ten years?
Very simply - the city that is the best to live in Israel in all areas of life.
A city that is good for the whole family, that knows how to embrace its residents with love and not alienate them.
Another thing, to continue to serve the residents of the city with integrity and love.
I hope we will know how to grow out of the difficult crisis we went through and not only win together, but also live together.
Rishon Lezion is a model for living together, for a city that accepts everyone and empowers all the communities that live within it.
I really wake up every morning with a tremendous sense of satisfaction when I know that in the last five years we have promoted things in the city that have not been promoted for many years.
I have every hope that all our abductees and missing people will return home safely and so will all the soldiers and women of the IDF and the security forces. I pray from here for peaceful days in our dear and beloved country.
Walla!
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