Ganim Announces Sister City Relationship With Bethlehem

Mayor Joe Ganim wrapping up a visit to Israel has announced on the city’s Facebook page a sister city relationship between Bridgeport and Bethlehem.

From Ganim:

Wrapping up this substantive journey to the Holy Land with the spiritual. Very moving to be in Bethlehem, Palestine and have the opportunity to kneel on the hallowed ground where Jesus was born–now the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem’s manger square. As Mayor of Bridgeport I am going to move forward with establishing a sister city relationship with the ancient Palestinian city of Bethlehem. I want to thank Mayor Vera Baboun– فيرا بابون and her administration at the Municipality of Bethlehem for their gracious hospitality in welcoming these visitors from across the globe. Bethlehem is used to the traffic, happily hosting more than a million tourists visiting every year, many of them Christian pilgrims tracing the footsteps of Jesus around Christmastime. Together I hope to forge stronger economic, cultural and educational ties with the people of Bridgeport and this beautiful and sacred city in the hills near Jerusalem. God be with you all.