Resilient cities are defined as cities that have the ability to absorb, recover and prepare for future shocks (economic, environmental, social & institutional), promote sustainable development, well-being and inclusive growth. For the last four decades, the Jewish Community Relations Council of NY, as a local organization, has been working to create and solidify relations between NYC and Israel but more importantly, it has been working to promote Social and Communal Resilience in NY. It has been incubating initiatives to create leadership networks for solving common problems, has sustained diverse networks, has empowered and has been empowered by the diverse communities of this city and finally served as the focal point for community action in times of crisis.

As we all know building urban resilience requires a holistic look at the city: understanding the systems that make up the city and the interdependencies and risks they may face. Cities have always served as catalysts for innovation and are at the forefront of addressing our time’s urgent challenges. The “new normal” of 2020 brought about by COVID-19 forced cities, as well as other major organizations, to think and rethink their operations. This is one of the reasons that we, as locally based organization, launched the Resilient Cities program in 2021 with a great admiration to our local government experts and an even greater will to enhance our engagement with them.

We teamed Tel Aviv and NYC for a joint learning process: two global cities, located on beachfronts, smart and technologically driven with a dynamic high-tech community, diverse and inclusive. Both cities have done, and are still doing, tremendous and most creative work in engaging their residents throughout this pandemic, we’re here to learn and share.

“Social Innovation in Resilient Cities NYC and Tel Aviv”

Featuring Alexis Wichowski, Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Innovation for the City of New York and Rinat Guy, Chief Innovation Officer of the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yaffo

March 25, 2021 12pm-1pm EDT

“Civic Engagement, Technology and Resilience in NYC and Tel Aviv”

Featuring John Paul Farmer, New York City Chief Technology Officer and Hilay Selivansky, Tel Aviv Chief Technology Officer

January 14, 2021 12pm-1pm EDT

For more information about Scholars as Bridge Builders and the Resilient Cities Program, contact our team.