"Kiryat Bialik is well prepared": Mayor Eli Dukorsky in an interview ahead of the New Year

Eli Dukorski, the mayor of Kiryat Bialik since 2008, tells in a special interview on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, about the security situation, the municipal preparation and his vision for the city for the coming year. In a conversation with Chai Fe, he talks about dealing with the emergency and the future plans, alongside the war.

"The preparation has proven itself"

"Kiryat Bialik was well organized," says Dukorski. "Over the years, we have practiced possible emergency situations, and now we have seen how significant this preparation was. Last Sunday, 22/09/2024, the missile fell in the north of the city and the practice over the years and the cooperation with the security forces resulted in a very quick treatment. As a municipality, we made sure to add protected spaces. We closed all the protection gaps in 7 kindergartens. We brought 14 institutional protected spaces to the schools, the size of which is almost the size of a classroom. We built 3 floors of protected spaces."

In light of the protection in the educational institutions, do you think there is a place to return the students to the frameworks?

"I am now coming from a meeting of the heads of the authorities in the Gulf Governorate. The picture of the situation is such that I trust the Home Front Command, who have decided not to return to the educational institutions at the moment. The decision regarding the days after Rosh Hashanah depends on the developments of the coming days. Decisions should be made carefully and responsibly."

What can you say to parents of young children, who cannot go to work because the children are at home?

"It's really a sore subject," says Dukorski. "We, as a municipality, have started respite activities in all the city's neighborhoods, but this does not give parents full answers. I think that special education should be excluded, but that also depends on the frontline command."

How were you impressed by the behavior of the residents these days?

"Without a doubt, the residents behaved in a very responsible manner. We saw it when the missile fell. If the residents had not entered the protected areas, we could have seen much worse injuries. Whoever was hurt, was hurt by the projectile. The public is very responsible, maintains its daily routine and follows the instructions of the Home Front Command. I would like to compliment the residents of Kiryat Bialik, seeing their responsible behavior in every missile fire towards the area.

We took care of the families whose homes were damaged. I visited one of the families and in the following days I will visit the other families. The social services department is in contact with them all the time, the municipal treasurer will help with property tax, we help them as much as possible. I wish the injured a speedy recovery and a speedy recovery. There were 3 injured and all were released to their homes.

I would like to congratulate the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff, for the courage in making the latest decisions in the Lebanese arena. If we know how to properly leverage our achievements in Lebanon, we will change the equation. Undoubtedly, our achievements bring the residents' return to the north closer. The reality in which residents and children In Kiryat Bialik, living alongside alarms is not a normal reality. I want to express hope that the situation in the north will also affect the south and that the abductees will return to their homes as soon as possible."

What are the plans for the new year?

"The intention is to continue the momentum of action. The "Iron Swords" war is quite distracting and changes the agenda, but alongside dealing with the situation, we have projects that are important to us to promote. This year we opened the "Rimone" division in the Naot Afek neighborhood, a division that is a growing school that will be in the future Also for the high school. We will continue to populate the Naot Afek neighborhood, we will extend the Shimon Peres promenade to the north (it will connect with Nahal Hanaman), we will extend the Matron route to the Kiryat Bialik industrial area The industrial area of ​​Kiryat Bialik on 240 dunams towards the Kiryat bypass road.

The war now reinforces the need for evacuation and construction projects and we are promoting such projects. Next year we will open another elementary school and we are completing a soccer stadium and a training ground for youth soccer. The hope is that this year the lots will also be marketed for the expansion of the Harkafot neighborhood to the east."

Are there collaborations between the mayors in the region?

"There is a good dialogue between the mayors of Kiryat and Haifa. We had a meeting where we agreed on formulating joint actions. We agreed to meet once every two months, each time in a different authority. I have no doubt that the cooperation can provide good results for the entire region."

You have been the mayor since 2008. How does your experience help you with the challenges of the time?

"There is no doubt that experience is an important thing, especially in a time like this, when we are dealing with a challenging security reality and when we are faced with brutal cuts. The experience and insights I gained are very important. We prepared the city for a difficult day in terms of budgets and the challenges that will come as a result of spending on the war. We refrained from asking for an unusual increase in property taxes and will continue to lead Kiryat Bialik for success."

Would you like to greet the residents on the occasion of the new year?

"I congratulate the residents and wish them a good and happy new year, a year of health and contentment and above all a boring year. We have had two difficult and terrible years in Israeli society, it is time to make the switch to make it better. I am a great believer in the country and its citizens.
And on a personal note to the residents, I wish and promise a year of many good things.