International Focus Magazine Prototype Edition | Page 56

“Sister Cities” con’t. from pg. 13

an alternate basis. Houston and
Chiba do the same. Debates are
held between Perth students and
their peers here. The time difference presents a problem, but that
matters little to pupils who have
made friends across the miles. The
Internet and Skype have made it
easier to communicate.
As humanitarians, the Guayaquil association sends surgeons
to Ecuador to correct cleft palates, while the Karachi association
has led efforts with other groups,
like the one from Istanbul, to raise
funds and in-kind necessities for
victims of earthquakes and floods.
Several of our “twins” are energy cities. Ones such as HoustonAbu Dhabi Sister City Association (HASCA), hosts a breakfast
for Middle East delegates to the
Offshore Technology Conference.

56 iF Magazine | June 2016

Guests have an opportunity to
mingle with industry experts in a
quiet setting. By the way, I was the
Founding President of HASCA.
Some people ask how a Jewish
woman whose maiden name was
“Israel” managed to do that and
wonder if I faced discrimination.
The answer is a resounding “No,”
which demonstrates how getting
to know people on a one-to-one
basis prevents and solves problems.
Although there are many excellent projects by Houston’s other associations, one bears special
mention. In 2009, the HoustonLeipzig Sister Cities Association,
along with Rotary Club members, traveled to Germany to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the
fall of the Berlin Wall, one result
of what was called “the Peaceful
Revolution.” They attended the

dedication of the Peace Window
which they commissioned to
be designed and given to the St.
Thomas Church where Johann
Sebastian Bach spent many years
as choir master. The Houstonians’
gift became a permanent part of
history.
What would President Eisenhower think of the world situation
in this time of fear and danger? I
believe he’d think that Sister Cities are needed now more than
ever.

Ellen Israel
Goldberg,
iF Magazine
Contributing Writer