By Sunayana Prabhu
MIDDLETOWN – In a special ceremony Jan. 6, Middletown Mayor Tony Perry and the mayor of Israel’s Ofakim City, Itzik Danino, signed an agreement establishing the two towns as sister cities.
Perry welcomed the Ofakim delegation, along with members of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, NJ, during the event. A host of other elected officials attended, including Deputy Mayor Rick Hibell and committee members Kimberly Kratz, Ryan Clarke and Kevin Settembrino, state Sen. Robert Singer, state Sen. Declan O’Scanlon, Assembly members Victoria Flynn and Gerry Scharfenberger, Monmouth County Commissioner Director Tom Arnone, county commissioner Ross Licitra and Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, among others.
Acknowledging the recent violence in Israel, Perry said hate has no place in Monmouth County or the United States. “We are going to say no more,” he said. “The people of Israel should know that they have a friend here and that we, together, can make a change.”
The sister city partnership is intended to combat hate and support the people of Israel. “The American people will not stand for that hate,” Perry said.
Perry reflected on the tragic losses suffered by people in the face of terror and the shared resilience of both towns. Middletown lost 37 residents in the 9/11 attacks; Ofakim has endured the atrocities of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militant attacks and its aftermath. In Israel’s northern Negev, Ofakim lies halfway between Gaza and Beersheva and has lost nearly 48 residents in the armed conflict. The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and Israel continues to this day.
Last year, Perry traveled to Israel after the Hamas attacks and forged a bond with Danino. The new alliance between Middletown and Ofakim is meant to symbolize enduring friendship between the towns in times of both hardship and hope.
The article originally appeared in the January 9 – 15, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
