"Seeing my Council work on thismatter so seriously restores my confidence," shared one resident at theend of the ideation event held yesterday at the Mateh Asher Regional Council.
The moving event focused on the themeof "Homecoming". It was led by Mayor Moshe Davidovich as part of the Council'sactivities together with Bloomberg-Sagol's Innovation Track – a uniquecollaboration with our friends at Civix.
The event brought together residentsand stakeholders from across the Council's jurisdiction, opening a window forrenewed thinking about the future.
Significant insights arose from the studypresented at the event:
· Everything haschanged – a new story is needed for northern Israel.
The war hasundermined the unique qualities of the north: the strong community, goodeducation and idyllic country home can no longer be taken for granted. Themotivation to live in the north must be adapted to the new reality, requiring abroad ideological basis.
· Sensitivesectors were more severely impacted by the evacuation – teens, people withspecial needs, and the elderly rely on their familiar surroundings to ensuretheir daily routines.
· The evacuationbrought to light acute gaps between the geographic periphery and central Israelin terms of healthcare, education, housing, transportation, and employment.
· The financialsupport provided to evacuees allowed them to choose alternative residentialoptions. Residents made personal decisions unrelated to their originalcommunities.
· Many communitiesshow resilience but are dependent on the support of the Regional Council andexternal bodies. The weakening of local leadership has been detrimental to thecommunities' functionality and ties with the Regional Council.
From here we go back to the drawingboard and continue our search for ways to strengthen the communal fabric, aspart of the rehabilitation and homecoming process.
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