Following a tour of City Hall at Kikar Safra Square, lead by Deputy Mayor Naomi Tsur, Deputy FM Danny Ayalon opened the International Mayors Conference this evening in Jerusalem City Council Hall. Attending the conference are mayors from cities in Canada, Malta, Australia, Philippines, Peru, USA, El Salvador, Nepal, Kyrgistan, Hungary, Slovakia, Zimbabwe, Guinea, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Dominica, Cape Verde and of course Nir Barkat, Mayor of Jerusalem. Present at the opening ceremony were the Costus of The Holy Land, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and Jack Rosen, Chairman of the American Council for World Jewry.

Participants will have an opportunity to get to know each other and develop ties and cooperation, get to know Israel while visiting Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv, Haifa, the Dead Sea and Masada, and get an introduction to Israeli technology, science, security and agricultural developments.

Speaking to IDF Radio, Jack Rosen, Chairman of the American Council for World Jewry.said it is important to remember that some of the visiting mayors have aspirations to become national leaders in the future.

The principal aims of the Council for World Jewry include addressing tensions and narrowing the gaps between peoples of different backgrounds and faiths. It seeks to devise programs of education and public advocacy, combat the rampant anti-Semitism that disfigures so many parts of the globe, support Israel, and promote the establishment of humanitarian and civil rights for all.