HOLON, Israel Most Admired Knowledge City 2011 - Nomination form Holon is adopting an approach promoting ongoing renewal, innovation and the pursuit of knowledge and information within the organization and from the organization outward. The city has ways of making the knowledge available to all citizens. There are up-to-date technologies, which are accessible to all of the city's inhabitants. The city respects the cultural diversity of its citizens. The city boasts a comprehensive educational strategy that combines all cultural services. The resource and space allocation facilitates cultural activity among community groups. The City's local newspaper is well anchored and its network of libraries is impressive. The City dedicates its streets to the cause of culture. Holon's school network is connected to the city's cultural activity. The City is blessed with several cultural centers that foster tolerance and dialogue between citizens. Visitors, tourists and residents of different localities have equal access to the resources described below. a) Identity, knowledge and relative capital To what extent is the city's identity unique and well positioned (what is the value of the city's brand and reputation)? Holon is a young city. It was founded in June 1940 with the merger of five Jewish neighborhoods to the south of Tel Aviv - following a decree issued by the British Governor. Since the city was founded on sand ( Hol in Hebrew) dunes, the inhabitants of Kiryat Avoda naturally named their settlement "Holon". The name is also perfectly suited due to the fact that it appears in the Bible " Goshen, Holon and Giloh--eleven towns and their villages " (Joshua 16:51). A committee, which was set up in the young settlement, adopted artist Shoshana Berlin's design for the city's emblem, which highlights several elements which have been the city's trademarks since its inception: dunes, sand and sycamore trees, with the inscription "against all odds". And indeed, to this day, the city still has remaining sand dunes to its south. A sand dune park covering approximately 250 acres is in the initial planning stages. The city is endowed with over one hundred sycamore trees, and all efforts are made to protect them for the enjoyment of generations to come. Over the last 17 years, the City of Holon underwent a process of branding and positioning as the "City of Children". Today, Holon boasts the unique identity of the "City of Children". This process is the result of the urban vision whereby Holon would be a leading city in the lives of its children , enabling them to become familiar with, be exposed to and learn through a wide range of activities geared for children. Holon's transformation into a City of Children began with the election of Moti Sasson as the City's mayor and Hana Hertsman as CEO of the Municipality of Holon in 1993 . This process is reflected on various municipal levels. One of them is the establishment of a broad range of facilities providing children-oriented services . The following are among the facilities established over the years: • The "Begova Haenayim" Gallery provides artistic and cultural enrichment for young children and offers activities designed to familiarize children with topics such as: mathematics, electricity, the eye, brain games, etc. • The Havayeda is an interactive science center that introduces children to the world of science. • The Mediatheque boasts an innovative library, a special section designed especially for children and a unique theater geared for young people with original productions, activities, workshops as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the theater world. • DMH (Design Museum Holon) inaugurated with an extensive educational department. • The Israel Puppet Center incorporating: The School for the Art of Puppetry ; The Israel Museum For the Art Of Puppetry, which offers puppet workshops for children as well as puppet theater. • The Israeli Center for Digital Art is dedicated to introducing the world of video art to children and young people. • The Israeli Museum of Caricature and Comics runs workshops for children. • The Israel Children's Museum attracts visitors from all over Israel for a fascinating experiential tour and unique revolving exhibitions, with an emphasis on tolerance for differences between people. The museum features various exhibitions, such as "Dialogue in the Dark" led by blind guides and "Invitation to Silence" led by deaf guides. 2 Alongside these facilities, Holon also promotes the nurturing and enrichment of children in open urban spaces through the original Story Gardens Project, held in public gardens . The Story Gardens feature environmental sculptures created by well- known artists and inspired by famous children’s stories and fairytales ( a link to a movie regarding The Story Gardens in Holon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrMDIcfXxPU ). The Israeli Philatelic Service has issued three stamps featuring Holon's story gardens, with the city's major sites as a background . An additional story garden is featured on the tab of each stamp, so that in total the stamps feature six story gardens. By issuing the stamps, the Israeli Philatelic Service expressed its great appreciation to the unique project, and it is through the stamps that all Israeli citizens will become acquainted with it . Holon's Story Gardens is a special project initiated and founded by Holon Municipality. The gardens are approximately thirty public parks in which the best Israeli artists created and placed environmental sculptures inspired by well-known and appreciated children's stories. The purpose of the project was to raise the awareness and appreciation of children's literature; the project constitutes another stage in the transformation of Holon into a national culture center for children and the whole family. Among the sculptures featured by the stamps are Dudu Gerstein's sculpture inspired by The Soul Bird, one of Noga Yodkewich's concrete hedgehog sculptures inspired by Shumlik the Hedgehog and one of Dorit Levinstein's sculptures inspired by the Where is Pluto? The tabs of the stamps feature the following: a detail from My Uncle Simha garden, of which sculptures were created by artist Ruth Zarfati; details from the Noa's Sign Language garden, of which sculptures were created by artists Effi Hujesta and Yaniv Shimoni; and a detail from Louse Nechama, of which sculptures were created by artist Israela Hargil As the new stamps were issued, Holon Mayor Motti Sasson said, "The stamps commemorate a beautiful project, which pays tribute to children's literature I hope that as people purchase the stamps, they will also come to Holon to visit our story gardens" (http://www.holon.muni.il/Htmls/English/storyGardenStamps.html ). The "Story Gardens" project was conceived as part of the "green lungs" of Holon, which is one of the greenest cities in Israel. Holon's green areas are currently spread over 300 acres (an area which will double over the next few years), about 6500 trees adorn the city and its avenues and 150 thousand flowers are planted throughout the city every year. The 3 30 Story Gardens are spread across the city's various neighborhoods. The Municipality of Holon invested a great deal in developing each of the sculpture sites, surrounded them with greenery and supplied them with benches and playground equipment for children. A great many visitors from Holon and elsewhere grace the City of Children and enjoy the privilege of sharing a chapter from the history of art and culture and of reacquainting themselves with several of the most prominent works in classic and contemporary children's literature . Based on research conducted in 2009, 73% of Holon's inhabitants indicated that the statement "Holon has attractive parks and green spaces" was an accurate description of their city, namely that Holon is perceived as a green, flourishing city. In the study, the inhabitants were asked what, in their opinion, is the best thing that can be said about their lives in Holon. "The city is beautiful and well cared for" and "well developed parks and gardens" were among the attributes quoted as positive aspects of the. Even the street furniture has donned a character all its own – as such, throughout the city, one can find public benches designed with children in mind, in the spirit of the "City of Children". Eighty such benches have been strategically placed in public gardens. These colorful, child size benches are unique to Holon. Another aspect of children's cultural life is the diversity of special events and festivals such as Holon's Adloyada (Purim parade), the country's biggest Purim carnival in recent years; the International Puppet theatre Festival; the Sounds of Childhood Festival, which introduces children to the performing arts in general and to music and dance in particular; and the Israel Festival in conjunction with the Mediatheque's youth theater offering both original and global performances as part of the National Festival events, thereby creating a new niche – namely the Israel Festival for Children in Holon. Alongside all of the above, there are numerous year-round activities which are of ongoing interest to both children and teenagers. Such are the diverse "Community & Leisure" activities offered in the municipal library network, sports centers, entertainment and recreation centers such as the "Spark Yamit 2000" Water Park with its state-of-the-art water slides and spa facilities and other unique centers. Young children's needs are extensively met in after-school care programs, daycare centers, afternoon childcare settings and enrichment programs, while the needs of older children and teenagers are catered to through clubs and activities tailored to age requirements and changing trends. 4 Another dimension in Holon's branding process as a "City of Children" relates to the activity of the municipality's units geared towards children.