municipal government.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Here,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/727196.jpeg\"\/)
Here, North Macedonian flags fly outside a government building in Skopje. (credit: OGNEN TEOFILOVSKI\/REUTERS)Skopje, like many European capitals, faces familiar urban challenges<\/p>\n
Skopje, like many European capitals, faces familiar urban challenges: traffic congestion, pollution, aging infrastructure, housing pressures, and the growing expectation that city governments should respond faster and more efficiently. Gjorgjievski says he believes Israel\u2019s experience offers valuable insight, not simply because of the country\u2019s technological achievements but because its municipalities have been forced to adapt under extraordinary circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsraeli cities demonstrate something very important, and that is that local government must be prepared before a crisis happens, not improvise when it is already too late,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
What impressed him most, he explained, was the level of organization, rapid response, and coordination between local authorities, emergency services, healthcare providers, and volunteer organizations.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom Israel, we can learn that the resilience of a city is not built only through infrastructure, but also through discipline, trust, preparedness, and clear communication,\u201d he said. \u201cThe city must be a living system that knows how to react, how to protect, and how to continue functioning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those lessons, he says, apply just as much to natural disasters, cyberattacks, and infrastructure failures as they do to security emergencies.<\/p>\n
Speaking with Gjorgjievski, one theme quickly emerges: he sees local government less through the lens of politics than through residents\u2019 everyday experience.<\/p>\n
Managing the greater Skopje metropolis, a city of over 500,000 residents, is a major leap, but Gjorgjievski credits his time in Kisela Voda with shaping his approach. While leading that southern suburb, he says, he discovered there is no such thing as a minor issue when it comes to public service.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere I learned that there is no \u2018small\u2019 issue when it comes to citizens,\u201d he told the Post. \u201cFor some people, it is a street; for others, it is a sidewalk; for others, it is a park; for others, it is a problem with waste or traffic. For the institution, it may be a case file, but for the citizen, it is everyday life.\u201d<\/p>\n
That perspective has shaped his first months leading the republic\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n
Skopje, he said, is \u201ca living organism\u201d made up of different municipalities, neighborhoods, and communities, each with its own priorities and expectations. The immediate challenge after taking office was restoring \u201corder, trust, and the feeling that the city has someone taking care of it,\u201d and Gjorgjievski\u2019s approach is deliberately hands-on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not believe in politics from an office,\u201d he explained. \u201cI believe in fieldwork, in talking with people, and in solving problems step by step.\u201d<\/p>\n
That philosophy also explains why he was drawn to MUNI EXPO.<\/p>\n
Rather than looking for broad theories about urban development, he came searching for ideas that can be implemented back home.<\/p>\n
Among the areas he hopes to improve are crisis coordination between institutions, municipal technology, traffic management, waste collection, water resources, and public safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, visits like this have value only if they lead to concrete ideas that will improve the lives of citizens,\u201d he said. \u201cSkopje deserves modern solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Concrete benefits for citizens\u2019<\/p>\n
Asked how he would describe his city to someone visiting for the first time, Gjorgjievski does not begin with infrastructure projects or investment figures. Instead, he speaks about its identity.<\/p>\n
He describes Skopje as \u201ca city of diversity, cultures, history, hospitality, and people who know how to welcome you with an open heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
That identity is evident throughout the city, from the centuries-old Old Bazaar and the historic Stone Bridge to Matka Canyon and Mount Vodno, which overlooks the capital. It is a city where Ottoman, Byzantine, and modern European influences continue to coexist.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Gjorgjievski readily acknowledges that the city has significant work ahead.<\/p>\n
He wants cleaner streets, better-maintained public spaces, more efficient public transport, additional green areas, and stronger infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal is for Skopje not to be a city that only has beautiful places, but a city that functions the way its citizens deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
The various urban challenges facing European capitals, he argues, cannot be viewed in isolation.<\/p>\n
Traffic contributes to pollution. Infrastructure influences quality of life. Urban planning shapes housing, green spaces, and mobility. The common denominator is whether a city functions efficiently enough to earn its residents\u2019 confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I have to single out one issue,\u201d he said, \u201cit is the functionality of the city. When a city does not function well, citizens lose time, nerves, health, and trust in institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
That, in turn, has reinforced his interest in Israeli innovation.<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s reputation as the \u201cStart-Up Nation\u201d is well known, but Gjorgjievski\u2019s interest is focused on how innovation can improve municipal government rather than simply drive economic growth.<\/p>\n
He points to digital traffic monitoring, smart waste management, water management, energy efficiency, rapid-response systems, and digital public services as areas where Israeli expertise could help cities such as Skopje modernize.<\/p>\n
\u201cCitizens should not lose time at counters,\u201d he said. \u201cThey should not wait for days for information. Institutions should not react slowly when technology already offers faster solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Technology, he argues, should become an everyday tool that makes local government \u201cmore organized, more transparent and closer to citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
That philosophy also underpins his vision for closer cooperation between North Macedonia and Israel.<\/p>\n
Gjorgjievski believes ties between the two countries should increasingly be built city-to-city, with municipalities exchanging expertise in areas including water management, tourism, digital services, energy efficiency, innovation, and security. He also welcomed the prospect of Skopje one day becoming twinned with an Israeli city.<\/p>\n
Such partnerships, he said, should extend far beyond ceremonial agreements.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should mean real cooperation, the exchange of experiences, projects, knowledge, and concrete benefits for citizens,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cthe friendship between Macedonia and Israel should also be deepened at the local level because cities are closest to citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018An attack on the values of Skopje\u2019<\/p>\n
Gjorgjievski\u2019s visit to Israel came just weeks after an incident that challenged one of the values he says defines his city.<\/p>\n
In April, two men poured an accelerant around the entrance of Skopje\u2019s synagogue and Jewish Community Center before hurling a firebomb at the building. While the blaze charred the entrance and courtyard, firefighters prevented it from spreading to the interior. Authorities later arrested several suspects, charging two men with terrorism.<\/p>\n
For North Macedonia\u2019s Jewish community, which only numbers in the hundreds and was decimated by the Holocaust, however, the significance of the attack extended well beyond the physical damage.<\/p>\n
Community leaders described it as the first such assault on Jewish communal life in the country\u2019s modern history. Shortly afterward, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI), an alleged Iranian front group, claimed responsibility, describing the Jewish Community Center as a symbol of the connection between the local Jewish community and Israel.<\/p>\n
Gjorgjievski says his reaction was immediate.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy reaction was clear and human \u2013 shock, concern, and the strongest condemnation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch an act is not an attack only on one building or one community. It is an attack on the values of Skopje, on peace, coexistence, and the dignity of all our citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
He described the Jewish community as \u201can important and respected part of our city and state history,\u201d adding that \u201cantisemitism, hatred, and violence have no place in Skopje.\u201d<\/p>\n
The attack touched a particularly sensitive chapter in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
In March 1943, more than 7,000 Jews from what is now North Macedonia were deported to the Treblinka extermination camp during the Bulgarian occupation. Virtually none returned.<\/p>\n
Today, that history is preserved at the Holocaust Memorial Center for the Jews of Macedonia, which opened in central Skopje in 2011 on the site of the city\u2019s former Jewish quarter. Widely regarded as one of Europe\u2019s strongest examples of Holocaust-era restitution, North Macedonia\u2019s legislation enabled heirless Jewish property to be returned to the Jewish community, helping fund both the memorial and wider communal life. The museum also houses the ashes of Macedonian Jews murdered at Treblinka.<\/p>\n
Gjorgjievski says he believes that history places a responsibility on today\u2019s leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a wound that must not be forgotten,\u201d he told the Post. \u201cThe memory of our fellow Jewish citizens is part of Macedonia\u2019s collective memory, but also our moral obligation to remember, to respect and never to allow hatred, antisemitism, and evil to be repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n
He noted that today, the country\u2019s largest Jewish community lives in Skopje, and described its members as \u201chighly respected and valued citizens\u201d whose culture and traditions continue to enrich Macedonian society. The community also includes Jewish MP and former minister Rashela Mizrahi.<\/p>\n
Asked what message he wanted to send following the attempted arson attack, Gjorgjievski\u2019s answer was brief.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy message is simple and sincere: you are not alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Jewish community in Skopje is part of our city, part of our history, and part of our common future.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs mayor, I have an obligation to ensure that every citizen feels safe, respected, and welcome. No one should live in fear because of their faith, tradition, origin, or identity.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Gjorgjievski, combating antisemitism also requires education. The Holocaust Memorial Center, he argued, should serve as more than a place of remembrance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen young people learn about the Holocaust, they do not learn only about one tragedy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey learn how far hatred can go when it is allowed to become normal. They learn why silence is dangerous. They learn why human dignity must always be defended.\u201d<\/p>\n
He believes the museum should remain \u201ca living place of education, dialogue, and warning,\u201d adding that \u201ccontemporary antisemitism is not defeated only through condemnation. It is defeated through knowledge, education, a culture of respect, and a clear institutional response.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those themes \u2013 preparedness, trust, and responsibility \u2013 are the same ones Gjorgjievski returned to throughout his visit to Israel.<\/p>\n
Whether discussing emergency management, technology, or protecting minority communities, he repeatedly framed the role of local government in practical terms: creating cities that function, respond, and earn the confidence of the people they serve.<\/p>\n
Asked what success would look like when his time as mayor eventually comes to an end, he again avoided sweeping political ambitions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like my legacy to be simple and visible \u2013 for Skopje to once again become a city with order, dignity, and a clear direction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He hopes residents will remember reconstructed streets, renovated parks, better public transport, improved safety, and institutions that are closer to citizens.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, however, he returns to the reason he came to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, visits like this have value only if they lead to concrete ideas that will improve the lives of citizens,\u201d he deliberated.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkopje deserves modern solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For most visitors, Israel is viewed through the prism of geopolitics and eternal conflict. For Orce Gjorgjievski, it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":513637,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,1902,6557,234,1898,85,46,235494,47667,43,209539],"class_list":["post-513636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-antisemitism","tag-diaspora-jews","tag-diplomacy","tag-government","tag-holocaust","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-macedonia","tag-mayor","tag-news","tag-skopje"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=513636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/513637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=513636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=513636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=513636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}