Efrat, Israel is Downey's newest sister city

Efrat, Israel is a city of about 10,000 people, located approximately 7 1/2 miles from Jerusalem. It’s Downey’s newest sister city, according to Tammy Ashton, president of the Downey Sister Cities Association.

It’s unclear how or why Efrat was chosen as a sister city, but the Downey organization is meeting Wednesday for a live chat with Efrat mayor Oded Revivi. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Barbara J. Riley Center.

In a post in the “Positively Downey” Facebook page, Ashton said Downey Sister Cities plans a 2020 trip to Efrat.