Gov. Hochul Plans to Visit and Continue to Forge Business Innovations with Israel

By Yehudit Garmaise

“I’m not going to announce any dates, but I’m coming,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul during a Jerusalem Post conference on Monday. 

Calling Israel "extraordinary” and “a unique place that is like no other on this planet,” Gov. Hochul is ready to re-book her travel plans that were canceled when her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, resigned in August 2021.

Gov. Hochul also spoke of “New York’s ongoing collaboration with the state of Israel” three months after NYC sent a delegation of five high-ranking city officials to Israel to speak with innovative Israeli business leaders.

The result of one of those NY-Israel collaborations, Hochul said, is Zooz Power, which developed a fast electric vehicle charging system that recently won a New York-Israel Smart Energy Innovation Challenge that was worth $1 million.

“New York’s collaboration with the state of Israel, a hub for innovative, clean energy technologies, will deliver forward-thinking solutions that will strengthen New York’s EV infrastructure,” Hochul said.

Referencing the rise of anti-Semitism in New York, the governor said ensuring the safety of the Jewish people in her state remains for her, "a deep personal concern,” i24 news reported.

In particular, the governor mentioned the $68 million the state legislature and she brought to enhance security with the latest technologies and tactics at shuls, yeshivas, and other locations that need extra fortification against hate crimes.

Showing her solidarity with the Jewish people, the governor repeated a story she often tells of a 13-year-old boy who asked her whether he should wear his yarmulke on the streets of New York, where he sadly worried he might be "knocked down.” 

“I said, ‘No, you wear that proudly,” the governor recounted telling the Jewish boy. “You are honoring a tradition of generations. You honor who you are, and you will pass it to your children."