Governor Andrew Cuomo is on an El Al flight back from Tel Aviv this afternoon after spending 36 hours on a solidarity mission in Israel.
The Governor travelled with a bi-partisan contingent including NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, NYS Senate co-leader Dean Skelos and NYS Senate co-leader Jeff Klein.
The Governor met with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Nentayahu who expressed his appreciation for the Governor’s visit.
Last night, the Governor visited the Kosel. He invited community askan Abe Eisner and Councilman David Greenfield to escort him around the Western Wall and for a tunnel tour.
Reached for comment by YWN, Greenfield said “Governor Cuomo may be the most pro-Israel non-Jewish elected official in New York. It was clear that he felt the security concerns of Israelis and was very passionate about his visit to Israel,” said Greenfield who the Governor invited to join him for a private dinner along with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, US Ambassador Dan Shapiro and Israel Consul General Ido Aharoni.
“I can not overstate how thrilled regular Israelis were at the Governor’s visits and how appreciative they were for his support. All week long, people would come over and ask me “When’s the Governor coming?” Greenfield said. Greenfield spent the week in Israel attending his late father’s yartzheit.
“Equally impressive was the bi-partisan delegation. We all know that Speaker Silver is as as pro-Israel as it gets. However, having him joined by his leadership colleagues – Senators Klein and Skelos sent an incredibly important message that support for Israel transcends even party lines. The trip was truly a kiddush Hasem,” Greenfield concluded.
Sources say that the trip was arranged by Cuomo’s Jewish liaison David Lobl. “The Governor, who has never left the country before as Governor, clearly wanted his first trip to reflect his close relationship with the Jewish community,” said Jeff Leb, political director of the Orthodox Union. “We certainly appreciate his long-standing friendship with our community.”
(Chaim Shapiro – YWN)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
I applaud and thank Governor Cuomo and the Delegation for going to Israel. It really means a lot. The world is upside down now with world opinion really hating Israel and the Jewish people. Anti semitism is reminiscent of pre world war II. It is so appreciated that the Governor went to Israel and showed solidarity with the Jewish people. Thank you Governor Cuomo.