Agudath Israel of America was honored to participate in New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address delivered yesterday. We thank the Governor’s Office for inviting us to this important event.

We especially appreciated the Governor’s clear denunciation of the evil scourge of anti-Semitism at the very onset of his speech, as he praised those Jewish Community Centers that were threatened and refused to yield to intimidation.

This Governor’s actions match his words, as evidenced by the $25 million he included in this past year’s budget to enhance security for religious institutions and to combat hate crimes.

We look forward to the Governor’s detailed executive budget proposal which will be released in the weeks ahead, and particularly await the details of the Governor’s call to restructure our tax code and to expand educational opportunity.

It is a privilege for us at Agudath Israel to work together with Governor Cuomo and other elected officials throughout the year, as we strive to protect and promote the interests of the community.

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