New York Governor Kathy Hochul at a rally for Israel on Oct. 10, 2023. Photo by Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

By Jacob Kornbluh October 16, 2023

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will make her first-ever trip to Israel to express solidarity with its people in the wake of Hamas terrorist attacks, her office announced Monday.  

“During these difficult times, it’s more important than ever for New York to show up in support of Israel,” Hochul said in a statement. 

She plans to meet with Israeli leaders and tour communities targeted by Hamas, which invaded Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,400 Israelis. A spokesperson did not provide details about when she would depart, the length of her stay, or whether she will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The New York Times reported Hochul will first travel to Washington D.C. to meet with White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, who is Jewish, to discuss Israel.

With more than 1.8 million Jews, New York is home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel.

“New York will show the world that we stand with Israel — today, tomorrow and forever,” Hochul said in her announcement.

With her family, Hochul planned a first trip to Israel for the 2021 Thanksgiving weekend when she was lieutenant governor. She canceled that trip to fulfill her new responsibilities as governor in the wake of Andrew Cuomo’s resignation in August 2021, after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment.

She said she was inspired to make the journey by her father, John P. Courtney, an Irish Catholic who had visited Israel and encouraged her to make the trip. 

Hochul follows a tradition of New York leaders visiting the Jewish state during times of conflict. 

Cuomo’s first trip to Israel as governor was during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in 2014. Former Gov. George Pataki visited Israel in 2001 after a weekend of terror attacks that left 26 people dead. Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio traveled to Israel in 2015 amid an outbreak of stabbing attacks in Jerusalem.

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