Agudath Israel of America welcomes and congratulates Governor Kathy Hochul upon her taking office today. The Agudah, and Orthodox Jews across New York State, offer Governor Hochul their best wishes for success, and are optimistic for opportunities for communal collaboration with Ms. Hochul as she assumes her position as New York’s State’s 57th governor.
Agudath Israel has had several significant interactions with Ms. Hochul during her tenure as lieutenant governor. Most notably, as keynote speaker at the Agudah’s Yeshiva Summit in October 2018, then Lt. Governor Hochul warmed an audience filled with nearly every yeshiva administrator in New York state when she emphatically said, “I will always be willing to meet with Agudah whenever it comes to Albany and will always extend my warmest welcome to them… There are two issues that are critically important to me. One is – and I say this as a product of a religious school upbringing – your right to educate your children wherever you choose. And the second is to support your families and children in yeshivas; to carry on your traditions. Your children have a right to learn in yeshivas while feeling safe, secure, and free of antisemitism. Because we have to protect your way of life… Thank you for preserving a beautiful culture, religion and way of life. You are part of what makes New York such an amazingly diverse community to live in.”
The past year and a half has been trying for New Yorkers. A new virus, Covid-19, has interrupted the fiber of normalcy in our lives, and continues to elude scientists as it mutates and takes new forms. Crime has risen. And an old virus, the ugly blight in every form that is antisemitism, is metastasizing within our society.
The Agudah looks forward to working with Governor Hochul and her team to help address these and other concerns.
August 24th, 2021
