BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Records obtained by WIVB News 4 show Gov. Kathy Hochul spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on a solidarity trip to Israel last October.
According to state records, more than $12,000 was spent for a total of five state employees to make the three-day trip. It included $9,500 for air travel, $1,300 in hotel expenses, $760 on meals, and $544 dollars in miscellaneous expenses. That also does not include the security detail, or a portion paid for by the governor's campaign coffers.
Rabbi Brent Gutmann is one of more than a million Jewish New Yorkers Hochul said she was representing during her solidarity mission to Israel in October.
"It's deeply important for us to hear that there's a governor that cares and understands that all people deserve the right to live," Rabbi Gutmann said.
He said he supports Hochul's decision to travel abroad in her official role as governor.
"It's well within her purview to make that decision," he said. "The decision to go and be present and stand with Israel is an important thing for a Jewish community to see."
Others across the aisle had mixed feelings about Hochul's actions.
"I don't think the governor learned anything in her trip," Erie County Republican Chairman Michael Kracker said.
Kracker supported the trip, but questioned what taxpayers got in return.
"She's failed to, I think, lead this state through what is an antisemitic crisis," he said. "You've got a 90% hike in hate crimes and a lot of that is directed at students on college campuses."
Hochul declined our request for an interview, but in a statement a spokesman said:
"Governor Hochul has repeatedly condemned antisemitism and hate in all forms, and she'll continue working to ensure New Yorkers of all faiths are safe. Last September, Governor Hochul launched the nation's first comprehensive statewide plan to combat antisemitism which was endorsed by the nonpartisan American Jewish Committee. She fixed the bail laws to crack down on hate crimes, increased funding for at-risk houses of worship by 40 percent, and brought in a respected jurist to review antisemitism on public college campuses. The US-Israel relationship is a cornerstone of American foreign policy and should not be diminished or undermined by partisan political attacks."
Hochul isn't the first New York governor to travel to Israel. Typically, state leaders make international trips to encourage business with New York, according to University at Buffalo Political Science Professor Jacob Neiheisel. Neiheisel said foreign affairs are traditionally left to federal representatives.
Ali Touhey is an anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in 2023. View more of her work here.
