President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin spoke with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in a video call on Thursday afternoon about the coronavirus pandemic and the difficulties New York is facing.
The president expressed his solidarity with the United States, and particularly with the State of New York, as they deal with the coronavirus pandemic and expressed his sorrow for over sixty thousand who have so far lost their lives in the country, with slightly over eighteen thousand deaths in the state of New York alone.
With over 300 thousand cases, Cuomo's state has become the largest known epicenter of the novel coronavirus, having confirmed more cases than any individual country in the world, outside of the United States.
Rivlin thanked the governor for his commitment New York's Jewish community, saying that "the strong bonds with the American Jewish community are particularly important to us at this time."
The ultra-Orthodox community in the New York City neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Crown Heights, and Borough Park has been hit especially hard, as have other upstate ultra-Orthodox enclaves, and the large hassidic communities have suffered grievous losses from the contagion.
The president told Governor Cuomo that he has been closely following the New York Jewish community, which has been especially hard hit by the virus, saying that he, along with all Israelis, is praying for the recovery of all those who are sick and hoping that a vaccine is found soon.
Rivlin also stressed the importance medical and technological cooperation between New York and Israel, saying that "we will do all we can to work together at this difficult time through sharing technology and professional dialogue."
Back when Israel introduced the controversial concept of police and state services monitoring civillians in early March, many critics were afraid the program would result in breaches of privacy, claiming it as an authoritarian overreach.
However, Israel's decline in cases coupled with heavy Knesset oversight have caused many to view the program as a success, and it seems the New York Governor may have taken tips on contact tracing from Rivlin.
Following the conversation, Governor Cuomo said on Thursday that he would need an "army" of between 6,400 and 17,000 people to trace the contacts of people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus as part of a strategy to limit outbreaks.
Cuomo said that former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg would, in coordination with Johns Hopkins University, oversee the recruitment and training of these "contact tracers" and make the program available to governments worldwide.