NEW YORK – When Andrew Cuomo’s resignation goes into effect amid an escalating sexual impropriety scandal, Kathy Hochul, who assumed office as lieutenant governor in 2015 following a stint in Congress, will become the first woman governor of New York State.
Despite keeping a lower profile than her predecessor, scores of Jewish community leaders say Hochul, 62, is a familiar face who has already developed deep relationships with New York Jews. Local Jewish leaders express confidence in Democrat Hochul’s ability to lead and eagerness to work with the Buffalo native.
While Cuomo established strong Jewish ties during his three terms as New York’s chief executive – irrespective of the recent allegations that he sexually harassed 11 women – communal leaders emphasized that Hochul will be sworn into office with her own distinctive set of enduring connections.
“I have been privileged to know Kathy Hochul for a number of years,” Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, told The Jerusalem Post.
“I’ve always been impressed with her willingness to understand the breadth and depth of the Jewish community. She doesn’t attend to just one particular group, but rather has a very pluralistic approach, seeking to lead the diverse Jewish community. She’s also always ready to learn about who we are and what we care about. Kathy is an ardent listener, she comes in and takes notes, she doesn’t just impose her views on everyone else. When she says ‘I’ll get back to you,’ she gets back to you. I admire that kind of professionalism. And she understands the challenges of the position.”
Potasnik called Cuomo’s scandal “tragic,” adding that he was a “great friend to the Jewish community.”
He said eventually he’ll reach out to Hochul and establish objectives for addressing issues of importance to the Jewish community, the ones he said Cuomo did an excellent job tackling, including the skyrocketing rates of antisemitic hate crimes and enforcement of anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanction against Israel laws in New York State.
But right now, Potasnik continued, Hochul’s priority should be “reorganizing the office to make sure whatever toxicity was there is no longer there.”
“I don’t want to overwhelm her,” he continued. “It’s important to be sensitive right now.”
IN AN unforeseen downfall as one of the most prominent US politicians, Cuomo, who had been saluted as the face of governing competence throughout the early months of the pandemic, announced his resignation on August 10, after a five-month investigation overseen by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The report concluded he had engaged in conduct that violated US and state laws. Mounting pressures and demands of his resignation from President Joe Biden and others, including House Democrats, followed.
“Wasting energy on distractions is the last thing that state government should be doing, and I cannot be the cause of that,” Cuomo, 63, said in remarks from the state capital of Albany.
“I think that, given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing,” he added, while insisting that the investigation findings are flawed.
Hochul, who served one term in Congress before Cuomo selected her as his running mate, said in a statement she agreed with the governor’s decision to step down.
“It is the right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers,” she said. “As someone who has served at all levels of government and is next in the line of succession, I am prepared to lead as New York State’s 57th governor.”
In her first public remarks since Cuomo’s resignation, Hochul said she’s planning for a culture change in Albany as she takes over, noting that Cuomo has pledged to support a smooth transition.
While she agreed with his policies – such as those around clean energy, housing and economic development – she and the governor hadn’t been close, the Wall Street Journal reported, adding that she guarantees no one will ever describe her administration as toxic.
US Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-Manhattan) reportedly called the resignation a “meaningful step forward for New York. There can be no tolerance for a culture of sexual harassment in the highest levels of our government. I thank the women who had the courage to tell the truth.”
UJA-Federation of New York wished Hochul “enormous success as she steps up to lead New York State.”
“We stand ready to work with her to address the needs of all New Yorkers during this critical time,” UJA said.
State Senator Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills) said Hochul “has often been called an Honorary Long Islander because she spends so much time here fighting for issues that matter to us.”
MATT NOSANCHUK, president and co-founder of New York Jewish Agenda (NYJA), a liberal group among the first to call for the resignation of Cuomo in March, told the Post he is pleased to see Cuomo step down and is looking forward to working with Hochul.
In an April interview with the Post, Nosanchuk discussed NYJA’s decision to join the call for Cuomo’s removal, citing Jewish values the organization was founded on.
“NYJA was created to amplify the voices of Jewish leaders in New York State. We’re guided by core Jewish values, which include dignity, equality, justice, responsibility and unity,” Nosanchuk said.
“When you think about those values, there’s the implication that elected officials should live up to those values, which are not only Jewish values but core democratic and American values. So we felt it was incumbent upon us to speak out. Cuomo has lost public trust in his leadership and he should take responsibility and act accordingly. We recognize that this is an issue with a divergence of views, but when we balanced that against our need for public trust and confidence, that’s how we decided speaking up was the right thing to do.”
Following the announcement of Cuomo’s resignation, Nosanchuk added, “There are a lot of issues facing New York today: pandemic recovery, transportation, racial injustice, and economic inequality. There needs to be a governor who can focus on these issues and not be distracted by allegations.”
He expressed hope that the working relationship between the governor and New York City mayor’s office will improve.
“The absence of that has not been to the benefit of New Yorkers,” he continued. “Additionally, with troubling and rising instances of antisemitism, we want to support the governor’s efforts to address hate and bigotry in all of its forms.”
Nosanchuk recalled that when NYJA launched in March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Hochul spoke at the group’s first event, held virtually on Zoom.
“We had some unknowing foresight there in having her appear at our first event,” he said. “The fact that she was willing to appear at our event, even though we were a brand new organization, demonstrates that she really values the Jewish community and is willing to work with all parts of our community, including the liberal mainstream majority.