Hochul’s State of the State Was Another Political Stunt

By Gabriel Boxer

Governor Kathy Hochul’s latest State of the State address was filled with soaring rhetoric, carefully scripted applause lines, and just enough buzzwords to sound like leadership. But for Long Islanders, and for New York’s Jewish community in particular, I have to be honest; it rang hollow.

The Governor spoke about standing with Jewish New Yorkers and fighting antisemitism. She invoked unity and moral clarity.

Yet her actions tell a very different story. Words are easy for politicians. Consistency is much harder.

While antisemitic incidents in New York are at record highs, while Jewish students on our campuses are harassed and intimidated, and synagogues require armed security just to hold services, Governor Hochul continues to empower and align herself with political figures who openly traffic in anti-Israel rhetoric and extremist ideology.

The most glaring example is her support for NYC’s new Mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

Mamdani is no longer a fringe figure. He is now the Mayor, a powerful symbol of the far-left wing of New York politics, embraced by the activist class and elevated to real executive authority. He has repeatedly promoted anti-Israel narratives, amplified movements that demonize the Jewish state, and aligned himself with organizations and slogans that blur the line between criticism and outright hostility toward Jews.

This is not abstract. The rhetoric coming from that political ecosystem is the same rhetoric being chanted outside synagogues, Jewish schools, and community centers. It is the same rhetoric that tells Jewish New Yorkers they are “colonizers” in their own neighborhoods and that their ties to Israel make them suspect.

You cannot claim to fight antisemitism while empowering those who normalize it. That’s called being a hypocrite. 

Yet that is exactly what the Governor does. She praises the Jewish community in speeches while building coalitions with politicians who undermine Jewish safety in practice. She condemns hate crimes while legitimizing ideologies that excuse or inspire them. It is a political two-step designed to placate everyone and satisfy no one.

Long Island knows better. We are home to one of the largest Jewish populations in the country. Our neighbors are rabbis, teachers, doctors, small business owners, and first responders. They are not abstractions. They are real people who feel the consequences of Albany’s moral confusion every day.

They see protests erupt whenever Israel defends itself. They watch Jewish students shouted down in classrooms. They hear slogans that would have been unthinkable a decade ago now echoed by elected officials. And they notice when the governor who claims to have their backs refuses to draw clear lines about what is acceptable.

The State of the State is supposed to be a moment of truth. It is supposed to outline a governing philosophy and a moral compass. Instead, it has become another stage-managed performance, heavy on symbolism and light on substance.

Hochul talks about safety, but crime continues to plague our communities. She talks about affordability, but Long Islanders are being crushed by taxes, energy costs, and an exodus of jobs. She talks about standing up to hate, but she will not confront the radical elements inside her own political coalition.

Leadership is not about saying the right things in January. It is about making hard choices in February, March, and April when the cameras are gone.

If the governor truly believes antisemitism is a crisis, then she must act like it. That means refusing to elevate or excuse politicians who fuel it. It means drawing a bright line between legitimate debate and rhetoric that dehumanizes Jews. It means backing law enforcement and school administrators with more than press releases.

Long Islanders do not need another speech. We need a governor who understands that safety is not performative and that moral clarity cannot be selective.

New York’s Jewish community, and all New Yorkers, deserve more than political theater. We deserve leadership that matches words with action