Push to bring New Yorkers home from Israel

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--In a letter sent to Governor Kathy Hochul, 21 Republican State Senators called for her to bring New Yorkers who are currently in Israel back home.

Among those who signed the letter is Senator Jake Ashby.

"If there are New Yorkers who are over there that are Jewish Americans that want to come back, then we need to do our part," said Ashby.

In the letter, the senators noted that Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, deployed planes to Cyprus to bring Jewish Americans back to the United States. They’d like to see something similarly done. 

"Maybe we partner with other neighboring states," said Ashby. "Maybe we’d partner with other states that are already doing this. This can be a joint effort together, and no doubt we’d have to coordinate with the federal government as well." 

Avi Small, a spokesperson for Governor Hochul released a statement saying inpart, “While Israeli airspace remains closed to any civilian air travel, our administration is in active conversations with Governors from other states with large Jewish populations to determine how to coordinate travel for constituents if commercial flights do not resume.”

New York is home to the largest Jewish population in the United States.