Earlier this month, Ambassador Dani Dayan, an Israeli businessman and Israel’s Consul General for the State of New York, met with Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Far Rockaway) as part of a legislative reception for Israel’s Independence Day celebration in Albany. The two discussed concerns of the large Jewish community on the Rockaway Peninsula, the shared values of the people of Israel and of New York State, and areas of mutual legislative interest including transportation and security, in the wake of recent threats against Jewish institutions.

“Ambassador Dayan is a really great representative – you’d have to be to represent the State of Israel in New York, with all of the overlapping interests and colorful personalities,” said Pheffer Amato. “He’s also, from my brief meeting with him, a really great guy. We were honored to receive him in the Assembly, and I’m excited to have partners like Ambassador Dayan in tackling economic, security and human rights issues from both sides of the Atlantic.

“I know I join many of my neighbors in wishing a happy 69th birthday to the State of Israel,” Pheffer Amato continued. “I look forward to working with the Ambassador often while serving the people of New York State!”