This morning, Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried joined the other members of the Florida Cabinet for a ceremonial Cabinet meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Israel, symbolizing the strength of Florida’s and the United States’ relationship with Israel.
As the first Jewish woman on the Florida Cabinet, Fried shared her personal connection to Israel. She also shared the innovation, research, and technology she learned about during her trade mission to Israel last week.
Recaps of that trade mission are below:
Miami Herald: Agriculture chief Nikki Fried paves her own path in Israel
Florida Politics: Nikki Fried wraps second day of Israel trade mission
Florida Politics: Nikki Fried begins Israel trade mission
Commissioner Fried made the following statements during the ceremonial Cabinet meeting:
“Twenty-five years ago last month was my first trip to Israel. It was after bearing witness to the atrocities that happened during the Holocaust. I was on the March of the Living, where I spent one week in Poland going through Auschwitz-Birkenau, and then making the trip here [to Israel]. The lasting impacts of that trip still impact me today. Because on that trip, I realized that I have a moral obligation to stand up to injustice, to fight what is wrong in society, and be that voice for those that have no voice. I am so honored to be here today as a member of the Cabinet, living up to that pledge I made twenty-five years ago.”
“The state of Israel has transformed itself in the last decade, to not only be the homeland of the Jewish people, but to be a place for innovation, technology, research – to be a beacon for those who need freedom, and those in the business community. Israel is not only the home of the Jewish people, it also represent advances in technology, agriculture, water conservation, cannabis, and of course, national security.”
“I’ve been here since Thursday, trying to look at some of these issues impacting both of our countries dealing with water quality – as Commissioner of Agriculture, it’s essential for not only our citizens, but the future of agriculture in our state. The companies and research I’ve seen here make me excited for the opportunity to collaborate and bring some of that technology back to Florida, because I do believe that our water and environment are going to be the challenge of this generation – one that we have to fix, otherwise there won’t be a future for our countries.”
