Governor Ron DeSantis today visited cultural sites in the Old City of Jerusalem and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, among other activities during the final day of the Governor’s Businesses Development Mission to Israel.
Below is an overview of Thursday’s events:
- Governor DeSantis participated in an MOU signing formalizing a trauma medicine education and training partnership between the University of Miami (UM), Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Shaare Zedek Medical Center
- The University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital are world leaders in the field of trauma medicine, and have previously worked with Israeli doctors and Israeli hospitals to provide post-doctoral training. The signing formalized the affiliation between the universities and their sister teaching hospitals, further building on Florida and Israel’s collaboration in medical education and research.
- Governor DeSantis participated in a wreath laying ceremony at Yad Vashem honoring the memory of Jews who perished in the Holocaust
- Yad Veshem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, is Israel’s official memorial to victims of the Holocaust. After the Western Wall, it is the second-most-visited Israeli tourist site.
- Governor DeSantis met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to celebrate and strengthen the bi-lateral relationship and strong bond between Florida and Israel
- The Governor and Prime Minister were joined by Attorney General Ashley Moody, CFO Jimmy Patronis, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, Consul General of Israel to Florida Lior Haiat, Senator Wilton Simpson, Representative Chris Sprowls, Representative Randy Fine, Senator Lauren Book, Representative Joseph Geller, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein, Enterprise Florida, Inc.President and CEO Jamal Sowell and VISIT FLORIDA President and CEO Dana Young.
- Governor DeSantis hosted a roundtable discussion on school safety and security at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem
- Participants included leaders from the Florida delegation and Israeli security officials. The discussion included briefings on a variety of subjects related to school safety, cybersecurity and social media mining to identify potential threats.
- Governor DeSantis visited the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem
- Throughout its history, the Western Wall has been visited by millions of tourists and pilgrims and is often visited by heads of state visiting Israel. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most sacred locations in the Christian world, identified as the place where Jesus was crucified and buried.
