I was invited to Governor Hochul’s State of the State address and to the reception that followed. At the reception, I chatted with our state senators, assembly members, and many familiar faces from around the region.

 

One attendee, noticing my kippah and Jewish Federation name tag, introduced himself as a “downstate Jew” and struck up a conversation. In a not‑so‑subtle way, he asked why I would choose to live up here, so far from what he considered “civilization.”

 

Regular readers of this email already know how much I love living here. I often write about the uniqueness of our Jewish community, and I shared several of those reasons with him. None of them seemed to resonate.

 

So I tried a different angle. I asked how he got to the convention center. He told me he took the train from Manhattan and then an Uber from the station.

 

“How was crossing the Hudson River?” I asked.

 

He looked puzzled. He didn’t remember crossing the river.

 

“You boarded and exited the train on the east side,” I said. “You’re now on the west side. We can go back and forth all day with no traffic and no tolls.”

 

Jewish denominational harmony didn’t impress him — but a frictionless Hudson River crossing did.