Maryland governor hails trade mission to Israel as success

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Friday that his delegation made several successful business transactions with Israeli companies during a weeklong trade mission.

Hogan said in an interview with The Associated Press that “there is a real synergy between this nation and our state.”

Business, academic and Jewish leaders from Maryland accompanied the governor and administration officials. About 25 private sector representatives made the trip, which began on Tuesday.

Meetings focused on cybersecurity, biotech and medical industries. Hogan said that Ra’anana-based software company Cyberbit announced a partnership for a cybersecurity training center in Baltimore that will employ about 100 people.

Hogan called Israel one of Maryland’s biggest trading partners, with $145 million in exports last year. He said there has been “a great relationship for many years and it’s going to get even stronger.”

I was excited to join officials from @UMBC & @telavivuni1 in Israel for the signing of an agreement that promotes academic cooperation! pic.twitter.com/qThbauRaKq

— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) September 21, 2016

Hogan was a keynote speaker at a conference on the Tel Aviv University campus aimed at helping high-tech entrepreneurs connect with investors and economic development support services.

The governor also spent time in Jerusalem, where he laid a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, and toured sites including the Western Wall and Mount of Olives.

“I was deeply moved by my experience at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and Museum today,” Hogan said on Friday, according to his website. “To see the faces, and hear the voices of victims of the Holocaust – one of the darkest chapters in history – was an experience I will never forget.”