The connection we have in Colorado with the State of Israel is deep. From the companies that do business in our state to the many Jewish community members and leaders, we have a long lasting and vital relationship with Israel. This past year I had the opportunity to travel with a group of Colorado elected representatives to see first hand much of what we have in common.

We spent a few days in Tel Aviv, learning about the history of the modern state of Israel. Companies like Wayz, MobilEye, Wix and many others have had their start in Israel. It is a unique opportunity for the future of our state and our future workforce to hear from some of those companies and ones who want to do business here.

We visited the Negev Desert, the southern reaches of Israel, and talked with the folks that invented a remarkable underground drip irrigation product, Netafim. This product, at around a $2000 per acre investment, can result in a water use reduction of over 40% and increases in yields of over 200%. The potential for agriculture in Colorado is enormous. In Northern Israel we also talked about water in terms of the Sea of Galilee. The sole freshwater source for Israel and Jordan is shrinking precipitously. It is one of the reasons that the state of Israel is singularly focused on the necessities of survival. We also had the opportunity to talk with a former Israeli Defense Forces Colonel who is now trying to help the citizens of Syria who have no medical care along the Israeli border. Each night, at checkpoints along the border, security forces and ambulances wait for wounded Syrians. They take them to Israeli hospitals and care for them and, once stabilized, take them back to the border so they can be reunited with their families. Stories like these get little play in the media but they not only make clear the desperate situation within Syria but also the innovative solutions to a humanitarian crisis from citizens of Israel.

Understanding the complexities of the governance of Jerusalem and the manner in which the “status quo” has been maintained might be a good way to see how we can get along a little better in the State House. The first night in Tel Aviv we had the opportunity to hear from the Chief Counsel to the Ambassador in Israel. He suggested that there would be an upcoming announcement about the recognition of Jerusalem as the Capitol of Israel and the moving of the American Embassy. As we prepared to leave the day before that very announcement, we had a chance to see why Jerusalem is the logical choice for their capitol, a choice made by President Clinton some twenty or so years ago.

Leaving Israel was hard. It is a place I cannot wait to come back to and explore more thoroughly. It is a place I have envisioned for most of my life, stories I have read and landscapes I have painted in my mind. It is a place of unimaginable history and beauty and some of the kindest, most generous people I have ever met.

My Trip To Israel - Colorado Roots Run Deep

Hugh McKean

Not in a Hundred Years!

Happy New Year!

Special "Extraordinary" Session