Prepared Remarks for Governor David A.

Paterson JNFutures Shabbat in the Park, June 5, 2009 In the interest of my own credibility, I want to let you know that in 2007, NPR tested my DNA as part of the program African Lives, and they found that there were Eastern European Jewish roots in my ancestry. So, Shabbat Shalom. I am happy to be joining you here tonight. I understand that this is the second of what we hope will be an annual Shabbat in the Park event. Also, let me thank the entire leadership of JNFuture in New York, especially Gabrielle Carlin for her tremendous day to day work, and Ben Jablonski, the chairman of JNFuture. The idea of Shabbat a day of rest is a wonderful way to connect with nature. And I cant think of a better way to connect with nature than to be right here in Central Park. Central Park was created by an act of the New York State legislature in 1853 and signed by Governor Horatio Seymour so that New Yorkers could escape the hustle and bustle of busy mid-nineteenth century life in Manhattan. 156 years later, we need to escape the hustle and bustle of Manhattan life more than those carriage-riding New Yorkers could have known. So, on behalf of all the busy 21st century New Yorkers, thank you for remembering to stop and rest as your traditions and rituals instruct. Ritual is important. Ritual, whether in religion or in politics, connects us to our past and to our most important values. Every few years for the past 221, Americans have come together in ritual to elect our representatives, senators, governors, and presidents. And every Friday night for the past 5,769 years, Jews have come together in ritual to stop and remember the creation of the world, sometimes in secret and at their own peril.

Thankfully, here in New York in 2009, we dont have to conduct religious rituals in secret. We are more than free to observe our rituals in the open, here in the middle of this wonderful park, in the heart of New York City.

All over the State of New York, we in government are doing everything we can to ensure that our parks and our natural environment continue to flourish, so that they can be enjoyed by future generations of New Yorkers.

We have taken the lead in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nations first mandatory plan to cap and reduce power plant CO emissions.

We have also set one of the nations most ambitious clean energy goals. By 2015, our state will meet 45 percent of its electricity needs through improved energy efficiency and clean renewable energy.

And, after almost a decade of delay in the State Legislature, we reached an agreement for an expansion of the states successful five-cent deposit law. The bigger better bottle bill will reduce waste, while providing New York with an additional $115 million of revenue a year.

In addition, we successfully led an effort to make a long overdue investment in our State Parks infrastructure. Revitalization projects are underway at more than 80 parks and historic sites in 57 counties across the state.

JNF has been a leader on the environment for over a century. Since 1901, JNF has planted hundreds of millions of trees, and developed over 250,000 acres of land. You have created thousands of parks and reservoirs and dams. You have brought life to the Negev Desert, and educated students around the world about Israel and the environment.

When I traveled to Israel a year and a half ago, I visited some of the holiest sites in Judaism and encountered the natural beauty of the landscape. I know that JNF has played a key role in ensuring that Israel remains a prosperous homeland for the Jewish people. This organization has worked and to ensure that not only the natural environment but the sacred rituals of Judaism, like the ones observed tonight, survive and thrive for another 5,000 years and more.

Thank you again for having me here tonight. Good shabbos.