Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is inviting Jews in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles to quit the Big Apple, with its antisemitism and crime, and move south to his state.
Speaking in an interview with the New York Post, Stitt said, “The Jewish community is welcome in Oklahoma. When you think about the values of who we are as Oklahomans it matches with the Jewish community, family-focused, very faith-focused, entrepreneurial, hard-working.
“In New York some of the Jewish community are being persecuted and you’ve got the pro-Hamas and Palestinian protesters all over, and we’re like, ‘Man, that doesn’t happen in Oklahoma,'” the 51-year-old governor added.
Stitt made a strong case for the move, describing his state’s new initiative to help subsidize the cost of religious schools in the state. Families who choose to skip public schools in favor of Jewish schools would be given credits of up to $7,500 per child.
But before you start packing, here are some other things you need to know.
1. There are no kosher restaurants.
2. The Jewish population is just 0.1 percent of the state’s total population.
3. There are synagogues in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, but that’s about it.
Nevertheless, Stitt has a long and strong track record of support for the State of Israel and makes no bones about it.
Following the October 7 massacre by Hamas-led terrorists from Gaza, Stitt joined Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a solidarity visit to the Jewish State.
During their visit, coordinated in part by the Israeli Consulate in Houston and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two governors held discussions with Israeli leadership, met with victims of Hamas’ brutality, and witnessed first-hand the humanitarian cost of the Israel-Hamas War.
“Innocent Israelis have looked evil in the eyes and endured unthinkable hardships in the past few weeks, and I was inspired to see their resilience in the face of adversity,” Stitt said during the visit. “After witnessing the situation on the ground, I’ve never been more determined to stand with Israel and support their right to defend themself.
“In our own nation, antisemitism is on the rise – and we have a responsibility to stick up for our Jewish brothers and sisters, to call out hate when we see it and extinguish it,” Stitt added. “Our Jewish allies have a friend in Oklahoma, and we’ll continue to pray for their safety here at home, across the nation, and abroad.”
After returning to home ground, Stitt ordered all US and Oklahoma flags on state property to be flown at half-mast as a show of support for the Jewish State.
“We need to support our allies; they’re the best democracy in the Middle East,” he said at the time. “They should absolutely eradicate Hamas out of Gaza. That’s all there is to it.”
This week, Stitt told the New York Post that he is a “Torah-loving Christian,” and like a growing number of Evangelicals, he tries to keep Shabbat — and celebrates Passover. It may sound a bit weird, but in fact there is an entire sector of evangelical Christian church groups in the south who hold Passover seders and celebrate the Jewish holiday.
“Christians — we don’t do a good job of bringing the family together and really setting aside electronics and, and really focusing on the Sabbath. You know, one day a week, and I just think that’s something that we can learn a lot from the Jewish community,” he said.
