The Garden State is open for business for Israelis looking west

Israeli and Israel-founded companies looking to penetrate the American market are being encouraged to look beyond conventional spots such as New York or California for their expansion efforts. The state of New Jersey, which borders the Big Apple and shares the same geographic and population sizes as Israel, is wooing Israelis and fostering a relationship with Startup Nation in order to become an attractive place for overseas business.

CTech has been 'travelling' across the United States learning about each state and its relationship with Israel. You can see the entire series here.

“I don't think we're in a pound-for-pound battle with the state of New York - we’re not,” explained Andrew H Gross, Executive Director of the New Jersey-Israel Commission. “However, I think New Jersey has become more attractive to Israeli companies. And I don’t just think that, I know that with evidence.”

A group shot of the NJ-Israel Commission Co-Chairs Mark S. Levenson and Karin Elkis with Gross following an event with former Consul General Asaf Zamir

The New Jersey-Israel Commission was established in 1989 and is made up of 85 members, 8 legislators, and 77 members of the public each appointed by the state’s governor. Its goal is to encourage economic growth in New Jersey, create jobs, and support the governor's overall economic vision of the state which “is quite robust and quite advanced.” Since Governor Phil Murphy was sworn in in 2018, foreign direct investment from Israel has multiplied four times and is today worth $347.1 million, leading to the creation of 1,120 jobs, per data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Division and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Markets.

According to Gross, “We see that New Jersey is attracting about 25% of all the foreign direct investment from Israel in the Northeast of America.” New York is attracting about 40% and the remaining 35% is divided among other states in the region. Given its relative size compared to New York, the New Jersey effort appears to be paying off. The New Jersey-Israel Commission helps leverage Israeli innovation and imports it to the state helping it drive economic growth and offer Israelis a viable place to relocate when considering the US market.

Today, New Jersey can boast tech sectors that promote pharmaceutical and life sciences, with Teva Pharmaceuticals selecting it as the base for its American headquarters, and companies like Check Point, Elbit Systems, SodaStream, and OrCam Technologies each having a presence too. It can also offer Israelis a bit more space and value for money, as well as a “sense of community” that Gross believes is only growing in the state.

As of 2019, there are roughly 545,500 Jews in the Garden State, accounting for almost 8% of the American Jewish population and the region with the third-highest percentage of Jews after New York and Washington D.C. It also has the fourth largest Israeli community in the United States, although Gross admits the figure is a bit complicated to measure accurately.

“Our goal is to help \[Israeli companies\] expand to New Jersey when they come to the US,” Gross continued. “We think that our relationship is a bilateral relationship, a symbiotic relationship. We do well when Israel does well and vice versa… We’re starting to think more broadly about how we facilitate and create a reality where you make it easier for Israelis to work in New Jersey and to help them collaborate as a community. Leveraging the incredible Israeli American brain trust that we have in this state.”

The effort to present the state as an attractive place for Jews and Israeli businesses is a top-level effort headed by the governor himself. Elected in 2018 and narrowly reelected last year, he is the first Democratic governor since 1977 to serve a second term. “Just had a great call with President Reuven Rivlin,” the governor wrote on Facebook in 2020. “The bond between New Jersey and Israel is stronger than ever.” Governor Murphy has visited Israel both before and after the Covid-19 pandemic and has often asserted his dedication to Israel and attracting Startup Nation to the Garden State.

Governor Murphy NJ

“I am incredibly proud of the work the New Jersey-Israel Commission has been able to accomplish since the beginning of my Administration,” the Governor told CTech exclusively. “We have witnessed our state’s economy grow due to the many great companies from Israel which have planted roots here and made unique contributions and investments to each of our communities.”

For Israelis looking for a place outside traditional locations in the US, New Jersey is working on becoming the alternative consideration for companies planning to expand. “The reputation of New Jersey has been changing in a very positive way,” Gross concluded. “The Israeli companies in New Jersey speak for themselves. We have tremendous companies here.. Israelis in Israel see our state, and they see how well we're doing, and they want to be here.”