Gov. Pat Quinn lands in Israel

Gov. Pat Quinn landed in Israel in Tuesday on a Jewish United Fund trip along with Democratic Illinois state Senators Jeff Schoenberg and Ira Silverstein. He will be in Israel through Sunday. He is not visiting the West Bank or Gaza, his spokesman said.

Last week, Quinn was in Salt Lake City for a meeting of the National Governors Association and for fund-raising to benefit the Democratic Governors Association–where Quinn is the finance chair.

Click below for some details of the Israel trip; here’s an over-view. (updated Wednesday morning)

Wednesday – visiting Better Place and Motorola Solutions

Thursday – university signing

Friday – Sister Lakes tour

Saturday – Visiting historic and diverse sites at Old City of Jerusalem, Masada, and the Dead Sea

Sunday – Sister Lakes agreement signing. Meetings with Israeli officials, depart for airport

below, Quinn release……

CHICAGO – July 15, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn will visit the State of Israel from July 19 through July 25, 2011 to further develop ties between Illinois and Israel. The week-long educational mission will include meetings with Israeli officials, visits to innovative businesses, the signing of a Sister Lakes agreement, and

witnessing the signing of a cooperation agreement between Israeli and Illinois universities.

“Israel, like Illinois, is making key advancements in innovative technologies and the business sectors that are creating the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Governor Quinn. “Education, green technologies, and our environment are some of the most critical issues facing our world. This visit is about sharing what we know,

and learning from our friends.”

The Governor will visit Better Place, which helps further development of battery-operated vehicles by developing battery charging and swapping locations. He will also stop at the Israeli headquarters of Motorola Solutions, which has its global headquarters based in Schaumburg.

Governor Quinn will also attend the signing of a formal agreement between Ben-Gurion University and the University of Illinois at Chicago, which was encouraged by the Governors Office and the Jewish United Fund. The agreement will help promote faculty exchange, student exchange, joint research efforts, and other

partnerships to advance higher education in both institutions.

Israel and the State of Illinois will also enter into a Sister Lakes agreement, which will be signed by the

Governor during his visit. The Sister Lakes agreement will benefit Israels Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and

Lake Michigan by helping Illinois and Israel develop and share solutions regarding water purification, invasive

fish species, and other environmental concerns. The Governor will also tour Lake Kinneret with lead scientists

conducting research at the site.

The Governors educational visit to Israel was organized and paid for by the Jewish United Fund (JUF)

of Metropolitan Chicago. Joining him are Illinois State Senators Jeffrey Schoenberg and Ira Silverstein, along

with Skip Schrayer, Chairman of the Jewish United Fund and Michael Kotzin, Executive Vice President of the

Jewish United Fund and other Illinois leaders.