NYC Council announces antisemitism task force, raising eyebrows with Vernikov leadership

The New York City Council is launching a bipartisan task force to fight antisemitism, City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced Thursday. The goal of the task force is to ensure that the council is not just speaking out against antisemitic hate but doing something about it. The existence of the task force was first reported by the New York Post.

The new working group is formed as the city grapples with continued incidents of antisemitism. A playground in Borough Park was defaced with more than 60 swastikas last week, and the night before the task force officially launched, a man repeatedly rammed his car into the building housing the headquarters of the Chabad movement.

The issue is a priority of Menin's, and has been front of mind for many New Yorkers in recent years. But the choice of Republican Council Member Inna Vernikov to co-lead the task force prompted immediate backlash. 

Vernikov, a Jewish Ukrainian attorney who has represented southern Brooklyn since 2022, has repeatedly made headlines for her controversial remarks and actions on this issue. Days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel in 2023, Vernikov brought a gun to a peaceful student protest in support of Palestine, and was charged with criminal possession of a firearm. The charge was later dropped. In an October social media post, she referred to Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim, as a “terrorist-lover” and said “Jihad is coming to NYC” if the then-mayoral candidate were to win. (The post linked to a New York Post article that criticized Mamdani for posing with an imam in Brooklyn who was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The imam was not charged and the New York Times later reported that the list of potential conspirators he appeared on has been criticized as overly broad.)

Menin distanced herself from Vernikov and the decision for her to lead the task force when asked about these controversies Thursday. She said that the Jewish Caucus – of which she is an ex officio member – voted on its own to elect Vernikov and Democratic Council Member Eric Dinowitz as co-chairs of the task force on Thursday and that she didn’t appoint Vernikov herself. Menin was not present for the caucus meeting, according to the speaker’s office.

Speaking to City & State Thursday, Vernikov said that a vote was taken by the caucus on Thursday, but also said she brought the idea for the task force to Menin a while ago, and that Menin was enthusiastic about it. Vernikov said it was her understanding at the time that she would be a chair.

In her first weeks in the position, Menin, who is the council’s first Jewish speaker, has taken several steps aimed at fighting antisemitism amid rising concerns about hate crimes. An action plan released earlier this month includes legislation to create a perimeter at schools and houses of worship for protection from harassment during protests, as well as new funding for Holocaust education. 

Menin and Dinowitz both said they don’t condone or agree with some of Vernikov’s past comments. “The Jewish Caucus voted to have this task force,” Menin said. “Obviously, I don’t agree with the comments that she made in the past, and I’ve made that known to her. I don’t agree with those comments in the past, and I’ve been very clear (that) those comments, we cannot make them moving forward. So we’ll be paying close attention to that.” 

While Menin said the council is not “the speech police,” she said they will not tolerate comments that incite violence or violate the body’s harassment policy. Menin has shown some willingness to exact consequences for members’ social media rhetoric already: She pointed to Republican Council Member Vickie Paladino’s past offensive remarks – which include calling for “the expulsion of Muslims from Western nations” – when asked why Paladino received minimal committee assignments earlier this year.

Vernikov initially told City & State she didn’t think she had used the words “terrorist-lover” about Mamdani. But when we sent her the link to her post, she said in a statement: “The sarcasm and provocative words are meant to underscore an important message: If you want to lead the most important, most diverse city in the world, you should be careful about the company you keep. Pictures say a thousand words, especially about who you are and what you stand for.”

Despite that, Vernikov said Thursday that the way Mamdani has condemned antisemitism in public appearances recently has been “good.” “I do appreciate that he’s coming out to condemn swastikas and to condemn antisemitic incidents, but I want to see his actions match what he’s saying,” she said.