New City Council task force formed to combat antisemitism

Left to right: Council members Kevin Riley, Justin Brannan, Inna Vernikov and Yusef Salaam listen to testimony during the Zoning & Franchises subcommittee on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Brooklyn Eagle photo by Owen Lavine

CITY HALL — BROOKLYN CITY COUNCILMEMBER INNA VERNIKOV, R-48, WILL CO-CHAIR A NEWLY-FORMED BIPARTISAN TASK FORCE to fight antisemitism.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin created the task force to address an unprecedented rising tide of antisemitism across New York City. Vernikov and Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, D-11/Bronx, will co-chair the bipartisan task force, working to protect Jewish New Yorkers from hate and discrimination through proactive, enforceable measures.

Among these measures are hearings, both on-site and in the field, oversight and investigations, which Vernikov said were intended to hold accountable persons at the helm of institutions of higher learning, organizations and other entities who tolerate or embolden what Menin described as an increasingly hostile environment for Jewish New Yorkers in various spaces, citing a major rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes.

Earlier this month, Menin, speaking at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, announced a Council-led Five-Point Action Plan, a package of legislative and funding actions intended to combat antisemitism, strengthen protections for schools and all houses of worship, and expand Holocaust education citywide.

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