From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 9, 2025
Jewish lawmaker quits NYC Council’s women’s caucus, citing rhetoric on Israeli hostages
Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
Inna Vernikov, a Jewish Republican, says she quit the New York City Council’s women’s caucus due to its rhetoric on Israeli women held hostage by Hamas.
“I left the women’s caucus because I refuse to be part of a caucus that cannot come together to condemn the rape, murder and captivity of Jewish women without adding ‘context,'” Vernikov says in a video posted to X.
The City Council is New York City’s governing body. Vernikov, an outspoken supporter of Israel, represents part of south Brooklyn.
“We watched the footage of these young, 20-year-old Jewish girls get released from Hamas captivity and we watched this image of them being absolutely terrified,” Vernikov says. “The women’s caucus of the New York City Council, made up of 30 plus women, cannot come out and make a simple statement condemning the terrorists without adding context.”
???? On Friday I OFFICIALLY left @WomensCaucusNYC because I can’t reasonably stay part of a body that purports to stand up for women, but refuses to condemn the RAPE, MURDER, and CAPTIVITY of Jewish women by jihadi terrorists without adding “context”.
This makes them as useless… pic.twitter.com/Jf4CeFPOs0
— Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) February 9, 2025
The women’s caucus includes both supporters of Israel, such as Jewish co-chair Julie Menin, and harsh critics, like the far-left Shahana Hanif. The caucus does not appear to have made any recent statements related to international affairs.
Menin and caucus member Lynn Schulman criticized Vernikov in a joint statement.
“As was explained to Councilmember Vernikov, members decided to put out their own personal statements, given that some of us had actually visited with hostage families in Israel, which we felt was more personal and powerful,” Menin and Schulman told The New York Post. “It is unfortunate that the council member is seeking to politicize the lives of the hostages.”
Menin, Schulman and Vernikov are all part of the council’s five-member Jewish Caucus.
The New York City Council has 51 members who are overwhelmingly Democrats. Vernikov is an outlier as a Republican supporter of US President Donald Trump.
