NYC Council announces new bipartisan antisemitism task force

The New York City Council, the city’s legislative body, is launching a new Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, a Jewish council member says.

Inna Vernikov, a Republican representing part of south Brooklyn, says she will lead the council alongside Eric Dinowitz, a Democrat from the Bronx.

“With the unprecedented rise in antisemitism in our city, whether it be in public schools, on the streets, or at institutions of higher learning, Jew hatred has become a full blown crisis,” Vernikov says in a statement.

“We will focus on holding to account any entities who embolden antisemitism or allow it to fester. We will seek justice for Jewish New Yorkers at a time when Jewish civil rights are being trampled on and when Jewish New Yorkers are concerned for their future in our city,” Vernikov says.

She adds that City Council Speaker Julie Menin created the task force. Menin is expected to formally announce the group later today.

Menin, the council’s first Jewish speaker, has announced a five-point plan for combating antisemitism in the city that did not include an outline for a task force.

Jews are targeted in hate crimes more than all other groups combined in the city.

It’s unclear how the new task force will interact with the mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been interviewing candidates to lead the office, but has not appointed anyone since taking office a month ago, although the office has continued to function.