For Immediate Release: January 29, 2026
Press Contact: Sophie Ellman-Golan | sophie@jfrej.org
Jews For Racial & Economic Justice Condemns Appointment of Council Member Vernikov to Antisemitism Taskforce
Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ), New York’s largest grassroots Jewish organization, responds to the appointment of Inna Vernikov to co-chair the new NYC Council Taskforce to Combat Antisemitism.
New York, NY – In response to Speaker Menin’s appointment of Council Member Inna Vernikov to co-chair an NYC Council Taskforce to Combat Antisemitism, Sophie Ellman-Golan, Director of Strategic Communications of Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ) released the following statement on behalf of the organization:
“Giving Council Member Inna Vernikov a taskforce on antisemitism is unacceptable. The Council Member has shown on numerous occasions that she does not take New Yorkers’ safety seriously. She regularly diminishes the seriousness of antisemitism by reducing it to a political cudgel. And she has repeatedly sought to delegitimize the Jewishness of progressive Jews, including members of JFREJ – which is itself antisemitism.
Antisemitism is real and serious, and NYC Jews need serious approaches to combating it. Council Member Vernikov’s approach is not only unserious; it is harmful. By elevating Vernikov to this taskforce, Speaker Menin is placing her in a position of power and authority on the subject. Speaker Menin recently said that “this is a time to uplift all communities, not sow divisions.” If she truly believes this, she will remove Council Member Vernikov from this task force and engage in real conversation with a diverse range of Jewish New Yorkers about how to fund hate violence prevention initiatives that benefit all marginalized groups, no exceptions.
##
Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ) is a 6,000-member grassroots organization and the home of New York’s Jewish Left. For over 35 years, JFREJ members have organized alongside our neighbors to transform New York from a playground for the wealthy few into a real democracy, free from all forms of racist violence.