2 Oppose, 4 Abstain in NYC Council Vote to Mark ‘End Jew Hatred Day’

By Matis Glenn

The New York City Council overwhelmingly passed a resolution to create a citywide “End Jew Hatred Day,” sparking heavy backlash against the six councilmembers who did not support the resolution.

The resolution, drafted and introduced by Councilwoman Inna Vernikov(R), aims to establish April 29th as a citywide day of awareness to fight antisemitism, amid a record rise in antisemitic crime.

“I was really sickened to listen to the no-votes and abstentions, especially because I was making remarks on the floor about the atrocities of the Holocaust, and the impact of the Holocaust had on our families,” Vernikov told Hamodia.

Vernikov said at the hearing that those opposed “clearly do not want to end jew hatred. Your antisemitism is showing.”

When asked by Hamodia to explain why some of the opposed attributed their refusal to EndJewHatred being a “right-wing” entity, Vernikov said “I think that if you’re an anti-Semite, you will give any excuse; I think this is just a way out.”

Councilman Kalman Yeger, who was the second sponsor on the resolution, told Hamodia that “Nobody should be shocked that legislative bodies include anti-Semites in their membership. What’s only shocking is how loud and proud they were.”

Councilmembers Sandra Nurse(D) and Shahana Hanif(D) voted against the bill, and Charles Barron(D), Alexa Avilés(D), Rita Joseph(D), and Jennifer Gutiérrez(D) abstained.

The resolution is the latest legislative victory for the organization EndJewHatred, which designated the day and has amassed public support for similar resolutions in other cities and states, including Michigan, Colorado, Kentucky, and Las Vegas.

Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) criticized those who did not support the resolution. “Antisemitism has a long and ugly history. It has seen a resurgence in NYC with a record number of hate crimes,” he wrote on social media. “How can anyone vote against a resolution to end anti-Semitism?”

Joseph, whose district includes part of Kensington and an edge of Crown Heights, walked back her decision on social media amid the controversy.

 “I regretfully abstained from the vote on a resolution to End Jew Hatred yesterday during our Council Stated Meeting because I didn’t have a chance to review it.

“Upon review, I wholeheartedly support the resolution and commit to working with my Jewish sisters and brothers to eradicate anti-Semitism in New York City.”

Vernikov fired back on social media, saying that “Kalman Yeger read directly from the text of the reso[lution]. We had a 20 minute discussion about it. How much review do you need for a reso[lution] titled “day to end jew hatred”? You should apologize to Holocaust survivors.”

Yeger explained that unlike bills, which require councilmembers to vote explicitly for or against adopting the law, resolutions pass by default, unless a councilmember goes through a detailed process to register their abstention or opposition.

Barron, who is a former member of the violent Black Panther Party, made his feelings about the Jewish community and its leaders clear at the hearing.

“Leaders in the Jewish community even supported apartheid in racist South Africa and said nothing about African people dying,” Barron said. “So it was difficult for us to get up here and I’m not afraid to say it because of what people might think,” he continued.

Hanif spoke on the council floor about why she was opposing the bill, saying that it comes from “far right-wing organizations,” and “right-wing Islamophobic individuals….They have not stood up for Muslims…or anybody,” she said on the floor.

Responding to Hanif’s allegations, Vernikov said “That’s a total lie. We always support other communities; I’ve created an Asian community watch group; Asian Americans are the second-largest targeted, minority group in our city, after Jews. My district is home to a large amount of Muslim New Yorkers; we work very closely with Muslim organizations.” Vernikov cited Imam Ahmed Ali as an example, who wrote on social media “…wanted to congratulate CM Inna Vernikov for successfully passing the resolution to mark April 29th as the End Jew Hatred Day We must remember that hate against anyone is hate against all of us.”

Hanif has said that she works with Jewish groups to combat antisemitism, but Yeger said that he is not aware of a single Jewish organization or leader that she has worked with, aside from vehemently anti-Zionist groups, such as Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.

Vernikov also said that while it’s up to Hanif’s constituents to decide if she has done enough work on behalf of the Jewish community, “I know that I have never heard her speak up for the Jewish community in the city council.”

The bill was co-sponsored by 14 councilmembers spanning the political spectrum, including Vickie Paladino(R), Farah Louis(D), and progressive Democrat Kristin Richardson Jordan.