City Council Speaker Launches Antisemitism Task Force as Mamdani Considers Anti-Orthodox Activist for Mayoral Office Counterpart

City Council Speaker Julie Menin unveiled a new City Council–led task force to combat antisemitism on Thursday, a move that establishes a parallel effort to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s still-unrevived Office to Combat Antisemitism and intensifies scrutiny of his handling of the crisis.

The seven-member task force will include council members and senior staff, operating independently of the Mayor’s proposed office. It will be co-chaired by Jewish Caucus members Inna Vernikov (R-48) and Eric Dinowitz (D-11).

Menin emphasized the urgency of the initiative in a statement to The Post, noting that “Jewish New Yorkers are targeted by hate crimes more than every other group combined.”

“The City Council is responding with decisive action by investing in education, community safety, and real resources to confront antisemitism head-on, and by creating this new task force,” Menin said, stressing that the Council is moving beyond “statements and symbolism.”

According to the co-chairs, the task force will conduct hearings, draft policy recommendations, and advance Menin’s recently announced five-point legislative agenda aimed at countering antisemitism citywide. Sources indicate Menin is also weighing whether to grant the panel subpoena power, which would allow it to compel testimony and documents.

Vernikov told Belaaz that earlier reporting in the NY Post which stated she had raised the concept with Menin shortly after the Speaker assumed her role earlier this month was not accurate.

In a statement to Belaaz, a spokesperson for Vernikov drew a sharp distinction between this new legislative body and the Mayor’s stalled executive office.
“This task force will be different because it will not be about photo-ops and rhetoric,” the spokesperson told Belaaz. “It will look to affect meaningful change and bring about consequences for anyone who perpetuates, emboldens and allows antisemitism to fester under their watch. The Councilmember is looking forward to working with her co-chair Eric Dinowitz and members of the task force to find meaningful solutions including legislative recommendations, investigations & oversight hearings.”

Vernikov added her own statement to Belaaz, declaring, “This is a fight for the Civil rights of the Jewish people, and there must be accountability for hate crimes and a hostile environment that has infested our society.”

The formation of the Council task force comes amid growing frustration with Mayor Mamdani, a vocal critic of Israel and supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. His proposed Office to Combat Antisemitism has yet to begin functioning.
Adding to the controversy, Politico recently reported that Mayor Mamdani is interviewing Elad Nehorai, a vocal critic of Orthodox Judaism, for the top position in his office. Other candidates include anti-Yeshiva education activist Phylisa Wisdom.

Dinowitz noted that while the Council is prepared to coordinate with the Mayor’s initiative once it becomes operational, the government cannot wait to act.
“I’m willing to work with anyone who wants to confront this crisis head on,” Dinowitz said. “It’s not enough to verbally condemn antisemitism. It’s a critical component… but we have to take action as a government to confront the crisis.”