Joey Saban
RECENTLY, THE SCF SAT DOWN WITH COUNCILWOMAN INNA VERNIKOV WHO REPRESENTS A LARGE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY, BROOKLYN’S 48TH COUNCIL DISTRICT. SHE SPOKE TO US ABOUT HER DRIVE TO COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM AND TO STAND AS AN ADVOCATE WITHIN THE CITY COUNCIL ON IMPORTANT ISSUES. HERE IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW.
SCF: You represent the 48th Council District in Brooklyn. Prior to running for office you had a successful law practice, what motivated you to run for public office?
Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (CIV): Politics is not something that I thought I would get into. I always dreamed I would be an attorney. I went to law school, became an attorney, had my own practice for eight years, but I was always active in the community. There were always issues I cared about, especially Anti-semitism. I saw things recently becoming really bad. The direction and agenda of the controlling party in NYC really bothered me—defunding the police, the rise in Anti-semitism, and as an immigrant from a communist country, I am sensitive to those signs. My family escaped that, so it became very important to me to become active in standing against that agenda. I decided the only way to try to ensure a better country and city was to run for office.
SCF: So you saw these challenges, and said, “this is something I can’t see or stand for,” and you decided to run, and you won. As Councilwoman, you took office during a challenging time of unparalleled uncertainty. There are so many issues plaguing NYC and our community as well. Give us some insight as to the challenges you faced, and how you dealt with or overcame them.
“You Get What You Vote For”
Councilwoman Inna Vernikov
CIV: I am one of 5 Republicans out of 51 members of the city council. The first challenge is to be in the minority, so for example when the majority wants to pass legislation, they can do so. It is difficult for Republicans to pass legislation being in the minority, but that doesn’t mean we stop trying. There are plenty of moderate Democrats and centrist Democrats that we work with, the hard left is not the majority but they are loud, and we have to stand up and oppose them—it’s another challenge we have to deal with in order to be a voice for our community.
SCF: I do want to move to the Anti-semitism issue and discuss specifically the case with CUNY. Did you face obstacles or challenges to shed light on their pervasive Anti-semitism?
CIV: Of course when standing up for anything, there are going to be challenges. I think one of the very real challenges is that there aren’t very many politicians who are willing to stand with you, especially on controversial issues. Anti-semitism is seen as controversial especially when it touches the subject of Israel and BDS, and so it’s complicated to get people to stand with you. I don’t mind being the lone voice especially when I know that I am on the right side of history, I am standing up for what’s right, and that I’m standing up for the people.
SCF: What further steps do you plan to take to further fight this tide of Anti-semitism?
CIV: Right now I am very focused on CUNY. I believe that a lot of what happens on the streets stems from the college campus. Young people get indoctrinated and brainwashed on the college campus. They then go out into the world and become influencing members of society, spreading messages that they learned in school, so that is where I am mostly focused right now. In less than six months, we have positive results to show for these efforts, and I am going to keep doing what I am doing in this area and I am going to keep getting results. That is the point of me being in office.
CIV: I think the worst things you can do is to remove yarmulkas, remove the items that identify you as Jewish, avoid pro Jewish rallies, not attend classes, being afraid to speak up in class or on campus. I think what people should do is speak up, not be intimidated, and unfortunately we need to be prepared—I encourage situational awareness, self-defense classes individually.
SCF: Is there anything we can do as a community to assist you and address this important issue?
CIV: Regarding Anti-semitism at CUNY, be aware…it’s one of the reasons I had the hearing—to expose the discrimination, harassment, and hostile environment that exists towards students and professors. Even though it existed, people were surprised at how large the scale was, and only through awareness can we actually do something about it. A second point I’d like to make is that people should voice their concerns. Can you imagine if the CUNY chancellor had gotten thousands of emails? Can you imagine the pressure? It would upset them and compel them to give attention to the matter.
SCF: With the political landscape changing so rapidly in the city, what is the most important thing we can do as a community both socially and politically to stay engaged?
CIV: I think the most important thing is to vote, and I know your community has been putting forth great efforts in that. I think people need to connect the dots between who they are voting for, or not voting, and what they see on the streets. How do we change that? We vote for the right people. You get what you vote for!
SCF: And that is the exact message of the SCF! We need to vote and support our local politicians who stand for us. Going off of voting and voter registration, for years the SCF has promoted and expanded civic engagement. How important do you think it is that the politicians see us as a strong voting block?
CIV: Incredibly important, if you are a politician, or in politics, and you know that there is a strong community block that you need to reach, you are going to be responsive to that community—it’s very important to you. You know they will vote for you and then vote for you again if you are doing things for them. I think you guys are getting there.
SCF: If there is one thing you want the community to know about you, what would it be?
CIV: The community should know that when I am passionate about something, or I see an injustice, I will never stop fighting for them. I am not doing this merely as a job. I believe in what I am doing and being a voice for the voiceless. We do not have enough leaders who do the work. This is why I fight Anti-semitism—there are not enough politicians taking up that issue, and other issues.
And that is the difference, someone like Inna Vernikov, who fights the hard fight, and follows through on campaign promises with conviction.
Thank you on behalf of the entire Jewish Community.
Joey Saban is an active SCF Board member.
