By Hana Levi Julian – JewishPress.com
A New York City Councilmember has cut $50,000 in funding to CUNY over the issue of antisemitism.
Councilmember Inna Vernikov (R) of the 48th District withdrew her support from the School of Law Justice and Auxiliary Service due to continued antisemitism that has permeated the City University of New York.
The School of Law has been providing pro-bono legal assistance to hundreds of constituents of Council District 48 for over fifteen years; and “they have been doing so with exceptional skill, dedication, and integrity,” Vernikov said.
The program, which operates out of CUNY School of Law and is staffed by its alumni, receives funding from the city of New York at the discretion of Councilmembers.
Vernikov is the largest funder of the program, and said she had planned to continue allocating $50,000 due to the wide use of the service by her constituents.
In recent years, however, City University of New York campuses have become hotbeds for Antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment.
Visibly Jewish and pro-Israel students no longer feel safe to express their views at their colleges, and many are concerned about their physical safety.
“CUNY School of Law has become an egregious example of that reality,” Vernikov lamented.
For this year’s graduation ceremony, the law school’s student body elected a radical, antisemitic activist Nerdeen Kiswani to deliver the commencement speech.
Kiswani has previously called for the “death of Zionists” and Israel’s destruction. “The content of her speech is similar to displays of Nazi propaganda that can be found in Yad VaShem, Israel’s major Holocaust museum,” Vernikov said in a statement.
In addition, on May 12, CUNY Law professors and student government voted to endorse “BDS” – the international campaign to boycott, divest from, and sanction the State of Israel.
“BDS targets the Jewish State with defamatory allegations of “human rights abuses” and the ‘unceasing military occupation and colonization of Palestine,’ and attempts to prevent entities from having any ties to Israel – the US’s closest ally and only democracy in the Middle East,” she said.
“This move is not only defamatory and antisemitic, but it is hypocritical in nature. CUNY has never passed a resolution to boycott any other country in the world, as there are countries who actually commit atrocious human rights violations, including but not limited to genocide, rape, torture, and persecution.”
At a time when antisemitic hate crimes are up by 300 percent, Vernikov said it is incumbent upon the city’s academic institutions to do everything in their power to protect their Jewish and pro-Israel students, “not pass resolutions which directly place them in harm’s way.
“It seems as if antisemitism is the only politically acceptable form of racism which exists. We must stop handing out free passes to antisemites like candy,” the councilmember said.
She added that she has reallocated the funding to a different organization, saying that he has pulled funding from the program and redirected it to Legal Services NYC.
“There is a direct link between antisemitic speech and violence that follows. I cannot, in good conscience, continue to allocate $50,000 to a program affiliated with ardent antisemites and haters of the State of Israel,” Vernikov said.
“We hope CUNY and all universities hear this message loud and clear: there should be ZERO tolerance for hate and antisemitism on every university campus.”
But I guess done reaction, particularly a public one, is better than nothing. Pity that NYC which is clearly in decline has been a hotbed of antisemitism for a long time now.
Send her a letter saying thank you.
That’s how you endure politicians continue to do things like this . They need to feel appreciated
…is why you elect republican politicians, even though the Dems “rule the city”.
We vote democrat and we cry why all these things are happening to our community. It’s time all the frume yidden take a stand and vote republican. We need to stop shying away and behaving like cowards. Why do we shoot ourselfs in the foot, kissing up to the newest democrats while they dont care about us. History has proven there is no change when you comply, change takes strength courage and guts. The time is now to change
Cutting $50k is a joke! It’s like cutting a penny! CUNY gives more in scholarships to various students each year! What do they care about a $50k cut?! Stop ALL funding!!!
NOT ENOUGH. THE MAYOR SHOULD SHUT DOWN THAT CESSPIT OF AN EXCUSE FOR A LAW COLLEGE NOW AMD PROSECUTE THE MAMZEIRIM
JEWISH LIVES MATTER
VOTE TRUMP 2022/2024
MAGA AGAIN!
but, its a start, please send the email address of this advocate, and we should send a letter of thank you
$50,000 is just about one student’s tuition. Is this some kind of joke?
others should do the same and put their funding only in Good
Thank you Mrs.Vernikov, others should have your courage to stand up and protect