Pol pulls CUNY $$ over Israel

Anger at pro-BDS vote

A Brooklyn councilwoman is pulling $50,000 in funding earmarked to the CUNY Law School because its faculty council endorsed the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement against Israel.

Inna Vernikov, a Ukrainianborn Jew who represents a handful of heavily Jewish neighborhoods in southern Brooklyn, charges that CUNY Law professors are engaging in anti-Semitism by backing the BDS movement.

“I have pulled funding from the program and redirected it to Legal Services NYC,” Vernikov told The Post Friday.

“It seems as if anti-Semitism is the only politically acceptable form of racism which exists. We must stop handing out free passes to anti-Semites like candy,” Vernikov said.

The money had been set aside for CUNY Law to provide probono services to the needy in her district.

The CUNY School of Law Justice and Auxiliary Service, staffed by its alumni, has provided legal assistance to hundreds of constituents in Council District 48 over the past 15 years — thanks to funding provided at the discretion of council members.

Vernikov said CUNY professors are hypocrites by targeting Israel over disputed territory with Palestinians while ignoring other countries “who actually commit atrocious human rights violations, including but not limited to genocide, rape, torture and persecution.”

“During a time when anti-Semitic hate crimes are up by 300%, it is incumbent upon our 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,” the councilwoman said.

‘Systemic’ hate

Israel backers applauded Vernikov and said more of New York’s elected officials should withdraw support from CUNY until it stops condoning what they deem anti-Jewish hatred and discrimination.

“The CUNY system appears to be infected with systemic antiSemitism that is hurting the ability of Jewish faculty and students to exercise and enjoy basic civil rights. Councilwoman Vernikov’s action to defund this hate is very significant, and something more elected officials need to have the courage to do,” said Gerard Filitti, senior counsel of the Lawfare Project, a pro-Israel group.

CUNY Law had no immediate comment.

The CUNY Law professors on May 12 voted to endorse the BDS resolution that previously passed the school’s Student Government Association.