Inna Vernikova wants Jews to fight haters

This Brooklyn legislator has a lot of chops.

Rookie council member Inna Vernikova was so outraged by the October 2018 massacre of 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh that it motivated her to get self-defense training and not become an easy target, she told The Post.

The 5ft 3in Republican and Ukrainian native is now calling on her fellow Jews to follow her example as anti-Semitic crimes continue to rise in both the city and the country.

“If we don’t help ourselves, no one will come to save us,” said the 38-year-old police officer. “The NYPD is great, but [cops] can’t be everywhere.”

Vernikov hired Legion, a non-profit group that mainly teaches Jews the skills of Krav Maga, a martial art developed for the Israel Defense Forces that combines judo, karate, boxing, wrestling and aikido. The group also teaches counter-terrorism techniques and first aid.

She spent almost three years attending classes at a non-profit organization, learning Krav Maga, active fire response training, and other self-defense tactics. She has battle scars to prove it: a broken leg while training to defend against an action movie.

Vernikov said she did not have a gun, but had fired it many times while receiving gun training from another organization.

She said she is in training for a state firearms license and hopes to own her own handgun soon, putting her in direct conflict with many of the gun-hating progressive Democrats on the city council.

Legion, which is partnering with gyms across the country to offer training to former US and Israeli military and other combat experts, will begin offering classes in the Vernikovsky district February 1st at Beth-El Jewish Center on Homecrest Avenue.

Cory Feldman, President of Legion, said that Vernikov may be diminutive, but fearless during training – and dealt no small blow.

“She’s cool,” he recalled. “When she touched [training] gloves, she was ready to give everything.”

Jason Bobot

Jason Bobot

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Vernikov previously volunteered as chairman of the board of a non-profit organization that does not receive city funding.

She said she resigned last year after being sworn in as a council member serving Sheepshead Bay and several other areas of South Brooklyn with large Jewish populations.

Education is “something very important for Jews, especially prominent Jews who wear yarmulkes and dress Orthodox,” Vernikov said. “They are the most vulnerable targets.”

I warn those who dare to resist the impact force: Vernikov not only knows how to fight, but also carries a pepper spray in his purse – and is not afraid to use it.

She recalled a “scary” situation on a sun-drenched subway platform late one evening several years ago. She said the crazy, much bigger man started yelling, “Bitch, open the door!” so that he can enter without paying.

Vernikov said that she confidently approached the man and looked down at him. He stepped back.

“I was ready to hit him with Mace!” Vernikov recalled. “I got it. I know how to hold him and I was ready because I didn’t know if he had a knife or a weapon or anything. It’s because I was taught to confidently go forward [potential attackers] instead of standing there.”

Feldman said that “his group’s mission is to train sheep to become sheepdogs.”

“People don’t mess with Israelis, but unfortunately the Jewish population in America has earned a reputation for being soft,” he added.