WE ARE CJP

Since our founding nearly 130 years ago as the first Jewish federation in the United States, Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) has mobilized Greater Boston’s Jewish community to make a bigger difference. As Boston’s largest Jewish communal institution, we are here to ensure Jewish people in Greater Boston — and indeed, around the world — are able to live proudly and publicly as Jews.

WE’RE TAKING A STAND

And we have a plan.

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), 2023 was the highest year on record for antisemitic incidents. In our own backyards, Massachusetts saw a staggering 189% increase between 2022 and 2023.

CJP’s Center for Combating Antisemitism (CCA) meets this moment and answers this call. While we cannot completely eradicate antisemitism, we can empower and support the Greater Boston Jewish community with clear and effective resources, tools, and capabilities that foster action against antisemitism. This includes convening a strong coalition of leaders and allies in Greater Boston to work together to ensure antisemitism is socially and politically unacceptable. 

Our vision is one where all Jewish people in Boston of all ages can proudly celebrate their religion, heritage, and culture safely and securely.

CJP’s CCA is a central hub for all communal efforts to respond to the rise in antisemitism, anti-Jewish hate and anti-Israel sentiments and reactions in Greater Boston, bringing nationally proven strategies to Boston. We are focused on: (1) Making antisemitism unacceptable in civic society across Boston — including businesses and university campuses; (2) Ensuring our next generation feels knowledgeable about antisemitism, proud of being Jewish in educational spaces, and supported and confident in responding to antisemitism; and (3) Supporting every Jewish institution and organization in Greater Boston and surrounding communities in accessing resources to become more safe and secure so that our community can engage in Jewish spaces free of fear. We work in partnership with local and national organizations, build relationships with civic leaders and allies, bring training and resources to the community, and provide critical grants to the community advance this work.

Our work is grounded by CJP’s 5-Point plan:

  1. Face Jewish hate. The first part of our strategy is a public-facing awareness, education, and mobilization campaign to fight back against antisemitism.
  2. Empower our community. The campaign will direct people to a communal resource hub: a website with curated resources, educational tools, and opportunities to act so that community members are motivated and equipped to stand up and fight back.
  3. Build allyship. A key component of our strategy is building stronger relationships with non-Jewish influential people, such that they stand up and publicly speak out about antisemitism, and work to ensure policies are free of discrimination toward Jews and Israel.
  4. Inform and educate the next generation. We’re giving young people the tools they need when faced with Jewish hate and working to ensure fair and equal treatment of Jews and Israel through the educational system.
  5. Strengthen communal security. Finally, a cornerstone of our plan is the growth of our Communal Security Initiative (CSI), where we are doubling our capacity to serve the safety needs of our community. We’ve recently expanded our service area to include 100+ additional partners in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont through the work of CCA and a grant from LiveSecure.

Additionally, CJP is proud to join the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism to raise awareness and empower everyone to fight back against the frightening trends of hatred toward Jews. We stand against Jewish hate today and every day. Together with our partners, donors, and allies, we will tirelessly work to fight antisemitism and ensure that our community thrives.

Organizational partners in this work

Greater Boston has a strong network of local organizations and experts working to prevent and
respond to antisemitism and CJP is proud to partner with them on this work. They include:

ADL New England

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is the nation’s premier civil rights and human relations agency, fighting antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, defending democratic ideals, and protecting civil rights for all. ADL’s New England Regional Office serves Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. ADL employs a multi-faceted educational, community relations, and legal approach to combat antisemitism and hate of all kinds, promote diversity, and build bridges of understanding between communities.

JCRC Boston

JCRC is a coalition of organizations and individuals that represents and advances the values, interests, and priorities of the organized Jewish community in greater Boston. Through its network of agencies, our programs, and our partnerships, it: serves as a catalyst for building a strong and vibrant Jewish community in Boston and around the world; advocates for a safe, secure, Jewish, and democratic state of Israel, and; promotes an American society which is democratic, pluralistic, and just.

IAC New England

IAC works to build an engaged and united Israeli-American community that strengthens the Israeli and Jewish identities of our next generations, that has a strong connection to the Jewish American community, and that promotes the bond between the people of the United States and the state of Israel.

AJC New England

American Jewish Committee (AJC) is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. Through its unparalleled global network of offices, institutes, and international partnerships, AJC engages with leaders at the highest levels of government and civil society to counter antisemitism, open new doors for Israel, and advance democratic values.

Facing History & Ourselves

From one classroom in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1976, Facing History & Ourselves has become a global organization with a network of hundreds of thousands of middle and secondary school educators reaching millions of students worldwide. Facing History and Ourselves helps educators prepare students to participate in civic life — using intellect, empathy, ethics, and choice to stand up to bigotry and hate in their own lives, communities, and schools.

TribeTalk

TribeTalk provides resources for high school seniors so they can research and compare Jewish life on multiple college campuses. In addition, TribeTalk produces insightful webinars and podcasts that present different experience of Jewish life on campus as well as in-depth discussions on relevant issues.

Lappin Foundation

Lappin Foundation, whose mission is enhancing Jewish identity across generations, works tirelessly to counter antisemitism through education. Our resources are free and available to all who want to use them, including: the film Swastika—Symbol of Hate; Holocaust Symposium for High School Students; Annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration; animated films narrated by Holocaust survivors; and bridge-building with minority communities. We serve Massachusetts communities of the North Shore, Merrimack Valley and Greater Boston and beyond.

FCAS

The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) was founded by Robert Kraft in 2019 following the horrific events of Charlottesville and the Tree of Life Synagogue, with a vision of stopping the current trajectory of hate by educating those sitting on the sidelines, giving them the tools to stand up to Jewish hate and all hate. In 2023, FCAS launched a new, national campaign to mobilize all Americans, and especially non-Jews, to #StandUpToJewishHate and #Allhate by using the blue square emoji -🟦- as a unifying symbol of support.