Persona: Community Members

By Rich Tenorio

As the Boston Jewish community reflects on the historical tragedy of the Holocaust ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, many of its members are also concerned about a contemporary tragedy: the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks on Israel. The attacks represent the bloodiest day for Jews since the Holocaust, and they have been followed by an ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and worldwide unrest over the situation.

What is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and what does it commemorate?

International Holocaust Remembrance Day was established by the United Nations as an annual event occurring on Jan. 27 of each year. The date marks the liberation of Auschwitz from the Nazis in 1945 and recognizes the deaths of all Holocaust victims, including Jews, Roma, LGBTQIA+ individuals, disabled people and political prisoners.

Jeremy Burton, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, differentiates its backstory from that of Yom HaShoah, which was created by the Israeli Knesset to commemorate the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Yom HaShoah falls in May, reflecting the start of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943. “There was a long, complicated and interesting debate back in the ‘40s and ‘50s over when Jews should mark and remember the victims of the Holocaust,” Burton says. “A young Jewish state needed heroes to celebrate Jewish strength and active Jewish resistance. It’s why Yom HaShoah falls when it does.”

In contrast, he notes, International Holocaust Remembrance Day was chosen by the “U.N. General Assembly, not by the Jewish community. It’s a slightly different rationale. The world marks this day in January because it was the beginning of the end of the Holocaust.”

Contemporary tensions

This year, research indicates that International Holocaust Remembrance Day will take place in the midst of new fears over antisemitism. Both the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League have come out with surveys pointing to an uptick in antisemitism around the U.S. In a survey of Jewish Americans last fall, the AJC found that almost 80% of respondents who had heard about the Oct. 7 attacks felt less safe to some degree. Meanwhile, the ADL reported a 360% increase in antisemitic incidents nationwide in the three months since the attacks, with the majority being “verbal or written harassment.”

“Obviously, in contemporary antisemitic contexts, we are grappling with an existential threat to our community since 10/7,” says Melissa Garlick, senior director of combating antisemitism and building civic engagement at Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston. “There’s a real reckoning with this form of antisemitism and the safety and security of Jewish people. It’s really critical, as a community, that we understand generational trauma, that we understand Jewish trauma, that we understand how what we’re dealing with today is shaped by history.”

Keeping the memory alive

Francesca Colletti, executive director of Facing History & Ourselves, notes the importance of Holocaust education for the next generation.

“Education is key in addressing the rising antisemitism and hate today,” Colletti says. “In Facing History classrooms, students examine memory and legacy as part of their learning journey. Students, by studying the lessons of history, confront the past so they can examine their own choices and the challenges in the world today. Students study the roots and ongoing rise of antisemitism and other forms of bigotry and hate. They also explore opportunities for more compassionate and courageous acts. This year’s theme of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, ‘Recognizing the Extraordinary Courage of Victims and Survivors of the Holocaust,’ reinforces how critical survivor and second/third-generation stories and voices are to understanding and learning the impact of the Holocaust on individual lives. Focusing on the humanity of the victims and learning and hearing their stories allows students to think about their own humanity and their responsibility to confront hate and indifference and work to ‘repair the world.’”

Around 245,000 Holocaust survivors remain worldwide, with most of them women, the Associated Press reported, with the majority of survivors living in Israel. The global population is falling, with 86 years old the median survivor age. “The number of survivors continues to dwindle as people age,” says Emily Reichman, director of volunteer programs for the JCRC. “It’s more important than ever for second-generation and third-generation survivors to share the story of their families. They are now the bearers of their family story. We want to encourage second- and third-generation survivors, as much as possible, to share their family stories.”

Local remembrances

There are several ways for Boston-area Jews to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The JCRC is partnering with other organizations on two such events:

International Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration | January 25 | Online

International Holocaust Remembrance Day | January 28 | The Vilna Shul

The Lappin Foundation program is a virtual one, while the Vilna Shul event will be in person, with other partners including the educational nonprofit Facing History & Ourselves and Boston 3G, a resource for third-generation descendants of Holocaust survivors.

Reichman says it’s “more important than ever to commemorate the Holocaust, to learn survivors’ stories [and] to make sure they are carried on through the next generation.”

Rich Tenorio covers antisemitism news for JewishBoston.com. His work has appeared in international, national, regional and local media outlets. He is a graduate of Harvard College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is also a cartoonist. Email him at richt@cjp.org.

By Rich Tenorio

In the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks against Israel and subsequent Israeli response, tensions have become inflamed in the U.S., including Greater Boston. For members of the Jewish community who wish to attend public events—whether a pro-Israel rally or Shabbat services at synagogue—there are safety considerations to take into account.

That’s according to Jeremy Yamin, vice president of security and operations at Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, who heads the Communal Security Initiative. In a Zoom interview, Yamin detailed best practices that Jews and allies can follow at public events.

Before going

Ask organizers if there will be security, and if so, what type of security will there be?

Think about what kind of event you’re attending. Is it small- or large-scale, indoors or outdoors?

Going to/from

Scan the environs, taking note of whether there is a police or security presence, where you can hide and where you can make an exit.

Think about your attire, including visual representations of Jewishness, such as a kippah, and whether you feel comfortable displaying it on the way to or from an event in addition to at the event itself. “I don’t feel we should be hiding ourselves in any way,” Yamin explains, “but it’s OK if I have concerns about my appearance … [going] to and from might be different from what I wear at a march.” And if you’re concerned about being photographed or filmed on video, a facemask could be useful, Yamin says.

At the event

Keep an eye out for signs of unusual activity, such as a backpack left unattended. If you see something out of place, don’t approach it head-on, but alert someone. If you feel unsafe, you can leave at any time.

If there are counter-protestors, ignore them and avoid confrontations. “If you’re at a rally, terrific,” Yamin says. “If there’s a counter-protest, it’s not the time to engage in a debate where you can change someone’s mind, there’s civil discourse, you agree to disagree. They want to disrupt; they’re looking for [this] to escalate in a short moment, record us, get us to overreact.”

Stay alert at all times. This means not looking down at your smartphone, or rushing straight into a building if you’re running late and looking to make a minyan.

Virtual events

Consider what personal information you’d like attendees to see on-screen. This includes your full name, first and last.

Think about what you’d like to disclose if there are introductions. You don’t have to share your name or location.

It’s up to you about whether or not to turn on your camera.

Good news – with caveats

“There is no imminent known credible threat to the Jewish community in Boston, Greater Boston or Massachusetts, nothing that is imminent or credible,” Yamin says. “That said, the concern is, people can act on their own, without any notification. They’re not going to transmit all the time, ‘Hey, I’m planning to do this, that or the other thing tomorrow.’ They’re not necessarily going to tell ahead of time.”

“We’re constantly communicating with federal, state and local law enforcement and the ADL,” Yamin adds. “The current situation in Israel, U.S. politics and social media have created antisemitic tensions that can fuel incidents with little or no advance warning. So, preparation is key.”

Rich Tenorio covers antisemitism news for JewishBoston.com. His work has appeared in international, national, regional and local media outlets. He is a graduate of Harvard College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is also a cartoonist. Email him at richt@cjp.org.

By Rich Tenorio

It’s an understatement to say that Dan Osborn’s first two months with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston have been unusually challenging. 

This fall, Osborn, a Marshfield native who has most recently worked in the field of curriculum development, joined the JCRC in a newly created position—director of educational partnerships, created through a grant from Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston. Although Osborn learned about the position this summer, his first day was Oct. 23—just over two weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks against Israel, in which about 1,200 people died and around 240 others were taken hostage. The attacks—and the resulting Israeli war against Hamas—have resulted in a complex situation for Osborn as he seeks to build relationships with stakeholders across Massachusetts school districts, the JCRC and other nonprofit organizations toward ensuring inclusive and accurate representation of Jewish history and identity and to help combat antisemitism in the K-12 educational spaces. 

“One important takeaway,” Osborn said, “is there is a great amount of diversity throughout Massachusetts in how schools have responded to the crisis brought on by Oct. 7.” 

“A considerable amount of pain and trauma surfaced by Oct. 7,” he said, “particularly in school districts that have a large amount of Jewish students and Israeli students. There have been concerns voiced about whether these schools are providing sufficient social and emotional services for students—and whether or not these districts are capable of providing trauma-informed services for students who need to go to school and have their needs tended to in K-12 settings.” 

That’s where Osborn comes in. Part of his role is to connect school districts with relevant resources, whether it’s the JCRC or another nonprofit with a track record of combating antisemitism, such as the Anti-Defamation League or one of his previous employers, Facing History & Ourselves. 

“We at the JCRC can be a trusted resource and ally for school districts,” he said. “We can be an intermediary and a facilitator between schools and those organizations.” 

Meanwhile, Osborn works to develop connections within Jewish communities—including parents, students and rabbis—and relay their concerns to local school districts. At the same time, he cultivates ties with officials in these districts, including superintendents and principals. 

In everything he does, he seeks an inclusive approach, from evaluating schoolwide communications following the Oct. 7 attacks to recommending guest speakers to come to schools and foster dialogue between different perspectives to encouraging a respectful atmosphere amid student activism. 

“In recent weeks, there have been a lot of student-led walkouts and protests in schools,” Osborn said. “This has resulted in some students facing concerns over the politics of their classmates. This has resulted in some administrators unsure how to draw the line between free and protected speech, and also the need to protect the safety of Jewish students.” 

Osborn’s position moves forward a key component of CJP’s 5-point plan against antisemitism—education strategy in the K-12 space in Greater Boston. Through the 5-point plan and CJP’s fighting antisemitism initiative, CJP is committed through this new position to deepening relationships and coordination with school administrators and leaders across the region in order to provide critically needed resources and tools on antisemitism, anti-Zionism and Holocaust education.   

“It was an opportunity to work for, with and on behalf of the Jewish community in Greater Boston,” he said. “It was something that really speaks to my values, my convictions and professional aspirations, an opportunity that tied many of the disparate aspects of my academic and career path to date and wove them together in a role that has purpose and meaning.” 

Osborn, 37, lives on the South Shore with his wife and infant son. He identified with his Jewishness early on in life. He describes the subject of Jews and Judaism as underrepresented in his history classes, something he eventually decided to tackle in professional life. 

“As somebody who grew up in a Jewish home in a predominantly non-Jewish community, I felt like there were very few opportunities to see myself validated in the curriculum, and for my classmates and counterparts to encounter Jewish history in a way that was accurate, nuanced and humanizing,” he said. “I channeled those observations into a desire to study history, to teach history, and decided I wanted to have a more macro-level experience in education.” 

Osborn was raised in an interfaith family, which he said gave him an added perspective on the diversity of the Jewish community. 

“I believe it really shaped my deep commitment to working for interfaith and intercommunal dialogue,” he said, “and for being willing to cross cultural boundaries … My parents demonstrated to me on a daily basis their love and commitment to each other, despite their differences. That made me aware of the need to bring diverse people together.” 

After receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut—in history and secondary education, respectively—he stayed in the Nutmeg State to work as a high school history teacher in Hamden. His subsequent stops include volunteering for the Peace Corps in a village in Jordan; getting a master’s degree in Near Eastern and Judaic studies at Brandeis University and a doctor of education degree at Boston University; and working for Facing History & Ourselves and then for the curriculum-development nonprofit Primary Source, his previous stop before joining JCRC. 

“To shape the atmosphere and culture in schools so all students are able to leave K-12 education to thrive in a pluralistic, democratic society—it’s always what I wanted to do,” Osborn said. “I’ve always been informed by this goal and channel my Jewish values and sense of justice, healing and compassion into the work I do.” 

Rich Tenorio covers antisemitism news for JewishBoston.com. His work has appeared in international, national, regional and local media outlets. He is a graduate of Harvard College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is also a cartoonist. Email him at richt@cjp.org.

By Melissa Garlick, Senior Director of Combating Antisemitism and Building Civic Engagement at Combined Jewish Philanthropies

As antisemitism continues to spread on social media, communities, college campuses, and schools, the magnitude of the problem can feel overwhelming and frightening. On Tuesday, Nov. 14, we stood together, loudly and proudly—and in defiance of those who want us to hide in fear—to march in Washington, D.C., in support of Israel and against antisemitism. For many of us, that day is one that we will never forget and, in many ways, was only a precursor to the enormous work ahead.  

Over a much-needed holiday break, my family showed me some illustrations created by artists at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem to commemorate the beauty of the communities bordering Gaza as they existed before Oct. 7.     

The pictures are teeming with life and vibrancy, the land splashed with color. As the harvest season ends, I think about the seeds that are being planted now, amid the devastation. I think about the contrast between the murderous, hate-filled attacks on these communities and the promise and the beauty of growth and new life. I know this land will flourish again. 

When I talk about my work, many ask: How did we get here and how do we solve this? We all long for the immediate end to terror and antisemitism, but how are we planting the seeds for sustained and meaningful change over the long term? We cannot afford an approach that only pushes antisemitism back into the shadows; we face the real challenge of ensuring immediate protections for our safety while also advancing long-term, systemic change so that we are more prepared, coordinated, educated, and stronger when the intractable weeds of antisemitism threaten to destroy our future again.   

As this month’s Face Jewish Hate newsletter highlights, the recent increase in antisemitic and anti-Zionist incidents has been deeply alarming, particularly as it has impacted our Jewish students on college campuses.  

In response, CJP is ramping up its communal security resources for Jewish institutions and college campuses, working with partners to respond to hate incidents and hate crimes, and focus on immediate training, resources, and relationship-building in civic spaces, including higher education and K-12 schools. There are also action steps you can take to fight antisemitism on college campuses. We continue to elevate the stories of those who have experienced antisemitism to raise public awareness and inspire action. If you have a story to share, your voice is so needed at this time.  

At the same time, we must keep planting our seeds. We will continue to build transformative relationships across communities in Greater Boston, deepening allyship strategically at the civic leadership and community levels. We will ramp up work and investments in long-term and systemic work that must be done in K-12 education, higher education, and workplace spaces to expand education, create inclusive climates, promote bold leadership, and confront the deep and systemic roots of antisemitism in our society. 

As we work with our brothers and sisters in Israel to advance the long and hard work to heal and rebuild, we must commit to the everyday work and maintenance here in our own community too for long-term change in the fight against antisemitism. Though we may not be able to see the garden yet, we must together remain grounded and steadfast in our goal that Boston’s Jewish community feels safe, supported, and empowered to combat antisemitism and anti-Zionism. I can’t wait to see what we grow.