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Tag: Government

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Nation’s Only Special State Legislative Commission on Antisemitism Begins Work on Beacon Hill  

By Dan Seligson

Communal and organizational leaders from across the commonwealth participated in the first-in-the-nation Special Legislative Commission for Combating Antisemitism, led by Co-chairs Senator John Velis and Representative Simon Cataldo, seeking to recommend solutions to the intractable challenge of Jewish hatred.

Melissa Garlick, who leads CJP’s Center for Combating Antisemitism (CCA), spoke at the meeting, detailing CCA’s efforts to address antisemitism through mobilizing and unifying efforts to educate students, increase collaboration among faith communities, and bolster security for Jewish institutions and spaces.  
 
Garlick said the first meeting represented a “milestone day for everyone who has engaged for a strong response to growing antisemitism in our community.” 
 
In her remarks, Garlick said a critical first step for the commission is to figure out the scope of and spaces in which Jewish hatred is rife in the commonwealth.  
 
“We must commit to understanding the conditions of the past year that led to the surge of anti-Jewish rhetoric and action and the antisemitism going unchecked in all sectors of our society,” she said. 
 
Gov. Maura Healey, in a statement issued in advance of the first commission meeting, called antisemitism in the commonwealth and beyond “alarming, heartbreaking, and unacceptable.” 
 
“We recognize the pain and trauma this has caused for our Jewish community, and we are committed to combating it,” she continued. “We look forward to the important work that [the Commission] will do to advise us on how we combat antisemitism and hate in our communities and make sure everyone in Massachusetts is safe and respected.”  
 
With the first meeting now behind them, the work begins — policy recommendations, programs, and educational opportunities to address the growing scourge of antisemitism here, around the country, and globally.  
 
In a note to volunteers at the conclusion of the commission meeting, Garlick said she and partner organizations — including the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, Anti-Defamation League, AJC New England, and others — will look beyond short-term approaches to address antisemitism and focus on longer-term strategies that will be effective in the future.  
 
“This is crucial first step,” Garlick said.  
 
The meeting can be watched here. 

Dan Seligson is CJP’s senior director of strategy and impact communications.

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Massachusetts Unites Against Antisemitism With New State Commission

By Melissa Garlick, Associate Vice President, CJP’s Center for Combating Antisemitism

When I first heard that Governor Maura Healey and the Massachusetts legislature approved the establishment of a historic Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism, I breathed a sigh of relief. It is so encouraging that our government partners recognize the dangerous surge of antisemitism in our communities and are dedicating a formal space to learning, hearing from the community, and working with us on a plan through a formal commission. With the Commission now in place, our communal partners have a platform for serious discussions — and for action. The first meeting of the Commission took place this week.

Since announcing its establishment, we have seen three positive steps: 

  1. The Commission invited CJP’s Center for Combating Antisemitism to make a presentation to its members at its first meeting to discuss antisemitism in our community and interventions that CCA is exploring, evaluating, and implementing. Our goal is to ensure the CCA is a leading consultant to the commission, providing evidence-based recommendations on priority interventions we believe will be  powerful tools in addressing and preventing antisemitism throughout the Commonwealth. (Watch the full recording of the Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism from Tuesday, Oct. 29). You can also read Governor Healey’s statement.
  2. The Commission has appointed its members and Co-chairs, Representative Simon Citaldo and Senator John Velis, who will set the commission’s agendas and priorities. We are thrilled by this news – Representative Citaldo and Senator Velis are long standing allies of our work- and they have already established a deep partnership with CJP’s CCA and the community on these issues.  The chairs have released a powerful introductory statement on the potential of this Commission. The commission also includes CCA’s core partners –  JCRC, ADL, and AJC — who have been leading key aspects of CCA’s overall agenda.
  3. The Commission has started to review the White House U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism to recommend steps for local implementation. Released in the spring of 2023, the national strategy is a historic and comprehensive plan with a robust runway for holistic interventions at the state level. CCA considered the plan in implementing its strategy, for example, CCA launched its own version of the “ally challenge” (pg 49 of the plan) in Greater Boston. In order to effectively counter antisemitism, we need a whole of society approach that leans into greater education, understanding, and accountability for all of Boston’s civic society to take action on antisemitism.  The Commission’s starting with the White House National Strategy is a step in the right direction.

In order to be successful, this Commission to Combat Antisemitism will need all of us to collaborate with government, business, education, and philanthropic institutions. As I told the Commission at its first meeting- this is a Commission that must first commit to understanding the conditions in civic Boston the past year that led to not only the surge of anti-Jewish rhetoric and action but to that antisemitism going unchecked in all sectors of our society.  That understanding will ensure that the State looks beyond solely short-term approaches that may be blunt instruments in fighting antisemitism and also commits itself to effective approaches for the long-term. 

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Empowered to Act: CJP’s Center for Combating Antisemitism’s Handbook on Effective Community Mobilization for Confronting and Preventing Antisemitism 

One of the key advantages of CJP’s CCA is our ability to leverage national and local best practices and bring them to Greater Boston. We’re seeing it all: Our partnership network is made up of colleagues from every corner of the country and, like us, they are developing immediate interventions and testing strategic plans over time. 

A key driver in our ability to be effective in advancing and scaling CJP’s CCA work and slow the spread of antisemitism is grassroots action, and community members are critical to this movement. Through five recommendations, this handbook provides a set of actions you can take; these recommendations are intended to uplift and amplify the grassroots efforts of our volunteers and wider Jewish community in their day-to-day efforts.   

Some recommendations are focused on short-term, urgent tactics, and others we know will yield powerful long-term results. In all cases, it is critical to highlight that you are the heartbeat of our movement—our children, young adults, and neighbors depend on our cohesive efforts. It is not always easy to build strategic alignment when the subject matter is difficult and rife with our individual experience of pain. But in each difficult time for our people, we survive and flourish when we stand together.   

We are committed to keeping Greater Boston updated on the daily activities and progress on our strategies to prevent, combat, and address antisemitism. Join CJP’s Center for Combating Antisemitism’s Community Network WhatsApp Group for regular updates today.

Continue to read each recommendation, or jump to a specific section using the links below:

Confronting and preventing antisemitism in the workplace

Jewish leaders across various Boston workplaces gathering to learn best practices on Jewish Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) from Oren Jacobson, Executive Director at Project Shema, May 2024
Jewish leaders across various Boston workplaces gathering to learn best practices on Jewish employee resource groups (ERGs) from Oren Jacobson, executive director at Project Shema, in May 2024 (Photo: Molly Kazan)

For most adult Jews in Greater Boston, the largest time spent in social interaction is at work, and therefore CJP’s CCA is aligning with partners to foster safe environments for Jewish employees across Greater Boston’s workplaces. Many local companies and organizations have launched diversity and inclusion programs to support their most vulnerable populations, but these structures have too often left Jewish experiences outside of these conversations and without access to necessary support.  

CJP’s CCA has launched a strategic, coordinated effort to create a support network within Boston-based companies by funding intracompany trainings on the dangers of antisemitism and fostering safe environments for Jewish employees, and by connecting networks of companies dedicated to workplace support of Jews.  

Where your advocacy in the workplace can start

Jewish employee resource groups (ERGs) are an excellent workplace vehicle to begin to create, or grow, your company’s support for Jewish employees. If you are involved in your company’s Jewish ERG or are considering creating one, we can help you implement best-in-class antisemitism workplace trainings and connect you to a growing network (30 companies across Greater Boston thus far!) of groups that are exchanging ideas and interventions to make their workplace experience safer. 

Key action

Bring CJP’s CCA-sponsored trainings and resources to your workplace by filling out this form. Delivered by expert facilitators at Project Shema, the trainings for workplace leaders, DEI professionals, and ERGs at your company can be transformational to Jewish and non-Jewish colleagues and prepare them for solidarity and allyship when it’s needed the most. If you don’t already have a Jewish ERG at your place of work, learn how to advocate for one.  

Confronting and preventing antisemitism through productive engagement with government leaders 

Massachusetts State House in Boston

CJP’s CCA vision of making antisemitism socially and politically unacceptable in Greater Boston will rely on our ability to engage productively with government leaders. Their voices can amplify ours and help prevent future acts and manifestations of antisemitism in our community. Our expectation is that our elected leaders listen to our worries, hear our stories with care, and are motivated to speak loudly in our support—especially in crisis—without being asked.  

This ideal outcome, however, does not happen on its own; it’s the result of individual and collective strategic actions.  

Where your advocacy with government leadership can start

Know who your local, state and federal representatives are; familiarize yourself with your local council structure, local school board, and key stakeholders in the Massachusetts legislature. You’ll find that your representatives are meeting with the public often about communal priorities; by becoming engaged civically, you’ll create opportunities for positive relationship-building with local leadership.   

Key resource

We partner with the excellent leadership of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston (JCRC), who are professional advocates in the local, state, and federal government. The JCRC senior staff work daily to keep a drumbeat of important conversations live with our key stakeholders. They keep our volunteers engaged and informed about political and policy priorities. JCRC also connects our community to mobilize in support of our combating and preventing antisemitism priorities. If you and your community have identified a gap of support and believe that your representative needs additional education and training about our priorities, CJP’s CCA and JCRC staff can guide toward the right conversations, and we encourage you to let us know.  

Read more about this leadership model in action. 

Empowered conversations with K-12 administrators and educators  

(Photo courtesy of Combined Jewish Philanthropies)

Your advocacy on behalf of your children—and all our children in Greater Boston—is crucial. ADL’s 2023 report on antisemitism in Greater Boston documented 600 instances of antisemitism (including a massive surge after Oct. 7), and our school settings are not immune to this trend. We know that anti-Jewish bias exists in educational entities across this community, and we’ve sourced best practices from across the country to help our Jewish parents be well-positioned for successful conversations.  

Where your advocacy can start

CJP’s CCA aims to empower community members with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to effectively engage with school administrators and educators when antisemitic incidents happen in the classroom. Alongside our strategic partners, we also invest in relationships with key stakeholders in the local education ecosystem to promote safe and inclusive classroom climates where Jewish students are valued and embraced.  

Key resource

We are strong believers in preventing antisemitism through thoughtful engagement with educators and administrators. This primer is essential reading for successful dialogues in school settings, and trainings for parents and for educators and administrators are available through CJP’s CCA. 

Additional K-12 Resources:
  • K-12 Jewish Parents Resource Guide from Project Shema: A comprehensive guide to support Jewish parents in fostering a safe and inclusive environment for their children.
  • K-12 Admin & Staff Resource Guide from Project Shema: A resource aimed at helping school administrators and staff create a supportive atmosphere for Jewish students.

Confronting and preventing antisemitism on Greater Boston’s college campuses

Julia Freedman, a student at Boston College, speaks at CJP’s Stand up for Jewish Students rally in April 2024 (Photo: Collin Howell)

Since launching this April at the height of campus tensions related to the Hamas attacks and ensuing wars, our Center for Combating Antisemitism has regularly convened a roundtable of Greater Boston Hillel, Chabads, and our key campus organizers, bringing national partners and resources to these local conversations. Through these roundtables, we align on strategy, tactics, and execution of proactive and responsive initiatives to uplift our Jewish students and enable them to engage with their campus community and their studies without fear. We closely and regularly interact with students and Jewish organizations on campus to understand their needs, understand opportunities, and coordinate action.  

In this space, we not only lean into our role of convener, but also that of innovative funder. CJP’s CCA has placed hundreds of thousands of dollars in surge funding of pilot programs on Greater Boston campuses in response to the dangerous rise of antisemitism in our community, alongside funding for long-term partners who are the foundational infrastructure for joyful Jewish student life on campuses. 

Where your advocacy for Jewish students on campus can start

We are committed to uplifting our local Jewish students; sometimes that means showing up in huge swaths of support, like our community rally for students this past April, which drew over 1,500 attendees. Subscribe to CJP’s CCA Newsletter and CJP’s CCA WhatsApp Group to be regularly invited to opportunities like these.  

Key resource

Learn more about what actions we’re asking colleges and universities to take during the coming school year so you can effectively echo these recommendations. Locally, learn about innovative programs that CJP is supporting on several campuses to increase education on antisemitism and allyship with other communities.

Additional Campus Resources

Responding to community-based incidents

(Courtesy photo)

Your family’s safety and well-being are the central priorities for all communal work confronting antisemitism. We encourage every community member to report an incident of antisemitism as soon as it takes place. This allows our local key partners and resources to be coordinated and help you in the immediate aftermath and in recovery.  

Key resource

Know how to report and respond to an antisemitic incident.  

We are committed to keeping Greater Boston updated on the daily activities and progress on our strategies to prevent, combat, and address antisemitism. Join CJP’s Center for Combating Antisemitism’s Community Network WhatsApp Group for regular updates today.