The fifth meeting of Massachusetts’ Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism is scheduled for March 11th @ 1pm in Longmeadow, in Western MA, and will be live streamed. Please let us know how you will be joining so we can track our allies’ participation. RSVP for details.
The March 11th meeting will be the first opportunity to engage community members in Western Massachusetts and will be held at the Springfield Jewish Community Center in Longmeadow. We are hopeful that the meeting agenda will allow the Commission to explore white supremacist antisemitism and ways of addressing antisemitism using an intersectional lens.
The agenda includes a presentation on the state’s compliance with the state law requiring the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to provide schools with “resources relative to antisemitism and societal bias.” The Commissioners will also hear from a survivor of the Holocaust (see her 2019 interview on the rise of white nationalism and its impact on antisemitism and other forms of hate).
The meeting will feature four presentations:
- Concerns in Berkshire County and small rural Jewish communities – Rabbi Jordie Gordon, Hevreh of Southern Berkshire
- Trends and community responses to antisemitic incidents in Western Massachusetts – Molly Parr, 1st Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts
- Genocide and Holocaust education curricula and resources provided to schools on antisemitism – Dr. Russell Johnston, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
- Community education efforts on antisemitism and Holocaust – Henia (Henny) Lewin, past Board Member of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts and former Professor at University of Vermont
Can we count on you to stand together with us as we seek to hold the Commission accountable for addressing antisemitism using an antiracist approach?
Educate your state legislators about your concerns and priorities
Did you see the February 10th Antisemitism Commission meeting? It was a difficult experience for us, with some commission members failing to uphold their commitment to openness and inclusivity. Some Commission members misrepresented our efforts to address antisemitism within a solidarity framework and reject the weaponization of antisemitism. Read TIM’s testimony on our Linktree here.
Together for an Inclusive Massachusetts’ (TIM) primary commitment is to address antisemitism within a framework of collective liberation. We approach that goal by working to hold the Commission accountable to antiracist values, and more importantly, to engage with legislators across the state to educate them about the issues being discussed at the Commission. Educating legislators now is necessary to encourage them to view Commission meetings and review recommendations the Commission makes through a critical lens.
Share your thoughts with your state legislators and ask them to urge their colleagues to ensure that the Commission meetings are fair and open to a diversity of voices.
The Antisemitism Commission needs to hear from you
The Commission is planning to have a public comment period at a future meeting (date TBD). Members of the public are encouraged to reach out to the Commission at scca@malegislature.gov with feedback, experiences, requests to speak, and ideas for future topics.
Upcoming topics to be addressed by the Commission that you can submit as written testimony, will include:
- Implementation of the White House Strategy on Antisemitism
- Defining antisemitism and its relation to Zionism and the state of Israel
- Higher education
- Law enforcement and hate crimes and reporting
- Best practices in the workplace at municipal, healthcare and arts fields
- Other topics suggested by members of the public
Please email SCCA@malegislature.gov directly and make sure to request your written testimony be shared with all Commission members. Please share your testimony with TIM at https://inclusivemassachusetts.org/get-involved/submit-testimony/.
