The state’s Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism has concluded that antisemitism is on the upswing in Massachusetts and proposed a number of steps aimed at addressing the problem. But some critics disagree with the contours of the group’s diagnosis and recommendations.
Initially formed in 2024 to counsel the state Legislature on how to combat the rise in “antisemitic incidents and hate crimes in Massachusetts,” the commission’s final report was approved in a unanimous vote last week. (One of the commission’s cochairs and 19 members, state Sen. John Velis, was deployed with the National Guard and unable to vote.)
The commission was the first such statutorily created body in the United States. Its report puts forth dozens of findings and recommendations, ranging from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issuing guidelines to create safe and supportive environments regarding shared national origin and ethnic characteristics to fully staffing and funding the state’s new Hate Crimes Awareness and Response Team.
The commission released a near-final version of its 70-page report on Friday that will be presented to the Legislature this week. (Previous versions of the report are viewable here.)
While the final report is not legally binding, much of the state’s political establishment is already endorsing its recommendations and findings.
Among other things, the commissioners found that antisemitism is rising in Massachusetts across a wide range of settings; that many Jewish people feel their experiences of antisemitism are minimized or dismissed; and that antisemitism must be combatted both as a distinct form of hate and as part of a broader effort to combat hate of all kinds.
In addition to stressing the need for increased education about the Holocaust and the identity of the Jewish people, the report concluded that well-established, transparent protocols for reporting and tracking incidents of antisemitism are in dire need of implementation.
The report also says that Massachusetts “must combat antisemitism in a way that distinguishes between good faith criticism of the actions and policies of Israel’s government, on the one hand, and advocacy that condones or supports the elimination of Jews and the State of Israel.”
In a press release sent out Sunday evening, the commission’s work and conclusions drew enthusiastic praise from, among others, Gov. Maura Healey, state Senate President Karen Spilka, state House Speaker Ron Mariano, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth and Warren and Ed Markey, U.S. Reps. Katherine Clark, Seth Moulton, and Lori Trahan, and UMass President Marty Meehan.
Individual commissioners also praised the body’s efforts. In a statement emailed to GBH News, Jody Kipnis, the co-founder, president and CEO of the Holocaust Legacy Foundation, said: “Our recommendations strengthen civil rights protections, reinforce the importance of civic and Holocaust education, and affirm that antisemitism, no matter how it manifests, has no place in Massachusetts.”
She added: “I am proud of the work we have done and hopeful for the positive impact these recommendations will have on ensuring our Commonwealth remains a safe and inclusive home for all.”
Also in an emailed statement, Jeremy Burton, the CEO of Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, said the report is a “milestone” that ”represents the completion of a significant body of public work, and the beginning of the work that now matters most: implementation.”
The report is not without its critics, however.
“Antisemitism is a problem in Massachusetts and in the country,” Jonathan Feingold, a professor of law at Boston University and member of the group Concerned Jewish Faculty and Staff, told GBH News. “But in order to take that on, the commissioners would have had to foreground two of the most potent factors that are fomenting antisemitism today, which is both Donald Trump and the Nazi sympathizers in the federal government, but also the state of Israel’s genocidal conduct in Gaza.
“Over the past year, there’s been no evidence that the commission is actually taking on those two drivers of antisemitism,” Feingold added. “And so what we’re left with is a document that … renders Massachusetts and all stakeholders less well-positioned to meaningfully address antisemitism.”
Before the commission voted on its final report last week, Concerned Jewish Faculty and Staff released what it described as a “shadow report” critiquing the commission’s work and urged the Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism’s members to vote “No” on their final report.
Despite that last-minute exhortation, the special commission’s “yes” vote was unanimous.
