The eighth meeting of the Antisemitism Commission will be held on Monday, June 9th at 1pm in the MA State House, Room A-2 and will be live streamed at this link.  The Commission agenda appears to continue on building the case for the adoption of a definition of antisemitism that criminalizes and falsely paints advocacy for or learning about Palestinian human rights as a call for elimination of all Jewish people. We encourage our members to attend in person if possible. RSVP below for details. 

This commission meeting will be the first after the horrific murder of two Israeli embassy staff and attack against the Run for Our Lives demonstrators. We expect the Commission to use these heinous crimes committed by two individuals acting independently to smear “the left wing” for advocating for Palestinian human rights and build the case for criminalizing activism and censoring of education.  

In this email, we ask you to take two actions and share with you an update:

• Action One: Attend the June 9th Commission meeting (State House or live stream)

• Action Two: Share resources with your legislators on the conflation of antisemitism with criticism of the state of Israel

• Key themes from the May 5th Commission meeting

Let us know if you will be attending the Jun 9th meeting in person or by live stream

Action 1: Attend the June 9th Commission meeting (State House or live stream)

The meeting will begin with opening remarks by co-chairs Rep. Simon Cataldo and Sen. John Velis and will set the stage for the themes to be addressed by the invited speakers.

• Weaponization of Antisemitism - Ambassador Alan D. Solomont (ret.), Nexus Project Board Member: The Nexus Project is one of three groups that provide guidance on defining antisemitism and its nexus with Israel. Amb. Solomont published an op-ed last year stating “the Nexus Guide [...] emphasiz[es] the importance of context, intent, and impact in assessing potentially antisemitic incidents.” In contrast, last month Sen. Velis decried the use of “context” to identify antisemitic incidents referencing early alarm about the creation of the Commission (starting timestamp 1:17:50).

• Equating the Boycott-Divest-Sanction (BDS) movement with antisemitism - Professor David Webber, Boston University School of Law: Prof. Webber penned this op-ed warning about the boycott, divest and sanction movement. Rep. Steve Howitt, who serves on the Commission, is the lead sponsor of anti-BDS legislation in Massachusetts. The BDS movement, organized by Palestinian civil society, advocates for non-violent actions to attain Palestinian rights and takes a definitive stand against antisemitism.

• Foundation to Combat Antisemitism report - Adam Katz, Foundation President: The Foundation was founded by Robert Kraft and released this report indicating that 25%, or 26 million, Americans are antisemitic, including 40% of young people.

• Owen Zaret, Former Easthampton City Councilor who was censured by his colleagues and resigned due to harassment allegations which he claimed was driven by antisemitism. 

Conduct at the State House

There is no public comment at this meeting. Audience members are expected to listen quietly. We will sit quietly wearing our “Together for an Inclusive Massachusetts” buttons to indicate our presence. This is not a political rally or a protest. If you expect that to be a challenge for you, please join using the live stream option below or use your time at the State House by visiting your state legislators to share your thoughts (see Action 2 below).

Please bookmark the Commission’s hearing page for changes to the live stream link or to the agenda.

Let us know if you will be attending the Jun 9th meeting in person or by live stream

Action 2: What is antisemitism? Share TIM’s latest resource with your legislators  

It is important that legislators in the Commonwealth understand that there is a wide range of perspectives on how to best combat antisemitism within the Jewish community and among anti-racist allies, and that the Commission has been consistently dismissive of viewpoints that differ from many of the appointed Commissioners. Antisemitism is a real problem in the Commonwealth, and one that deserves  serious attention.  Given the mandate of the Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism, it is critical for policy makers to ensure that we do not combat antisemitism in a way that negatively impacts the rights of Palestinians, encroaches on free speech or by  conflating  antisemitism with criticism of Israel.  

Together for an Inclusive Massachusetts published this resource document for use with policy makers (state legislators, municipal leaders and local law enforcement). We recommend that you share TIM’s resource document and attach either Diaspora Alliance’s information sheet or Dismantling Antisemitism’s longer guide.

Share Resources on Antisemitism with your Elected Officials

Key Themes from the May 5th Commission Meeting  

Four speakers presented at the May Commission meeting:

• The first presenter from the  ADL’s Center on Extremism set the stage by presenting on hate groups operating in Massachusetts (starting timestamp 0:06:11 and focused almost exclusively on white supremacist antisemitism. The first question by the Commission echoed Project Esther’s manufactured “Hamas Support Network” label, which was most recently repeated by the head of the ADL.

• The following presentation on hate crimes statutes laid the groundwork for expanding Massachusetts’ hate crimes statutes to include Zionism as a new protected class and for giving District Attorneys’ greater power by expanding the list of allegations that would subject defendants to mandatory pretrial incarceration (the latter being a long-time priority of Sen. Velis).

• The law enforcement presentations referenced ADL’s extensive work with local law enforcement (municipal police departments and county-level District Attorneys) through trainings and supporting investigations.

• One commissioner proposed anti-masking legislation that would impose harsh penalties under the hate crimes laws for protesters who conceal their identity (using equating protestors with the KKK)  

We remain dedicated to documenting the activity of the Commission and to fighting the conflation of criticism of Israel or pro-Palestinian speech with antisemitism. If you are interested in joining us in this work, please reply to this message and let us know.

In solidarity, Together for an Inclusive Massachusetts  InclusiveMassachusetts.org   

Together for an Inclusive Massachusetts is a group of Jewish, Muslim, labor, education, civil rights and other organizations and individuals advocating for justice and equity in the Commonwealth. Our alliance includes representatives from Boston Workers Circle, Mass Peace Action, Jewish Voice for Peace Boston, If Not Now Boston, National Lawyers Guild - MA, Council on American-Islamic Relations - MA, Sawa: Newton-Area Alliance for Peace and Justice, the Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine, Arlington for Palestine, Worcester Havurah and many supporting organizations.