EASTHAMPTON — Recalling an incident in the city’s public schools in which a Jewish child was targeted with Nazi salutes and taunts and opted to remove the Star of David on his person out of fear for his well-being, a former Easthampton city councilor told a legislative panel that the strategy school officials used in response was to “delay, deflect, deny and delegitimize.”
While nearby communities, like Northampton, Amherst and Belchertown, dealt with antisemitic incidents in public ways and with appropriate strategies, Owen Zaret, a four-term councilor who resigned in February after facing censure, contended at Monday’s hearing in Boston that Easthampton leaders instead pursued a different approach, what he called a “trifecta of antisemitism.”
“(They were) ignoring actual incidents, refusing to address national statistics and attacking local Jewish leaders when they came forward offering solutions,” Zaret said. “The implicit policy of Easthampton schools is concealment and retaliation.”
His testimony to the Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism came at its eighth meeting Monday. Zaret said he is one of the “data points in the data” and is “gravely disappointed” that he had to pursue this level of exposure to demand accountability and bring attention to what he described as “the Jew hatred that has permeated our schools in Easthampton.”
The commission is co-chaired by Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, whose district includes Easthampton, and Rep. Simon Cataldo, D-Concord.
Velis said that there are uncertain paths to follow and ambiguities the commission wants to address.
“Part of the benefit of your testimony today is actually giving that a real world example, if you will,” Velis said. “Your message has been stated by multiple folks. It’s that human piece of it, we’re well aware of the inconsistencies and what that process looks like.”
Zaret resigned after his push to deal with antisemitism. According to a memo from the School Committee to the City Council, Zaret’s actions “escalated to incidents of clearly unprofessional and unacceptable conduct.” The School Committee also explained that the district had “multiple policies in place” to address antisemitism.
But Zaret, in his presentation to the commission, defended what he had done.
“As an elected official, my job was to advocate for our residents. Instead, I was censured, ostracized, and silenced for speaking up about antisemitism,” Zaret said. “The message sent to Jewish families is clear: if you raise your voice, there will be consequences.”
Zaret added that the marginalization of Jews, ranging from cultural insensitivity to overt antisemitism, frank use of stereotypes and scheduling municipal events on Jewish holidays, is problematic.
“The repeated targeting and abuse of Jewish students for their ethnicity, heritage and religion, including Nazi salutes and taunts, and graffiti, including swastikas and ‘I hate Jews,’ go unpunished and school officials refuse to address it,” Zaret said.
Also as part of the eighth meeting of the commission was a discussion by David Webber, a professor at the Boston University School of Law, on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and its connection to antisemitism, a presentation by Nexus Project board member Alan D. Solomont on the weaponization of antisemitism and a talk by Adam Katz, president of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, on the digital landscape of antisemitism
Zaret highlighted the contrast between Easthampton and surrounding communities like Westfield and Longmeadow, where antisemitic incidents were swiftly and publicly addressed. He expressed frustration with what he called Easthampton’s “culture of concealment” and lack of commitment to Jewish safety and inclusion.
In his call to action, Zaret urged the commission and state leaders to conduct a formal audit of antisemitic incidents in Easthampton and to implement enforceable policies requiring public reporting, mandatory antisemitism education, and accountability for administrators who fail to act.
“Easthampton claims to have an anti-bias curriculum,” Zaret said. “But it is clearly not working for Jewish students. When I asked for help, the response was retaliation.”
He also drew connections between a ceasefire resolution in the city that he argues demonized Israel and created rhetoric that mirrors the violent hate crime recently seen in Boulder, Colorado.
In addition to better oversight and investigations and better reporting, there needs to be an evaluation of how students are taught about Jewish people beyond the Holocaust, he said.
Zaret concluded with another plea to the commission: “Stop silencing and sidelining Jewish voices. Stand up against Jewish hate with the same urgency you would for any other marginalized group.”
Those on the commission suggested various approaches.
Dara Kaufman, a member of the commission and executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires, asked if Zaret reached out to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with his concerns.
Zaret said he didn’t do so at the time because it was unclear if that was his responsibility, or that of the parents of the child who may have feared speaking up.
Jamie Hoag, senior counselor to the attorney general’s office, said when reports of antisemitism are filed, incidents can be investigated.
Aaron Polansky, who represents superintendents on the commission, said he had a tear in his eye when Zaret shared the story of the impacted Jewish student. Polansky, too, said there needs to be clarity about how these incidents get reported.
“We have an obligation that these things don’t happen and we serve all students,” Polansky said.
Cataldo said what Zaret provided was details that can be used for the report the commission will deliver this summer and in advance of the 2025-2026 school year.
“What you have really done today is drawn out some of the key pieces, the gaps we can fill in with our recommendation,” Cataldo said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
