NORTHAMPTON — In a near unanimous vote at the State House in Boston Thursday, a special commission charged with recommending ways to combat antisemitism in the state adopted its initial findings and preliminary recommendations for actions to take in K-12 education.
At its 10th hearing, the Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism, co-chaired by state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, encouraged the state to create a Board of Elementary and Secondary Education advisory council on Holocaust and genocide education, to require anti-bias education for school committees and all K-12 faculty and administrators that includes antisemitism, and to launch a statewide bias reporting program explicitly encompassing antisemitism as a form of bias.
Rep. Simon Cataldo, D-Concord, who co-chairs the commission with Velis, said it was important to have the preliminary advisory ready before the start of the K-12 school year later this month.
The recommendations were shared by a public draft on July 2, with significant public comment at the commission’s July 9 meeting and in the time since, leading to the final 11-page version adopted by a near unanimous vote, though two members were absent.
One recommendation states that “in accordance with existing legislative requirements, DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) should develop model curricula and best practices/resources around teaching antisemitism and Jewish identity in schools, including through enhancements to its Frameworks. Initial model resources should be published within one year, with annual updates thereafter. This may include Jewish history, positive Jewish contributions to America, Jewish diversity, and manifestations of contemporary antisemitism.”
Another recommendation calls for DESE to issue guidance for Massachusetts public and private schools on creating safe and supportive school environments with respect to shared national origin, shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics similar to its existing guidance on gender identity and LGBTQ+ students.
There also is a suggestion that the bias reporting system be piloted in select districts within the next school year and evaluated for statewide rollout within 18 months.
DESE Commissioner Pedro Martinez told the commission his office has a deep commitment to combating antisemitism and societal bias and the contents of the commission’s recommendations are in alignment with its mission. He offered appreciation for these additional resources, as he wants children to be safe and have the guidance that will go to the public school districts.
But while Martinez applauded the work, there were tensions at the State House as members of groups Together for an Inclusive Massachusetts and Concerned Jewish Faculty and Staff urged a delay in the vote, issuing a letter stating “the flawed and partisan recommendations are unlikely to effectively address antisemitism and will undermine safe learning and working environments for students and teachers alike.”
Specifically, the organizations argue that “the commission is rushing through recommendations that call for Massachusetts schools to employ a contentious and widely criticized definition of antisemitism that, where it is already in use, creates a chilling effect, undermines opportunities for critical thinking and opens the door to punish students and educators who engage in legitimate discourse about Israel/Palestine.”
That definition comes from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Velis addressed this in his comments, observing that he has repeatedly said that criticism of Israel is not antisemitic.
“We have been explicit from day one that criticism of Israel (is covered by) the First Amendment and all that that entails,” Velis said.
“You’re a liar,” a woman shouted from the audience, also aiming her comments at Cataldo. “You’re both liars.”
Prior to her removal, another person attempted to read a statement to the commission critical of the recommendations, which, when Cataldo’s repeated use of a gavel was ignored, prompted him to call a recess and a court officer brought order to the room.
The commission will have additional recommendations coming out in the coming months, including for higher education, law enforcement and public safety.
Commission member Rob Leikind, New England regional director for the American Jewish Committee, said Friday that he is gratified the process is moving forward after dozens of witnesses outlined the scope of antisemitism, including in K-12 learning environments.
Leikind said the commission can be a model for other states and countries dealing with the normalization of antisemitism.
“This problem is begging for the kind of thoughtful inquiry that has gone on so far and will continue,” Leikind said.
Testimony at hearing
Though the vote was specifically for addressing education at the K-12 level, testimony during the session came from several people affiliated with higher education, including at the University of Massachusetts.
Rabbi Aaron Fine, now in his 13th year as executive director at UMass Amherst Hillel, said on one hand Jewish life is thriving, as he engages with 1,500 students a year, but that far too many Jewish students and staff and faculty have suffered antisemitism or unacceptable behavior, including harassment, physical assault, vandalism, bias in the classroom and repercussions of campus protest.
At UMass, there were at least three instances of physical violence against Jewish students in the year following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Velis recounted some of the stories he heard when he visited Hillel House and the cruelties, including students intentionally being left out of events and activities.
“I think higher ed and our universities need to do a better job on a mental health basis, and do a better job identifying that there is a problem,” Velis said.
Fine said ongoing antisemitism training is needed and teaching students how to better navigate differences and disagreements, since universities should be open to inquiry.
This has not been the case for Skye Landau, a senior mathematics major at UMass, who described hostility she and other Jewish students faced when the Student Government Association took an advisory vote in support of boycotting, divesting and sanctioning Israel.
Yet the SGA rejected support of the “Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate” campaign sponsored by Hillel and its students.
Multiple student organizations have also excluded Zionist students, she said, and Landau said that aggressors have shouted “Free Palestine” at her and on one occasion a student suggested she should have been put in a gas chamber during the Holocaust.
“Not only should Hillel continue to be a safe space for us, but it should not be the only safe space,” Landau said.
Eitan Hersh, professor of political science at Tufts University, said that unlike other prejudices, antisemitism is more common among younger people. Hersh did a study in 2022 looking at perspectives, with an oversampling of Jewish college students, and continued that study in 2023 and 2024, revealing there are wildly different attitudes toward Israel, including whether it should exist as a Jewish state and who to blame for the war that started Oct. 7, 2023.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com
