By Bob Katzen
Rep. Simon Cataldo (D-Concord) and Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield) have been appointed by House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy) and Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) to lead the state’s new Commission On Combating Antisemitism.
“The work is urgent and the mission is critical,” said the pair in a joint statement. “Over the past several years, our commonwealth has earned the ignominious reputation as a hub of antisemitic activity. We have heard it through harrowing accounts from Jewish students, parents, educators and people of all backgrounds who feel it on a visceral level in our communities. And we see it in the 2023 data.”
They noted that the 189 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in Massachusetts outpaced the 140 percent increase in such incidents nationwide. They said that vandalism increased by 70 percent, harassment increased by 444 percent, the number of assaults doubled and that 127 cities and towns in Massachusetts saw at least one antisemitic incident last year.
“This is not OK,” said Cataldo and Velis. “These trends must be — and can be — reversed through concerted action. The commission will work with great dispatch to meet our statutory charge to provide specific, evidence-backed guidance on how to implement the White House’s national strategy to counter antisemitism, improve awareness in schools and the workplace, address harassment and hate crimes, bolster security for places of worship and build upon existing best practices and more.
They continued, ”We will approach this exercise with humility and care, recognizing that antisemitism is a fraught and complicated topic in today’s society. Our work will not, however, be compromised by those who believe the problem of antisemitism is being exaggerated — it is not — or who feel that a singular focus on antisemitism for a commission is inappropriate. Antisemitic fear mongering, conspiracy peddling and hate have for millennia been a harbinger of wider threats to democracy and peace throughout the world. This commission will work towards stamping it out in Massachusetts.”