Massachusetts Jews Say Stop Weaponizing Our Identity
The Massachusetts Legislature, Massachusetts School Committees, and Massachusetts School Superintendents
We are Massachusetts Jews who want to see an equitable and effective approach to addressing antisemitism in our state. Regardless of our views on Zionism, Israel, and how to define antisemitism, we are united in the belief that we are safer in a state that protects the rights and wellbeing of all people equally. We have seen how the federal government is weaponizing charges of antisemitism to justify crack downs and are concerned that the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism’s actions will lead to similar silencing and policing of speech.
Please sign the below letter rejecting all attempts to use our Jewish identities to crack down on civil liberties and undermine education in our state.
This letter will be shared with MA legislators, school committees, and school administrators across the state. You may sign with your first name only if you are concerned about your name being shared publicly. The final letter will include your name (as you have shared it) and your city or town. Your email will not be shared.
Sponsored by
To:
The Massachusetts Legislature, Massachusetts School Committees, and Massachusetts School Superintendents
From:
[Your Name]
Massachusetts Jews say stop weaponizing our identity.
As Jewish residents of Massachusetts, we see our Jewish identities being used to crack down on universities, K-12 education, civil rights, immigrants, free speech, teachers, academic freedom, unions, and more. The resulting damage to individuals, institutions, the state economy, and constitutional rights endangers all residents of the Commonwealth. We call on our elected officials and school leaders to reject attempts to justify these attacks under the guise of fighting antisemitism.
We are a diverse community of Jews – Americans, Israelis, and others; young and old; students, educators, lawyers, doctors, health care workers, engineers, rabbis, and more. We differ on many issues, but we are united in the belief that regardless of our views on Zionism, Israel, and how to define antisemitism, we agree that Jewish safety should not come at the expense of our civil liberties and that we are safer in a state that protects the rights and wellbeing of all people equally.
We applaud effective strategies to fight antisemitism and all forms of bigotry. That is why we have deep concerns about the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism. Led by State Senator John Velis and State Representative Simon Cataldo, this Commission has promoted a narrow view of Jewishness that prioritizes Israel’s reputation over the collective interests and security of the Massachusetts Jewish community. The Special Commission’s K-12 recommendations endorse many of the narratives and policies that Trump employs to intimidate and punish teachers and students for their political views, thereby feeding into today’s climate of surveillance and repression. These policies erase and silence thousands of Massachusetts Jews and signal to the public that to be Jewish is to identify with Israel and its actions, a message which itself will increase antisemitism.
We urge our school boards, superintendents, and higher education administrators to reject the Commission’s non-binding recommendations, several of which undermine education and endanger Jews among others who want to exercise their constitutionally protected rights.
Through centuries of struggle, we have learned that Jews – like all of our neighbors – are safest when the fight for our rights also safeguards the rights of all people. We call on our elected officials to honor the full range of Jewish voices in the Commonwealth. We call on our elected officials to protect all Massachusetts residents from the federal government’s authoritarian turn.
Initial Signatories
Elana Wolkoff, Boston
Margaret Litvin, Arlington
Marjorie Feld, Westwood
Mneesha Gellman, Boston
Jeremy Menchik, Boston
Hilary Lustick, Meford
Joshua Dankoff, Boston
Jonathan Feingold, Somerville
Emilia Diamant, Boston
Helen Raizen, Jamaica Plain
Fredi Dworkin, Boston
Christopher Macdonald-Dennis, Salem
Karen Klein MD, Boston
Erica Jackson, Framingham
Marjorie Suisman, Brookline
Eli Gerzon, Arlington
Lawrence Rosenwald, Maynard
Julia Halperin, Jamaica Plain
Jon Ball, Boston
Carrie Pollack, Sudbury
Stephen Soldz, PhD, Roslindale
Justin White, Brookline
Sarah Wolozin, Roslindale
Lizabeth Roemer, Somerville
Nina Silber, Needham
Tamzen Flanders, Jamaica Plain
Barry Hock, Needham
David Rohrlich, Jamaica Plain
Dr. Emily Siar, Cambridge
Michael Birenbaum Quintero, Lynn
Noam Shoresh, Newton
Spencer Ross, Burlington
Henry H. Wortis, MD, Cambridge
Stephanie Geller, Cambridge
Judy Somberg, Cambridge
Alex Stein, Boston
Mattea Kramer, Amherst
Anna Cooper, Worcester
Allie Cislo, Worcester
Peri Barest, Cambridge
Laura Derman, Brookline
Alex Gourevitch, Cambridge
Katie Biello, PhD, Newton
Ava Cheloff, Boston
Ben Allen, Boston
Susan Etscovitz, Brookline
Edward Bernstein, Boston
Dana Edell, Jamaica Plain
Philip Katz, Newton
Michael Nathanson, Watertown
Benjamin, Brookline
Jeffrey W. Rubin, Amherst
Joshua Abrams, Somerville
Leslie Feldman-Rumpler, Brookline
Laura Green, Jamaica Plain
Scot Osterweil, Brookline
Emilia, Boston
Sasha Mironov, Dorchester
Alex Borns-Weil, Brookline
Alan Avi Davis, Roslindale
David Frankfurter, Boston, MA
Akiva Leibowitz, Brookline
Steven Ehrenberg, Brookline
Hagai Shklar, Arlington
Rabbi Greg Hersh, Arlington
Bear Secunda, Boston
Rabbi Rebecca Zimmerman Hornstein, Lynn
Rabbi Shahar Colt Northampton, MA
Mentshn is not a formal organization. It is a group of Jewish individuals from across Massachusetts who came together to write this letter. Please join us in signing this letter!