BOSTON – Dozens of Jews and several legislators offered some suggestions for – but mostly criticisms of – the work of the state’s Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism at its public comment session at the Massachusetts Statehouse on Sept. 25.

Foremost among those making suggestions was Sen. Pat Jehlen of Somerville, who, like the majority of the 85 people who testified, asked the commission not to recommend adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

Jehlen, along with commission co-chairs Rep. Simon Cataldo and Sen. John Velis, sits on the state Judiciary Committee. She noted that at a recent judiciary hearing, “Well over 100 people signed up to testify against adoption of the IHRA definition – almost all of them Jewish – and several said that the definition would make them less safe by conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism.”

Her husband, Alain Jehlen, testifying as a representative of the Jewish caucus of Somerville for Palestine, said his group believes the commission’s recommendations, including using the IHRA definition, would hurt Jews because they would imply that all Jews support Israel.

Several other legislators also testified.

Rep. Mike Connolly of Cambridge said that while he thanked the commission for addressing antisemitism, he was concerned with “the potential for this work to be weaponized or politicized.” He echoed the calls of Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff to “safeguard bedrock democratic principles of free speech, academic freedom and due process.”

Rep. Joshua Tarsky of Needham described dealing with antisemitic acts while a public school administrator and commended the work of the commission “in these divided political and cultural times” as “important and timely.”

Rep. Greg Schwartz of Newton praised the commission for “approach[ing] this critical but challenging issue with thoughtfulness and care.” He then expressed dissatisfaction with The Boston Globe’s publishing letters to the editor that “tried to diminish” the commission’s K-12 recommendations.

Rep. Jeffrey Rosario Turco of Winthrop described the “horror” he felt watching the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) “justifying [its] so-called pedagogical standards for their educators” at the commission’s Feb. 10 meeting. He compared the union’s learning resources on Palestine to Nazi propaganda, saying, “I thought I was watching a hearing from 1930s Germany.”

Many members of the public called the commission misguided because the real threat to Jews, they said, is not anti-Zionists but Christian nationalists, and by extension, the repressive policies of the federal government. “The Christian right and neo-Nazis have perpetuated a lot of modern antisemitism,” noted Koby Leff.

“Recommendations on antisemitism must be formulated in the context of this particular authoritarian moment, when the Trump administration is using antisemitism to chill free speech,” said Lynne Layton. “The threat of antisemitism, in fact, mostly comes from the Christian nationalist right, about which we have heard almost nothing in these hearings.”

Sam Heller, representing Showing up for Racial Justice, noted SURJ members – many of whom are Jewish – have organized against the “‘replacement theory’ fascists” of Charlottesville and the neo-Nazi Nationalist Social Club-131. “We ask that the commission focus on the real antisemitic threat – that is, the white supremecist, Christian nationalist force cracking down on DEI programs, weaponizing antisemitism and criminalizing solidarity with Palestine,” he said.

Fewer than a dozen people spoke in support of the commission and its work. Deb Shalom thanked Cataldo and Velis for their leadership in addressing antisemitism in the state and said she fully supports both the panel’s recommendations and the IHRA definition. She described how the administration of her nephew’s school acted appropriately after an antisemitic incident. “St. John’s [Prep’s] swift and principled response is proof that when all K-12 schools implement the commission’s recommendations, they can and will work,” she said.

Rabbi Elisha Gechter of Harvard Hillel related her students’ experiences of both antisemitism and camaraderie on campus. “Many Jewish students remain openly and deeply committed to dialogue on Israel, Palestine and justice,” she said. “I thank you for the policies that you will be forming.”

Rabbi Elaine Zecher of Boston’s Temple Israel advocated for including anti-Zionism in the commission’s findings. “Criticizing Israel because we care about it is very different from those who do not believe Israel should even exist. That’s the betrayal in antisemitism,” she said.

Many others who testified criticized the commission itself. The first speaker, Cole Harrison of Massachusetts Peace Action, said the panel was not representative of the state’s Jewish community and that legislators created it to suppress dissent.

“They form the state commission on antisemitism to make sure nobody can criticize Israel without being labeled an antisemite,” he said. “Has any commission member spoken out against Israel’s atrocities and U.S. support for them? If not, I suggest that your commission is stacked.”

Northampton resident Mark Gurvitch, 82, linked the panel’s work with his city’s recent resolution to divest from Israel to protest U.S. support for the war in Gaza. “Now we are faced with a state commission whose recommendations parrot the Trump policy to clamp down on dissent, especially concerning discussion and criticism of Israel and the U.S. assault on the Palestinian people,” he said.

Gurvitch said he was “shocked” to see Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) CEO Jeremy Burton among the commissioners at the panel’s Springfield session in March. “[JCRC] has supported the Israeli assault and attacked other Jews who dissent,” he said. “The commission has aligned itself with one side of an internal Jewish community conflict. This has not served the Jewish community or the people of Massachusetts.”

Dr. Akiva Leibowitz, an Israeli American, agreed, noting the commission had “disdain” for views that do not align with the agenda of major Jewish organizations, and described as “striking” the commission’s animosity toward voices that reject the linking of Judaism with Zionism.

“There are many of us who believe that [genuine] antisemitism – not the weaponized variant being put forth by organizations such as ADL [Anti-Defamation League], AJC [American Jewish Committee] and AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] – should be combated within a broader framework of anti-racial bias and hate and bigotry,” Leibowitz said. He questioned the motivations of the commissioners and wondered if they were “as dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of all humans across the Commonwealth no less than the organizations dominating this discussion.”

Mariel Berger, watching on Zoom, said the commissioners’ bias showed in their reactions to who was testifying. “I see you talking and being distracted when people are speaking in a way you don’t like, and when people are commenting in a way you agree with, you listen,” she said.

Along with Burton, other commission members include AJC’s Rob Leikind and ADL’s Peggy Shukur. ADL New England Executive Director Samantha Joseph attended the 3 1/2 hour session but did not testify.

After 2 1/4 hours of testimony, one older man in the audience stood up and shouted, “Question: Is any of this getting through to you people? Do the right thing and shut down this bogus commission!” before walking out.

As is the custom for public comment hearings, commissioners did not respond to any of the testimony, nor did they ask any questions to those who spoke.

In his concluding remarks, Cataldo thanked those who testified; the “over 2,000 residents” who wrote and emailed the panel in support of its K-12 recommendations; and the commissioners for “engaging with a fraught subject.”

“It is not easy to be the subject of attacks, criticism – ad hominem attacks, especially. But we really appreciate everybody’s continued service,” he said.

Contact reporter Brett M. Rhyne at brett@jewishjournal.org.

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