“Fight Antisemitism the Massachusetts Way,” Jewish Scholars Tell Antisemitism Commission: “Don’t Manufacture Ammo for Trump’s Authoritarian Assault on Education”
MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE, BOSTON – Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff (CJFS), a group representing Jewish academics and staff members from roughly 25 Boston-area universities, renews its call for the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism to correct course and fight antisemitism the “Massachusetts way.” Speaking today before the Special Commission, Jewish scholars with expertise ranging from intolerance and civil rights to Holocaust studies and culturally responsive leadership will outline how Massachusetts can create inclusive campuses for all while defusing the Trump administration’s misuse of Jewish identity to divide our communities, bankrupt our universities, erode civil rights and scapegoat Jews.
Established through a budget process in 2024 and hailed as progress by the Trump-allied Anti-Defamation League, the Special Commission has recklessly endorsed the same narratives and policies President Trump marshals to advance his authoritarian agenda. Rather than approach antisemitism with the care and sensitivity this moment demands, the Commission has reinforced fraught narratives that rationalize targeted abductions of university students – including in Massachusetts; platformed the ADL notwithstanding thousands of Jewish academics who earlier this year urged their universities to “terminate all collaboration with organizations, such as the [ADL], that smear our students and now applaud the lawless targeting of political opponents”; treated educators as suspects to surveil, not partners to support; and sidelined and demeaned the concerns of experts in social tolerance, antidiscrimination law, and education.
As Trump increasingly targets Massachusetts’ institutions, residents and cities – often under the pretextual guise of “combating antisemitism” – our political leaders must fight back and defend our democracy. Bringing a McCarthy-esque approach to Massachusetts, as this Commission has done, makes us all less safe. In their testimonies to the Special Commission at the Massachusetts State House today, CJFS’s panel of experts offer a better path forward.
Jonathan Feingold - Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law: “This Commission has the platform to do incredibly important work. But that requires approaching antisemitism from a thoughtful perspective that links anti-Jewish ideologies to anti-Black racism, Islomophobia and white Nationalism. Thus far, the Commission has been a gift to the rightwing forces who smeared Black Lives Matters in 2020, conjured moral panic around Critical Race Theory in 2021, and sought to profit off of real pain and campus protests after October 7th—all in service of an open authoritarian project intent on destroying every institution that makes us safe.”
Christopher Macdonald-Dennis - Ed.D., DEI and Student Affairs Professional: “Some people seek to slander Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs as somehow antisemitic. As a Jewish DEI professional, I have long found DEI education to be a powerful tool to combat antisemitism. Incorporating studies of Jewish oppression and antisemitism into multicultural education enriches understanding of systemic oppression and dismantles harmful stereotypes. Interrogating myths about Jewish identity is crucial for Jewish students who may have internalized antisemitic beliefs or underestimate their impact. Failing to teach about Jewish identity and history does a disservice to students engaged in the fight against all forms of oppression. Joining President Trump’s assault on DEI programs does a disservice to all Massachusetts students. The safety of Jewish communities is bound to the safety of all marginalized groups.”
Frances Tanzer - Rose Professor of Holocaust Studies and Jewish Culture, Clark University: “What is philosemitism? Put simply, it is the love of Jews – this might sound appealing. However, it is not a love of Jews as they are, in all their diversity. It is a love of stereotypes of Jews. As a scholar of the Holocaust, I am deeply worried about the dynamic I have described because in addition to weakening our democratic and educational institutions, it also has the potential to generate real, virulent and violent antisemitism.”
Jeremy Menchik - Associate Professor of International Relations and Political Science; Director of the Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs (CURA), Boston University: “We need a data-driven approach to fighting antisemitism. Reliable data on antisemitic attitudes and hate crimes must be the backbone of the commission’s work. By relying on data about antisemitism that is widely known to be dubious, the Special Commission misrepresents the reality of antisemitism in the Commonwealth and invites the targeting of higher education by President Trump’s authoritarian regime. Our federal government has crossed over into authoritarianism. If we have any hope of restoring democracy it depends on all of us working to refute deliberate public lying.”
Menchik also warned that the Commission could unwittingly empower campus bullies within the Jewish community. “Thirty to forty percent of American Jews are now either anti-Zionist or non-Zionist. As long as established Jewish organizations attempt to coerce support for Zionism, the problem of persecution of minorities within minorities will continue.”
Hilary Lustick - Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, School of Education, UMass Lowell: “I study culturally responsive school leadership with a focus on equity and discipline reform. In Massachusetts, it's the law that we must exhaust all alternatives before resorting to suspensions. Yet suspensions and termination have been used to punish students and teachers who have spoken about the war in Gaza. Silencing and punishment won't lead to understanding. We need other ways of resolving conflict and healing harm. Structured dialogue can help us build the stamina, in education staff, in parents, and in students and children, to hold our own pain, build empathy, and create community across difference.”