Boston JCRC 🟦

The JCRC of Greater Boston ensures that the Jewish community is represented in the most important conversations and decisions happening in Massachusetts.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

This Veterans Day, JCRC honors those who have served our country and recognizes the sacrifices made by them and their families.

Their dedication reminds us of the shared responsibility to protect our communities, safeguard our freedoms, and ensure a secure future. We are grateful for their service and the lasting contributions they make to our nation, today and every day.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

Last November, Somerville voters approved Question 3, a nonbinding referendum calling for municipal boycotts and divestment targeting Israel. JCRC supported local leaders campaigning against the measure and advocating for an inclusive Somerville. Later that month, the City Council committed to developing an ordinance to implement it within a year.

When councilors introduced the proposed ordinance in June, JCRC CEO Jeremy Burton @BurtonJM testified against it, raising concerns about the climate of intimidation and Jewish residents feeling unsafe and unwelcome in their own city. On October 27, the Legislative Matters Committee recommended approval, advancing the proposal to the full Council.

In Cambridge, community members signed a petition and turned out to make their concerns known. Although the final outcome was disappointing, the resolution in Cambridge was greatly improved thanks to community members who signed the petition and attended the meeting. Your advocacy is important — community engagement matters, including when the votes are difficult.

Please stand with our Somerville neighbors. Sign the petition, attend Thursday’s meeting, and help make our community’s opposition heard.

🖊️Sign the petition: https://t.co/bG9EQlOJJP

📋Sign up to attend: https://t.co/rFuozL0W9w

Visit https://t.co/BfxabPusS4 to learn more.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

Behind each of the more than 7,000 Jewish businesses destroyed was a family. Behind each of the more than 1,400 synagogues burned or demolished was a community.

Today, we remember the Jews murdered and imprisoned during Kristallnacht, the homes and businesses destroyed, and the sanctuaries set ablaze on November 9–10, 1938. Ordinary citizens gathered to watch as their neighbors’ lives were torn apart. Some joined in the destruction.

We carry that memory into a moment when Jewish businesses are again marked out as unwelcome. Kristallnacht reminds us how quickly exclusion can become ordinary. And it teaches us that a society’s decency depends on what its people are willing to defend and stand up to. Not by its history or confidence in its own enlightenment.

Kristallnacht reminds everyone in civil society to confront Jewish exclusion and to defend Jewish belonging — in our streets, our schools, our institutions, and in the communities we call home.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

Disagreement is part of learning. That’s why JCRC helps teachers foster classroom environments where students can discuss Israel and the Middle East, ask difficult questions, and disagree respectfully while ensuring Jewish students — and all students — feel included.

Last week, K-12 educators and school administrators from across Greater Boston joined us for an interactive workshop with the Viewpoints Project, For the Sake of Argument, and ConnectED. Through hands-on exercises and discussion, participants explored practical ways to navigate challenging conversations, engage with differing perspectives, and make room for meaningful dialogue in their classrooms.

Thank you again to our partners and the school districts who joined us in this important effort, and we look forward to our continued partnership.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

🗳️ Democrats had a big night. What can we expect to see change in Washington?

On this episode of Boston Jewish Now, we unpack the Massachusetts and national results, how Jewish voters weighed competing concerns, and what the President and Vice President’s comments mean for the U.S.–Israel relationship.

🎙️ Plus, a look toward January: a new Congress, a president with considerable power, and voters expecting to see results.

▶️ Watch the new Boston Jewish Now and let us know: What do you want us to take up next?

[Jeremy Burton @BurtonJM]

Excellent statement from our partners at @theJCPA:

"we cannot move forward without recognizing that this election season has been particularly divisive and painful for the Jewish community and for so many others — an election in which we were too often treated as political footballs, pitted against one another and exploited to reinforce political division rather than protect any of our communities.

“Some dismissed the Jewish community’s real and legitimate concerns about antisemitism and sought to divide Jews from the very coalitions and communities inherent to all our shared safety. Others weaponized our real and legitimate fears to attack other communities, including by advancing Islamophobia and other dangerous hate and undermining our democratic norms and institutions.

“As JCPA has long made clear, these are false choices. Jewish safety and democracy are not competing priorities; rather, they are one and the same. The Jewish community’s needs are not in opposition to the freedom and safety of others; rather, none of us are safe and free unless all of us are.

“Simply put, there is no truly inclusive, pluralistic American democracy without ensuring that Jews are safe — and there is no true Jewish safety without protecting inclusive, pluralistic democracy for all."

Read in full:

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

Today, we remember a leader whose commitment to Israel’s security included the courage to pursue peace and seek compromise.

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination demands that we confront the danger of extremism within our own community. Jewish identity and love for Israel cannot excuse racism or extremism. Our commitment to a secure, Jewish, and democratic Israel requires us to challenge those who undermine its democratic institutions and the rights and dignity of others.

We honor his memory by affirming these responsibilities. May his memory be a blessing.

[Jeremy Burton @BurtonJM]

On this day in 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish right-wing extremist as he was leaving a pro-peace rally in Tel Aviv.

He was a man forged in times of war who also knew when it was a time for peace. He was a realist and also a man of hope, tikvah, for Israel's future. That hope inspired him toward courageous action in his embrace of the Oslo process.

His murder changed the course of history for Israelis, for Palestinians, and for the Jewish people.

No doubt he would be dismayed by the political rise of the violent Jewish extremists who have had such detrimental impact on the course of Israel's government in recent years.

And, his memory serves as a challenge and an inspiration for those of us who continue to believe that peace is the only possible future for both Israelis and Palestinians, and that therefore it must be pursued-- not naively, but with hard-headed realism and by necessity.

And for that and for many other reasons, his memory and his legacy is for a blessing.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

Congratulations to Congressman-elect Dan Koh @dank, the next representative for Massachusetts’ 6th District! We look forward to building on the dialogue begun during the campaign and working together to advance our community’s priorities in Washington.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

Congratulations to AG Andrea Campbell @MassAGO on her reelection! We value her partnership with our community in confronting antisemitism and all forms of hate, and her national leadership in protecting the most vulnerable. We look forward to continuing our work together.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

Congratulations to Treasurer Deb Goldberg @MassTreasury on her resounding reelection! As Massachusetts’ only Jewish statewide elected official, she brings Jewish representation to statewide leadership. We’re proud to celebrate her victory and grateful for her continued service.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

Massachusetts said YES on 9! Congratulations to Vote Yes for a Safe Massachusetts, and thank you for leading the coalition that protected our state’s gun safety law. JCRC was proud to be part of this effort, and we join communities across the Commonwealth in celebrating.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

Congratulations to Governor @MassGovernor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor @MassLtGov Kim Driscoll on their reelection!

Throughout their first term, the Healey-Driscoll administration has been a steadfast partner to JCRC and the Jewish community on issues that affect our safety & institutions, and the Commonwealth we proudly call home.

Governor Healey signed the budget establishing the Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism, and her administration has supported its recommendations and continues to support its implementation. JCRC is looking forward to continuing this important and necessary work with the administration.

The administration has funded security improvements and personnel for vulnerable nonprofit institutions, supported Holocaust and genocide education, and worked with Attorney General Campbell to give schools guidance on addressing antisemitism and other forms of hate and bias.

The Healey-Driscoll administration has also worked to protect the dignity and safety of our immigrant neighbors, fund services that help older adults remain in their communities and age in pace with dignity, and support Jewish agencies that help immigrants and refugees find employment.

We thank the Governor and Lieutenant Governor for their leadership in protecting access to reproductive care and strengthening the Massachusetts–Israel economic partnership through collaboration in health care, research, and innovation.

JCRC and our partners across the Jewish community look forward to continuing this work with Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll in the years ahead, advancing our community’s priorities and building a more just and inclusive Massachusetts for all.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

We congratulate @MassGovernor Maura Healey and @MassLtGov Kim Driscoll on their re-election tonight.

The Healey/Driscoll administration has been a steadfast ally and partner across a range of Jewish communal priorities including their leadership in the fight against antisemitism and all forms of hate, standing up to protect our immigrant neighbors, working in partnership to strengthen the social safety net, expanding women’s access to reproductive care, and investing in the MA-Israel economic partnership.

We at JCRC and our broad collective Jewish network look forward to continuing this partnership in the coming years.

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

It’s Election Day! Your vote deserves thought — and your community deserves your participation. Before you cast your ballot, read the Red Book and understand what each proposal would change, from election-day registration to all-party primaries. Consider the reasoning behind endorsements, too: our partners at Common Cause support Yes on election-day registration, and JCRC has taken an official position on one ballot question — Yes on Question 9, to preserve Massachusetts’ gun safety law, already passed by the legislature.

Research the candidates beyond their party labels: their records, their character, and how they approach extremism.

If you haven’t had time to research everything, consult with people whose judgment you trust. Their reasoning can help inform your own choices.

🎧 Our Boston Jewish Now voting episode offers additional context: https://t.co/zQb9ve8H1D

Most importantly: vote today!

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

Tomorrow is election day in Massachsetts. Make sure you're prepared for your ballot:
https://t.co/OuUOuSwrxJ

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

Read our full statement at https://t.co/aY5WCNZsob

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

A Statement on Cambridge City Council’s BDS Vote:

Yesterday afternoon, the Cambridge City Council voted to adopt a revised city order directing the retirement board to divest from companies with “consistent involvement directly contributing to genocide... of Palestinians”. At the same meeting, the Council did reject a second order that would have started a process to boycott these same companies in city purchasing.

As the broadest collective voice of the Greater Boston Jewish community, the Jewish Community Relations Council expresses our deep disappointment in the decision to divest, and the very troubling provisions and assumptions contained in this order. At the same time we honor the work of Cambridge Jewish residents and allies who, through persistent advocacy, defeated the boycott order and won important revisions in the divestment order.

Over the last few weeks, these residents, with support and partnership from several of JCRC’s member organizations, mobilized thousands of their neighbors to sign petitions, show up at public testimony last week in opposition to the original version of the orders, and share their concerns and objections — including how the toxic public discourse on this was impacting their experience of safety and belonging in Cambridge.

Because of these local efforts, the final version of the divestment order includes specific language affirming that the Cambridge City Council does not endorse the broader Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and its platform. Because of their advocacy, the revised order affirms that Cambridge “values its deep and long-standing ties with many Israeli institutions, including companies, academic institutions, cultural institutions, and civil society, and (that) nothing in this order should be interpreted as a desire to reduce those ties”.

These are not insignificant changes, and we at JCRC, along with our members, were proud to participate in and support their efforts in a myriad of ways.

Still, the Council's willingness to apply the deeply disputed label of “genocide” to the conflict is very troubling. We share the anguish over the loss of innocent lives in Gaza and recognize the legitimacy of certain criticism of Israel’s actions. But ‘genocide’ is not simply another term for the tragic loss of civilian life in the course of a horrific conflict. It is a specific, extraordinary and grave accusation, one that demands application of rigorous standards and the careful examination of the evidence and independent judgment. The City Council has not undertaken the careful and informed examination that an extraordinary judgment of this gravity requires.

Further, while amending the order to state that the Council ostensibly does not endorse the BDS movement is a welcome change, this does not mitigate the harm in that the Council did, in effect, embrace elements of this dangerous movement. The BDS movement, through its tactics and goals, does not advance the cause of achieving a just, fair and secure peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people.

The Council's decision also has troubling consequences for Jewish residents of Cambridge. As the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism has documented, Jews in Massachusetts have faced exclusion, harassment, and even physical attacks because of their actual or perceived support for Jewish self-determination in Israel. In this environment, and as we heard repeatedly in public testimony before the Council last week, many Jewish residents of Cambridge are very worried that the Council's endorsement of genocide accusations will further exacerbate a climate in which Jewish individuals and institutions are increasingly cast as unwelcome participants in civic and public life in Cambridge — a fear that we were palpably reminded of just this week when graffiti proclaiming "F.. the Jews. Heil Hitler" appeared on Huron Avenue.

We appreciate the Council's stated opposition to antisemitism. But the Jewish community's concerns cannot be resolved simply by adding language condemning discrimination while adopting an order that creates further harm.

🔗 Read it on our website at https://t.co/DTXdMeQHe9

[Boston JCRC 🟦 @BostonJCRC]

As votes continue to be counted in Israel, the preliminary results are raising questions about the country’s political future.

On the latest Boston Jewish Now, Jeremy Burton @BurtonJM examines the election’s biggest surprises and what they could mean for the future of Israeli democracy.

Watch or listen now, available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

https://t.co/8lX530UEz1