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Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ADL report says antisemitism in Western Mass. included vandalism, slurs
The Anti-Defamation League said it recorded 47 incidents of antisemitic incidents in the three counties that make up the Pioneer Valley in 2024. 'There's vandalism. We certainly saw a lot of that in those (western) counties,' said Samantha Joseph, ADL's regional director for New England, 'including a swastika drawn on the whiteboard of a dorm of a Jewish student at UMass Amherst.' They were part of the 438 incidents last year across Massachusetts the organization noted in its audit of antisemitic incidents in New England, which was released last week. Although the local numbers are much lower, so are both the general population and the Jewish population. And the rate of increase in reported incidents from 2023 is higher in Western Massachusetts than in the east, according to Joseph. She also mentioned two incidents of graffiti celebrating Hamas, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization, at UMass. At Smith College in Northampton, someone ripped a mezuzah — a small scroll containing a passage from the Torah — from a student's doorpost and drew a swastika on the door. About half the incidents reported in Western Massachusetts were off-campus, however. One individual in Agawam reported being called a 'hooked-nosed money-grubbing Jew,' a 'Shylock' and another anti-Jewish slur. In Hadley, a person reported a coworker stating that 'Jewish bloodsuckers run (the) world' and hoping that all Jews would be killed. None of the 2024 incidents the ADL reported in the Pioneer Valley included physical harm. In Massachusetts as a whole, there were five physical assaults, including one with a weapon, and 17 bomb threats. The ADL's annual audits, which began in 1979, show that 2024 was a record-breaking year for antisemitic incidents in New England, but the biggest increase came between 2022 and 2023, coinciding with the Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in the Gaza Strip. 'One trend that's taking place across the country, that we're certainly seeing here in Massachusetts, is, for the first time ever, more than 50% of the incidents we track are somehow related to Israel. That shifted as a result of the Oct. 7 attacks,' Joseph said. She said the ADL audit only includes incidents where people or organizations are targeted for their Jewish identity. Criticism of Israel that does not refer to Jewish religion or ethnicity would not meet the ADL's definition of antisemitism. State Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, co-chair of the state's Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism, called the rise in incidents 'truly so sickening,' but added that after almost nine months hearing testimony and reading reports, he 'wasn't surprised' at the statistics. 'My surprise is at those folks who are surprised,' Velis said. 'In this commission, I have had any number of folks testify and reach out to us and, in essence, try to downplay antisemitism and where it's coming from, and how frequent it is. Even when you give them numbers that demonstrably show the opposite, you still have these folks who don't want to admit what is right in front of them.' Velis, who is not Jewish, said he began advocating for the creation of this commission after a conversation with a mother in his district who said her 8-year-old daughter 'was afraid to say they were Jewish' because of antisemitic comments she had heard at school. 'The first time she said that, I did a double-take,' Velis said. 'Because the (Jewish) population is less out here … this is something that for a long time, we didn't have to deal with. Little did we know this was going on here in our backyard.' Velis said another conversation he had recently drove home the point that these incidents aren't confined to college campuses, and the fight against hate has to start at an earlier age. A seventh grader in his district, Velis said, 'had been on the receiving end of an abundance of antisemitic incidents. The one thing this kid told me was, look, I am absolutely convinced that so many of the kids that are participating in this, they have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. Most (lessons) involving antisemitism and the Holocaust begin in earnest, if at all, in high school. Antisemitism is rearing its head earlier than high school. What this kid said to me was, we need to start with this education long before high school.' Velis said the commission has focused much of its efforts, so far, on examining antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools. Over the past week he heard testimony at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and then at Harvard, as the commission pivots to a look at higher education. Future hearings will center on antisemitism in law enforcement, in the arts and in business. He said the number of people who have provided testimony to the commission easily runs into the thousands. Velis said the hearings are scheduled to last three to six hours but always have more speakers than available time. The commission also accepts written submissions, and some people reach out directly to commission members. Though both co-chairs of the commission are Democrats — the other is state Rep. Simon Cataldo of Concord — Velis said antisemitism is a problem across the political spectrum. He said he's fighting against partisan blind spots on both sides. 'When someone is on the right, politically, they recognize antisemitism only when it's on the left,' Velis said. 'And when someone's on the left, they only want to talk about antisemitism as it relates to white supremacy on the right.' He drew a sharp distinction between the goals of his commission and the approach to antisemitism taken by the Trump administration, which has deported immigrants and canceled federal grants to universities because of anti-Israel protests on campus. 'The First Amendment is a bedrock principle,' said Velis, who is a lawyer and an Army veteran. 'I've had friends who died protecting the First Amendment.' He said the commission's recommendations, which are due Nov. 30, will likely include changes on how the history of genocide and racial hate is taught in schools, including a role for the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to review local curriculums and ensure they do not include 'antisemitic material, or Islamophobic material, or fill in the blank, any hate material.' Velis said his commission plans to have at least one more public hearing in Western Massachusetts, though the date and place have not yet been set. Those wishing to submit written testimony to the commission can email scca@ he said. The ADL encourages those who experience or observe antisemitic and other hate incidents to report them, so that victims can receive help and so that lawmakers and nonprofits can understand the scope of the problem. Incidents can be reported at Chicopee crash leaves victim seriously injured Repair of Springfield's Gerena School tunnel moves forward after delay Upcoming Election for Forbes Library Board of Trustees Will the long-closed Victory Theater in Holyoke ever re-open? Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Antisemitic incidents remain elevated in Massachusetts, ADL says
The number of antisemitic incidents reported in Massachusetts was essentially unchanged in 2024, though officials with the Anti-Defamation League said the total is 'part of a troubling long-term trend' of heightened harassment, vandalism and assault. Massachusetts recorded 438 antisemitic incidents in 2024, one fewer than in 2023, representing the fifth-highest number of incidents of any state in the country, the ADL said Tuesday in its annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. The group said the number of antisemitic incidents here has spiked 188% since 2022. Across ADL's New England region (which includes Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont), there were 638 antisemitic incidents of assault, harassment, and vandalism in 2024. The number of incidents in New England has increased each of the last five years and is up 485% since 2020. Nationally, the ADL counted 9,354 antisemitic incidents -- the highest number recorded since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents 46 years ago. That's a 5% increase from 2023, a 344% increase over the last five years and a 893% increase over the last 10 years. 'The persistent increase in antisemitic incidents over the past five years is a stark reminder that antisemitism continues to impact our communities,' Samantha Joseph, ADL New England's regional director, said. 'Particularly concerning is the continued proliferation of extremist incidents and the rise of attacks against Orthodox Jews. The alarming manifestations of antisemitism in 2024 instill fear and are reminders that much work remains to be done.' Of the 438 antisemitic incidents reported in Massachusetts last year, the ADL said 275 or 63% of them were related to Israel or Zionism, 'a trend that reflects the impact of geopolitics on domestic antisemitism.' There were also 132 instances of verbal or written harassment and threats, 157 instances of vandalism, 37 appearances of antisemitic white supremacist propaganda, 87 times in which a swastika was discovered, 17 bomb threats, and five assaults. A total of 108 Massachusetts cities and towns saw at least one antisemitic incident last year, but the audit identified the state's 'primary hotspots' as Boston (96 incidents), Cambridge (52) and Newton (25). Last year saw the number of antisemitic incidents on college and university campuses climb more steeply than in any other location, the ADL said, and Massachusetts had the third-most campus incidents of any state with 107 of them. Examples cited in ADL's audit included the discovery on the Smith College campus in Northampton of an Israeli flag with a swastika spray-painted to replace the Star of David and an incident at Berklee College of Music in Boston in which a student told a Jewish classmate that 'Jews belong in the oven' and that he 'cannot stop following Israel's war against Palestinian children.' 'College campuses have become an epicenter of American antisemitism, as the sites of close to a fifth of all 2024 incidents. Antisemitic incidents on college campuses reached their highest point for the year in the spring of 2024, from mid-April through mid-May, which coincided with activity related to the anti-Israel encampment movement on dozens of campuses nationwide. Incidents at or near encampments often contained antisemitic messages, and participants recited antisemitic slogans,' the ADL said. The organization said that its audit methodology 'is careful to not conflate general criticism of Israel or anti-Israel activism with antisemitism' and does not count as antisemitic incidents any 'legitimate political protest, support for Palestinian rights or expressions of opposition to Israeli policies.' ADL said its approach to Israel-related expressions 'comports with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.' As part of a national wave of protests and subsequent student arrests sparked by the Israel-Hamas war, a number of encampments cropped up last year on campuses around Massachusetts, including at Harvard University, UMass Amherst, Northeastern University and Emerson College. The Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism has taken aim at Harvard as well as Boston generally. Task force representatives were reportedly in Boston earlier this month to meet with city officials as the group investigates four cities -- Boston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles -- and the 'responses to incidents of antisemitism at schools and on college campuses in their cities over the last two years.' The DOJ said in March that the task force 'was aware of allegations that the schools in their respective cities may have failed to protect Jewish students from unlawful discrimination, in potential violation of federal law.' A city spokesman said in March that Boston 'has one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in America ... and we stand firmly against antisemitism.' This month, the task force announced it would halt $2.2 billion in multi-year grants headed to Harvard. The task force called the harassment of Jewish students 'intolerable' and declared, 'It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.' Since the fall, Westfield Sen. John Velis and Concord Rep. Simon Cataldo have been leading the state's new Commission on Combating Antisemitism, which they have said aims to stamp out Massachusetts' recent 'ignominious reputation as a hub of antisemitic activity.' Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Boston Globe
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
ADL reports slight increase in antisemitic events in New England last year following surge in 2023
In 2024, a total of 638 incidents of assault, harassment, and vandalism were reported in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, according to the ADL, up from 628 in 2023. Connecticut has a separate ADL regional office. 'Unfortunately, this feels a little bit like the new normal,' Samantha Joseph, director of the ADL's New England region, said in an interview. 'We're certainly prepared for a period of time where we expect [these incidents] to continue to be high,' she added. 'What I'm hoping for is that we can continue to work with key stakeholders to address the symptoms and take steps for prevention, so that we're not just responding after an incident takes place.' Advertisement Joseph encouraged anyone who has witnessed or experienced an antisemitic incident to report it on the ADL's The ADL's report noted that of the 638 antisemitic events in New England, 81 had 'an extremist nexus' (down from 115 in 2023 but up from 28 in 2022). Seventy-three of those incidents involved the distribution of white supremacist propaganda, the ADL said. Advertisement The organization also reported a spike in antisemitic attacks on Orthodox Jews in New England with 12 reported cases last year, including 10 in Massachusetts, up from four in 2023. Most of the incidents reported in New England were in Massachusetts (438), which was fifth nationally behind New York state (1,437), California (1,345), New Jersey (718), and Pennsylvania (465). The number for Massachusetts remained relatively steady from 2023, when there were 439 reported antisemitic incidents in the state, according to the ADL. The organization said 108 individual cities and towns in the state reported at least one incident during the year, down from 127 in 2023 but still far above the numbers seen prior to Hamas's attack. In 2022, 71 Massachusetts communities reported at least one antisemitic event. Joseph said the study found that for the first time more than half of the reported incidents nationwide were related in some way to Israel. 'We're very, very careful not to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism,' Joseph said. She said about 5,000 public rallies and demonstrations were reported to the ADL, but the group only included 2,500 of them in the audit 'because they contained explicit antisemitic imagery or language,' Joseph said. Among the issues reported in Massachusetts, there were 276 reported incidents of harassment (down from 293 in 2023), 157 incidents of vandalism (up from 141 in 2023), and five assaults (down from eight in 2023), according to the ADL. Antisemitic events were down last year at non-Jewish K-12 schools in Massachusetts with 50 compared to 101 in 2023, according to the report. But the numbers climbed at Massachusetts colleges and universities, with 107 total incidents, the third highest in the nation, according to the report, up from 81 in 2023 and 15 in 2022. Advertisement Across New England, there were 151 antisemitic incidents reported on college campuses last year, up from 81 in 2023 and 15 in 2022, according to the report. The numbers also climbed or stayed relatively steady in other New England states. The ADL reported 53 antisemitic events in New Hampshire last year, up from 35 in 2023 and 14 in 2022. Maine saw 51 antisemitic incidents in 2024, slightly down from 53 the prior year; Rhode Island had 52 for a second straight year, up from 19 in 2022; and Vermont had 44, slightly up from 43 in 2023 and far above the six reported in 2022. Nick Stoico can be reached at
