The state budget Conference Committee is considering three sections in the Senate budget bill that aim to rewrite state laws and educational curricula to address antisemitism. Boston Workers Circle (BWC) is fully committed to dismantling antisemitism in the Commonwealth, and we believe in the liberation, safety, and dignity of ALL people. This commitment is at the core of our mission as it has been for the last century. Therefore, we are deeply concerned about the State Senate’s attempts to push through this rushed budget bill language that proposes significant policy work without public comment and lacks clarity on the definition of antisemitism.

The proposal lacks the necessary provisions to prevent its misuse for political ends. It neglects to address the widespread debate in the Jewish community about antisemitism itself. This runs counter to the legislative goal of effectively addressing antisemitism and places efforts toward  Palestinian liberation at unwarranted risk. We seek the commission to understand that Jewish safety will not come at the expense of safety or rights for the Palestinian people, or anyone else. The rise in both antisemitism and Islamophobia is due to emboldened white Christian nationalism that endangers Jews, Muslims, People of Color, and anyone who is not a white Christian male of owning class privilege. These policy changes must be transparent and debated through the public legislative process, not shoe-horned into the state budget at the last minute.

As a secular Jewish organization with nearly 800 members who believe that “never again” means never again for anyone, we are also painfully aware of the oppression suffered by Palestinians at the hands of the state of Israel and the use of the accusation of antisemitism to attempt to silence critics of Israel and supporters of Palestinian liberation.

We urge the conference committee members on the budget to remove these outside sections (83/85 and 170) and approach this matter through a public legislative process in the next legislative session. We stand with our partners across the state in this call to halt these outside sections to the state budget.

Here is an action kit for contacting your legislators to join the call to find a different way to fight antisemitism in MA. You can learn more about the budget amendment here.