By Grace Cowell
On Monday, February 10, Together for an Inclusive Massachusetts (TIM) testified at the State Legislature’s Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism. This was the fourth hearing of the Commission, established by legislation in June to address antisemitism by protecting Jewish communities and creating widespread understanding of Jewish culture and history. Prior to the hearing focused on antisemitism in K-12 education, TIM released extensive written testimony.
TIM is a coalition of organizations, including MAPA, addressing antisemitism while reflecting the diversity of Jewish people in the Commonwealth and ensuring equity and inclusion for all. Its approach is rooted in anti-racist principles, stressing the importance of uplifting all without tearing down another group.
The Commission contains representatives of prominent organizations, such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), that have accepted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. According to TIM’s testimony, this conflation excludes the perspectives of non-Zionist and anti-Zionist Jewish individuals who constitute a sizable portion of the U.S. Jewish population.
TIM explains that such narratives allow the Commission to paint pro-Palestinian political speech as antisemitic, risking the promotion of an anti-Palestinian agenda and racism, encouraging them to include alternative perspectives.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education social science framework incorporates diverse perspectives, encouraging students to develop critical thinking and analytical skills that allow them to assess information and formulate their own opinions, as well as navigate conversations surrounding complex topics. Massachusetts also requires schools to teach about genocide, which can include both historical and contemporary events. In its written testimony, TIM wrote that these aspects of the education system would be difficult to accomplish if words like genocide, apartheid, and colonialism are censored on the premise that they are antisemitic.
TIM advocates for the protection of ethnic studies and DEI initiatives in schools, and the importance of upholding education about Palestinians and their history. Throughout both the written and live testimony, TIM emphasized that while these may be difficult topics to teach and conversations to have in school, discomfort is oftentimes a vital piece of the learning experience and it is important to note that “feeling uncomfortable must not be confused with being unsafe.”
The February 10th hearing began with testimony by Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and a Lexington history teacher. Page spoke about connecting antisemitism to other forms of oppression and combating all discrimination in schools. Commission co-chairs, Rep. Simon Cataldo and Sen. John Velis, proceeded to question Page and the Lexington teacher for over an hour about resources that were made available to MTA members in December of 2024 after board approval, projecting on screens those the co-chairs labeled antisemitic.
Page responded that these resources were not a suggested curriculum, but only provided members an underrepresented perspective to observe with a critical eye. The Lexington teacher explained that resources like these are just one piece of what teachers consider when deciding what to show their students.
Following this testimony and questioning, four TIM representatives, Elsa Auerbach of Jewish Voice for Peace Boston, Merrie Najimy, former MTA president, Emilia Diamant of Boston Workers Circle, and Sana Fadel of Sawa: Newton Alliance for Peace and Justice,, expressed their perspectives on antisemitism in K-12 education. They explained the roots of their pedagogy in anti-racist education and the importance of an expansive framework covering all perspectives, as well as the need for collective understanding of all justice movements to teach about antisemitism properly.
The TIM panel was dismissed after questioning. Commissioner Jeremy Burton of the Greater Boston JCRC spoke, criticizing TIM and MAPA while upholding support for IHRA’s definition. Despite backlash, TIM continues to address antisemitism and all forms of discrimination inclusively.
Grace Cowell is a Northeastern University undergraduate and MAPA intern