Key Facts
Key Information
About
The Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism is a Massachusetts state commission established pursuant to Section 201 of Chapter 140 of the Acts of 2024 (An Act Making Appropriations for the Fiscal Year 2025), as amended by Section 129 of Chapter 248 of the Acts of 2024 (signed 2024-12-04, extending reporting deadline to 2025-11-30). It comprises legislators, community leaders, and ex-officio members, and was charged with investigating antisemitic incidents and trends, recommending strategies including implementation of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, evaluating hate crime statutes, and proposing legislation/programs. The commission held its first meeting on 2024-10-29 and conducted 16 public meetings totaling over 50 hours through 2025-11-20. On 2025-11-20, it unanimously approved (18-0, one abstention due to deployment) a final report of findings and over 80 recommendations, which was submitted by 2025-11-30. Key findings include the escalation of antisemitism in Massachusetts following the 2023-10-07 Hamas attack on Israel, with 2024 recording a record number of anti-Jewish hate crimes (84.4% of religious bias incidents) and underreporting due to lack of training and awareness. Recommendations address K-12 and higher education (anti-bias training, IHRA definition as a non-binding educational tool, reporting systems, and curricula on Jewish history and genocide education), public safety and law enforcement (hate crime tracking and training), workplaces and healthcare (DEI inclusion), and data collection. The report emphasizes distinguishing anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel from antisemitism while upholding First Amendment protections.