Massachusetts lawmakers in a joint legislative session approved a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and calling for expanded anti-bias and Holocaust education.
The resolution approved March 9 was expected to be signed this week. As a joint resolution, it does not require the signature of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker. The measure was sponsored by state Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem and state Rep. Lori Ehrlich, who are both Jewish.
Robert Trestan, regional director of ADL New England, believes Massachusetts is the first state legislature to approve such a measure.
“Events in Europe have elevated the anxiety within the Jewish community,” Trestan said, referring to the murders at the kosher supermarket in Paris and the murder of a Jewish guard outside a Copenhagen synagogue.
A similar resolution that decries anti-Semitism and all forms of faith-based violence is under consideration in New Jersey, where a bill is expected to pass the state Senate on March 16, followed by the state Assembly, according to the New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations.
The U.S. Senate is considering a bill condemning anti-Semitism that calls on American and European leaders to take specific actions to confront the scourge. — jta