The JCRC of Greater Boston ensures that the Jewish community is represented in the most important conversations and decisions happening in Massachusetts.
Boston, MA
Joined January 2011
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A Statement on Cambridge City Council’s BDS Vote:
Yesterday afternoon, the Cambridge City Council voted to adopt a revised city order directing the retirement board to divest from companies with “consistent involvement directly contributing to genocide... of Palestinians”. At the same meeting, the Council did reject a second order that would have started a process to boycott these same companies in city purchasing.
As the broadest collective voice of the Greater Boston Jewish community, the Jewish Community Relations Council expresses our deep disappointment in the decision to divest, and the very troubling provisions and assumptions contained in this order. At the same time we honor the work of Cambridge Jewish residents and allies who, through persistent advocacy, defeated the boycott order and won important revisions in the divestment order.
Over the last few weeks, these residents, with support and partnership from several of JCRC’s member organizations, mobilized thousands of their neighbors to sign petitions, show up at public testimony last week in opposition to the original version of the orders, and share their concerns and objections — including how the toxic public discourse on this was impacting their experience of safety and belonging in Cambridge.
Because of these local efforts, the final version of the divestment order includes specific language affirming that the Cambridge City Council does not endorse the broader Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and its platform. Because of their advocacy, the revised order affirms that Cambridge “values its deep and long-standing ties with many Israeli institutions, including companies, academic institutions, cultural institutions, and civil society, and (that) nothing in this order should be interpreted as a desire to reduce those ties”.
These are not insignificant changes, and we at JCRC, along with our members, were proud to participate in and support their efforts in a myriad of ways.
Still, the Council's willingness to apply the deeply disputed label of “genocide” to the conflict is very troubling. We share the anguish over the loss of innocent lives in Gaza and recognize the legitimacy of certain criticism of Israel’s actions. But ‘genocide’ is not simply another term for the tragic loss of civilian life in the course of a horrific conflict. It is a specific, extraordinary and grave accusation, one that demands application of rigorous standards and the careful examination of the evidence and independent judgment. The City Council has not undertaken the careful and informed examination that an extraordinary judgment of this gravity requires.
Further, while amending the order to state that the Council ostensibly does not endorse the BDS movement is a welcome change, this does not mitigate the harm in that the Council did, in effect, embrace elements of this dangerous movement. The BDS movement, through its tactics and goals, does not advance the cause of achieving a just, fair and secure peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people.
The Council's decision also has troubling consequences for Jewish residents of Cambridge. As the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism has documented, Jews in Massachusetts have faced exclusion, harassment, and even physical attacks because of their actual or perceived support for Jewish self-determination in Israel. In this environment, and as we heard repeatedly in public testimony before the Council last week, many Jewish residents of Cambridge are very worried that the Council's endorsement of genocide accusations will further exacerbate a climate in which Jewish individuals and institutions are increasingly cast as unwelcome participants in civic and public life in Cambridge — a fear that we were palpably reminded of just this week when graffiti proclaiming "F.. the Jews. Heil Hitler" appeared on Huron Avenue.
We appreciate the Council's stated opposition to antisemitism. But the Jewish community's concerns cannot be resolved simply by adding language condemning discrimination while adopting an order that creates further harm.
🔗 Read it on our website at jcrcboston.org/cambridge-cit…
As votes continue to be counted in Israel, the preliminary results are raising questions about the country’s political future.
On the latest Boston Jewish Now, Jeremy Burton @BurtonJM examines the election’s biggest surprises and what they could mean for the future of Israeli democracy.
Watch or listen now, available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
youtu.be/_jYFbPrCGbw?si=9it-…
Read our joint letter with @AJC_NE to Cambridge City Council on inflammatory resolutions advancing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel:
Hearing underway in Cambridge right now. Update to follow once the vote is complete.
@BurtonJM
Boston JCRC 🟦 retweeted
ADL New England sent a letter to Cambridge City Councilors in advance of today's vote on BDS measures. We shared that it is possible to care about Palestinians, condemn Hamas and want a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians but divestment measures do not advance those goals. Cambridge has always prioritized bridge-building among people of all backgrounds. We urge the Council to pursue measures that bring the community together.
Boston JCRC 🟦 retweeted
"We owe our Palestinian neighbors the same compassion we owe our Jewish neighbors, and the two should not compete. Acknowledging Palestinian suffering does not minimize Jewish fear, and confronting antisemitism does not diminish Palestinian humanity. Cambridge cannot let its policy become a zero-sum game in which empathy for one people must be proved by pointing a finger at another. Some will call this a simple question of right and wrong. It is not. This conflict runs centuries deep, and a municipal government should respect that complexity rather than impose a policy that deepens the harm."
I deeply appreciate every word of this op-ed by Cambridge city councilors Denise Simmons & Patty Nolan.
Urging the City Council to reject the BDS resolution that is being voted on today, 10/28 at 3pm EDT
cambridgeday.com/2026/10/27/…
Eight years ago today, eleven Jews were murdered in a far-right antisemitic attack at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, a tragedy that forever changed the American Jewish community.
We remember the lives stolen that day and honor their memories through our commitment to ensuring that Jewish communities can live, gather, celebrate, and worship in safety. May their memories be a blessing.
Boston JCRC 🟦 retweeted
Israel's polls have closed and exit polls--which by nature and timing don't include those voters who cast their vote in the final hour or two--have been released.
So rather than speculate or make declarative interpretations based on the exit polls (which certainly suggest a significant rejection of the current government), tonight I will just acknowledge and honor that the citizens of Israel--Jewish and Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, Christian, Druze and many more-- have voted in massive volume, with a turnout level maybe not seen in decades.
And then let's see what the preliminary results say, which we should see tomorrow (Wednesday) U.S. time.
Boston JCRC 🟦 retweeted
Utterly vile. And yet, hardly surprising in this local climate of toxicity.
Thank you for your leadership.
You can't teach antisemitism by showing kids 1920s caricatures.
Watch the full conversation in episode 19 of Boston Jewish Now, available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Cambridge City Hall, confronting settler violence, and Israel’s elections — @BurtonJM breaks down all three on the latest Boston Jewish Now and what guides JCRC’s work, regardless of who’s in power
Watch now: youtu.be/I-gYevKhhvk
Boston JCRC 🟦 retweeted
President Herzog is right to speak out against extremist violence being perpetrated by some Jewish residents of the West Bank. These attacks are reprehensible and indefensible. The failure by the state to protect Palestinian civilians is a moral stain on the government.
I just called Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, who was brutally attacked by violent rioters on Friday.
As President of the State of Israel, I strongly condemn this outrageous and shocking violence, both the terrible attack on Heidi and other grave incidents of violence, such as what took place today in Taybeh.
I expressed my deepest sorrow to Heidi and apologized for what she went through.
The despicable behavior of the perpetrators of this attack does not represent the citizens or the values of the State of Israel.
Israel is a democratic state governed by the rule of law, and it must act with full force against every form of violence. Each incident is being thoroughly investigated, and we await the findings.
All government, security, and law enforcement authorities must use every means at their disposal to investigate thoroughly, apprehend these lawbreakers, and bring them to justice with the fullest extent of the law.
On behalf of the entire nation, I wish Heidi good health and a speedy recovery.
What does a shared society in Israel actually look like?
On Boston Jewish Now, @BurtonJM speaks with @mdarawshe of @givathaviva about the work underway in schools, communities, and workplaces to fulfill Israel’s founding promise of equality.
Watch now: youtu.be/8kZoPd0353o?si=8yYf…
JCRC stands with our partners in Cambridge's Jewish community in opposing these measures and calling for a strong turnout at Monday's meeting, both in person and on Zoom.
Visit jcrcboston.org/take-action to learn more about how to sign up to testify.
Take action and message @MassGovernor to encourage her to opt in to the program: actionnetwork.org/letters/op…
We've conveyed our support directly to @MassGovernor: Massachusetts should opt in to the federal Education Scholarships Tax Credit program. JCRC is helping lead the call to expand opportunities for students across the Commonwealth.
Read our letter: jcrcboston.org/federal-educa…
We've conveyed our support directly to @MassGovernor: Massachusetts should opt in to the federal Education Scholarships Tax Credit program. JCRC is helping lead the call to expand opportunities for students across the Commonwealth.
Read our letter: jcrcboston.org/federal-educa…
Election Day is November 3. Are you ready?
Voting deadlines, election protection, ballot questions, and more.
Everything we're thinking about before Election Day, on the latest Boston Jewish Now.
youtu.be/gq3GwEBAstI
We held a conversation with @mdarawshe of @givathaviva on the work of advancing Jewish-Arab partnership in Israel. Advancing a shared society has long been part of JCRC's commitment, and we're grateful for partners like @givathaviva who continue to lead this important work.
