Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism Final Report
| Type |
Commission Report |
| Date |
Dec 1, 2025 |
| Source |
Link |
The Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism recommended adoption of the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism
The Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism Final Report was unanimously approved by the commission on November 20, 2025. The special commission was chaired by Rep. Simon Cataldo and Senator John Velis.
The report’s main recommendation is adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. Critics, including an author of the definition, Kenneth Stern, have warned it is routinely used to conflate criticism of the State of Israel with anti-Jewish hatred.
The commission faced wide public opposition. At the September 2025 public comment hearing, most of the 85 speakers opposed the IHRA recommendation. On the day of the vote, Concerned Jewish Faculty and Staff released a shadow report concluding the commission “has done more to fuel rising authoritarianism and antisemitism than to create the conditions that promote Jewish safety.”
Links
- Final Report Dec 1, 2025.
- Press Release Nov 26, 2025.
- Special commission on antisemitism draws criticism Boston Globe / Hechinger Report, Feb 15, 2026.
- “Shame on Velis” campaign highlights senator’s role in controversial commission The Shoestring, Feb 21, 2026.
- Why the Mass. antisemitism plan is dangerous Boston Globe opinion by Mattea Kramer, Jan 24, 2026.
- Here’s what Massachusetts’ antisemitism commission found Boston.com, Dec 3, 2025.
- State antisemitism commission finalizes findings, drawing praise and pushback GBH, Nov 24, 2025.
- CJFS Shadow Report Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff, Nov 20, 2025.
- Majority of public commenters strongly criticize antisemitism commission Jewish Journal, Oct 3, 2025.
Signatories
-
Simon Cataldo State Representative, 14th Middlesex, Massachusetts House
-
John Velis State Senator, Hampden and Hampshire, Massachusetts Senate
-
Steven Howitt Representative, 4th Bristol, Massachusetts House
-
Robert Leikind Regional Director, AJC New England
-
Jeremy Burton CEO, JCRC of Greater Boston
-
Paul Tucker District Attorney, Essex County, Massachusetts
-
Ruthanne Fuller Mayor, City of Newton
-
Peggy Shukur
Vice President, East Division, Anti-Defamation League
-
Jody Kipnis
Co-Founder, President and CEO, Holocaust Legacy Foundation
-
Rita Blanter
President, International Health Solutions
-
David Friedman
Executive Vice President, Legal & Government Affairs, Boston Red Sox
-
Dara Kaufman
Executive Director, Jewish Federation of the Berkshires
-
Jamie Hoag
Senior Counselor to the Attorney General, Massachusetts Attorney General's Office
-
Constantia (Dena) Papanikolaou
Chief Legal Counsel, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
-
Erin Hashimoto-Martell
Associate Commissioner of Teaching and Learning, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
-
Michael Memmolo
Executive Director, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
-
Thomas Fowler
Chief of Police, Salisbury, Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association
-
Jill Hai
Chair, Lexington Select Board, Massachusetts Municipal Association
-
Aaron Polansky
Superintendent-Director, Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School