ADL and JCRC Welcome Passage of Genocide Education Legislation

November 16, 2021

(Boston, MA):  ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston (JCRC) welcome the passage by the House of Representatives today of S.2557, An Act concerning genocide education. When signed into law, Massachusetts will become the 20th state to have adopted mandatory Holocaust and genocide education.  We thank Speaker Mariano and Chairman Michlewitz for their leadership and vision in passing this critical legislation. We are deeply grateful also to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jeff Roy, for his long commitment to championing this bill and for Rep. Alice Peisch’s support as Chair of the Joint Committee on Education. 

This legislation demonstrates our commitment to providing schools across the Commonwealth with access to resources to implement genocide education programs. Through lessons about the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, and other instances of genocide, such programs will serve to ensure that students learn to recognize and fight hate in their communities.

“Genocide education affords us a powerful tool in combatting hate and antisemitism while honoring the memories of all who suffered in genocide” noted ADL New England Regional Director, Robert Trestan.  “Sadly, grim reminders of hate continue to fester in our schools and athletic fields while the Holocaust itself has been alternately denied or weaponized for political soundbites.  We now have an opportunity to influence the present by drawing on the lessons of the past as we move towards implementation of this important legislation in Massachusetts’ schools.”

“As stewards of the New England Holocaust Memorial, JCRC honors the sacred obligation to lift up the experiences of those who survived the Holocaust in our own Greater Boston community, using their stories as a lesson to future generations about the consequences of unchecked hatred and intolerance.” Jeremy Burton, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, stated. “Together with ADL New England, the Armenian National Committee, and over 60 coalition members, JCRC advocated for this legislation, filed by Senator Michael Rodrigues and Representative Jeff Roy, which will give all students across the Commonwealth the tools to identify and stand up against hateful, oppressive acts and to speak up in the face of bigotry.”

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About ADL 

ADL is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of antisemitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. More at www.adl.org.  

About JCRC

JCRC defines and advances the values, interests, and priorities of the organized Jewish community of Greater Boston in the public square. Visit us at www.jcrcboston.org.

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