June 9, 2022
BOSTON -- The American Jewish Committee today sent a letter to members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and leaders of the Massachusetts Legislature, asking them to condemn a recent report from the group BDS Boston, which sought to portray an elaborate scheme by Israel, Jewish groups and the U.S. government to oppress Palestinians.
The so-called Mapping Project relies on classic antisemitic tropes, such as Jewish wealth and control, to make its point that Israel must be annihilated and that Jews are responsible for what ails communities in the U.S.
AJC New England Director Robert Leikind and Mel Shuman, chair of AJC New England’s policy and advocacy committee, sent this letter to the lawmakers:
As you may have heard, a group called BDS Boston released a report that attempts to illustrate an elaborate conspiracy between Israel, the U.S. government, police, universities, business, and Jewish NGOs in the Greater Boston area. It purports to show a sinister effort among these institutions to oppress Palestinians.
BDS Boston is following in a centuries old tradition by making Jews and Jewish interests central to its moral claims. In a world filled with genuinely oppressive dictatorships and terrorist groups, BDS Boston has made the Middle East’s only democracy the avatar of all that is wrong in the world.
We have seen this before. We also recognize the implicit threat in the language of the Mapping Project, which purports to “reveal the local entities and networks that enact devastation, so we can dismantle them.” It then identifies the specific institutions they seek to dismantle, many of which are labeled for attack because they are Jewish and/or associated with Israel in ways that are both real and imagined.
Representatives Moulton and Auchincloss have already condemned this project and we are grateful that they recognize the report for what it is: a call to action to target Jews. By creating what is, in effect, an “enemies list,” BDS Boston is using age-old antisemitic tropes to demonize all Jewish interests as it takes its unrestrained hate of Israel to a new, odious level.
The American Jewish Committee stands together with our partners across the Jewish community in rejecting this report. AJC respectfully asks you to join us and Rep. Moulton and Rep. Auchincloss in speaking out against BDS Boston and affirming that hate has no place in the Commonwealth.
We are inspired by the Hebrew words “tikkun olam,” or “repair the world.” It is what AJC and numerous Jewish groups in the Commonwealth seek to accomplish every day.
Sincerely,
Robert Leikind
Director
AJC New England
Mel Shuman
Chair
AJC New England Policy and Advocacy Committee
