In an email sent out to the Newton Public Schools community on Thursday, October 12, Superintendent Anna Nolin said that “Out of an abundance of caution, the Newton Public Schools will have a significantly increased police presence at school buildings, as well as increased local patrols across the city on Friday and at evening and weekend athletic events.”
The action was taken in response to the terrorist organization Hamas designating Friday, October 13, as “a day of general mobilization.”
Newton Police officers already have conducted 160 directed patrols at Jewish schools and temples between Saturday, when Hamas unleashed deadly attacks in Israel, through Wednesday, according to Police Supt. George McMains.
Speaking at the “Interrupting Antisemitism and Hate in Our Community” event at City Hall on October 11, McMains, members of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and local and state officials reiterated support for Israel during the packed gathering. Speakers at the meeting, which had been planned before the war began, focused on the unfolding tragedy in the Middle East and increased antisemitic incidents in the U.S., the state, and here in Newton.
“This darkness is not just in a faraway land – it is here,” said Rabbi Ron Fish, the ADL’s Northeast Division director of antisemitism advocacy and education.
Rabbi Jonah Steinberg, the ADL’s regional director, decried Hamas’ “Rapture of hate,” that targeted Israeli civilians. As of Thursday, more than 1,200 Israelis had been killed in the war, according to the Israel Defense Forces, as well as 1,400 Palestinians, according to CNN. More than 150 people were taken by Hamas into Gaza as hostages, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
The targeted violence against Israelis brought local antisemitic incidents into sharper focus, as speakers urged attendees to share their own experiences with the ADL, the police, trusted adults, or others.
“Speaking up and sharing facts go with showing strength,” said Steinberg.
McMains reiterated the importance of keeping an accurate record of all hate incidents and crimes.
“If we don’t know what’s happening, we can’t really help,” he said, especially with any hate incidents at the Newton Public Schools.
Visibly emotional, Superintendent Nolin said as a mother, “I feel that anger that you may be feeling,” after learning about the murders of children and others in Israel.
“Schools play the most crucial role” in the fight against antisemitism, she said.
Acknowledging that she has been told some in the community feel antisemitic incidents are not taken as seriously as other forms of hate, Nolin said it was the schools’ duty to ensure that every child feels included and secure.
“We have to create safe spaces within schools with trusted adults” to discuss any experiences with hatred, she said.
Working with partners like the ADL and Facing History and Ourselves, the Newton Public Schools will continue to help students understand the gravity of hate acts and the consequences of antisemitism, said Nolin. To further that mission, the schools recently received a grant to increase lessons on the topic.
Education was a key theme as panelists made suggestions on how to combat antisemitism.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan praised programs for young offenders that require restorative justice since there is an educational component. Like McMains, she encouraged victims of, or witnesses to, acts of hate to report them to her office, the ADL, or other organizations that track them.
Ryan also said it is vital to combat misinformation and “call things what they are … it is important not to look away from the hate that is being manifested.”
State Rep. Ruth Balser also emphasized that it is essential that people not mince words and instead make “clear public statements” against anti-Jewish hate.
In the past, Balser said people abandoned Jews who were suffering or in dangerous situations, but that is not happening now.
She said that nonprofits, including houses of worship, can apply for state security grants to improve their facilities. In fiscal 2024, the state offered $4 million in funding for that purpose, she said.
Toward the end of the gathering, Rabbi Fish exhorted the crowd to speak “difficult truths” and call out inaccurate and antisemitic versions of reality.
“These [antisemitic] ideas are sometimes whispered, sometimes given larger platforms than we can imagine,” he said.
