[Peace] Fwd: Urgent: New Massachusetts bill to silence Palestinian voices and free speech

[Jennifer Wolfrum]

I support it.

Jennifer
she, her, hers
Living and working on the unceded land of the Pequossette Band of the
Massachusett Tribe

"Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America
by getting in, what I call, "good trouble, necessary trouble".  John Lewis


On Fri, Jun 9, 2023 at 2:46 PM Tony Palomba via Peace <
peace at watertowncitizens.org> wrote:

> I would like us to endorse this effort.
>
> Tony
>
> Tony Palomba
> 781-664-3525
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: JVP Boston <jvpboston at gmail.com>
> Date: Thu, Jun 8, 2023 at 12:06 PM
> Subject: Urgent: New Massachusetts bill to silence Palestinian voices and
> free speech
> To: JVP Boston <jvpboston at gmail.com>
>
>
>
> [image: image.png][image: image.png]  [image: image.png][image: image.png][image:
> image.png]
> *
>
>
>                                              UUJME NE*
> June 8, 2023
>
> Dear friends,
>
>
>
> We are writing to alert your organization to a dangerous new attempt to
> silence Palestinian voices and free speech in Massachusetts.
>
>
> It comes in the form of deceptive new bill at the Massachusetts state
> house, H.1558 <https://legiscan.com/MA/text/H1558/2023>, which aims to
> codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition
> of antisemitism into law.
>
>
> Of course, antisemitism is a rising threat that must be dismantled as part
> of a broader struggle against white supremacy wherever it rears its ugly
> head.  But the IHRA definition of antisemitism is a wolf in sheeps’
> clothing.  Even though it’s dressed up as a tool to fight hate speech, its
> actual purpose is to undermine the movement for justice in Palestine, free
> speech, and antiracist struggles by labeling critiques of Israel as
> antisemitic.  We are attaching a document that explains why H. 1558 is
> deceptive, dangerous, and widely disputed.
>
>
> We are writing to ask your organization to endorse this campaign to stop
> codification of the IHRA definition in Massachusetts.
>
> Please fill out this form
> <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KlC0T9dAcpxUDQjIMGG8hXbe9xbQd0eqwBknVoVOwsE/edit?pli=1>
> as soon as possible if your organization would like to add its name to the
> call to stop codification of the IHRA definition in Massachusetts.
>
> The bill is now in the Judiciary Committee.  We will be lobbying committee
> members in the summer.  According to state house sources, the hearing on
> this legislation will take place in the fall.  We’ll reach out to you later
> in the summer to see if you would like to testify at the hearing.
>
>
> *For now, we ask your organization to endorse the campaign by filling out
> this form. *
> <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KlC0T9dAcpxUDQjIMGG8hXbe9xbQd0eqwBknVoVOwsE/edit>
>
>
>
> Please contact us at jvpboston at gmail.com with any questions.
>
>
> Thank you,
>
>
>
> The Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine, Boston Workers’ Circle,
> Jewish Voice for Peace Boston, Massachusetts Peace Action, and Unitarian
> Universalists for Justice in the Middle East (New England Chapter)
> --
>
> Like us on Facebook
> <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jewish-Voice-for-Peace-Boston/204776866206992>
> Follow us on Twitter <https://twitter.com/JVPBoston>
>
> Jewish Voice for Peace Boston
> --
> Peace mailing list
> Peace at watertowncitizens.org
> http://watertowncitizens.org/mailman/listinfo/peace_watertowncitizens.org
>
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