At packed online meeting, Concordians urge ‘more than talk’ on antisemitism

Hundreds filled a virtual meeting room Tuesday night as speakers demanded answers about antisemitic acts in Acton public schools. 

The joint Select Board and School Committee meeting came three weeks after a legal brief alleged years of unchecked anti-Jewish bullying at Acton Middle School and Acton-Carlisle High School. The filing surfaced an ongoing federal civil rights investigation and sparked outrage against town and school leaders. 

“I’m done with the empty, ‘We don’t tolerate hate’ statements,” said parent Jay Abelowitz in the latest public reckoning. 

He asked administrators to say how many antisemitism reports they’ve received and said school brass should divulge how they responded. 

“Acton’s promise of inclusion must be more than talk,” he said.

Pervasive problems

Residents flooded a Select Board meeting last week, but Tuesday’s session marked the first School Committee discussion since the Anti-Defamation League, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, and the Mayer Brown law firm filed their brief with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. 

Participant information wasn’t public, but panelists said the audience numbered well over 200 at various points. 

Concordians on the Zoom said antisemitism is pervasive in town and that the whole community must respond. 

“This district and our beloved town has unfortunately missed the mark,” said parent Jodi Sperber.

Wilson Odewahn, a rising senior at CCHS, recalled an email from school officials and a subsequent assembly this year that addressed antisemitism.

Odewahn said the email only mentioned swastikas discovered in bathrooms and that the email and the assembly “gave very little hint of how deeply the issue went.” 

Abelowitz said the “district dragged its feet” when responding to the October 7 attack on Israel and contrasted that response to previous declarations regarding the invasion of Ukraine, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the 2022 Colorado Springs nightclub shooting.

He criticized a “token mention of support for Jews” in the schools’ communications around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and he described a moment when his fifth grade child heard a classmate shout “Jews are gay” during lunch. 

Speakers urged measures ranging from better reporting mechanisms to clear — and in some cases more severe — consequences for people who embrace hate. 

“You have the instincts to do what is right,” said Acton’s Lela Jacobsohn. “Now you just need the courage to follow through with that.”

‘A heartfelt sorry’

Schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter spoke before public comment, opening with “a heartfelt sorry for all the pain and hurt in the community over the past few weeks.” 

She acknowledged, “We have had issues in the schools,” and said, “We know we can do more.” 

“If there’s a silver lining,” she said, “it’s the fact that this entire community is starting the conversation.”

Select Board and School Committee members repeated their intent to listen to community concerns.

K-8 School Committee Chair Andrew Herchek said, “We must take a clear-eyed look at our schools policies, our programming, and our training.”

Empathetic discomfort

Resident Ed LeClair said leaders must be direct when they tackle these issues, but said some still weren’t directly calling out antisemitism. 

“We need to be able to commit to being uncomfortable,” he said, “because prejudice makes the victim uncomfortable.”

Parent Marc Girolimetti had called for action at several School Committee meetings before new allegations came to light. He said, “This community has tolerated a culture of hate and silence for far too long. 

“I insist that the practice of protecting the image of Acton ends now,” he said. 

Kim Frederick said she asked her daughter, who is Black and Jewish, if she had seen or experienced the kind of hate described in the federal filing. Beyond antisemitism, she said, her daughter also hears anti-Black slurs. 

In the current political climate, Pamela Dritt said, “We have to make sure that criticism of Israel is not conflated with antisemitism.”

Anticipating more incidents

Tuesday’s meeting also included comments from state Rep. Simon Cataldo (D-Acton), Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, and Acton Police Chief Thomas Mulcahy.

Keeping with standard practice in public meetings, officials didn’t respond directly to audience comments. But, Select Board Chair Mark Howell said, “We’re hearing loud and clear that, culturally, we need to get over the ‘Everything’s OK, I’m just fine’ version of Acton.” 

Officials will continue weighing what’s next at a Select Board meeting on Monday. In the meantime, Cataldo urged officials to prepare for the coming school year and possible future hate incidents. 

Cataldo noted draft recommendations from the Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism, which he co-chairs. He said leaders should firm up their playbook so they’re ready if and when antisemitism strikes again.

“I would operate under the assumption that like many, many, if not most, other school districts, there will be an incident this fall,” he said.