Celebration and Activism - Online Only
January Updates from Sawa: Newton-Area Alliance for Peace and Justice - Online only articles.
Sawa Activism
Brief reports on Sawa activism in January 2025.
Readers note: To avoid overwhelming readers’ inboxes, we are publishing this material online only. It is free to view, and is linked to from the emailed version.
Sawa Meeting with DA Marian Ryan
On Tuesday, Jan 7, Sawa members met via Zoom with Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, the highest elected law enforcement officer in Middlesex county, to share our concerns about a pattern of escalation of violent rhetoric, hateful language, and silencing in our community. We shared our experiences with political viewpoint bias in the application of law, such as failure to record incidences of hateful speech or bullying toward Palestinians or their allies, even when they have been reported to the police. We also shared the impact of elected officials’ deafening silence following the city’s deference to and enabling of protestors to silence Palestinian voices by shutting down a public library event last May. We expressed our desire for DA Ryan as an elected official, and for other elected leaders, to create space for civil discourse rather than the silencing and shaming our community has experienced.
DA Ryan expressed sympathy with our concerns, and talked to us about her Middlesex Anti-Hate, Anti-Bias Task Force.
We thank DA Ryan for meeting with us and hearing our concerns and hopes.
Note: we did NOT speak to DA Ryan about the case of Scott Hayes, which is being tried under her jurisdiction, as discussion of open cases would be a violation of court protocol.
Sawa Correspondence with Essex DA Paul Tucker
Last week Sawa learned that Essex County DA Paul Tucker was headlined to appear at a meeting to be held in a synagogue in Beverly, to share an update on his office’s investigation and prosecution regarding an attempted attack at a local synagogue. The event’s keynote speaker was a concealed carry gun and home defense instructor discussing topics like the legal ramifications of gun use. The organizers of the event described it as an opportunity to “pay tribute to Scott Hayes” - the defendant in a pending gun violence case in Newton that resulted in life-altering injuries to a young, Jewish, Newton resident.
We expressed concern, in a letter to DA Tucker, that his appearance at this particular meeting would be tantamount to endorsing “Stand Your Ground” gun violence. We said we appreciated DA Tucker’s commitment to responding to constituents who have legitimate and urgent concerns, but asked that he consider addressing their concerns in a forum that wasn’t promoting gun violence.
Based on social media posts, it appears that DA Tucker did attend the event, speaking to about 15 people.
Massachusetts Commission on Combatting Antisemitism - Update
Sawa members attended the meeting of the commission on January 23; a video of the meeting can be viewed here.
Sawa members who observed the meeting continue to be concerned that the most vocal commissioners appear to be primarily concerned about restricting education about the history or politics related to Palestine or Palestinians in the classroom and punishing political activism that protests US political support for Israel. Sawa, along with other members of Together for an Inclusive Massachusetts, are deeply concerned about the rise of white supremacy and neo-Nazi ideology here in Massachusetts and in our nation fueled by antisemitism and other forms of hate.
We have been pleased to see, over the past meetings, that Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s questions have centered around the challenges educators face in navigating current events within Massachusetts’ educational frameworks, and on how to address antisemitism within a context of racism, Islamophobia, and other biases.
We invite you to attend the next meeting of the commission on February 10 at 1pm (live stream link), when Together for an Inclusive Massachusetts (TIM), the alliance Sawa is a member of, will present a panel on issues related to K-12 education.
Those interested can sign up for TIM’s occasional email updates HERE.
You can find the updated FACT SHEET on the Special Commission HERE.
Harvard University and Anti-Palestinian Bias
Harvard University has been attracting some negative publicity over policies such as its harsh treatment of students and faculty protesting against Israel’s brutal war on the people of Gaza, and its recent adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) “working definition of antisemitism”, which declares some kinds of criticism of the State of Israel to be antisemitic. Recently, the well-regarded Program Director at the Harvard Kennedy Schools Nonviolent Action Lab resigned, expressing his feeling that Harvard was unacceptably restricting his ability to speak out over what he described as “ one of the worst humanitarian and human-rights catastrophes in my 55-year lifetime”.
Another recent crisis was over Harvard Medical School’s decision to cancel a previously scheduled lecture on wartime healthcare and a subsequent panel with patients from Gaza receiving care in Boston. This cancellation drew angry responses from medical students and received news coverage not only locally, but in the New York Times, and even Israel’s Haaretz. Medical school faculty, including Sawa’s own Dr. Eman Ansari rallied to the program’s defense – at press time, it seems promising that the program may be reinstituted. For the sake of the students, the patients, and the cause of human rights, we sincerely hope it will be.
“Sawa” Means Together…
Driven by a vision of collective liberation, our diverse peace alliance advocates for equality and justice for Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and inclusion for all.