In a time of profound pain, when so many people are choosing to use unproductive and polarizing language to turn us against each other, we, as a Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), continue to call on civic leaders to reject language that force us into binary narratives and that trigger fear and trauma. 

Today we learned about remarks that Senator Warren made recently regarding the legal case being waged against Israel under international law. At JCRC, we have long been in a relationship of friendship and honest discourse with Senator Warren about our community’s experiences and concerns, and in the past six months regarding the ongoing war against Hamas. We had a frank conversation with the Senator today about our concerns and we anticipate further dialogue regarding this matter. 

The Israeli and the Jewish people remain in a state of trauma six months after the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7^th.  Hamas and its allies have vowed to repeat this massacre, as they also continue to hold over 100 hostages taken on that day – in horrific conditions. There has been a horrifying loss of innocent life in Gaza since October 7^th. There is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and all parties need to prioritize urgent food assistance. All of these things can and must be addressed.  

Eighty years after the Holocaust, many Jews continue to have a visceral, trauma-informed response to use of the term ‘genocide’. We have heard this term used at different times with different intention, including after October 7^th. There were those who rushed to use this term in order to portray Israelis as inherently evil and outside the community of humanity and empathy. They continue to apply this term so as to deliberately dehumanize and ostracize Jews.  We share this background to continue to promote a deeper understanding of the Jewish community and our experience.  

Senator Warren stood with us on October 9^th in solidarity with the people of Israel and has voted to support urgent aid to Israel in the months since then. Still, we are distressed by the use of this term whenever it is used in the context of the current conflict, even by friends and partners who stand with us in support of Israel’s right to respond to Hamas, and who are rightly lifting up the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. We are concerned that – amidst a surge of antisemitism around the world including in Boston – the use of this term may lead to further harm to our community.