Photo: Brooke McCarthy (WBZ)
SALEM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Massachusetts saw a sharp increase in antisemitic activity in 2022, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League.
The ADL's yearly audit tracks incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assault in the United States. In 2022, a total of 152 incidents were recorded in Massachusetts, a 41 percent increase from 2021.
Massachusetts ranked highest in recorded antisemitic incidents in New England and sixth in the country, the report stated.
That is where Salem State University's Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies comes in.
"The mission of the center is both historical and contemporary," Director Chris Mauriello told WBZ NewsRadio Friday. "It’s not just about memory, it’s about action."
In late 2021, the Massachusetts legislature passed the Genocide Education Act, which requires school districts to educate middle and high school students about the history of genocide. Since then, the center is working with teachers and schools on the North Shore to secure grants and craft lesson plans on hate speech, white supremacy, and the Holocaust and other atrocities.
"We believe that the best way to prevent genocide and human rights abuses is to understand its causes," Mauriello said.
Mauriello hopes that the push for further genocide education will inspire more conversations in everyday life.
"I really hope that this Genocide Education Act continues, in that people take it as seriously as they are now, and that our students begin to learn about it," Mauriello said.
WBZ's Brooke McCarthy (@BrookeWBZ) reports.
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