In this episode, we dive deep into our recent policy wins, breaking down over $12 million in state budget allocations that JCRC successfully advocated for this year. From creating a new commission combating antisemitism to expanding genocide education and securing vital funding for nonprofit security, this episode highlights how our policy work comes to life — and why it matters for the Jewish community in Massachusetts.

We sat down with Benny Sharoni, the new Israeli Consul General to New England. We discuss why he chose Boston as his diplomatic home base, his vision for the region, and how it plays a pivotal role in Israeli relations. (We may even have some advice to share...)

In this episode, we explore the advocacy, policymaking, and community efforts that have made Massachusetts a leader in gun violence prevention. Find out how gun safety extends beyond simply regulating access, to include community-driven solutions with a more lasting impact.

In this episode, we take a closer look at how JCRC operates as the voice of Greater Boston’s Jewish community in civic and interfaith spaces. CEO Jeremy Burton breaks down the unique role of our Council — comprising representatives from 40 diverse member organizations that make up most of our Jewish community's landscape — in shaping our positions and guiding our engagement with broader society. Learn how we convey the diverse voices of our community as one while navigating the complex issues that our community grapples with. See JCRC's list of member organizations here.

Why is it that the majority of people — even those who consider themselves to be civically engaged — are no longer aware of who is actually effecting change in their communities? We sat down with Eitan Hersh, professor of political science at Tufts; whose research focuses on US elections and civic participation, to uncover how the generational shift in local influence and in perceptions of local influence can impact the long-term health of our community.

How can we help young people talk with each other instead of at each other — and help schools move from a fear of “getting it wrong” to genuine inclusion for Jewish students?

In our latest episode of Boston Leaders Unplugged, JCRC’s Spencer Cronin talks with Shira Hoffer, founder and executive director of The Viewpoints Project, a nonprofit teaching young people to “disagree curiously.” 

Together, they explore how thoughtful dialogue can change classroom culture — why goals matter (debate vs. dialogue), how small phrasing shifts (“do you think” beats “don’t you think”) can make a big difference, and why near-peer mentors often have the greatest impact.

Check out more from The Viewpoints Project.

In this powerful — and emotional — Pride Month conversation, we sit down with Idit Klein, founding CEO of Keshet, to reflect on her 24-year journey transforming LGBTQ+ inclusion in Jewish life.
What began in a Boston apartment became a national force for change — mobilizing the Jewish community to help secure marriage equality in Massachusetts (where the Boston JCRC proudly became the first JCRC in the country to publicly support equal marriage), a milestone moment driven by Keshet's work.
That unified advocacy helped defeat a constitutional amendment and made Massachusetts the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Keshet went on to activate Jewish communities across all 50 states to support the Equality Act, advocating for federal protections for LGBTQ people and mobilizing clergy, synagogues, and grassroots supporters across the country.
Idit shares how Keshet built community, shaped culture, and empowered a generation — from challenging Jewish institutions to move from ignorance, to tolerance, to full embrace; navigating painful rifts in progressive spaces post-October 7; and standing firm for trans youth in a moment of rising hate.
As she steps back from leading Keshet, Idit reflects on what it takes to build something lasting, what’s next for Keshet, and what’s next for her.

The film that started it all: https://www.keshetonline.org/hineini-coming-out-in-a-jewish-high-school/

PLEASE NOTE: This episode was recorded before two recent antisemitic attacks: the tragic murders of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, two young Israeli Embassy staffers fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025; and the Molotov cocktail attack on a peaceful Jewish gathering in Boulder, Colorado. While these horrific incidents are not referenced in the conversation, they underscore the urgency of the themes we explore — defining antisemitism, educating to prevent it from becoming dangerous and deadly, and empowering the next generation to confront it with courage.Gabi Schiller, New England High School Regional Manager at StandWithUs, is on a mission to ensure that Jewish students can show up fully and authentically in their schools. In this episode, she shares how StandWithUs equips high schoolers with the tools, language, and confidence to proudly express their Jewish identity; help their peers understand the breadth of Jewish experience; and educate others on what kind of rhetoric constitutes real harm — and what rhetoric can lead to it.We also dig into one of the most contested issues in today’s discourse: How do we define antisemitism? We break down why the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) working definition of antisemitism can be a useful tool as a non-legally binding working definition, and why it’s viewed by some as controversial. We explore what IHRA actually says (and doesn’t say), why it doesn't suppress free speech or criticism of Israel, and why those in progressive spaces may recommend alternate definitions.

Since October 7, many American and Israeli-born Jews — especially students in K–12 schools — have faced traumatic invalidation: the dismissal of their pain and lived experiences. This isn’t just an unfortunate side effect of rising antisemitism — it’s one of the ways antisemitism actively operates. Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern, an expert in trauma-informed interventions, joins Jeremy Burton to explore how antisemitism causes harm and denies that harm, deepening trauma.

They also discuss how trauma can be a driving force in radicalization. Through her work at Parents4Peace — an organization that includes former extremists such as a neo-Nazi and a jihadist who now work to prevent violence — Dr. Bar-Halpern has seen firsthand how unaddressed trauma can push individuals toward extremist ideologies. What does evidence-based research tell us about breaking these cycles of harm before they take root?

Mental health is a key part of this work and a JCRC legislative priority. Addressing trauma — both individual and communal — is essential as we confront antisemitism. This includes ensuring that K–12 schools become trauma-informed spaces where Jewish students feel safe and supported. How can the Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism help make that a reality?

This conversation unpacks what’s happening, why it matters, and how we can push back against both antisemitism and the psychological wounds it inflicts.

What does it take to move from listening to action when confronting antisemitism?

In this timely episode of Boston Leaders Unplugged, JCRC CEO Jeremy Burton sits down with Representative Simon Cataldo to reflect on the work and impact of the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism — the first commission of its kind in the nation — against the backdrop of the recent deadly attack at a Chanukah gathering in Sydney.

With Jewish communities around the world grieving and reassessing safety, this conversation explores how local action, policy, and community solidarity can make a tangible difference. Together, they discuss the Commission’s unprecedented listening process behind the Commission’s final report, key recommendations across education, public safety, and policy, and what it will take for leaders, communities, and allies to translate these findings into meaningful, sustained action across the Commonwealth.

Learn more about the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism and read the final report: https://malegislature.gov/Commissions/Detail/646/Documents

A recent Boston Globe Ideas essay made sweeping claims about mainstream Jewish institutions, suggesting that their posture on Israel and their approach to defining antisemitism are themselves contributing to the climate that makes Jews less safe.

In this episode, Jeremy Burton and Oren Jacobson unpack that argument, challenge its logic, and examine how reducing diverse Jewish communal leadership to a single caricature can easily become a way of blaming Jews for the harm or violence directed at them. They also explore where criticism of institutions is fair, where it starts to revive old tropes about Jewish influence, and what it means when those “ideas” gain legitimacy in public discourse.

Oren Jacobson is a civic entrepreneur and the CEO of Project Shema, where he works with communities and institutions across the country to better understand and respond to contemporary anti-Jewish bias and anti-Jewish ideas. His work focuses especially on how these ideas show up in public discourse, even subtly and unintentionally.

Oren is a regular partner to JCRC and CJP here in Greater Boston and has previously testified before the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism, helping commissioners and State House leaders better understand Jewish identity in public life.

A week with more attacks on Jewish institutions than days in the week. That’s the reality many are waking up to, and asking: what happens next?

In this episode, we explain how and why JCRC speaks publicly during moments of crisis and controversy. When statements appear under Jeremy Burton’s name instead of the organization’s, what does that actually mean? Who is the real audience for those comments? How does a coalition of 40 Jewish organizations decide what to say in real time when civic leaders are asking for guidance — and why even speak publicly at all?

The conversation explores how JCRC engages civic leaders and institutions, the process behind public comments, and why relationship-building — not public outcry, outrage, and blasting — is the most effective way to advance the interests of the Jewish community in Massachusetts.

In this episode of Boston Jewish Now, JCRC CEO Jeremy Burton discusses what Jewish communities should expect from civic leaders — in moments of celebration, in moments of pain, and in moments when antisemitism and public Jewish life are being tested.

The conversation covers Toronto’s March with Israel, Mamdani and New York’s Israel parade, and the question of what it means for civic leaders to show up for Jewish communities. Jeremy also discusses Graham Platner, Ralph Northam, Jake Auchincloss, and the double standard around racism and antisemitism in public life.

The episode also covers Clover Food Lab and kosher food access in Boston, why consumer data privacy is a Jewish safety issue, and the importance of nonprofit security funding in the Massachusetts state budget.

Find your legislators: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator

This Pride Month episode is a conversation between two queer Jewish professionals working inside JCRC, each bringing a different generational lens to what it means to be queer, Jewish, visible, and civically engaged in this moment.

Rachel Schlesinger, JCRC's Marketing Coordinator, and Jeremy Burton, JCRC's CEO, are living different chapters of the same larger story. Jeremy brings decades of experience as an out Jewish communal leader who has seen the evolution of LGBTQ belonging in Jewish spaces. Rachel brings the perspective of a younger Jewish professional navigating a post-October 7 world, where being out can sometimes feel easier than being visibly Jewish or Zionist in some progressive and LGBTQ spaces.

Together, they talk about Pride, authenticity, Jewish belonging, antisemitism, Israel, civil rights, and the responsibility of communal institutions to make room for people to show up fully.

Many Jewish parents are looking at college differently right now. Dr. Greg Weiner offers a perspective few others can.

He is the 17th president of Assumption University, the first Jewish president of a Catholic university in the United States, and a scholar of American political thought. In this episode, Jeremy Burton speaks with Dr. Weiner about why Catholic education may offer Jewish students something many families are looking for now: a serious educational environment where faith is taken seriously, difference is treated with respect, and students are formed to think, question, listen, and live responsibly with others.

Dr. Weiner makes clear that Catholic universities are not trying to evangelize Jewish students. They take faith, reason, learning, and human dignity seriously. For Jewish students, that can mean entering a community where difference is understood, where conviction is respected, where education is about more than ivy-league prestige — and where there are no encampments.

Together, JCRC CEO Jeremy Burton and Dr. Greg Weiner unpack what a college education is, at its best: a place to produce the kinds of people a healthy civic society depends on.

This week, we’re catching up on the stories and events that had us talking — from Boston to Israel and beyond. We’ll look at what stood out, the questions these moments raised, and why they matter to us as a Jewish community.

Reach out to your legislators to support data privacy: https://www.aclum.org/campaigns-initiatives/data-privacy-now/

Read Alan Dershowitz's Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/alan-dershowitz-why-im-becoming-a-republican-86c19b66

Check out the conversation from Yehuda Kertzer and Jeffrey Goldberg: https://jewishinsider.com/2026/04/yehuda-kurtzer-american-jews-political-homelessness-identity/

In this episode of Boston Jewish Now, we unpack two verydifferent fights that raise a similar question: what happens when decisions are made about Jewish safety and belonging without the people most affected beingfully heard?

The conversation begins in Somerville, where Jeremy recently testified before the City Council as it considered an ordinance tied to Israel divestment. Jeremy explains why JCRC showed up, what Shalom Somerville and local Jewish residents have been facing, and why local campaigns around Israel are more than just symbolic foreign policy debates. In Somerville, many Jewish residents have experienced these fights as a sustained climate of hostility, intimidation, and exclusion from public life in the city they call home.

We also cover the possibility of a new agreement over Iran’snuclear program. Rather than rush to call it good or bad before the details are public, Jeremy argues for a more basic standard: release the agreement, brief Congress, and allow serious review by lawmakers, foreign policy experts, andnuclear nonproliferation experts.

We discuss why Congress has to be part of any long-termforeign policy commitment, why American global credibility depends on commitments that can outlast a single administration and simply be overturned, and why Israel’s security interests cannot be treated as an afterthought indecisions involving Iran and its proxies.