State Representative Jeffrey Roy (D-Franklin) recently joined a delegation of civic leaders as part of the Together at the Crossroads Congress in Denver. He participated in a national summit sponsored by the David Merage Foundation focused on combating rising antisemitism, media misinformation, and social polarization.
The delegation's work comes at a critical juncture for the Commonwealth. According to data from state law enforcement and civil rights reports, antisemitic hate crimes in Massachusetts surged by over 20% in a single year, marking the first time on record that Jewish residents became the single most targeted group for hate crimes in the Commonwealth. Although Jewish residents constitute approximately 5% of the state’s population, anti-Jewish bias accounted for 84.4% of all religious bias hate crimes statewide.
“I was honored to participate in the Congress because combating anti-Semitism is a profound moral imperative that demands our active and unwavering commitment,” said Rep. Roy. “True allyship means standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Jewish community as an upstander against hate in all its forms. By building bridges of understanding, fostering dialogue, and rejecting prejudice wherever it appears, we reaffirm our dedication to a society rooted in mutual respect, dignity, and justice for all.”
The conference brought together elected officials, law enforcement executives, and civic advocates to build actionable frameworks for community resilience, cross-community allyship, and public narrative strategies. It featured a diverse coalition of speakers and presenters, including state lawmakers, police leadership, civil rights advocates, faith leaders, digital media and communication experts, and community foundation executives.
Rep. Roy’s work in Denver directly reinforces his ongoing legislative efforts in the Massachusetts General Court, particularly regarding the implementation of the state's Genocide Education Act. Educational audits conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) underscored the urgency of this mandate, revealing that among school districts fulfilling state genocide education requirements through mandatory courses, 11% failed to include the Holocaust in their curriculum.
The strategies and policy models developed during the Denver summit will inform ongoing initiatives in Massachusetts to expand Holocaust and civics education, support law enforcement training, and safeguard civil rights across local municipalities, schools, and workplaces.
