Groups condemn ‘antisemitic attack’
FBI tracking new website
Boston- area Jewish groups are sounding the alarm about a “truly vile perpetration of hate against the Jewish community” as a new pro-palestine website puts a bullseye on local Jewish organizations, schools and others.
The “Mapping Project” interactive map went live last week, naming and listing the addresses for scores of Jewish groups — including the Anti-defamation League, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, JCRC of Greater Boston, Synagogue Council of Massachusetts, Jewish Arts Collaborative, Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston, and many more.
The website also targets politicians, such as Gov. Charlie Baker, U. S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, along with local governments, police departments, universities and corporations.
The creator of the website is unknown, but the map has been promoted by BDS Boston — “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement in the greater Boston area in solidarity with Palestine.”
“Our goal in pursuing this collective mapping was to reveal the local entities and networks that enact devastation, so we can dismantle them,” the Mapping Project website states. “Every entity has an address, every network can be disrupted.”
The local Jewish community and partners are now condemning this website, coming together on Monday to speak out against the targeting.
“Our community is not going to sit by, we’re not going to stand by while this antisemitic attack is underway,” Robert Trestan, of the Anti-defamation League’s Boston office, said during a community briefing on Zoom.
“This calls for a full community mobilization,” he said. “Not just from the organizations, not just from the people that are mentioned, that are labeled, that are identified, but for all of us. We also need to bring all of our friends, all of our allies, because this type of threat spreads.”
Rabbi Marc Baker, of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, called the Mapping Project the “latest truly vile perpetration of hate against the Jewish community and our allies.”
“This is a threat to all of us, and we will do everything we can to fight it,” Rabbi Baker said.
“It’s outrageous and downright scary to see ourselves and our organizations on this list, to see the schools where we send our kids, arts and culture organizations where we are literally creating Jewish life,” he added.
FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Joseph Bonavolonta told attendees that the feds are “very well aware and are tracking the Mapping Project website, and are working to identify additional information regarding this website.”
He added, “At this time, we have not observed any direct threats of violence in open sources related to this map as of its publication.”