Massachusetts lawmakers in a joint legislative session approved a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and calling for expanded anti-bias and Holocaust education.

A similar resolution that decries anti-Semitism and all forms of faith-based violence is under consideration in New Jersey, where a bill is expected to pass that state’s senate March 16, followed by its state assembly, according to the New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations.

The Massachusetts resolution was approved on Monday. It was sponsored by State Senator Cynthia Stone Creem, and Lori A. Ehrlich, both Jewish members of the state legislature, and is expected to be signed later this week by Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan Rosenberg. As a joint resolution, it does not require the signature of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker.

The impetus for the Massachusetts measure came from the Anti Defamation League of New England, which initiated discussion with the two leading sponsors out of concern about the rising incidents of global anti-Semitic violence and the impact it is having in Massachusetts, according to Robert Trestan, regional director of ADL New England. He believes Massachusetts is the first state legislature to approve such a measure.

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Source: Haaretz