Two years ago, the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel shattered the lives of Jewish families in Israel and around the world. Hamas murdered over 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. One of the victims was Vivian Silver, who my sister worked for when she moved to Israel 20 years ago. Vivian was a peace and women’s rights activist who drove sick Palestinian patients to treatments in Israeli hospitals. On the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, Vivian’s home was set on fire and she was initially presumed to be a hostage. It took five weeks for officials to identify her burned remains through DNA testing in what was left of her home. On that horrific day and in the 730 days since, many New England residents have been directly impacted by the loss inflicted by Hamas.

And in the midst of our grief and outrage, we have also been directly impacted by the systematic and widespread normalization of antisemitism and unprecedented levels of hate incidents.

According to new data from the Anti-Defamation League, 57% of American Jews say antisemitism now feels like a routine part of Jewish life. More than half report experiencing antisemitism in the past year alone and nearly 1 in 5 endured verbal harassment, threats, or even physical violence. ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, issued in April, recorded a total of 638 incidents of assault, harassment, and vandalism in 2024 within the New England Region (covering Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont). 2024 saw a 213% increase in incidents in New England from 2022 and a 485% increase since 2020 and there was at least one incident in 174 cities and towns across the region.

In the past few months, examples of incidents have included threats to more than a dozen synagogues across the region, the vandalism of Boston Public Garden, the Massachusetts State House and MIT by an extremist group called the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation, and a brick thrown through the window of a Kosher supermarket in Brookline that said “Free Palestine.” Each incident causes harm to the individuals who are targeted and to the collective community who experience fear and isolation.

What’s most alarming isn’t only the rise in antisemitism, it’s how much it has become accepted as part of daily life. In Somerville, a Jewish home was egged, high school students regularly have to walk through anti-Israel protestors with signs that call for violence, and a parent has shown up for elementary school drop off with clothing that says “Intifada until Victory” and “Death, Death to the IDF.” Would a public school allow threats of violence against any other group? When Jewish and Israeli students and their families have to adjust their routines to avoid hostility, it signals that society has allowed bigotry to take root.

For me, Oct. 7 was a defining moment. That day, my dad, sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew and over 20 additional family members were in Israel. I worried about their safety and have seen firsthand the many ways that the attacks continue to cause trauma and harm. I was proud to take on the role of ADL New England Regional Director this January to push back against the hate that followed this tragedy.

Since Oct. 7, ADL has pursued more legal actions than in our first 110 years combined, using Title VI complaints and federal lawsuits to hold schools and institutions accountable. Our advocacy helped secure more than $400 million in supplemental security funding to protect synagogues, Jewish community centers, and other vulnerable institutions. Through our Campus Report Card, nearly half of universities assessed have strengthened their responses to antisemitism. In the corporate world, our shareholder advocacy arm, JLens, has successfully blocked discriminatory anti-Israel resolutions at major companies. And our rigorous research continues to demonstrate that with persistence and strategy, real change is possible — so long as we refuse to accept hatred as the status quo.

In Massachusetts, ADL is proud to serve on the Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism. The Commission’s thoughtful recommendations — such as creating an Advisory Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education, implementing mandatory anti-bias education guided by the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, and strengthening bias reporting systems — will help build inclusive, welcoming spaces for Jewish and Israeli residents. By adopting these constructive and forward-looking measures, Massachusetts has the opportunity to set a national example.

As we commemorate the second anniversary of Oct. 7 and continue to pray for the safe return of our hostages, residents in Massachusetts have a unique opportunity to visit the Nova Music Festival Exhibition, which is in Boston until Oct 21. On a visit to Israel in January 2024, I stood at the site of the Nova Music Festival, where a celebration of life and peace was turned into a massacre at the hands of Hamas terrorists. Though it was painful to be there, bearing witness to the horrors felt like a sacred duty.

Right here in Boston, the exhibition recreates the site of the Nova Music Festival with videos and first-hand stories from survivors. While many people across the state and region are quick to deny the events of Oct. 7 and the resulting impact on Jewish safety, the exhibition ensures that we can all see the truth of what happened and find a space for reflection and healing.

Two years after Oct. 7, we have a choice – we can allow for the normalization of antisemitism and for the persistent fear and hostility to grow unchecked, or we can stand up for our Jewish friends and neighbors and forge a safer and more just path forward for all of us. Which will we choose?

Samantha Joseph is the ADL New England Regional Director