Gov. Maura Healey praises Jewish community solidarity, cites $5 million for American Ancestors

Gov. Maura Healey joined state and community leaders at American Ancestors in Boston on an event recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month and pledged solidarity with the Jewish community after recent acts of violence while citing $5,000,000 in economic development bill funding directed to American Ancestors.

The funding announcement came amid remarks about recent violence affecting Jewish Americans. Rabbi Baker, who opened public remarks, said, “Hearing from you immediately, and knowing that you have our backs, helps us to feel a sense of comfort and strength at a time when the Jewish community is feeling very alone and, frankly, like the ground underneath us is shaking.” The rabbi also referenced the visit of Omer Shem Tov, a hostage released after 505 days, and the “horrible shooting in Washington, D.C.” that followed.

Why it matters: the appearance brought state leaders together in a public show of support and included a stated allocation of state economic development dollars to a local cultural institution. Organizers and state officials framed the funding as support for preserving and presenting Jewish history in Massachusetts and for civic solidarity in the wake of recent killings.

Gov. Maura Healey said, “It was a treat to be able to give some $5,000,000 in economic development bill funding to American Ancestors to help support this wonderful effort here and efforts like this around our state.” Healey also thanked organizers and legislators present and said she had signed a commission on antisemitism into law, praising the work of the Kosher Caucus and others.

Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg praised the governor’s response to recent events and the administration’s outreach, saying, “Maura Healey is the real deal. She’s not just standing here giving us words; she always gives us action.”

Consul General Benny Charoni placed the event in the context of Jewish American Heritage Month, saying it is “a time to celebrate the history, contributions, and resilience of Jewish Americans across this nation and here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”

American Ancestors and the Weiner Family Jewish Heritage Center hosted displays from archival collections. A speaker from the archives said the center serves as the archival home for records documenting Jewish institutions, synagogues and businesses in Massachusetts and New England and invited attendees to return to view the collections.

Officials named several victims and community impacts while distinguishing public remarks from formal government actions. The event included references to two people killed in a recent shooting in Washington, D.C.—identified in remarks as Sarah Milgram and Roni Shinsky—and to Omer Shem Tov, the former hostage. No formal vote or legislative action took place at the event; the $5 million was described by the governor as provided through an economic development bill rather than approved at the gathering itself.

Attendees included state legislators from the Kosher Caucus, municipal officials, Jewish community leaders and representatives of cultural institutions. Organizers closed the program with invitations for group photos and an invitation for attendees to return to the American Ancestors exhibit.

Notes: the $5,000,000 figure and the source as “economic development bill funding” come from Gov. Healey’s remarks at the event. The commission on antisemitism was referenced by the governor as having been signed into law; the event did not include a legislative vote.