(Daily Hampshire Gazette) In his time as co-chair of the state’s Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism, state Sen. John Velis said his eyes have been opened by citizens who have experienced “detrimental” and “vitriolic” hate because of their identities.
“Whether it’s antisemitism hate, anti-LGBTQ hate, anti-Arab hate, hate is on the rise in Massachusetts,” the Westfield Democrat said.
But despite the rise in hatred, and the behavioral health manifestations it creates in victims, he found that a common issue is repeatedly raised by constituents: There aren’t enough providers available with specialized knowledge to help them navigate these difficult experiences.
“A recurring statement was ‘They just don’t understand,’” said Velis, who said that he has had individuals pull him aside after meetings to share stories of their experiences that galvanized him to create change.
The Senate last week adopted an amendment to the fiscal 2026 budget put forth by Velis that provides $250,000 to start funding training programs for mental health clinicians and counselors to treat victims of hate and bias.
The Senate approved its $61.4 billion budget Thursday, but the state budget will not be final until it is approved by a conference committee of House and Senate negotiators.
While there’s a lot of work to do in preventing and protecting people from hate, Velis believes that this amendment will provide a solid start for healing victims’ wounds.
According to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s latest Hate Crimes Report, there were 557 incidents of hate crimes in 2023, up 26% from 2022. In 2018, there were a total of 351 incidents. In particular, the report shows an increase in hate crimes directed at Jewish, Arab and LGBTQ communities.
The amendment specifies that each training will be different, designed to tackle various forms of hate rather than providing an overarching approach that might miss some of the complexities that come with experiencing bias around different identities. Velis acknowledged that hate manifests in different ways when directed at different groups, and the approach to treating victims must adapt to these various manifestations.
“This is about being granular,” he said.
The goal, he said, is to provide “trauma-based training from people who are subject matter experts,” so that victims of hate have somebody to go to who can help them navigate and heal from incidents of hate. These mental health trainings will aim to help victims recover, and lessen the lingering mental impacts of experiencing hate and bias.
Currently, Velis said, there is not a minimum or maximum amount of grant funding set to be awarded for each training program. He explained that it will be up to the Department of Public Health to develop the frameworks for these training programs.
Velis also noted that he feels these kinds of efforts are particularly important following the recent killing of two Israeli embassy staff who were shot outside of the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. He called this instance “the absolute epitome of antisemitism — vile hatred.”
In Massachusetts, Velis said it is time to emphasize practicing the inclusive values espoused by many communities throughout the state by actively working to provide informed, compassionate care for those who have been made to feel isolated by targeted acts of hate.
“We can and we must do better than we are right now,” he said.