Salem is No Place for Hate

Over the past several weeks members of the Salem Board of Health and Health Department staff with names perceived to indicate that they are Jewish have been directly targeted by hateful, antisemitic messages and threats online, by email, and over voicemails. These attacks have been reported to the Salem Police Department and the Anti-Defamation League.

These actions are unacceptable, repugnant, and worthy of condemnation by everyone, regardless of your perspective on the COVID mitigation measures enacted and modified by the Board of Health to help protect public health.

As community leaders in Salem, we stand united to express our unequivocal rejection of these antisemitic attacks, our condemnation of attempted intimidation - especially when it so clearly focuses on targeting an individual based on their race, ethnicity, or religion - and our solidarity with our neighbors who volunteer and serve our community thoughtfully, diligently, and objectively on our Board of Health and the staff in our Health Department who support them in that work.

We reject and condemn vile, racist, antisemitic, and regressive attacks - whether online or in person. We support those who volunteer for public service, despite these atrocious and utterly unacceptable actions and messages. And we urge every member of our community to join us in asserting with absolute clarity that Salem is no place for hate.

• Mayor Kim Driscoll
• Congressman Seth Moulton
• State Senator Joan Lovely
• State Representative Paul Tucker
• Councillor Patti Morsillo, Salem City Council President and City Council Ward 3
• Councillor Ty Hapworth, Salem City Council At-Large
• Councillor Alice Merkl, Salem City Council At-Large
• Councillor Conrad Prosniewski, Salem City Council At-Large
• Councillor Bob McCarthy, Salem City Council Ward 1
• Councillor Caroline Watson-Felt, Salem City Council Ward 2
• Councillor Lev McClain, Salem City Council Ward 4
• Councillor Jeff Cohen, Salem City Council Ward 5
• Councillor Megan Riccardi, Salem City Council Ward 6
• Councillor Andy Varela, Salem City Council Ward 7
• Manny Cruz, Vice Chair of the Salem School Committee
• Amanda Campbell, Salem School Committee
• Beth Anne Cornell, Salem School Committee
• Mary Manning, Salem School Committee
• Dr. Kristin Pangallo, Salem School Committee
• Dr. Stephen Zrike, Superintendent of Salem Public Schools
• Chief Lucas Miller, Salem Police Department
• Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, Executive Director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum
• Dr. David Roberts, President of Salem Hospital
• John D. Keenan, President of Salem State University
• Christopher Mauriello, Director of Salem State University's Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
• Sean Bennett, V.P. of Diversity and Inclusion of Salem State University and member of the Salem Human Rights Coalition
• Rinus Oosthoek, Executive Director of the Salem Chamber of Commerce
• Kate Fox, Executive Director of Destination Salem
• Beth Debski, Executive Director of the Salem Partnership
• Stephanie Callahan, Executive Director of the Salem Academy Charter School
• Charity Lezama, Salem YMCA
• Chris Lovasco, YMCA of the North Shore
• Nicole Lashomb, Co-Executive Director of Project Out
• Graysen Ocasio, Publisher of The Rainbow Times
• Dr. Jeremy Schiller, Chair of the Salem Board of Health
• Sara Moore, Salem Board of Health
• Paul Kirby, Salem Board of Health
• Alphonse V. Wright, Co-Chair of the Salem Human Rights Coalition
• Sam Lim, Co-Chair of the Salem Human Rights Coalition
• Julio Mota, Salem Human Rights Coalition
• Kerry Neenan, Salem Human Rights Coalition
• Dominick Pangallo, Salem for All Ages co-chair
• Ana Nuncio, Secretary to the Latino Leadership Coalition

Members of the Salem community who would like to add their names to this statement are invited to do so by using the link below. If you would like to be included based on an affiliation with an organization, community group, business, nonprofit, or other entity, please include it, as well. The statement above will be periodically updated to reflect the addition of new community members who have signed on in support.

Add your name to the community statement at www.salem.com/NoPlaceForHate.