Boston - As the Commission on Combatting Antisemitism meets for the first time today, Governor Maura Healey issued the following statement in support of Massachusetts’ Jewish community. She has also appointed David Friedman and Dara Kaufman to the Commission, which was created in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget that she signed in July.

“The rise in antisemitism across our state, the nation and the world has been alarming, heartbreaking and unacceptable. We recognize the pain and trauma this has caused for our Jewish community, and we are committed to combatting it,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I’m grateful to the Legislature for creating this important Commission and look forward to the important work that Chairs Velis and Cataldo, Dave, Dara and the entire membership will do to advise us on how we can combat antisemitism and hate in our communities and make sure everyone in Massachusetts is safe and respected.”

David Friedman

David S. Friedman serves as Executive Vice President, Legal & Government Affairs and Chief Compliance Officer for the Boston Red Sox. He handles a wide variety of legal matters, including regulatory compliance issues and oversight of litigation, and assists with the club's interactions with Major League Baseball and other teams on legal-related issues. He is responsible for government and neighborhood relations, and he also serves as counsel for the Red Sox Foundation, handling a wide range of Foundation legal and governance matters. David is part of the Fenway Sports Group leadership team on initiatives to use sports as a platform to combat all forms of hate.

David previously served as First Assistant Attorney General for Massachusetts, where he advised A.G. Martha Coakley and managed an office of 490 staff. In the A.G.’s office he supervised a wide array of criminal and civil issues, including civil rights and civil liberties matters. Prior to that, he served as Counsel and Chief Policy Advisor to Massachusetts Senate President Robert Travaglini, where he worked on the state's landmark health care law, same-sex marriage, economic development, and a broad range of other issues. David worked for several years at the law firm of Hill & Barlow and served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and federal appeals court Judge Michael Boudin.

David is a 1993 graduate of Harvard College, where he won the World Universities Debating Championship, as well as a 1996 graduate of Harvard Law School, where he was President of the Harvard Law Review. He is Chair of the Board of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, and since 2012, he has taught courses at Harvard Law on government, management and leadership issues.   

Dara Kaufman

Since 2013, Dara Kaufman has served as the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires, where she oversees a diverse range of operations including program development, fiscal management, fundraising, leadership development, strategic planning, community relations, and the publication of the Berkshire Jewish Voice. Under her leadership, the Federation has spearheaded a community collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League and the Berkshire County Superintendents Roundtable to enhance anti-bias education in middle and high schools throughout Berkshire County.

Before assuming her current role, Kaufman was the Director of Member Services for the Berkshire Visitors Bureau, where she played a key role in developing a new membership investment model during the Bureau's merger into 1Berkshire. Previously, Kaufman lived in Israel, where she held the position of Advertising and Sales Director at Jerusalem Report Magazine and also worked for the Jerusalem Post.   

Kaufman previously served on the Pittsfield Tourism Commission and the Board of the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires. In 2017, Governor Charlie Baker appointed Kaufman to the MA Taskforce on Hate Crimes where she continues to serve and contributes to the Education and Victim Support Subcommittees. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, she resides in Pittsfield, MA, with her husband, Ofer.