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This week’s newsletter discusses several very challenging things that have recently happened in our communities.
And as a reminder about this coming week: Please join me at my campaign kickoff on Tuesday, March 26, at 7 PM at 19 Chestnut Terrace in Newton Centre to hear my vision for our Commonwealth as a candidate for State Representative to succeed retiring Rep. Ruth B. Balser. This event is entirely free to attend and undecided voters are welcome to join us to hear me speak on the issues or ask me questions on issues that matter to you. Please just RSVP in advance to help us get a head count.
Another tragic fire today
For the third time in just four months, Newton has experienced a fatal fire this morning. A duplex on Walnut Street in Ward 6 near Route 9 caught fire today and, tragically, one person inside did not make it out alive. The Newton Fire Department made heroic efforts to go into the burning building to try to make a rescue, but that person had already succumbed. All other occupants of the building were able to escape unaided. My thoughts are with the loved ones of the victim and with the displaced households who find themselves without a home today.
Newton Fire Department Chief Gentile issued the following public service announcement reminder in the aftermath: "We want to urge all our residents to have working smoke alarms on every level of your home. And if you hear those alarms sound, please — get out, stay out, and close the doors on the way out.”
Anti-semitic incidents
By now, many Newton residents have heard of recent anti-semitic vandalism incidents at private homes, including most prominently the destruction of a display supporting the Israeli hostages taken on October 7th last year and an instance of a rock being thrown through a home window. Such actions are unacceptable and Newton will not tolerate them. No one should be made to feel unsafe in our community. The City of Newton and the Newton Police Department have responded swiftly to these incidents and are taking them very seriously. Investigations are ongoing. This kind of incident can only serve to diminish our common humanity by promoting fear instead of a shared sense of community. Newton remains a safe community where neighbors look out for one another, and our strength is in the deep bonds across the community we have here. We must reach out and strengthen our ties to our fellow residents. Everyone is keeping the hostages in our thoughts and hoping for their immediate safe return, and no act of vandalism could change that. Wherever we might live in the world, all people deserve to live in peace and safety. I encourage everyone to have even more conversations with our neighbors to keep building a sense of trust and security here in Newton.
Community Iftar dinner
It was such a privilege to attend Newton's first official Community Ramadan Iftar dinner this past week at American Legion Post 440. It was a huge turnout, including a supermajority of my City Council colleagues. Thank you for welcoming us and for such delicious food!
Our Muslim and Arab neighbors of all ages in recent months have been feeling a level of fear, pain, and isolation unlike anything since 9/11, and they have not had the institutional support from our communities that they need. To help address this, a group of Newton Muslims partnered with the Harmony Foundation to put on a Ramadan fast-breaking gathering for our communities, featuring readings and discussions of our shared, cross-cultural connections and how much more we have in common with one another than differentiates us. It is also the type of wonderful cultural and community bonding event that we should have been holding years ago already.
Dialogue and mutual understanding are the only path to social harmony. We know that a diverse and welcoming society is a stronger society that can weather anything together.