[Danielle Balocca]: Today's episode is the final one for 2021. Thank you so much for listening to and supporting the podcast this year. I'm so grateful for all the people I've been connected with during this short time since beginning the podcast. I'm looking forward to the opening of the new library and Medford Brewing. I'm also looking forward to seeing plans unfold for many of our parks and to opening the first page of the community calendar. Today's interview has also made me hopeful for the ways in which Medford can move towards being more inclusive as we discuss the not menorah incident at City Hall's holiday celebration. Hope you enjoy. Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2022. All right. Hi, everyone. Thanks for meeting with me tonight. If we could start by just saying your name and pronouns and anything else you'd like to share about yourself.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: I'm Sarah Beardsley. I'm a Medford resident. I've been here for 30 years. And I'm an artist. I'm current president of Arts Medford. And parent of a now 22-year-old who went through the entire school system here in Medford. And I definitely consider Medford very much my home. And I'm a she, her.
[SPEAKER_04]: Thanks, Sarah. I'm Shira Cohen-Goldberg, and I have lived in Medford for five and a half years. And before that, for the last 20-ish years, I've been living in the Somerville, Cambridge region. And I'm mom of three kids, ages 10, 7, and 3. The two big kids go to the Missittuck. And I'm also a member of Temple Shalom. And in my spare time, I'm Director of Client Services for Hill for Literacy, which is a nonprofit that consults with schools and school districts on teaching reading to kids.
[Danielle Balocca]: And Shira, could you just say your pronouns?
[SPEAKER_04]: Oh, yes. My pronouns are she, her. Awesome. Thank you.
[Susan Bibbins]: And I'm Susan Bibbins, and my pronouns are she, her, and they. And I am a resident of South Medford since 1996. That's a good chunk of time. I am the parent of two adult children. One is 21. And he is a senior in college in New York state. And the other is 23. And they are living at home and figuring out what to do with their lives. They got derailed from the, due to the pandemic, but they'll figure it out soon. And I am present chair of the commission for persons with disabilities. Although I'm not speaking with that hat on tonight. And I am retired, but I was a behavioral consultant for families with high needs, children and behavioral health needs.
[Danielle Balocca]: So thank you for sharing. And so the question that I ask every or all the people that I interview just to start off is what your favorite place to eat is in Medford and what you like to eat there.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: Well, family favorite has been actually for quite a few years is Rassos. We love Rassos. We pretty much like to eat just about everything that's there. My husband especially loves the ribs. He's a big fan of the ribs there. I tend to go for the, I mean, I like everything, but I more often than not will eat the shrimp scampi because my husband doesn't like shrimp. And so it's about the only chance I get to eat shrimp is when I eat out. So yeah, but all their food is so good. I mean, you can't go wrong.
[SPEAKER_04]: Um, well, I would say my two favorite places to eat in Medford, um, in this phase of my life that is called parenting of young children, um, are Colleen's and Dunkin' Donuts. And, um, and we use these trips to both Colleen's and Dunkin' Donuts as incentives. And, um, my kids will only sit for two seconds at a time to eat anything. And so these are perfect places, um, for the entire family.
[Danielle Balocca]: Relatable, yes.
[Susan Bibbins]: Yeah. And my favorite place to eat is Salvatore's. And my favorite dish to eat is the eggplant parmesan or the chicken parmesan or the pizza.
[Danielle Balocca]: All solid choices. Thank you. So we sort of connected together after the non menorah incident at the City Hall holiday celebration. So I wonder if we could spend a little time if any of you want to sort of reflect on that experience or share any thoughts about it today.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: It's hard to know where to begin. I mean, I have so many thoughts on it. First off, I just found it really upsetting troubling that the city did not do their due diligence and actually go through the main Jewish community even contacting the synagogue beforehand, you know, to just for guidance like they have like all the past mayors have, and this one did not, I just. I found that very troubling that they, for an administration that says that they are a very inclusive administration, really did not show any inclusivity with us. In fact, sadly, it wound up being exact opposite of it. And I just found that very disturbing that they didn't even consult their own people in their own congregation, their own community first, when all they had to do was make a phone call or even just like go down the street. I just, I find that a big problem.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, I mean, I think that it is very much an afterthought, and it was, just because when I was, and I said this in my little soundbite, but it was the fourth night of Hanukkah that they held this celebration on. There was no, in the publicity, no acknowledgement that there would be anything that might even echo Hanukkah. So I really do think, and I don't know I don't know what the process was, but it really did seem evident that there was no planned effort to be anything more than a Christmas celebration, or whatever, quote unquote holiday celebration with all of the trappings of Christmas, however people want to call it, right? And I think that that's like, And I mean that's one of the main things that I that I sort of wanted to talk about or that I want to move into at some point in this conversation is like. There is like there is a unique situation for Jews, this time of year, and in that there, you definitely see some nodding to the idea that like Jewish people could possibly celebrate something other than Christmas. But, but I mean, you can tell when it's done poorly or in an unthoughtful way or in a like, we're really sad that you don't celebrate Christmas. So here, come along with us and like ring these bells and sit on Santa Claus's lap, you know? So I think that like, that like, that's one piece that really got me is, I feel like I'm reliving the eighties in New Jersey as like my childhood. Because like you would see the same thing, right? It's as if there's no progress that has been made. So here Medford is holding their quote unquote holiday celebration, which by all indications, there's a Christmas tree sale, there's a wreath sale, there's pictures with Santa, like it's on the fourth night of Hanukkah. And like, I get it, like Hanukkah moves around from year to year, fine, you don't always need to know, but like, you're having it like, on like December, whatever that was, December 3rd, December 2nd, whatever it is, Christmas is four weeks away, and like, you're having Christmas celebration. So on one hand, I would say, okay, Medford's having a Christmas celebration because they're doing things the way they've always done them. And that's how Medford is, it likes to do things the way that it's always done them. Medford doesn't like new traditions. Medford doesn't like new people. I'm hardly a legitimate Medford resident because I've only lived here for five and a half years, right? And so like, I don't know. So I think that, I think my point is that this is not uncommon to see a Christmas celebration labeled as a holiday celebration. And it's not uncommon to see this like very thoughtless afterthought, not uncommon. It wasn't uncommon in the 80s. It wasn't uncommon in the 90s. It wasn't uncommon in the 2000s. Now we're in 20, almost 2022. It's still, you know, it still is the way it is. And it doesn't have to be that way because we know better.
[Susan Bibbins]: Well, under two mayors ago, they used to have a nice silver tall menorah with blue lights and they would light up a light each night. And I'm wondering where that went. That's a very good question. Cause I haven't seen since that mayor retired or went somewhere else.
[Danielle Balocca]: Well, it sounds like, you know what I'm hearing is like this, like it's a Christmas celebration labeled a holiday celebration and an attempt to be symbolically inclusive in some way. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[Susan Bibbins]: And it, it, in my opinion, that failed miserably on the Hanukkah, tiny menorah that wasn't, it was like an afterthought. And we're not, we as a community of Jews, of religious individuals and a community are not an afterthought. We've been here historically There's a community of us, you know, we've got the temple and the Tufts Hillel and the Tufts Chabad for quite a while. It's in Medford, so it's not like we're newcomers or outsiders.
[SPEAKER_04]: Right. And even if we were, we should demand inclusion. And I think that that's the other piece. Right. And that's like, I think that that's the piece that is, that is quite hard to summit. Right. That, that there's, it really does seem like there's only one culture that matters and whatever. I don't, I don't know how to label that culture. Right. I'm not exactly sure. It's like what Medford has been, it seems for a very long time and what those with loud voices or those in City Hall, it's a vision that people want to preserve. And it's a vision that is very narrow and that might say, we welcome all people from all over the world, from all religions and races and sexual orientations and genders and da, da, da, da, da. And it's like one thing to say that, that that's your vision. And then it's another thing to really evaluate where you are with respect to that vision and actually do something about it. Yep. And that's and we're stuck in that spot right now. Because that may be a vision. But like, we are very far from that vision.
[Susan Bibbins]: Doesn't feel like it doesn't feel like we're living up to it. provision.
[Danielle Balocca]: Yeah, like I think one thing that I've taken away from like a lot of conversations over the last couple of years is like how uncomfortable it is to confront some of those things, right? Like, this is the thing that this is like the status quo here in Medford. And like, in order to actually be inclusive, we have to look at what we're doing, that's like not including those people or even erasing some of those identities, right? And, and that sounds like, and I think, you know, that it does expose a lot of cracks. And those are important to figure out. And I think it's a, you know, I think I often see a lot of resistance to that because we don't want to admit what we aren't doing well.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: Well, I mean, honestly, change of any kind is always hard, right? I mean, it's never easy, no matter what it is in life. But that being said, as Shira and Susan have both espoused on, it really comes down to making this a really inclusive community. One other thing I did not mention, too, that I also did raise with concern. I mean, the non-Menorah display also included display of two other religions and or cultures, depending on how you look at it. And so it had Christmas represented there as a Christmas tree. And then it also had the canara there for Kwanzaa. So, I mean, I don't even begin to be an expert on either of those things, but, you know, I did question, so what is the, what was the information that was put out about Kwanzaa? Was that correct? Was it not? That's what my husband said. Did they ask anybody who knew a thing about Kwanzaa? Right. That's what I was wondering. Did they ask? Was that information correct? Did they ask anyone? And then I did see actually all the aftermath of all this. I saw one person who mentioned Um, that using a Christmas tree as the symbol for Christmas was like she was greatly offended and because she said, that's not you know you should have a crush, if you're going to have a real to symbol for the holiday because that's what it really is all about that Christmas trees nice to but that's not really the main symbol of it. Um, which I found kind of interesting and of course it was a whole conversation that's gone on since then about separation of church and state which I actually 100% agree with, I don't really think any of this religious, any single religion should have any representation. in city or in government. To have a celebration, a holiday celebration, I'm all for. You know, it's wintertime, it's December, it's the darkest time of the year. Having a lot of just really lovely lights with no religious underlying tones to it, I think would be wonderful. And no matter what religion, culture you practice belong with, it would be inclusive to everyone and everyone would feel comfortable there. I mean, I honestly, the only two times I've ever gone to City Hall for any of these holiday events was because I was selling art a couple of times. Other than that, I've never gone because I've never, I haven't felt comfortable. And because of the whole religious undertones and a religion that I don't practice. So, and again, I don't feel like it should be there. I mean, there is such a thing as separation of church and state. So.
[SPEAKER_04]: I would like to say something about that. And I'm really glad you mentioned that. I mean, that's, and I think that that's like, it's a hard topic for a lot of people. again, because there has been this emergence of church and state in this sort of very implicit way for, like, my parents grew up, like, saying a prayer that wasn't a Jewish prayer in public school every day. Like, and so, and so, like, that might've been more explicit and they were kind of exempted from it. But, you know, like, there've been these very implicit emergences of emergent, connection of church and state in the public schools forever. And you know, like we used to sing lots of songs about Jesus in chorus in public school in New Jersey in the 80s and 90s. And you know, and it was okay, because we sang a song about Hanukkah. And And, and, you know, and I think that this is something that is, that is very hard to separate. Um, you know, I think it's, I think a separation of church and state is necessary because I don't want my kids doing Christmas things in public school. I don't want my kids doing Easter things in public school. Um, I don't think that they should have to, and I don't think that they should have to self exempt if they're not comfortable with it. Um, I don't think my, my, My first grader and my fourth grader should have an art activity in class that is making ornaments, you know, like, I mean sure like we can hang them somewhere else but there's this implicit thing that what is an ornament for and so. So I think that this just becomes a problem in that it's very hard for those in a majority culture to parse out what is religion versus what is culture. And I think that that was something that Reverend Wendy spoke to in her statement about the Not Manohara incident, where she said, it's very hard for us to see To see beyond the lens, I am going to be miss paraphrasing her but like it's very hard for us to see beyond the lens that we were given. And I think that that is that that is the case, it is very hard for a majority culture. to understand when things could possibly be alienating to others who are not in that majority. And I think that that's when you defer to those who are not in the majority and say, how's this making you feel? Or you say, we are deciding not to do this because we understand how this makes those in the minority feel, or the position that it puts those in the minority into. So, you know, and also like don't get me wrong I love the school. I love the teachers, but it's it's a fact of life being a Jew in a place where, where you're not the majority that these things are just normal and it's sad. I don't like it. and I don't know what to do about it.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: Yep and you know it's been like that even when as a kid too growing up. I grew up in um in western New York and I had similar experience to you with yeah so sure we could do we do Hanukkah songs too but there's also all these other Christmas songs and Christmas carols and all that and yeah they're lovely but to a certain extent, I will tolerate it. But after a while, I mean, to me, and not to be rude and insulting, because I'm Jewish, it gets to be a bit much after a while. So I mean, every case in point. So it's holiday time now. So normally, when I'm driving around just doing errands in town, I'll have my radio on in my car. And since just before Thanksgiving, there are now two radio stations that are all playing Christmas music, all the time. Well if you Jewish, you know, for me, it's like, okay, a couple of Christmas carols here and there fine frosty the snowman fine, but I don't want to listen to this all the time. The radio was off in my car, and I'm playing other music instead, like through my phone or whatever. I'm not, I refuse to listen to the radio because I don't want to have to deal with that. So it's, it's, again, not to be rude and not to be insulting to people who celebrate Christmas, but for someone who doesn't. And I can only imagine. I mean, here's a good question. What do the Muslims feel like during this time of year, you know? I mean, really, what do they, how do they cope with this? How, you know, again, another minority, another, you know, how do they feel about this? Because I, you know, that's another group that really, I think, should be a part of this whole conversation. Sure.
[Susan Bibbins]: Yeah, I'm Buddhist. Yep.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: Yeah, I mean, we have a whole And all of them are in Bedford too. I mean, why not invite them also, I think would be good to have as part of a continuing conversation on this.
[Danielle Balocca]: Yeah.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: It's a great idea.
[SPEAKER_04]: And I don't hate Christmas. I love Christmas for other people. Like love it. Like my three-year-old said to me this morning, which I thought was really beautiful because like Cause I heard her actually stating our values. She's like, no mama, we don't celebrate Christmas. No, we don't. Other people celebrate Christmas. Yes. Yes, they do. Yes. Other people celebrate Christmas. This Cohen Goldberg family, Jewish family, we don't celebrate Christmas. Great. So, so the thing is like, I'm not ruining your Christmas by telling you that I don't celebrate it. I'm sorry. You know, I'm not ruining your party by telling you that I'm sick and I can't come. And I think that, or by telling you that I have whatever social phobia, it doesn't matter, right? It's like, this is the analogy. And so like, I'm not ruining your tradition by telling you that I do not want it force fed to me when I'm in a public location.
[Danielle Balocca]: Sure. Yeah, when I think you bring up a lot of really good points about like I think what is like sort of unchecked around like what you know the impact of the dominant like culture dominant religion, and I, we talked a little bit before we started recording but if anyone wants to like think about or share like what you think would help Medford be more authentically inclusive or moving towards a culture that is more inclusive of more people.
[Susan Bibbins]: Actually listening to each other. Actually meeting with us and actually listening to us. There's been all these conversations that we are having as a community to each other, you know, meetings and as a community, but we haven't It seems like we haven't been meeting with the people in city hall. We can actually do something. Yeah.
[SPEAKER_04]: Or like visibly drive the efforts. I mean, I think that like city hall only goes so far, but they are the, um, but they are the visible entity. So there was this project that I wanted to talk about, which was that I was part of a few years back when I first moved to Medford called Medford Conversations. And it was an incredible project. I think it's now been renamed and reformatted. I think it's Medford, Medford Health Matters or something. I don't know exactly, but it was this idea of like trained facilitators who were really like just normal people in the community who went through a training. Like myself, I was one of the facilitators there. And like the idea was that you were put into these sort of random groupings and you discussed a topic. So the first year it was race in Medford and who belongs. And then the next year it was, I don't know, it was something about transportation, housing and food security. And the idea was to really sit and get to know your neighbors, to talk about something hard in a facilitated environment, and then to listen. And I thought that that was like really an incredible effort. And I was so, I felt like I was able to connect with so many other people, voices. Like I developed this, I worked on myself a lot during that Medford conversations because I was introduced to these new ideas and concepts and people and voices that I found very challenging and in a good way, because it helped me grow from it. And, you know, like not on Facebook where you like get into fights and then you're like, bye. And then you just leave the conversation. And I just thought that it was, it was an incredible effort. I know that there was some involvement from the, from the, from City Hall, and like, that's, I feel like that is the kind of efforts that we want to continue to have, but in such a way that City Hall can then take it and use their learning, use their knowledge, use their connections with the community to then do something about it.
[Susan Bibbins]: That's what I was thinking of. Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking of. But I don't know what happened to that.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: Well, I think part of it right now, of course, COVID happened for some of it. And then there was also a change in mayor too, which, so I'm not sure if, But it may have changed and then COVID happened. So I think that that may have been part of it, why it hasn't continued. But I do remember that because I was, I actually sat part of those two and they were fabulous conversations, loved it. loved it and just really very interesting conversations to have with people you wouldn't necessarily have known beforehand. I'm also really positive and just very, yeah, I mean, a very good thing and just to have that continuation. And I don't know because unfortunately because numbers are going up again now whether Whether there's a way to do that, and just do it via zoom and have like some breakout rooms or something like that and do it that way to keep you know to get it started again I think, you know, at least for now until it's safe that we can all be, you know, safely meet and, and chat in person again. You know, I think it's totally possible. And I think it would be excellent to do that. And I totally forgot about the Medford conversation till you brought that back up. It's like, oh yeah, I mean, that was fabulous. I loved it.
[SPEAKER_04]: It was like a formative experience for me. I can't even say, there I was 40 and like had just moved to Medford. And like, I just, I went through this growth spurt of like getting to know different people and getting to know different ways of being and thinking.
[Danielle Balocca]: And you know, yeah. Well, it sounds like that allows for some ability to be proactive rather than what we've seen recently, just being reactive in this really awful situation. And I've heard City Hall asking for input from residents, and that feels like a really, I mean, I think the question is, what do you do with it, or what do they do with it after that? But that sounds like a really great opportunity to do some of that. Absolutely. So any of you are going to start that back up again, sounds great.
[SPEAKER_04]: You know, I also like I do think our city hall and our general like Medford governmental bodies are very understaffed and under resourced and so I think that you're also I mean just look at like. you know, like Neil Osborne is doing the job of like three people, right? Like, yeah.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: Also, I mean, that's also, I think that particular position got combined because the mayor combined them, not because of understaffing necessarily. When the new mayor came in two years ago, she, you know, you know, because every mayor changes things up, you know, depending on how they run their, you know, their government, but she combined some offices, which is why there are, you know, fewer, some offices, in fact, the one where Neil is working, I mean, I still don't think was a good idea, because it was it was diverse. It's diversity office. And I mean, personally, I personally think it should be expanded, not not shrunk and had one person doing like three different jobs and he's ahead of that as well. So, you know, it just, it's hard enough for anyone to do one job, but then to do something that's so important, especially with all the inclusivity issues going on, which is, you know, and there's more that often should be expanded and have standalone, in my opinion, rather than, you know.
[Susan Bibbins]: There may be a change forthcoming.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: Oh, that would be good. But I mean, I mean, I know a lot of this too could be budget, you know, because there's always, you know, money, it's always an issue.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's like, yeah, I mean, if they charged higher taxes, I think that we'd be in a better situation. But I guess that's another property.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: That's a whole nother. But I don't think it's all a staffing issue. I think it was also just a choice issue. Yeah, like a prioritization. Right. Interesting.
[Danielle Balocca]: So I wonder like if so, if you want to share kind of like maybe one thing that you're taking away from this experience over the last month or so, and then maybe one thing that you hope the city is taking away from witnessing this or hearing from all of you.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: Well, I mean, for me, one thing I've taken away from this is that I actually have been really liking some of the support from the non-Jewish members of the community. And many of them just not even realizing what the big deal was until we started making noise about it. And then once, you know, many of the non-Jewish community members are getting educated because that's what this is all about. It's about educating and learning. And You know that's something we all do through life Lisa certainly hope we all do life is to learn and grow. So when people have learned about really why, why it's such a big deal. And I've had so many people tell me said oh my gosh, I had like, I mean, I knew it just seemed wrong but now that you're kind of pointing out why. I realize why it's such a big deal. And thank you for pointing that out and say, not not being Jewish, I wouldn't necessarily know these things. And of course not, because, yeah, I mean, and that's fine, just like if there was something in your religion, I wouldn't necessarily understand unless it's what's explained to me. And that's fine. But I do find that it is heartwarming in some ways to hear that many other members of the community that's not Jewish are standing in solidarity with us and to say that, hey, this is wrong and we need to make change. So I think that's excellent. As far as what I would like to see the city do, first off, I think, Shira, your idea of Medford Conversations is an awesome one and it should get started again, honestly. Even if we do it through Zoom, it's totally doable. It's totally doable. In some ways that might be even easier right now because you don't have to worry about, well, where's it going to be and all that, you know? Sometimes even with a pandemic, you know, there's That's a good thing that's come up. But I would really like to see the city take action, not just words, and they said that they're going to do all sorts of different things they've spoken with the ATL and that's awesome. And they're speaking with Temple Shalom and that's awesome. Um, and I know that from my personal response back from the mayor she had said that the staff at City Hall is going to undergo training come January, and which is great. But I want to see, make sure that all those things are happening and that she's taking action to make, make change and make a difference, not just for the Jewish community, either. I mean, this needs to go further than just the Jewish community. This needs to go with everyone, no matter what gender, what religion, what culture. Because we are so diverse in the city, so diverse. And that's one of the best things about Medford, in my opinion, is our diversity. It's awesome. And I really hope that this is just the starting point to have all these more inclusion and inclusion that is shown by the city, not just in words, but in action.
[Unidentified]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_04]: Hey, thanks so much for saying that. That was amazing. I think for me personally, a couple of takeaways, and not great, but like, I think one takeaway is, I grew up in New Jersey. Yes, we have this ridiculous way of having to celebrate Christmas in public school, but I grew up with a certain amount of privilege that Jews are visible, Jewish people are everywhere, like tri-state area, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. New York City is the center of that. There's a ton of Jewish people. And that's how I carry myself around thinking, oh my god how could people be so ignorant like like this whole thing with the with the not menorah like like did you go did you graduate from high school like did you know anybody who was jewish like but but i think that i that i um that i that i carry around this privilege that like judaism is is like a well-known present and, and, you know, invisible religion and, and it may, it may very well not be and so that was like sort of a new view for me. Um, but then the other and the other on the other personal note for me is like, and this is the part to me that really matters. Like, I can live in the public sphere and my kids. know my values, my kids know our family values, and we are conveying that and we are living those values. And so, part of me is like, you know what Medford go off and do your own ignorant things, because I know who I am. My kids know who they are, our family knows who we are and we're fine. You know, and so that's, it's a hard thing to grapple with, but I think bottom line, when I think about what matters most to me, it's that my family is Jewish, that my kids know their values and that we're all moving forward, you know, in this life, in that way. So those are my personal takeaways. And my Medford takeaway is like, I'm a systems thinker. Um, like there are systems that exist. And we talked about this before we started recording, like their systems that exist in Medford that actually the mayor's office and city hall can utilize, for instance, the interfaith group coalition. So like, if you really want to know, or if you want a spokesperson from any religion in the city. you can actually go to the Interfaith Coalition and speak to somebody about it. And so like, to me, it's, I think that as a takeaway, Medford meets, Medford only likes Medford things, I get that. Fine, don't go to Somerville, don't go to Cambridge, it doesn't matter. But like, you have these institutions and systems within Medford. So it's ridiculous not to go through those channels. So I would just all things remaining equal. If Medford could simply use the channels that existed, then we'd be in a lot better spot than we are right now.
[Unidentified]: Thank you.
[Susan Bibbins]: Um, inclusivity, I think they need to do much better job on inclusivity. They talk a lot and they've always talked a lot. It's, I've lived here for 26 years, 24 years, I don't know. Some odd years. And it's, it's, It's they've been talking about it for years and changes. And, you know, we've got to change and include people and, and diversity and inclusion. And it's a whole lot of. This and you know, it's. I'm very glad to hear that the City Hall is going to do trainings and take trainings, but I'm awaiting to see what's going to happen. Trust but verify. Yep. And, you know, I'd like to see inclusion on all senses and inclusion without disabled people or people with disabilities is not really inclusion. So we need to include all religions and races and ethnicities, all genders and sexual orientations, and it runs the gamut. We need to really think of inclusion and immigrants and, you know.
[Danielle Balocca]: And the way that you all answered that question, it seems like there is like, I don't want to simplify it, but like there, like, uh, there's a method that you could draw from what you're suggesting. Right. It's like, we ask the people that this impacts, we like check in, we listen to the community and that feels like it could be like a tool that's like transferable. Right. So, um, you know, I appreciate those reflections. Um, I'm wondering if, uh, before we wrap up, if there's anything else that anybody would like to speak to or share.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: I don't know. I mean, I think I've said plenty. So I can go back to say change isn't easy, but it's so necessary. It's just so necessary.
[Susan Bibbins]: I can say I'm hopeful for the future. I've got to be optimistic.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think the more we put a human face on these things that are so challenging, and the more that we put a voice to it in a way where we can say, you are my neighbor, and I need you to understand that this is how it's affecting me. This is how it's hurting me. I want you as my neighbor to tell me if there is something that I can do to help you feel like you belong in Medford. And if we can create this culture where we can actually talk to each other, where there's a culture of feedback and difficult conversation, then I can assure you that like my neighbor doesn't want me to feel like a stranger or like I don't belong in Medford. None of us want that for each other. So I do think that the more we can, I almost had this little idea that I was going to show up at city council meetings, like literally every time they met to just like give them a little like information about Judaism. And like, this is how I teach fourth grade Hebrew school, thought you'd want to learn this. But I do think the more we're talking to each other, the more we can say like, Not, you know, I'm expecting you, you was my like mayor to do like a bazillion things with very little resources, like, but we can say like you have stated that you want the citizens of Medford to feel as if they belong, and this is a way that you have explicitly made me feel like I am an outsider, like, if these are the conversations that we can have, then we can come to like a healing spot where, like, we can actually help each other feel like we belong. So I think that that's like, I don't want to be a complainer. I really want to be a problem solver, all of us do here. And so I do think that there are ways to move forward with also very little money or, you know, lagging resources.
[Danielle Balocca]: Hmm. Yeah. And Sarah, there was something in your letter to the mayor that I kind of similar sentiment. It felt like about like, I don't know. I've been like thinking about this idea recently about being like a critical lover of something. Right. Where like, you can be critical of something almost because you love it. Right. And being able to like give that feedback to the city, to your neighbors, like to yourself. Right. Like how can we make the place that we live and like a little bit better. Right.
[kz27nkwTz-I_SPEAKER_12]: Yes. Absolutely. Absolutely.
[Danielle Balocca]: Awesome. Well, thank you all so much for being here. And I really appreciate everything that you shared and yeah, hope to connect further in the future.
[SPEAKER_04]: Thank you for inviting us. Thank you. Thank you very much.
[Danielle Balocca]: Thank you so much to Sarah, Shira, and Susan. As always, if you have feedback about this episode or ideas for future episodes, you can email medfordpod at gmail.com. You can also subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much for listening.