follow-up

Here's the letter I just sent out to the newspapers; a similar version is going to the Mayor and the President of the Board of Aldermen. Don't know that I'll see any results, or even response, but at least I can feel that I tried.

------ cut here ------

I was proud, as a long-time Somerville resident, to be able to take part in the mayoral inauguration last night as a member of the Somerville Community Chorus. I was particularly impressed by Mayor Curtatone's speech in which he recognized the value of the diversity that make Somerville such a special place. It is a shame that the ceremony itself could not be as welcoming and inclusive as his remarks. From the invocation from Father Doucet, through the songs about Jesus that both the church groups chose, to the Benediction by Pastor Fevrier, there was a heavily and explicitly Christian flavor to the proceedings that left me as a religious Jew feeling both uncomfortable and unwelcome. I recognize that it is impossible to represent every religion in a time-restricted event such as this; I suggest, therefore, that in the future, we use the time to celebrate our common pride of community while leaving religion out of the proceedings.

Gilana Rosenthol

follow-up

Here's the letter I just sent out to the newspapers; a similar version is going to the Mayor and the President of the Board of Aldermen. Don't know that I'll see any results, or even response, but at least I can feel that I tried.

------ cut here ------

I was proud, as a long-time Somerville resident, to be able to take part in the mayoral inauguration last night as a member of the Somerville Community Chorus. I was particularly impressed by Mayor Curtatone's speech in which he recognized the value of the diversity that make Somerville such a special place. It is a shame that the ceremony itself could not be as welcoming and inclusive as his remarks. From the invocation from Father Doucet, through the songs about Jesus that both the church groups chose, to the Benediction by Pastor Fevrier, there was a heavily and explicitly Christian flavor to the proceedings that left me as a religious Jew feeling both uncomfortable and unwelcome. I recognize that it is impossible to represent every religion in a time-restricted event such as this; I suggest, therefore, that in the future, we use the time to celebrate our common pride of community while leaving religion out of the proceedings.

Gilana Rosenthol