‘No child should carry the burden of hate’

When WBZ’s John Keller called out Acton for its silence on antisemitism, I knew it was time to act. Within a week, a group of neighbors pulled together a rally in the town center during rush hour on a Friday. It was powerful to see Jewish and non-Jewish citizens of Acton, Carlisle, and beyond standing shoulder to shoulder, taking fear and anxiety out of their homes and onto the streets.

For me, the issue came into sharp focus when antisemitism surfaced in our schools. That was the moment I could no longer sit quietly. We don’t get to choose whether our kids encounter antisemitism. But we do get to choose whether they face it alone. Our children — every single one of them — deserve to feel safe, supported, and seen. No child should carry the burden of hate, and no family should be left wondering if their community will rise up in their defense.

The rally was not an end but a beginning. There is still so much work to do, and much that many in our town still don’t yet see or understand. Antisemitism may target one community, but the silence around it threatens us all.

I will always stand for our kids. And I will always stand for Student A, whose strength and courage lit the path for the rest of us to follow.

Marc Girolimetti

Wright Road