Rosh Hashanah/Ag Day overlap warrants acknowledgment of the Jewish community
The deepest hurt isn’t missing Ag Day or a book sale. It’s realizing that your absence doesn’t seem to register.
Like many Acton residents, I look forward each fall to Ag Day and the Friends of the Library fall book sale. They are beloved community traditions, which is why I was so disappointed that this year they are being held on Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the Jewish year.
When I raised my concern, a member of the Ag Committee explained that the committee knew of the conflict when it chose the date and had discussed it. I reviewed the available minutes dating back to September 2025 and could find no record of that discussion, nor was there a statement about the conflict put out until several individuals brought it forward over the last few weeks.
I understand that scheduling community events is complicated. I don’t expect every event to avoid every religious holiday, and I am not asking that Ag Day now be moved after months of planning.
I am asking for acknowledgment.
When a beloved community event must be held on a day when some of our neighbors cannot participate, we should be able to say: We know you cannot be here. We are sorry. Your absence will be felt.
Because the deepest hurt isn’t missing Ag Day or a book sale. It’s realizing that your absence doesn’t seem to register, that your presence isn’t considered a necessary part of what we mean when we say “community.”
At a time of rising antisemitism, that matters.
Acton can be a community where all of us know our presence matters. Sometimes inclusion isn’t about finding the perfect date. Sometimes it begins simply by noticing who is missing.
Pippa Shulman
Old Bedford Road
