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Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Protest avoided outside Wellesley temple after Israeli government official pulls out of event

June 7, 2023 by Deborah Brown

We were approached via email last week about a controversial figure scheduled to take part at an event on Thursday, June 8 at Temple Beth Elohim (TBE) in Wellesley, as a guest of the Boston-based Israeli Consulate. That the Consulate had earlier this spring arranged with TBE to rent space to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day in the temple’s spacious, 42,000 sq. ft. building was not unusual. The government office had rented TBE space in the past.

Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley
Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley

However, what the TBE community did not know until several days before the event is that Israel’s Minister of Economy and Industry, Nir Barkat, a polarizing Cabinet member of president Isaac Herzog’s administration, was on the guest list. Our source identified Barkat as a “representative of a corrupt, sexist, anti LGBTQ government, which stands in contrast to the pluralistic values of our local Jewish community and of keeping Israel democratic.”

As the event drew closer, plans for a protest outside the synagogue took shape. Perhaps TBE Rabbi Joel Sisonwine could have canceled the event himself. After all, it’s his synagogue. But TBE isn’t known as a liberal-minded reform congregation for nothing. Rabbi instead turned the kerfuffle into a teaching experience. The event would remain scheduled. But that didn’t mean Rabbi was giving it his stamp of approval.

In a letter to his congregation he said, “It is important to me that the Israel Consulate is able to celebrate Israel’s Independence, while members of the Jewish community can make their voices heard outside of the Temple building. Personally, as long as the protest is peaceful and respectful of our neighbors, I will be outside standing alongside the protesters.”

In one fell swoop, Rabbi Sisonwine turned what could have been perceived as being bossed around his own house by an unwelcome guest, into a flex. Protesters, suddenly left with nothing to protest, made different plans for their evening.

In explaining why Barkat’s presence was at issue, Rabbi said in his letter, “I truly believe that the current judicial reform proposal, as currently stated, is a threat to Israel’s democracy. The current reform takes too much power away from an independent judiciary, something we American Jews have learned to be an important part of the checks and balances of a healthy democratic system. An independent and strong judiciary is necessary to protect the rights of its minorities, whether it be protecting the rights of women or the LGBTQ+ community. Israel’s minorities need to be protected, including its Palestinian citizens and residents, and the members of other religions. The protection for minorities also includes us, the majority of American Jews, who identify with one of the liberal streams of Judaism.”

Temple Beth Elohim serves more than 1,000 Jewish families from 40 area towns.


More: Please help fund our Swellesley Report summer internship

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Wellesley plays ‘Where’s Waldman?’

June 7, 2023 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The town of Wellesley’s official ballot and payment drop box, named in honor of former longtime treasurer Marc Waldman, has moved from its familiar spot in front of Town Hall due to the interior renovation of that building slated to last into fall of 2024.

Residents were directed temporarily deputized the library and senior center as collection points, but then switched over to 888 Worcester St., where Town Hall personnel has relocated during the renovation.

Now the drop box is located at the Wellesley Police Department parking lot at 485 Washington St. It’s next to the newly painted utility boxes.

 

dropbox at police station
Town of Wellesley photo

The drop box is checked regularly, and is monitored 24-hours, seven days a week by Police Department security cameras.

Contact the treasurer’s office for more info at 781-431-1019 ext. 2266.


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Filed Under: Government

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Wellesley business buzz: Wellesley Square parklet won’t return; Oath Pizza opens in Linden Square; Truly’s teams with FoMu to offer plant-based ice cream

June 6, 2023 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

Wellesley Square parklet won’t return

Last summer’s hot hangout—a parklet with fun chairs and games in Wellesley Square at the intersection of Cross Street and Central Street—won’t be back this season.

The Select Board is still discussing outdoor dining policies (including parklets), as it has done since March, so it’s possible another parklet could pop up somewhere. Restaurants, such as Alta Strada, are offering outdoor dining.

“We received a lot of feedback on the space. Some residents really enjoyed it, however many of the nearby merchants and drivers who use Cross Street to access nearby neighborhoods didn’t support the location. The Board hasn’t decided if they’ll explore another location this summer,” said the town’s public information officer, Stephanie Hawkinson, in an email.

In other words, don’t be trying to play cornhole in the middle of the street there, or you’re probably going to get run over.

Another parklet not coming back this season is at the Truly’s ice cream and frozen yogurt shop on Grove Street. Steve Marcus of Truly’s told us last week that the business has decided not to bring back its Grove Street parklet, though will have outdoor seating for dozens as part of its now expanded presence.

Parklets emerged in Wellesley at several locations during the pandemic, with state funding becoming available for equipment designed to help restaurants as well as the general public during a time of social distancing. For the town, in addition to hearing complaints from some merchants and residents, there is the matter of fairness in allowing parklets for some retailers and not for others.

wellesley square parklet
Wellesley Square parklet

 

Oath Pizza opens in Linden Square

Oath Pizza is now open in Linden Square (180 Linden St.) with its 100% feel-good pizza, made with avocado-oil crust and real, fresh ingredients. We’ll be doing a First Look at the new restaurant this week, and posting about that.

 

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A post shared by Swellesley Report (Wellesley) (@theswellesleyreport)

 


Truly’s teams with FoMu to offer plant-based ice cream

Truly’s has announced it is now offering ice cream from FoMu made from scratch in Watertown from plant-based ingredients. [We visited a now-closed location in Allston a couple of years back and enjoyed the ice cream, which can be very sweet depending on the flavor.]

Most flavors are made with coconut milk. The offerings are vegan, so are free from dairy, egg, and animal-derived products. Two rotating flavors will be offered at a time via Truly’s.


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Filed Under: Business

Refined Renovations, Wellesley

Wellesley School Committee to hear pickleball proposals on Tuesday

June 5, 2023 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Recreation Commission, which has been hashing out ideas to satisfy pickleball players and court neighbors in recent months, will take its proposals to the School Committee on Tuesday, June 6 as part of an agenda section slated to start at 7pm. The Rec Commission indicated during its mid-May meeting that it would be doing so.

The Commission’s mission statement reads that the body’s goal is “To increase people’s enjoyment of living in Wellesley and build a deeper sense of community, as we provide recreational and educational opportunities to all Wellesley residents, regardless of age, ability & means.” It doesn’t oversee the town’s fields and courts, however—they are overseen by the schools (Sprague, etc.) and Natural Resources Commission (Hunnewell, etc.)

The popularity of playing pickleball at the Sprague Field courts once only the domain of tennis players has riled some neighbors, as the paddle sport can get loud, especially when multiple games are being played. Neighbors of the pickleball courts at Perrin Park have also aired complaints.

After a quick look at pickleball reservation data in town over the past year (1,000-plus reservations), Rec Commission Chair Paul Cramer laid out at the Commission’s mid-May meeting a possible scenario that would entail initial compromise followed by a long-term solution of locating pickleball courts away from homes.

One caller during that Rec Commission meeting discussed a lawsuit brought against the town of Falmouth by neighbors fed up with pickleball noise. He emphasized that it would be best for Wellesley to avoid something like that.

The Swellesley Report has been reporting on the rise of pickleball in town since 2018.

sprague pickleball
Pickleball on far court, tennis on near court at Sprague Fields

 

The School Committee agenda also includes the latest on the Hunnewell track & field project, including lights. The project continues to make its way through government vetting, including at the Wetland sProtection Committee.


Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

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Filed Under: Government, Neighbors, Sports

Call and Haul, Wellesley

Wellesley High grad Katherine Liu finds flexibility key in music, academics & life

June 5, 2023 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Katherine Liu, Wellesley
Katherine Liu

Like all COVID-era students, Katherine Liu missed out on a certain number of experiences during her high school years. Collecting her degree alongside her peers during a traditional, mask-free, in-person graduation-day ceremony  is not something the 2023 Wellesley High School graduate has taken for granted. “Magic,” is a word she uses to describe that feeling of connectedness to a live audience, whether between graduates and their proud families or musicians and their listeners. A veteran of Zoom classrooms and virtual musical performances Liu, an accomplished, award-winning concert pianist, knows all about embracing flexibility. She cites the learned skill as the most important take-away of both her academic education at WHS and her musical education at New England Conservatory.

“Flexibility is something that’s really needed in society right now,” Liu said in a Zoom interview. “We all like to emphasize consistency and resilience, and sticking with something, but our world is evolving, and we need to change with it, too”

It’s a lesson that helped earn her a Davidson Institute Fellow Laureate Scholarship in 2022. The title of the project she submitted in her application for the prestigious $50,000 award was, “Innovation  and Worldviews: A Challenge to Consistency and a Call for Change.” As a pianist since early childhood, Liu is well accustomed to the everyday repetition that high-level proficiency demands. But over the years she made an important observation. “When we practice something, we practice for hours on end. We may repeat it 100 times. But sometimes the method in which we’re practicing is wrong.”

That observation led her to realize that there were times when no matter how hard she worked, she wasn’t getting to where she wanted to be. Once Liu acknowledged that constant repetition (consistency) with little introspection (a call within herself to consider change) might not be the best way to practice, worlds of understanding opened up for her. She started asking herself how she could honor the techniques and methods her instructors had armed her with while asking new questions of herself like, “How can I develop a better way for myself to practice? How can I tailor these techniques and these methods to my own use?”

whs graduation
Co-valedictorians of WHS Class of 2023, Katherine Liu (left) and Caroline Thornton. Liu will attend Harvard University in the fall; Caroline Thornton is heading to Colby College’s Presidential Scholars program. Congratulations to the the entire Class of 2023. Photo courtesy of Kris Chang.

Liu then took the idea of challenging consistency to a broader level, rejecting the comforting call of nostalgia. “When the world is not the world that was 50 years ago, you don’t have to go back to the good old days, you have to look forward to a new era, to a new sparkling world we can create…flexibility is something we can even apply to systemic prejudice, to things that have gone on way too long, like marginalization and oppression.”

This ability to advance her thinking from personal experiences and radiate it outward to potential societal good impressed not only the Davidson Institute, but her WHS teachers. “I have never had a student quite like Katherine Liu. Her academic and extracurricular accomplishments are extensive and impressive—but what I’ve appreciated most about her over these past two years as her teacher is her capacity for wonder,” English teacher David Charlesworth said in an email. “Whether it’s staying after class to continue the conversation or using her writing assignments to discover a profound truth about herself or her world, Katherine’s curiosity is boundless.”

Harvard University agreed, and Liu is looking forward to matriculating there next fall. After years of traveling the world for piano competitions, she’s happy about sticking close to home for her undergraduate years. She and her mom, Fumei Huang, the person Liu credits as her first contact with music; her dad Jason Liu, who she describes as an “avid listener”; and her younger brother Jonathan Liu, a junior at WHS and a cellist; will be close by, ready to share homemade bao buns around the kitchen table. “My mom will bribe me to come home on weekends with yummy food,” Liu says confidently.

As for music, Liu will continue to study under her most influential mentor HaeSun Paik at New England Conservatory in Boston. “She’s absolutely wonderful, and inspirational, and one of the strongest people I know,” Liu says.

Whether becoming a professional concert pianist is a part of her future, Liu considers an unknown. There are many doors at Harvard she’s already excited about opening—the intersection where the arts and science meet; the humanities; neuroscience and computer science—”I would definitely be interested in researching what kind of science goes on behind music,” she says.

Suddenly Liu sounds like a teenager unable to make up her mind. And why should she? Summer’s here, the fall’s a lock. A bit of dream time seems in order.

“I would love to travel around the world and bring music to a lot of people, and at the same time if that doesn’t happen I’m sure that I will find some other purpose somewhere else. And music is a lifestyle. I don’t think that I will ever stop playing music or enjoying music,” Liu says.

Congratulations to Liu and the entire Class of 2023 as they move on to great things.

More on Katherine Liu (2023 Presidential Scholar in the Arts; 2022 winner of the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition; the Bellagrande International Piano Competition; and the Harvard Musical Association High School Competition).


Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

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Filed Under: Education, Music, Wellesley High School

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Meet Swellesley Report summer intern Bella Gonzalez

June 5, 2023 by Bella Gonzalez Leave a Comment

Hi, Swellesley! My name is Bella Gonzalez and I will be interning for the Swellesley Report this summer.

I am a rising junior at Boston University studying journalism and media science.

Outside of academics, I am an avid reader and the editor-in-chief of BU’s intersectional-feminist satire magazine, the Pinky Toe.

bella gonzalez
Bella Gonzalez

I have lived in Needham for most of my life (I graduated from Needham High School in 2021), so I am looking forward to working in such a familiar area, as well as strengthening my writing and reporting skills beyond what I have learned in school.

As an aspiring political journalist, I am excited to begin covering politics at the local level here in Wellesley. I also plan to report on the town’s accessibility and summer events such as July Jubilation.

I have an extensive background in the performing arts and love music, so I hope to publish about concerts in the area, such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. I cannot wait to get started!

Feel free to reach out at sabellaluciago@gmail.com with story ideas.


More: Please help fund our Swellesley Report summer internship

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Filed Under: Education, Media

Ride on at free bike safety event, June 10

June 4, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley Rules of the Ride 2023 _flyer

Register in advance using the signup link. The first 25 participants to sign up will get a free J.P. Licks gift card. 

On June 10, registrants and a parent or caregiver should meet at Wellesley High School to learn some “rules of the road” followed by a guided bike train along Fuller Brook Park and some on-street riding.

Participants will also have the chance to meet WPD Community Service dog Winnie and be entered to win a special prizes.

The rain date for this event is Sunday, June 11.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Congratulations to the Wellesley High Class of ’23

June 3, 2023 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Happy graduation to the Wellesley High School Class of 2023! (And thanks to everyone who shared photos with us.)

Among the accolades from the June 2 ceremony, in addition to the diplomas:

  • Valedictorians: Katherine Liu, who will be attending Harvard University in the fall; Caroline Thornton, who will be attending Colby College in their Presidential Scholars program.
whs graduation
Valedictorians head to the stage. (Photo courtesy of Kris Chang)

 

  • Senior Cup winners: Vaani Kapoor and Aidan Ulian
  • Wellesley High School Excellence in Teaching Award: Math teacher Stephanie Ghelli

We’ve embedded the graduation program, which lists all graduates, below.

Also, here’s our gift to all of you grads: Please subscribe to Swellesley for free so that you can keep up on Wellesley regardless of where you end up post-graduation.

 

WHS graduation 2023
Photo courtesy of Stephen Keep Photography

 

WHS graduation 2023
Photo courtesy of WPS

 

WHS graduation 2023
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Lazaro

 

WHS graduation 2023
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Lazaro

 

WHS graduation 2023
Hey, we recognize that grad (Photo courtesy of Linda Keenan)

 

WHS graduation 2023
Keeping cool (Photo courtesy of Linda Keenan

 

WHS graduation 2023
Photo courtesy of Linda Keenan

 

WHS graduation 2023
Photo courtesy of WPS

 

WHS graduation 2023
Photo courtesy of WPS

 

whs graduation
Photo courtesy of Kris Chang

 

WHS graduation 2023
Photo courtesy of WPS

Download (PDF, Unknown)

 


Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

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Filed Under: Wellesley High School

Sign up now for summer camp in Wellesley (and beyond)

June 3, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED CONTENT: Thanks to NEOC (pronounced nē-äk) for their swell sponsorship of The Swellesley Report’s Summer Camps page.

NEOC is a premier summer day camp experience that connects campers to nature through encouragement of their personal interests. Additionally, NEOC is a throw-back to vintage summer camps where children explored and played outside at an easy pace and without any technology at all. The NEOC team offers attentive customer service and convenience-focused amenities to support the needs of parents and families. REGISTER HERE.

Check out more great summer programs at The Swellesley Report’s Summer Camps page.

NEOC, Wellesley

 

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Wellesley Athlete of the Week: Track & Field’s Lillie Caiazzo

June 2, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.


Favorite thing about running: It’s the feeling you get once you cross the finish line

Mentor: Megan Webb, who competes in 400-meter hurdles now at UPenn

An accomplishment you’re proud of: I went to Nationals for the first time for indoor track.


Lillie Caiazzo
Lillie Caiazzo hurdling vs. Newton North (photo courtesy of Darren Bovie)

 

Lillie Caiazzo ’23 has been involved in sports since she was only six years old when she began playing soccer. On the junior varsity soccer team her first two years of high school before moving up to varsity, Caiazzo also participated in sports during the off seasons to stay in shape for soccer in the fall. During winter she was a part of the girls’ gymnastics team and in sophomore year joined spring track alongside her friends, going into the sport with a casual mindset.

“I did [hurdles] for the first time, and I wasn’t awful at it. So I was like, ‘okay, maybe I’ll start doing this,’” said Caiazzo. 

The event of hurdles consists of two different distances: the 100-meter and 400-meter race, both consisting of ten hurdles. The 100-meter race has higher hurdles that are a shorter distance apart while the 400-meter race has shorter hurdles that are a longer distance apart. While she initially thought the 400-meter race wasn’t for her, Caiazzo eventually saw her knack for hurdle racing and began to participate in both events. She has always run both events, but now prefers the 400.

Caizzo recently finished her final meet when the girls’ track team won the Division II State Championship. She ran new personal records in all of her events: 103.7 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, 15.4 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles, and a 58.5 second split in the 400×400 relay. 

Caiazzo not only is a talented athlete, but also is a talented mentor for her teammates. A week before the winter indoor track session during her senior year, one of the coaches moved away for a different job, resulting in a new coach. Stepping up, Caiazzo helped with planning and organizing practices as well as acclimating the new coach to the team.

“It was tough because you have to step up and make up workouts and be a leader. It taught me how much work it is and how grateful I was to have such awesome people like my sophomore and junior year when I did it to do that for me,” said Caiazzo. 

Following in the footsteps of her team captains when she first joined the team, such as Megan Webb ’22, Caiazzo takes pride in being a mentor for others. 

“Lillie is one of the most naturally gifted athletes I have ever coached and she has a true passion for the sport of track and field. There isn’t an event she wouldn’t try for her team,” said John Griffith, one of the track coaches at the high school. 

Being a part of a track team, to Lillie, has been a new experience from playing soccer because while she is part of a greater team that wins as a whole, the sport is also very individualized.

“It’s on your own. And I think track is more like that. It’s more about trying to beat yourself, you’re not really like, ‘I need to beat this person, I need to be the best.’ No, I want to beat my record,” said Caiazzo. 

Caiazzo will be attending Florida State University as a part of the class of 2027. While she is not officially running for the school team, she hopes to always have running as a part of her life, as sports have always been an important part of her. 

As a pastime outside of track, Caiazzo has begun weightlifting with her friends. For her senior project, Caiazzo is working as a pilates instructor. Movement and athletics, as Caiazzo expresses, are an integral part of her identity. 

“I definitely think I’m gonna continue running for fun, running for myself. Honestly, I’m going to be really sad not being an athlete, officially, anymore. But, I’m gonna find a group hopefully, like a running group or something to keep me active because, running, it’s just so cool,” said Caiazzo.

Article written by Clementine Zei, Bradford ‘24


Deland, Gibson, Wellesley

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Filed Under: Athlete of the Week, Sports, Wellesley High School

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