Barney Frank, Newton’s Representative in the U.S. Congress from 1981 to 2013, has entered hospice care at his home in Ogunquit, Maine, due to impending congestive heart failure, as reported in Politico. In that article and in other recent interviews, he has expressed concern that progressive Democrats were right to focus on inequalities but are now advocating for changes for which the general public is not ready. He is writing a book to make clear the argument that if Democrats do not explicitly reject those positions, they will lose upcoming elections.
Nan Niland was featured in the March 26 New York Times article, How a Healthy Mind-Set Influences Longevity, exploring how her volunteering at Newton’s Welcome Home provides a sense of purpose that research has shown can improve health and longevity. The article states, “Feeling that you are valued and have something to contribute to others, often called mattering, can help drive you toward positive health behaviors that influence longevity.” Niland says, “We love working at Welcome Home, where we receive donations of gently used home goods and get those items to people experiencing hardship. Anything not suitable for reuse is recycled and kept out of the landfill.”
Ken Cheeseman, originally from Newton, is starring in upcoming Eureka Day production running May 28 through June 28 at The Huntington Theatre. The play is “a new, wildly funny, on-the-pulse satire which asks if parents at a progressive, welcoming private school can uphold their harmonious shared values when Eureka Day faces an outbreak of the mumps.” Cheeseman has many credits with The Huntington and other regional theatres as well as with Off-Broadway theatres in New York, films, and television. He is a workshop facilitator at Columbia University for the Obama Foundation, Gates Foundation, and Social Justice programs.
Jori Balsam, Evan Black, Wesley Cohen, Josh Krieger, Abi Oshins, Emma Rashes, Abby Richmond, Jake Sims Speyer, and Sarah Trager — all alumni of The Rashi School — were recently honored at the school’s 40th anniversary celebration on April 26 at Gillette Stadium. They are featured in the debut issue of Rashi 40 at 40, “highlighting 40 alumni whose lives and work reflect the lasting impact of a Rashi education.” The event also highlighted The Rashi School’s focus on “blending rigorous academics with a deep commitment to social responsibility, Jewish learning, and character development.”
