Letter: Response to Michael Mandel’s Letter

I agree; a local paper is hardly the venue to be discussing international affairs, including Israel and the Middle East. However, since the subject was raised a response is warranted. And although others have already responded eloquently, I feel the need to add my words to the chorus because of the critical nature of the issue.

I say to you, dear Jewish, Christian, and peace loving Muslim neighbor: The modern day attacks on Israel are the modern day version of the blood libel.

Letter: Bus Shelter Replaced on Shore Road

Kudos go out to Mayor Bob Weitzner, Port Washington North for his steadfastness in seeing the old bus shelter on Shore Road replaced.

After weeks of searching, a preowned Great Neck structure that was no longer needed found a home here in Port Washington. It is sturdy, attractive, advertisement free and will soon get a fresh coat of paint. Already in use, riders now have an out of the elements place to rest while waiting for transportation.

Letter: In Response to Michael Mandel’s Letter

I read Michael Mandel’s letter in the September 29 issue of Port Washington News. From another perspective, he should realize that American tax dollars are currently used to bankroll the Palestinian Authority’s government.

If the U.S. is bankrolling the Palestinians, then does America have the right to insure that the P.A. does not use our money to teach its children to hate the State of Israel and Jewish people? I wonder what Mr. Mandel’s point of view would be if Israel used our money in similar conduct as to Moslems. America should also insist that the Palestinian Authority (the P.A.) should also not be aligned with those nations who are currently striving to get nation after nation to cease trading with Israel. Imagine if Israel was engaged in similar conduct toward the P.A.

Letter: In Response to ‘A Note to my Fellow Jews’

I don’t know which is more shocking: the virulent anti-Israel, anti-semitic ramblings of a misguided radical or the fact that the Port Washington News published such an inflammatory letter filled with what I believe to be distortions and outright lies as it did with “A Note to my Fellow Jews.”

According to its author Michael Mandel, “Palestinian children (are) seized in the middle of the night.” This statement bears chilling resemblance to “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a vicious, fabrication of Jews drinking the blood of Christians during Passover, a libel that was the basis for murderous pogroms throughout Europe, and a story still being aired on Al Jazeera TV to incite violence.

Donations to Veterans Groups

A few times this summer, veterans dressed in obsolescent woodland camouflage uniforms were soliciting donations in front of Stop & Shop on Shore Rd. When queried by me, the solicitors said “We’re collecting donations for local vets.” I asked the vets soliciting where they were from and they stated they were from Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, etc.

A Look on The Light Side: September 28, 2011

The Year of Eating Dangerously

This is a dangerous time of year for me. Yes, it’s the Jewish New Year, a time to repent a year’s worth of transgressions. But I mean something even more dreadful. This is the time of year when I think about diets.

“How bad could it be,” I wonder out loud, “if I exercise just a little more and eat just a little less?”

Letter: Manorhaven Pool

I am writing this letter to express my disappointment in the renovation of the Manorhaven Park Pool. It is a pretty pool that does not meet the needs of the majority of longtime pool patrons. It is fashioned as a resort pool that people look at and don’t swim in.

This pool is such a big disappointment to anyone who likes to swim, competitively or otherwise. It is a wading pool, not a family pool. It is appropriate for the 8 and under crowd. It is not a pool for adults, teens and anyone over about four and a half feet tall. The new pool is too shallow. The new lanes are five feet deep at one end and shallower at the other end. The lanes are too shallow for water aerobics and too shallow for having blocks to dive off of. The new lanes are also much narrower than they were in the old pool, making loop swimming more difficult.

Letter: Hurricane Irene/Baxter Estates

(Editor’s note: This letter was sent to Baxter Estates Deputy Mayor Charles Comer and Baxter Estates Mayor Fred Nicholson).

Charles, I want to thank you for your generous response to my wife’s plea for information related to the post-Irene blackout. With three boys under 5 and no hot water, too, we had our patience fully tested by Friday of that week. You arrived on our doorstep moments after the e-mail was sent, and offered us the use of your personal generator, as well as gave us the best update on the status of power in the village that we had heard all week. We deeply appreciate your personal commitment and service to our beautiful village. A sincere thank you, to a great neighbor and friend.

Letter: In Gratitude to Good Neighbors

And yet another letter testifying to the goodness of Long Islanders.

Saturday night, our elderly poodle escaped in the confusion of a party. And he either fell in the Baxter Pond or decided to take a swim. He evidently emerged from the pond and collapsed.

Letter: Feral Cats in Manorhaven

I am writing in response to the recent articles published on the feral cat problem in the Village of Manorhaven.

As a lifelong cat lover I have been outraged by the insensitivity of local officials and the public at large’s response to a heartbreaking problem. Cats seem to purport a certain kind of prejudice against them that is unfair and inhumane. A number of years ago, the Town of North Hempstead stopped accepting cats at the local animal shelter. And I have noticed firsthand the many cats who had homes in the village, only to be dumped after their owners moved away because of the “inconvenience” of having to take them elsewhere.