Letters to the Editor — 2-13-09

Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

We’ll always have Havana

To the Editor:

Please convey my deepest appreciation to Miriam Abraham for her excellent article, “Return to Cuba” (Feb. 6, 2009).

For ten years, prior to the newest restrictions that were imposed four years ago, my wife and I visited her family in Cuba. Half the time was spent in Havana and the other half in Palma Soriano, near Santiago de Cuba. I attended Friday night services in Stgo de Cuba. Today I received a letter from the only Jew still living in Palma Soriano. The congregation in Stgo de Cuba is small and is getting smaller. The president of the congregation and her family are moving to Israel.

The reason I read your article is that a cousin who lives in Long Island knows of my interest in Cuba and sent me a copy of The Jewish Star. I too have worked with June Safran of the CAJM. She is a wonderful person and does such wonderful mitzvahs.

Bernard Siebert
MSgt, USAF (Ret)
Las Vegas, Nevada

Fed up with failure to shovel

To the Editor:
I want to bring to the attention of your readership a serious safety issue. We have had numerous snowfalls this winter, and the cold temperatures mean that the snow does not always melt immediately. Regretfully, there are homeowners who don’t shovel their sidewalks, creating a significant hazard, especially for older men and women. In one instance involving a home not far from mine, the owner’s sidewalk stretches approximately 100 feet. Despite my urging, he does not shovel. The danger to an older person attempting to traverse this long stretch should be evident.
Homeowners should be aware of three factors. First, in some locations, there are laws that require you to shovel the walk that fronts your home. Second, even if there is no law that demands it, one certainly has a moral obligation to shovel his or her sidewalk. Finally, regardless of the legal or moral requirement, one can certainly expect a lawsuit if, G-d forbid, an injury takes place due to this neglect.
I urge homeowners to protect themselves and their neighbors by shoveling their sidewalks.

Avi Goldstein
Far Rockaway

Too much whining about recycling

To the Editor:
I have to say, I am absolutely blown away by the reactions I have been hearing from Five Towners about the new recycling program. Everywhere I go, people are complaining and whining that now they have to spend their time separating the trash from recyclables. And it’s not just one to two whispered mumbles under the breath... People are seriously angry at the new program!

This is completely unacceptable. Sure, it’s a hassle. Sure, it’s annoying. And granted, it’s easier to pay someone else to do it. But isn’t it worth it? I’m sure you’ve all heard the facts about recycling — that recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours, or that to produce each week’s Sunday newspaper, half a million trees must be cut down. That doesn’t mean so much to us — it doesn’t directly affect us. What should affect us, however, is the role we are supposed to play in caring for the world G-d gave us to live in.

By complaining about a few extra minutes each day to recycle, we are in essence complaining that we’re being asked to care about our world. How dare we continuously use the world’s resources day after day, and get angry when we’re asked to contribute something back? How selfish have we become that we get upset over a few extra minutes needed to protect the world Hashem gave us in His never-ending mercy? What right do we have to complain about something that G-d commands us?

These complainers from the Five Towns need a reality check and need to get to work on showing their appreciation to Hashem for the world He gave us to protect.

Malkie Stern
Far Rockaway