Letters to the Editor 5-22-09

Issue of May 22, 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769

Journalistic integrity

To the Editor,

Kudos to Mayer Fertig for “The Price You Pay” (Publisher’s Note; May 15, 2009). I’ve been admiring from afar the sensible, moderate approach that Fertig and The Jewish Star have taken on issues that concern the Jewish community. I guess it was only a matter of time before Rabbi Avi Shafran and the folks at Agudath Israel would decide to “punish” Fertig and pull out of The Jewish Star, which has the chutzpah to actually publish varying opinions on important subjects and tackle stories that most other Jewish newspapers would refuse to touch.

Actually, in some ways, it’s a shame for The Jewish Star to lose Rabbi Shafran as a columnist. He has often been a wonderful advocate for the Orthodox community, articulating clear positions to the non-observant community in a respectful but unapologetic manner. However, the recent decision regarding The Jewish Star is an act that certainly wins no points with me.

Stay strong...and maintain your journalistic integrity while keeping the centrist flame alive. In the end, the good guys will win!

Stamford, CT

Eagle’s wings

To the editor:

G-d bore us on “eagle’s wings” (Exodus 19:4), but an eagle needs a right wing and a left wing in order to fly straight. You recognized that, but your right wing, Rabbi Shafran, just got clipped (Publisher’s Note: The price we pay; May 15, 2009). Please don’t let the eagle fly in a circle. Otherwise, all of us watching will get dizzy.

Elliot Pasik, Esq.

Cedarhust

Self-critical

To the Editor,

I read your column about Rabbi Shafran (Publisher’s Note: The price we pay; May 15, 2009). Your paper is really interesting because you show a willingness to show diverse perspectives within the Orthodox community. That’s really great news especially since all of us need to show a willingness to be self-critical — regardless of our religious persuasion.

Rabbi Michael Samuel

Rock Island, Illinois

Bottle bill support

To the Editor,

For many years, New Yorkers have expressed overwhelming support for updating the Bottle Bill and state legislators should be commended for recognizing the importance of this measure. The Bottle Bill is New York’s most successful recycling program. Updating the Bottle Bill was long overdue. Back when the Bottle Bill became law in 1982, state lawmakers couldn’t have dreamed of the changes in consumer tastes and trends. This new bottle bill will include bottled water and other non-carbonated beverages, which comprises nearly 25 percent of all beverages sold in New York. This new Bottle Bill will take billions of bottles out of our waste stream, including our parks, roadways and waterways. In addition to recycling tons of plastic bottles, the new bill provides that most unclaimed bottle deposits will now be returned to New York State rather than bottlers and beverage giants. As past president of the New York State Marine Education Association, I applaud our state legislators for this long overdue piece of important legislation.

Joseph M. Varon

West Hempstead

Think green

To the Editor:

With many in this country and around the world becoming more sensitive to environmental issues, it seems that the sophisticated Five Towners might make more of an effort to limit their use of plastic bags. Ten percent of debris washing up on US coastlines is composed of plastic bags. These bags choke, strangle and subsequently starve wildlife. National Geographic estimates that between the bags themselves, and the small toxic molecules that enter food chains when these bags photo-degrade in landfills, 200 species of wildlife have died.

Plastic grocery bags are made from oil to the tune of 37 million barrels a year. If you use six plastic grocery bags a week, (and most families use more), you are using 24 bags a month and 288 bags a year. It is simple to keep either clean, used grocery bags in your car trunk and bring them with you or use the canvas bags available at most supermarkets for grocery shopping. These bags cost from 49 cents to $2 and really hold a lot of stuff. This is also an important lesson to pass on to your children, that you care about our/their environment. They can probably tell you already, 'reduce-reuse-recycle.' The message: "think GREEN, (not Yellow).

Jane Shiff

Lawrence