Letters to the editor

Meeting on Shrewsbury development

Shrewsbury residents who are concerned about their water quality, potability and availability should plan to attend a community meeting regarding a proposed industrial development at 142 Clinton St. (Route 70). This site, now zoned light industrial, is located in close proximity to the Sewall Street well and lies over Shrewsbury's aquifer and part of its recharge area.

If you are concerned about increased industrial activity and its possible impact on our water please attend the meeting at Shrewsbury's Senior Center on Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 6 p.m.

Scott E. Nolan, Shrewsbury

Perfect Christmas gift for all

Searching for Christmas gifts has a long and venerable tradition. Yet many of us harbor a legitimate sense of being put off by all this. Some lament how the holiday's deep religious significance has been replaced by crass lights and omnipresent plastic greenery. For others, it gets downright personal: a season pushing common merriment sparks an acute sense of anguish. Because absent money or friends — or both — the season's an extended humbug. Others simply aren't Christian and remain largely unfazed from the abiding hoopla.

But deep down, perhaps what we really need this Yuletide, amidst the motley wave of anticipation and gifting sprinkled with stress, is a dose of old Americana. A stubborn, gentle remembrance, brought forward, of our being a warm, tolerant country — a melting pot. A place, though imperfect, where folks, whatever their garb or grief, can find some fellowship. Or a nod. And, gosh, maybe even a caring hand. And none of this comes with a price.

R. Jay Allain, Orleans

Kudos for Green Worcester coverage

Thanks to Henry Schwan and the Telegram staff for your excellent coverage of the Green Worcester Advisory Committee and its Green Worcester Plan, the city’s blueprint for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting electrification and energy efficiency. (Nov. 30).

Chairwoman Mary Knittle, the entire committee and Chief Sustainability Officer John Odell deserve our thanks for their progress in this long and difficult job.

Schwan’s photo of this committee at work speaks volumes: a small group of citizens, seated around a conference table, looking both tired and determined. This is how good government gets done, and it is the personification of Margaret Mead’s advice: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

It is also inspiring that 88% of Worcester resident electricity consumers are using their collective buying power to bring to Worcester (competitively priced) electricity that is 50% or 100% renewable. Worcester is leading the way showing how local government can effectively tackle climate change.

Bill Beckett, Watertown

The aging of People Magazine

I am writing in response to the recent op-ed piece titled “Sign of Aging: Not Knowing Who The People in People Magazine Are” by Janice Harvey, published in the Telegram and Gazette on Nov. 14. Harvey explains that one of the tell-tale signs of aging is flipping through the pages of People Magazine and no longer recognizing as many names or faces. I would argue that this is not a sign of aging for readers, but a sign of the aging of People Magazine.

There was once a time when I would obsessively read the People Magazine headlines in the Big Y checkout line, eager to stay current with celebrity news and trends because my mom refused to buy them for me. Harvey implies the reason she doesn’t recognize names like “Bel Powley” and “Douglas Booth” is because she is aging, but, as a 23-year-old woman, I too have never heard of these “celebrities.”

According to the People Magazine Media Kit, their audience consists of 2 in 5 adult consumers and 1 in 2 moms. Harvey and I may be slightly outside of the target demographic, but shouldn’t at least one of us be familiar with the lives they choose to report on? Media plays an important role in agenda setting, and People Magazine is simply gaslighting its readers into believing what they’re reporting on is important celebrity news. You’re not getting old, People is, and most of the “celebrities” they're reporting on are simply irrelevant.

Belle McNamara, Shrewsbury

Hanukkah feels different this year

Hanukkah, a festive, joyous holiday, feels different this year. Two months ago on Oct. 7, an unprecedented viciousness was unleashed on Israel by Hamas terrorists. 1,200 people were massacred and 240 were taken to Gaza as hostages, along with numerous cases of rape, all documented by Hamas body-cams. Hamas embraces a suicidal, last-stand mentality and their fighters and weapons are thickly embedded among the Gazan population that they use as human shields.

The ensuing hostage rescue, and military operation to remove the terror group from Gaza, while minimizing casualties, has been challenging in the urban terrain of the narrow and tunneled Gaza Strip. A concerted campaign of anti-Israel propaganda, and rising antisemitism has further added concern and stress. These extraordinary circumstances make this year’s holiday feel somber.

Nevertheless, Hanukkah’s message resonates more right now. The holiday of Hanukkah is a commemoration of the struggle of the nation of Israel 2,200 years ago to retain the Jewish way of life in the face of extreme persecution and hatred. Today, Israel and the Jewish people are experiencing hate on levels not seen since the Holocaust. Vile antisemitism, justifications for terrorism, lies about Israel, calls for genocide that are promoted on college campuses and at rallies — we are inspired today by the brave, ancient Jewish state, resilient in the face of adversity.

The Hanukkah story ends with a miracle, the victory of good over evil, light overcoming vast darkness, and Israel’s victory — the same outcomes we hope for today. Happy Hanukkah.

Steven Schimmel, Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Central Mass.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Letters to the editor