Letters to the Rockville Centre Herald - Jan. 19, 2012

Thank you, Mayor Murray

To the Editor:

At a December Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce meeting that Mayor Fran Murray attended, someone commented that the downtown business district was not decorated at all for the holiday season. More specifically, Front Street, where many people congregate and take the LIRR to and from work, was bare. We told Mayor Murray of this problem, and within two days festive holiday lights were installed and beautifully lit up. It was lovely!

Thank you, mayor, for attending our meeting and responding to our needs in a very timely manner. The Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to connecting commerce and community for the mutual benefit of improving the quality of life in our wonderful village. Any comments or questions would be gladly welcomed at (516) 766-0666.

Bruce Mirkin

On behalf of the Chamber of Commerce

Respect all faiths

To the Editor:

It’s not my habit to write a letter every week to the paper, but the letter “Stores should close for Christmas” (Jan. 12-18) really got me going. The writer of the letter wants to boycott these stores. Is this person kidding?

I guess stores should close then for Yom Kippur or maybe the Jewish Sabbath, which is every Friday night and Saturday, because the Sabbath is actually the most important day of the Jewish calendar and each and every Sabbath is more important than any Jewish holiday. How about closing down for Ramadan or the Buddhists’ most holy day, etc., etc., etc.?

We live in the United States of America, with many religions. We don’t live in a country where the only religion is Christianity. I am Jewish and have many Christian friends who I respect and who are important in my life. I don’t think they would condone boycotting stores that are open on Christmas.

It never ceases to amaze me how people come up with this kind of stuff. There are millions of people who don’t celebrate Christmas. How about respecting all faiths, and leave it up to the store owners to decide if they feel like trying to make a living on any holiday, especially during these times when people are losing their jobs and the economy stinks!

Burton Diamond

Rockville Centre