Commentary
Richard S. Bogartz: What the ghosts of Warsaw Ghetto know
By RICHARD S. BOGARTZ I had intended to continue my four-part series on President Joe Biden, but I must interrupt that project even though Part 2 is almost complete because, even though I don’t believe in ghosts, I keep encountering ghosts who insist...
Guest columnist Oriel Strong: Think unconstrained thoughts
By ORIEL STRONG
Mariel E. Addis’ April 17 guest column “Under siege from all sides” was heartfelt and thought-provoking. I share Addis’ foundational ethic that we must resist ranking any human being as better or worse than another. Trans and gender-nonconforming...
Letter: Thankful for Public Libraries
We were excited to read the March 22 Gazette article “Libraries turning the page: They’re still in the business of books, but embracing new role as community ‘third space,’” because reporter Maddie Fabian eloquently described what we have anecdotally...
Rachel Vigderman: Area women ending silence over weaponization of rape
I want to commend Sara Weinberger for her column “The appalling silence over the atrocities of October 7th” [Gazette, April 15]. As co-president of the Northampton/Amherst Chapter of Hadassah I would like to report that area residents, along with...
Judy Gutlerner: An investment in joy
As a retired performing arts teacher, it is always disheartening to learn that whenever there is a budget crisis such as in Northampton, the arts are the first to be cut.Missing from the ongoing discussion is the positive effect a performance has on...
David Sloviter: The ghosts of Warsaw don't really speak
It’s not really fair to use conversations with ghosts and other dead people to justify one’s personal opinion. Guest columnist Richard Bogartz admitted that he does not believe in ghosts but then uses what he believes he hears them say [“What the...
Adam Siegel: For Lease
We had a pretty little gift shop in Amherst, briefly. Botanica, open for about six months, attracted a lot of business … on the day it closed. When everything went on sale. Let's do better Amherst.Adam SiegelAmherst
Bridget Miller: Why walkability is the pathway to a healthy Amherst community
By BRIDGET MILLER
Picture a quiet rural town where the charm of winding roads and open spaces should invite pleasant walks and friendly encounters. Yet, instead of a stroll, residents navigate treacherous paths and dodge traffic on roads devoid of sidewalks or safe...
Dr. L. Ricard: A monumental lack of vision
The arrogantly ugly Ideal Moving and Storage facility built alongside the bike path is a monument to the breathtaking lack of vision of the town of Hadley for permitting such a monstrous structure. How could the town of Hadley foist such a hideous...
Peter M. Haas: A scary national program
Recent Republican initiatives reveal an insidious systematic and escalating grand campaign aimed at a demographic transformation and even ethnic cleansing in the United States. It is becoming increasingly clear that the conservative republicans are...
Charles LaPiene: Peace at last
Now that the Easthampton City Council and three other local municipalities have called for a Gaza cease-fire, Hamas is sure to heed their pleas. We should be hearing soon that Hamas has pulled out, stopped their shooting, and all the hostages have...
Judy Gutlerner: An investment in joy
As a retired performing arts teacher, it is always disheartening to learn that whenever there is a budget crisis such as in Northampton , the arts are the first to be cut. Missing from the ongoing discussion is the positive affect a performance has on...
Marie Lane: The emperor has no clothes
On the very same day that Karen Bercovici’s guest column was published, the WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) files were leaked. These internal messages point to the lack of scientific evidence for the gender-affirming care...
Jimmy Burgoff: Speed kills
It has become even more evident recently how careless so many local drivers act. As a driver of a big truck it always amazes me that I get cut off at speed, have to deal with cars that put on their turn signal as they’re starting to turn, and wait at...
Darcy Dumont: Amherst seeking faster track for energy transition
Last year, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced a new program that builds on the Green Communities designation and grant program. The Climate Leader Communities program will support municipalities seeking to meet their own greenhouse...
Guest columnist Gary Michael Tartakov: What antisemitism is not
By GARY MICHAEL TARTAKOV
I have been a Jew for 83 years. Though I’ve only known it for around 78. My parents explained it to me at Christmas in 1945, as the reason that I was not going to get a Christmas tree, like my playmates, in Los Angeles. It was at the end of the...
Don Michak: Dig deeper after scandalous court ruling in Soldiers' Home case
The fact that the former superintendent and medical director of the Soldier’s Home in Holyoke got off with mere $90 fines is not merely “disgusting,” as the woman who lost her father to COVID told the Gazette, but also a major statewide scandal that...
Susan Tracy: Support Ukraine funding
When Congress returns next week, funding for military aid to Ukraine will be on the table in the House. However, if Speaker Mike Johnson brings Ukraine aid up for a vote which will pass, the MAGA Republicans have threatened his tenure as...
Jena Schwartz: Things I have not said
I continue to be consumed by the Israel-Hamas war. I read, watch, write, pray, dream, agonize, and do my best to engage in intentional and nuanced conversations about it. And yet there remain things I have not said.Or things I have said by omission.Or...
Dave King: Cease-fire resolution passed in the UN!
For those of us concerned about the ongoing mayhem in Palestine, these past months have been agonizing. How can one live in security without thinking of others being shelled, shot and tortured? How can one eat a bite of food without thinking of our...
