RE: Skateboarders: abide by the rules

Dear Editor:

This morning as I drank my tea and read this letter titled “Skateboarders: abide by rules,” [Oct. 17 Observer Letters to the Editor] I nearly choked on the fragrance of hyper negativity from this “year round” resident.

My first knee-jerk reaction was to point out the obvious critical spirit of this resident toward other pedestrians … in this case, underage kids on their way to a fundraiser for charity at Island Water Sports (God forbid).

Instead, I will simply state that a sign that reads “NO SKATEBOARDS ON THE SIDEWALK” in a pedestrian saturated area like a beachfront is part of the problem. Then follow it up with “locals” who get critical with local law enforcement who don’t enforce the “rules.” (Don’t they have “bigger fish to fry”… like people committing real crimes!)

In an era of our country having a childhood obesity epidemic, primarily due to inactivity, we should be [applauding] the kids in approval as they skim by us on a sidewalk on a skateboard. They could be using drugs … or out stealing … or better yet … sleeping at home.

Instead, they were up at sunrise to go to a charity event based around action sports. How many charity events did you attend when you were 14?

If the rules were to be followed according to your wishes, that puts them in traffic with 3-ton cars … in the dark! It’s easier to be critical of something we have never done … so I ask you? Have you ever ridden a bike, or a skateboard, or walked a dog like you said in your letter in the street through Deerfield’s “S” turn area … or over the Deerfield bridge … It’s insane. And I thought that we reserved the statement “Go play in traffic kid” for the pain-in- the-neck kids who we no longer want around in this world … which isn’t very nice.

There are plenty of things and people to be more critical of in our city than kids on skateboards while you are out for a “peaceful” walk.

Perhaps you can talk to one of them one time and tell them that it’s good they are on the sidewalk with you. Talk about a peaceful walk at sunrise … Connecting with a teen you don’t know, and showing that you are looking out for their safety can be a beautiful thing.

Tony Alvarez

Deerfield Beach

RE: Affordable Care Act TOWN HALL

Dear Editor:

The article and picture in the Oct. 31 Observer was truly lovely [“Affordable Care Act TOWN HALL”].

Thank you so much for being a great partner of our community.

There is one misprint. Pastor Nathaniel Knowles was actually not present for our 10/29/13 event at Westside Park. The other pastor present and the person who offered the invocation was Pastor George Bowles. [Pictured below.]

Thank you so much and thanks again for the article.

Andrea C. Knowles, BSW

Legislative Assistant – District 92

State Representative Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed

Veteran’s Day — Chapel service

Friday, Nov. 8, 9 a.m.

1st Presbyterian Church of Pompano Beach 2331 NE 26 Ave. Pompano Beach, FL 33062

Please join our school children as they honor all veterans in this special Chapel service. Light refreshments will be served. For info., call 954-941-7501 x 310.

Movies in the Park

Friday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m.

Villages of Hillsboro Park 4111 NW 6 St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

The City of Deerfield in conjunction with Paragon Theaters presents Little Rascals. Bring blankets or lawn chairs. Refreshments sold. 954-480-4429.

Pineapple Jamboree

Friday, Nov. 8, 6 to 10 p.m.

Sample McDougald House 450 NE 10 St. Pompano Beach, FL 33062

Celebrate the Pompano Chamber’s 66th birthday. $50/person, advanced purchase required. Includes tour history at Sample McDougald House, bounce house derby, BBQ, complimentary wine and beer, pineapple cocktails, LIVE entertainment. 954-941-2940 or www.pompanobeachchamber.com.

8th Annual LHP Health Fair

Saturday, Nov. 9, 9 a.m. to noon

LHP Fire Station 3740 NE 22 Ave. Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

FREE health screenings, tests and wellness information. Sponsored by city and N. Broward Medical Center. www.lighthousepoint.com.

Christmas Boutique

Saturday, Nov. 9, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

St. Paul the Apostle Church 2700 NE 36 St. Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

Handmade decorations, gifts, raffles, baked goods. Refreshments available for purchase. 954-943-9154.

Paint Ceramics or Canvas

Friday, Nov. 8, 3 to 9 p.m.

Craft It 3833 W. Hillsboro Blvd. Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Create crafts. 20 percent goes toward American Cancer Society, Relay for Life. 954-426-0020.

Gridiron Grill

Saturday, Nov. 9, 1 to 10 p.m.

Pompano Beach Amphitheater 1806 NE 6 St. Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Culinary competition for charity, pairing Miami Dolphins legends with top South Florida chefs. Sample savory dishes, meet and greet with sports celebrities, tailgate, enjoy LIVE music Eggfest, featuring Big Green Egg barbecue enthusiasts. 100 percent of the event net proceeds benefit Offerdahl’s Hand Off Foundation, which directs funds to agencies that feed the needs of kids in crisis. Tickets: $30 to $75. For more information, visit www.gridirongrilloff.com.

A celebration of Veterans

Saturday, Nov. 9, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Boca Raton Airport 3300 Airport Rd. Boca Raton, FL 33431

Meet commercial and private pilots, and fellow vets. Display of military equipment. More info.: 954-980-9400 or bocapilots@yahoo.com.

Boca Raton Green Market

Saturday, Nov. 9, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Royal Palm Place SE Mizner Blvd & S. Federal Hwy. Boca Raton, FL 33432

Locally-grown foods, specialty items, seafood, bakery products, doggie treats, live music and more.

Coastal Wildlife, What lives at the Beach?

Saturday, Nov. 9, 10-11 a.m.

Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier 200 NE 21 Ave. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

FREE to the public. Program enables public to understand basic principles of vegetation and wildlife found at beach, coastal and dune habitats. 954-480-4407.

Diverse Duos

Sunday, Nov. 10, 2 p.m.

Pompano Beach High School 1400 NE 6 St. Pompano Beach, FL 33060

FREE. Offering taken. Presented by the New Presbyterian Church. The Apple Tree Musical, the Diary of Adam and Eve portrayed through the eyes of Mark Twain, as well as a duo of organ and piano music. Tickets not required. For more information, call 954-946-4380 or visit www.newpres.org.

Deerfield Beach Green Market

Sunday, Nov. 10, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Cove Shopping Center E. Hillsboro Boulevard and Intracoastal Waterway Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Locally grown fresh produce, art & crafts, bakery items and more. 772-345-3797.

“Honor Our Troops” Classic Car Show

Sunday, Nov. 10, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Pompano Citi Centre 1955 N. Federal Hwy. Pompano Beach, FL 33062

FREE admission. Antiques, vintage, customs, hot rods, military vehicles, motorcycles for juried event. Car clubs welcome. 954-560-5412.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Deerfield Beach meets

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 1 p.m.

Woman’s Club of Deerfield Beach 910 E. Hillsboro Blvd. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Annual Silver Service Tea/Membership Drive, celebrating 95 years of community service. Guest Speaker: Bryan Bodie, International Dark Sky Association. FREE. Light refreshments. Guests welcome. R.S.V.P.: 954-421-4700.

Zonta Club of Boca Raton

Wednesday, Nov, 13, 6 p.m.

The Holiday Inn 2809 S. Ocean Blvd. Highland Beach, FL 33487

Dinner and meeting. Zonta is a worldwide organization of women in business and the professions who work together to advance the status of women. For info., call 561-482-1013 or e-mail info@zontabocaraton.org.

I have a love of reading that was passed down to me from my parents. I can still remember going to the local public library with my momma and I can’t even begin to tell you how proud I was when I got my very own library card. I still love to go to the library and check out the latest books that have come in. I always carry my card with me … as Sergeant Friday would say, “I never leave home without it.”

There is one problem though … okay, actually, two problems. The first is that my vision is not so wonderful, especially if the print is small, and the other is that I have always had a learning disability, although I have learned to compensate well and it has not stopped my love of reading.

On the other hand, because of the learning disability, it is hard for me to line up numbers in a column, and, sometimes I invert numbers, and, sometimes when I read, I do the same with letters.

So when I looked on the schedule to see when I was due to write this column, I looked at the date, 11/7 and I read it as 7/11. That’s right, I read it backwards. Oddly enough, that led me right into today’s column, as I am writing to you about a time, a particular day … actually, a night when nothing was as it should be, a night when everything was turned, not just backwards, but upside down.

While it might seem like ancient history, the night I am talking about happened just 75 short years ago and has come to be known as Kristallnacht, The Night of Broken Glass.

On Nov. 9, 1938, the Nazi hoards carried out a (you should pardon the expression) mass of pogroms, aiming their vicious hate at the Jews of Germany. And if you think the Zombie films that are all the rage are frightening, try to picture the horror that occurred in the span of just a few hours time as thousands of Synagogues and Jewish businesses and homes were damaged or destroyed and more than 30,000 Jews were sent to Concentration camps. This anti-Semitic horror became known as the Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht) because the glass from the smashed windows of Jewishowned structures literally covered the streets.

What a horror, and where, one must ask, were those who were supposed to protect the citizens of Germany (regardless of their religious convictions)?

Sadly, either they were helping kick, torture and torch anyone and everything Jewish, or, they simply looked the other way … or, they were nowhere to be seen.

Of course, most of you know what ensued after that. You know of the 6 million and you know that, to this day, there are those who try to deny that much, if any, of this actually happened.

This was a world turned so upside down that the military, who were organized to defend, became the very ones who put so many innocents to death.

Thank G-d, in the same week we remember Kristallnacht, we have a day where we honor those who have served in the uniforms of the various branches of the United States military with Veteran’s Day.

Don’t let their age fool you, they know what it is to put their lives on the line to serve and protect and keep the glass from breaking. They stand at attention and help keep us all standing straight and tall … G-d Bless them one and all!

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel of Deerfield Beach. We welcome you to join our warm and caring family for Shabbat and festival services. We’ll make your heart glow…who knows, you might even fall in love with Shul all over again

An elderly couple was found dead at 2440 “C” Deer Creek Country Club Blvd.,

Monday night, Nov 4.

Authorities said there are possible signs of foul play. The bodies were found just after 6:40 p.m.

The couple was found by their daughter, who also lives at the apartment complex.

“They are just a nice couple, they’ve been here a long time and the daughter lives above and she checks on them all the time. Apparently she walked in and found both of them in there,” a neighbor said.

The crime scene people seemed to be zeroing in on the front door as if there was a forced entry. Authorities haven’t identified the couple.

Anyone with information can report it anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Broward County at 954-493-847