The following local organizations are among those participating in #GivingTuesday, Nov. 28, and after:

Town Health and Human Services'
assistances programs

Following on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday comes #GivingTuesday. Please consider making a donation to one of Arlington Health and Human Services' assistance programs/services at arlingtonma.gov/donate.

Holiday Help Program Seeks Spread Joy to Youth and Families  

The Holiday Help Program is a project that assists low-income Arlington families purchase gifts for their children during the holiday season. To make a tax-deductible contribution to support the program, select “Holiday Help” at ahhscc.org. 

YourArlington's policy about your views

UPDATED Nov. 14: YourArlington welcomes opinions of all kinds from local residents, including national issues so long as you can draw a local connection. For example, the war pitting Israel and Hamas must have echoes here, too. Letters are reviewed for fairness, factualness and taste.

Factual letters about Arlington issues are welcome. Length of such letters should be no more than 800 words.

NOTE: When emailing a letter to The Advocate & Star, consider copying YourArlington at the same time. Your opinions will be published sooner.

Please support your view with facts and arguments that attempt to adhere to reason.

You may write on any subject, so long as you try to make a connection to Arlington. If you can't do that, then your residence in town will be a sufficient connection.

The Arlington Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has issued the following statement about the war involving Israel and Gaza. Dated Oct. 22, the most recent newsletter acknowledges that it should have been issued sooner, as the first attack was Oct. 7. "It took us time to find the words we wanted to say and to find a unified voice while ensuring compliance with the Open Meeting Law," the commission wrote. 

"The commission recognizes the deep grief in our community in the wake of the horrifying terrorist attacks by Hamas and the inhumane response by Israel. We mourn the escalation of violence. We are devastated by the loss of thousands of Israeli and Palestinian lives and grieve with those who have lost loved ones.

The following letter by John Sanbonmatsu of Arlington is republished with his permission. It was first published in the Oct. 13 Boston Globe as a series of letters under the headline "Which war crimes?" The photo by Mahmud Hams of AFP via Getty Images shows a fireball from an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Oct. 12.  

Our leaders in Washington have condemned the horrific atrocities committed against Israeli civilians. I share their outrage, and I join others in mourning the deaths of Israelis. Why, though, have our leaders failed to condemn the atrocities right now unfolding against civilians in Gaza, hourly perishing under the bombs of the Israel Defense Forces?

The double standard is agonizing to see. Israel has already dropped hundreds of bombs on Gaza.