Editor:
Elizabeth Drabkin responded with a deeply felt retort to John Hardin’s offensive letter (“Letters,” July 3 and June 26, respectively), and I thank her for it, for when I read his letter, I was dumbstruck. Oh, I wanted to respond, give vent to the insult I felt. But words failed me. To liken me, a Jew, to anything other than what I am is an affront to my person. And to compare me, with my “curious” customs and food, to pot growers is not only ridiculous but reveals something much more insidious: the objectification of Jews — not just as the other but as something disagreeable. Mr. Hardin is certainly not alone in feeling free to slander Jews — and he likely did not even realize he was doing it. We Jews seem to be the last minority group it is OK to sully. Pity.
Nan Abrams, Eureka
This article appears in My House is Your Hotel.