Tonight, the Mel Gibson controversy really hit home. My wife and
children are Jewish. We're not observant, but holidays like Rosh
Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover are still important family times
for us.

Tonight, it occurred to me that these pious Christians were probably
acting on the same belief my daughter's boyfriend holds. They were
likely exacting revenge for what they perceived as the murder of
their "Price of Peace." Charges of deicide were a common excuse for a
pogrom.

Tonight, the Mel Gibson controversy really hit home. My wife and
children are Jewish. We're not observant, but holidays like Rosh
Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover are still important family times
for us. Now the our daughters are adults and we have a grandchild,
these occasions are even more important.

We had our annual Rosh Hashanah dinner this evening. It's usually a
fun time. We tell stories about my wife's parents and uncles and
landsmen and what it was like to grow up in Southfield, Michigan when
Yiddish was as common as English.

This time, there was a kind of cloud over the event. My daughter's
boyfriend said that he didn't want to "do anything Jewish because
they killed Jesus." The ironic thing is that I don't know if he's
even been inside a church, yet he's worried about who killed a rabbi
two millenia ago.

It reminded me that anti-Semitism is everywhere. It isn't limited to
the skinheads who harassed us a few years back or the neo-nazi's who
occassionally leave anti-Semitic trash on our doorsteps. Regular,
every day ignoramuses can be anti-Semites too.

As I looked at my 4 year old grandson over dinner, I was reminded of
other stories Poppy, my father-in-law, use to tell. These weren't the
funny tales we've repeated on Rosh Hashanah for as long as I can
remember. These were dark stories about life in the old country, the
Ukraine.

His earliest memory was from a time when he was the current age of my
grandson. He remembered being very scared while hiding behind a vat
of plum pudding--at least that's what I call it given his
description--in his grandfather's bakery. Outside, good, observant
Catholics were beating, raping, and murdering his neighbors. Imagine
a four year old seeing this.

Tonight, it occurred to me that these pious Christians were probably
acting on the same belief my daughter's boyfriend holds. They were
likely exacting revenge for what they perceived as the murder of
their "Price of Peace." Charges of deicide were a common excuse for a
pogrom.

We need to stop this harmful superstitious *****.

Happy Yontif.