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