Letter to the editor: Where does bigotry come from? It has to be carefully taught

Life examples

The author of an Aug. 27 letter to the editor asked Christians: “How can there be so much visible racial and anti-Semitic hatred in this country?” (10A)

To answer your question, it is taught.

I have two life examples.

When I was in second grade in 1952, my all-white, all-Christian classmates found out I was a Jew, the only one in our St. Albans neighborhood of Queens in New York City. They chased me home, yelling that I had killed God. This continued for two months, and they added the taunt that Jews are not white.

The second experience occurred when I was in college in 1965 and living in off-campus housing I shared with four others. Two fellows, one from Syracuse, New York, the other from Schenectady, New York, asked me into their room to help with math problems. I entered, and they looked at me like I was Satan. I did not realize the Star of David I was wearing was exposed. They explained their Sunday school teachers had taught them that Jewish women wore their hair high to hide horns and that Jewish men wore long pants to hide the tails God gave them for killing Jesus.

Later, I introduced them to some of my friends of color and they explained what they had been taught about non-whites. They quickly learned they were misinformed.

I hope this answers the letter writer’s question.

- Marc M. Solomon, Lee’s Summit