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Molly Ciliberti's avatar

At age 5, an American man asked me where my family was from and then my nationality. I very proudly said: “Swedish, Saami and Jewish”. He told me I “should never say I was Jewish because no one wants to be a kike or yid. He said I didn’t look Jewish. I said, “Don’t worry, I cut my knee and all my Jewish blood came out”.

Well I was trying to not be hated.

Later that summer a Swedish man asked me about my heritage (now I should tell you that I have squinty eyes and very high prominent cheekbones from my Saami ancestors). I told him that I was Swedish and Saami (not risking the Jewish heritage).

He nearly had a fit. He swore and told me “it would be better to be a yid or an “N word” than be a f’ing Saami”. I was terrified. I was hated for being who I am. I had no understanding of their prejudice, but they scared me. I told no one. I felt dirty and disgusting.

Bigotry and racism is so bizarre. You hate someone for something they have no control of. Why do you hate them? What did they do?

What is wrong with you that you hate?

Edit: My dad fought as an Army Ranger in WWII and Korea. He had horrible PTSD. In despair he took his own life. He had told me for years that he felt so guilty for killing men he didn’t hate, he didn’t even know. He could not justify to his conscience killing someone he didn’t know. He would tell me no philosophy or religion says that is OK. He told me of crying because he killed a conscripted German man in the German army. My dad was a conscript or draftee. The mans letters to his wife were about going home. This is what hate and fear do. Then we send our young people to fight, kill and die. I am an old retired ICU nurse who tried to save lives. Life is so precious, no time for prejudice or hate. Peace.

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Andrew Galpern's avatar

I love this. Ed Reich sounds honest and honorable, and I think he raised a good kid.

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