Prejudice a timeless practice

National Catholic Reporter, June 4, 2004 by Dorothy Kushner

In your April 23 issue, an ignorant letter by Peter Riga was included: "It's the wall, not the film."

The first year I, a woman from a Jewish background, became a Catholic was the last year the ugly words of the Passion play were presented at Mass.

As Jewish children growing up in an Irish Catholic neighborhood in Fall River, Mass., we experienced hatred from our neighbors.

Whenever my brother and I played outside, walked home from school, etc.--there were usually some wonderful Catholic children available to beat up on my brother and shout that we were "G--d--dirty Jews and Christ-killers."

This hatred was church-taught. There was no wall being built in Israel. There was no Israel!

But there will always be hate and ignorance.

DOROTHY KUSHNER

Orange, Calif.