Dear Judge,

“That’s what you get from the Jew.” Really?

You lead a bunch of Merry Pranksters that would make Ken Kesey proud. You congregate once a week in an upstairs joint in the outer ring of the Chicago ‘burbs. The object is fun and games, complete with flashing lights, blaring horns, group rituals, and even some money changing hands.

Thirty or forty people show up on a good night, with even more popping in now that the action has moved online. You have been leading the celebration for years, but I am a more recent participant, a fifth or sixth wheel invited by my buddy FormerDJ to join in on an occasional basis when the stars are all aligned and his dentist pals are too busy drilling to participate.

And you have a shtick. First, you assign everyone a nickname. Some are clever, some are obvious, some are more subversive. But having a nickname means someone is “in” and once they are in, phase two of the shtick can begin. The spirit of Don Rickles flows through you and the insults flow. Like the nicknames, the insults can be clever, obvious or subversive. And while you might not think so, some are just wrong.

FormerDJ is the only Jewish person other than me at the gathering. FormerDJ is a thick-skinned guy. Your cracks like “Only a Jew would say that” or ” You can tell who the Jew is” seem to roll off his back. But they don’t sit well with me. Old stereotypes get new life when they are repeated often enough. Saying them, even in supposed-jest, doesn’t change the fact that they are being said. People hear and people remember. And no one objects.

Although our country is in a crisis now I have faith that we will pull through. But I have a fear that things could get worse, and when they do, chants of “Jew Will Not Replace Us” may gain voice and stridency. You have not said anything like that, and I hope you don’t believe anything like that. But I counted two of your Jewish jibes during our hour-and-a-half party last Thursday night. That is two slams too many for 90 minutes. In fact, Judge, it is two too many for a lifetime. I know you are smart; don’t be a fool.

Sincerely and with hope,

The GoodDoc

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