I Didn’t Know What ‘Kike’ Meant but Figured It Wasn’t Flattering When Paired With ‘Dirty Jew’

We asked readers to share their personal experiences with antisemitism. Here is what one wrote:
 
I first experienced antisemiticism at age 7 or 8 when I was called a “kike” and a “dirty Jew” by an elementary school classmate. I didn’t know what kike meant but figured it wasn’t flattering when paired with dirty Jew. As a result, he and I fought on the playground. I think I prevailed but can’t be sure.
 
I always wondered how anyone even knew I was Jewish. At that age I didn’t realize I was “different” from my friends, apart from the fact that they celebrated Christmas and I celebrated Hanukkah.
 
I grew up in a small Southwest town with few Jews. Like many Jewish kids, I was forced by my parents to attend Hebrew school after regular school let out. On days that my mom didn’t drive me to Hebrew school, I was driven by the mom of one of my classmates. On those days, I brought my Hebrew school books to regular school and put them in my locker.
 
It wasn’t till a few years later that it dawned on me: The classmate who made the antisemitic remark figured out I was Jewish because of those books, plus the fact that I went to Hebrew school. Presumably, he knew I celebrated Hanukkah
 
At the time, I really never considered the experience a big deal, but now that I look back on it, I realize it shaped me. From that point on, I knew I was different, was proud I was a Jew, and would not tolerate antisemitism in any form, whether directed at me personally or not.
 
— A.S. in California
 
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