In its Nov. 1 issue, The New York Times published a powerful op-ed piece by Susan Katz Miller. Titled “Being ‘Partly Jewish,’” Miller’s essay attempts to refute the long-accepted argument that interfaith parenting confuses kids and weakens Judaism.
Most of my friends agreed that the intention behind the use of “Jew” is what matters most. (They also shared the opinion that “jew” as a verb is always pejorative.) A friend who is especially knowledgeable about Judaism made the key distinction between “Jew” as a noun and the same word as an adjective. The latter is plainly offensive.