The Rite and Wrong

In “Surviving the Rites of Passover” (SoCal Style, Entertaining, by Mary Melton, April 5), Melton refers to herself as a shiksa--a pejorative on the level of the “n” word.

Ann Bien

Anaheim

Editor’s note: Rabbi Laura Geller of Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills says “shiksa” has a strongly negative connotation, coming from the Hebrew for “abomination,” but that it has entered the popular lexicon: “You’re saying you’re from a different background and putting yourself down in a certain way.”