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The title of the 15,000-word manifesto was "Anti-Semitism -- Found." Thinking that it would be an attack on anti-Semitism in today's society, I read on. The introduction said that the letter had been mailed to 30,000 "politically active conservatives and to persons in government, academia, religious instutions and the media of mass communication." I read on.

The next eight pages shocked me. The writer of the letter, using twisted misinformation in one hand and pure hatred in the other, asserted that "Jews have become the de facto rulers of America ... and they have intentions to destroy our culture and our civilization." The Jews, he said, have gained this rule through dominance of academia and the media and used those to avenues to promote "Jewish political, social and cultural agendas." He went on to refer to the Holocaust as "propaganda" from which Jews have received "tremendous" advantages.

It is obviously unneccesary for me to waste column space to refute the arguments of this bizzarre hate manifesto. Any person with any amount of common sense can see the idiocy of accusing Jews of profiting from a cultural extermination that cost the world millions of lives.

The letter is not a call to "understand the Jewish question," as it purports, but rather an opportunity for those of us shocked by it to examine the attitudes that would produce such a dangerous weapon. Anti-Semitism is often seen as a thing of the past -- a vice of a more unenlightened time which was defeated by our boys in Europe. The 50 years since the Holocaust has served for some as a buffer between the pain of the past and the reality of today. But to forget or ignore the hate that produced this persecution, and the effects of the persecution itself, is to turn a blind eye to one of the events that shaped the world.

Of course, anti-Semitism was not simply a theme of World War II, and it did not die in a bunker beneath Berlin. While the United States never reached the level of open, violent hatred that Europe suffered, anti-Semitism has still festered like a boil in the minds of propagandists and others eager to profit off the demonization of another social group. It is easy to think that the United States has some kind of red, white and blue shield that protects us from ethnic hatred. The ugly truth is often hidden. This letter, and other messages like it, are easily swept under the rug. Doing so protects our sense of safety and contentedness, but is tantamount to pulling off the leaves of weeds: If you don't pull out their roots, they will grow back just as strong. We must never ignore messages like this -- denying their existence simply gives them the room they need to grow.

The last sentence of this manifesto of hate reads, "It would be a tragedy of enormous dimensions if we sit back, do nothing and allow these despicable people to lead us to our destruction." Read correctly, it may be the most truthful statement in the entire letter.

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the October 30, 1997 issue.