Liberty Heights1999

Ben Kurtzman:
I grew up in the northwest section of Baltimore. It was all Jewish. In fact I didn't even think of it in those terms, I just assumed everyone was Jewish. The whole world was Jewish. I remember when I was in the second grade, first clue that some people were different occurred to me then. I even thought Ping Dir was Jewish, the Ping part didn't sound Jewish but I just assumed it was a nickname. Her brother's named Min-Huey and that definitely sounded Jewish. I began to sense there was a world beyond what I knew when I had lunch at Butch Johnson's house...

Mrs. Johnson:
Is there something wrong Ben?

Ben Kurtzman:
No, this is fine; I've just never had raw bread before.

Mrs. Johnson:
What?

Ben Kurtzman:
We always cook it, you know? Toast it.

Mrs. Johnson:
Oh I can do that.

Ben Kurtzman:
No what, there's too much white here. The milk is white, the bread is white, it's all white stuff.

Mrs. Johnson:
Well what do you normally have?

Ben Kurtzman:
Not this.

Ada Kurtzman:
Well what was on the bread.

Ben Kurtzman:
A luncheon meat, I¡¯ve never heard of it.

Ada Kurtzman:
Not bologna, not salami?

Ben Kurtzman:
No, a luncheon meat, with mayonnaise, and milk, everything was white.

Ada Kurtzman:
Oh, they must not be Jewish. They¡¯re the other kind.

Ben Kurtzman:
A couple years later I realized, the ¡°other kind¡