By Judie Jacobson

HARTFORD — The calls started coming into the office of the Jewish Ledger early Friday morning, June 28. Members of greater Hartford’s Jewish community were stunned – and outraged – to find in that morning’s Hartford Courant crossword puzzle the clue “Shylock, e.g.,” intended to elicit a three-letter response, with the correct answer being “Jew.” “Shylock” is a well-known reference to the grotesque stereotypic fictional Jewish character from Shakespeare’s play, “The Merchant of Venice.”

The Ledger placed a call to Gary Jones, director of the Connecticut region’s Anti-Defamation League (ADL), to find out if he was aware of the issue and had taken steps to address it. He had not. But Jones instantly alerted ADL’s national office in New York and, at the same time, contacted the Courant’s editors.

It soon became clear that the crossword puzzle, which was syndicated, appeared that same day in several newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post.

A few hours later, the ADL called upon the editors of Tribune Media Services, which syndicates the puzzle, to apologize. Based in Chicago, Tribune Media Services is a subsidiary of Tribune Company, which owns several newspapers across the country including the Hartford Courant.

ADL urged Tribune Media Services to print an apology and refrain from using clues that reinforce negative stereotypes about Jews or other groups in the future.

“Perhaps the puzzle authors were unaware of the use of Shakespeare’s Shylock character throughout the years as a vehicle for anti-Semitism.  Selecting Shylock to elicit the answer ‘Jew’ demonstrates cultural ignorance and an extreme lack of sensitivity,” wrote ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman in a letter to the Tribune Media Services editor. “Even if done inadvertently, such a linkage perpetuates classic anti-Semitic stereotypes of Jews as evil and money-hungry.”

At the same time, Jones spoke with the Courant’s editor, Andrew Julien, who was not aware of the issue, given that editors are not in the habit of reviewing syndicated crossword puzzles before they are sent to print.

“[Julien] could not have been more upset and respectful of our concerns, and they were in touch all day to talk about potential ways in which to satisfactorily resolve the issue,” says Jones. “He understood immediately that this was a negative stereotype – he didn’t need an explanation. From our perspective, the Courant was exceptionally responsive.”

On Saturday, the Courant ran an apology for the offensive clue, and omitted the clue and its answer from the printed crossword puzzle solution.

Later that evening, Foxman received a letter of apology from Tribune Media Services.  But it was not clear if the company intended to issue a public apology.

Comments? email judiej@jewishledger.com.