In light of the recent anti-Semitism diaries, I have my own story that is presently unfolding. My small town in Mont Vernon, NH has a 1/4 acre pond named Jew Pond. Although there are no signs with the name, the USGS map displays Jew Pond and the name is well known in town. It has had that name since the 1920s when Jewish people came from out of town to vacation at a local hotel. A University of NH student produced a documentary about the pond.
"The Story Behind Jew Pond" by Katelyn Ann Dobbs
Mont Vernon's health officer has petitioned the USGS to change the name. On March 13th the town will vote on whether to rename Jew Pond.
The Jew Pond name change has brought attention to the town from the Roman Catholic Bishop of New Hampshire Peter Libasci, K. Jeff Fladen of the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire, Derrek L. Shulman regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, and our US senators, Kelly Ayotte and Jeanne Shaheen. All parties recognized the slur and have recommended changing the name.
There has been an animated discussion about renaming Jew Pond on the Mont Vernon Chatter Facebook page. Reading the posts and being part of the discussion have taught me much. They say every experience in life is an opportunity to learn. This journey for me has been no exception.
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