“I have friends in Iuka, MS who home-school their kids because of religious pressure other students put on their kids. They’re Catholic, though; not Jewish.”
You keep believing that.
I will. I know from personal experience that there are some Evangelicals who just don’t like Catholics. Not many; but some.
Huh? Catholic kids in the South, particularly those who live in small towns or rural areas where there are very few Catholics, actually do get a lot of pressure, depending on how zealous the local Evangelical pastor is. Just take a peek at the anti-Catholic postings on FR to get an idea of the mentality - they’re straight out of Jack Chick comics.
Naturally, Evangelicals as a whole are not this way, nor are they likely to be out saying stupid things to Jewish kids, either. But there is an unfortunate Know-Nothing streak that runs through some groups, and it depends largely on what they are hearing from their pastor, particularly in a small town or somewhat isolated area.
I lived in Columbus, MS because MWT, Sr. was in the Air Force.
We left to go live with our grandparents because we were repeatedly confronted on a very hostile basis -— by fellow students -— as “Christ-killers.” In particular, I recall being confronted in a school cafeteria about why we ate by ourselves and brown-bagged our lunches (we kept Kosher), with the explaination being given by one of the bullies that “they can’t eat with us because they were Christ-killers.”
Still recall a Mrs. Jones (4th grade) informing the class I was going to Hell, and was sent off during programs.
She would give tests on the High Holy Days (by accident), and the make up would be impossibly hard -— still got all A’s, thank you, b!@ch.
My sisters report (I was younger) that they saw similiar (albeit more in the “Mary Worshipper” and “idolitar” vein) taunting by some of the more radical protestants of Episopals and Roman Catholics.)
On base, we had NO problems. One foot off, we were fair game.
Aside from being taunted by blacks for being white, this was the only time I knowingly experienced actual discrimination in my life.