To begin with, this newspaper ran an inaccurate story about our family for four years, complete with a photo they did not ask permission to publish. The article showed us in a false light.

When we asked them to correct or remove the story, to their credit, they took it down. We would have been content to leave it at that. In the process of responding to our request, though, we - victims of a crime & their misinformation - were forced to stomach a response from the publication’s editor that cast aspersions upon us while she remained largely ignorant of the facts. There was no journalistic rigor involved in her appraisal, only conjecture.

First, she seems to think we should be proud to be mis-identified, when I am guessing she, like most people, would not appreciate being called something she is not. We were victims of an ugly crime, which she accused us of caring little about. This is absurd. Our family has cried for days over the hatefulness of that offense; it changed our lives completely. Instead of recognizing that or having any compassion, she treated us like the criminals.

What’s more, we were told off for having had a mezuzah when we do not identify as being Jewish. She did not bother to ask about the faith & background of all the people in our home. Had she, she would have realized that - even according to her own definition of who is entitled to mount one - there was every right to have it. To her, we kept the sacred object as kitsch, when the opposite is true. It was gifted, mounted & properly maintained according to all the rules by a Jewish individual in our household. Still, we were accused of breaking Jewish law, being culturally insensitive & ignorant.

When we contacted the newspaper's owner, he refused to listen to our side of the story or acknowledge his company’s unprofessional behavior. From all appearances, there is a culture in this workplace that condones hostile behavior, on top of the shoddy journalism.