To the Editor:

We were deeply troubled and have received many complaints concerning Judy Bowman's answer to a question submitted by a reader on what gift one should bring to a Bar Mitzvah celebration ("Everyday Etiquette," June 25).

Her response, "money and lots of it — not $100 but hundreds or much more," is jarring because it reinforces the age-old anti-Semitic stereotype of Jews as greedy and money-grubbing.

While one cannot look into people's hearts, we hope that this unfortunate comment was made more out of ignorance than malice, and that Ms. Bowman and the editors who cleared these words as acceptable for print will understand the pain they caused to many in the Jewish community.

A Bar Mitzvah is a wonderful Jewish tradition that marks a 13-year-old child's acceptance of God's commandments. It is one of the most significant right-of-passage events in Jewish religious life, and should never be linked with materialism.