unpopular culture

This afternoon a neighbor happened to mention an acquaintance called Elijah. I remarked that my nephew's middle name is Elijah too. "His dad's Jewish," I added.
"Oh," she said. She paused to give me a kind smile. "Well, that's okay."
"No," I said, aghast. "I meant, Elijah is a Jewish name."
Reminded me of what John Safran wrote last weekend,

"HEY Jew! Sure, it was fun being part of the Tribe when it was associated with blintzes and bagels and Woody and wit. But now when your workmates spot the Star of David necklace they're thinking rubble and bombs and babies from the night before."