Associate Professor of English Ellen Litman replies:  It seems that the comments are about life/conditions in the present-day Russia, whereas my experience dates back to the eighties and early nineties. In those days, one’s nationality was absolutely recorded in one’s passport. I am glad to hear that this is no longer the practice now. On the point about discrimination of Jews, once again, I’d like to believe that the commenter is referring to the present-day conditions and that the discrimination my generation experienced is a thing of the past. While he is correct that there are and have been prominent Jewish writers, artists, and scientists, the path was by no means clear or obvious, at least in my experience.