Dustin Hoffman

As a service to our young readers, we are introducing a new semi-irregular feature, "Ask Jew or Not Jew". Here is the first letter we've received.

Dear Jew or Not Jew, I am about to enter high school and my nose is too big. Should I get a nose job? — Alex Katz, 14, Beverly Hills, California

Dear Alex,

Thank you for contacting us on such a personal matter. Choosing whether to get a nose job is one of the most difficult decisions a Jewish teenager in Beverly Hills will ever face.

So should you go ahead with it? Take a look at the famous actor Dustin Hoffman. You might know him from such films as Your parents might know him as the two-time Oscar-winning actor from "The Graduate", "Kramer vs Kramer", "Tootsie", and "Rain Man". When Mr. Hoffman was your age, his parents offered to get him a nose job. Dustin chose against it, and rode that distinguished appendage into becoming one of the most accomplished Hollywood actors today of the 20th century.

Wait, Alex, are you a girl? If so, ignore all of the above.

Yours in rhinoplasty,

Jew or Not Jew.

Verdict: **Jew**.

_September 29, 2008_