We know two things about Eric Hunt (pictured), of Vernon, N.J.: He has serious psychiatric problems, and he was interested in Holocaust denial for a few years before he confronted Elie Wiesel at a peace conference earlier this year. Sometimes, these two things can go together in disastrous ways, as in the case of Rusty Weston, or Richard Bauhammers. In this case, luckily, little harm was done, despite erroneous media reports, like this one at sfist, saying he tried "to beat the holy hell" out of Wiesel, which is not at all clear.

What is clear is that, at a meeting of a peace conference, he confronted Wiesel in an elevator, asked to speak to him, grabbed him, tried to drag him down the hallway, and then fled when Wiesel screamed. Wiesel was not injured; he was merely grabbed. He wasn't even wrestled to the ground, or punched, or hit.

I'm Jewish, and not fond, shall we say, of Holocaust deniers. Nor am I fond of unwarranted grabbing. But this man is ill; when police located him to arrest him, he was already in a psychiatric hospital. Prosecutors -- who don't deny Hunt's mental illness -- are overzealously charging him with attempted battery, stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, elder abuse and false imprisonment of an elder, compounded, in each case, by a hate crime allegation. If convicted, he'll serve seven years.

I'm not defending Hunt's views on the Holocaust, but I'm suggesting they may have been inflected by illness. In the recent past, in a psychotic moment, I saw an old man's eyes seem to drip blood. I didn't act on it, but what if I leaned across the table and shoved a tissue in his face until he screamed? Should I be charged with elder abuse? I realize that's an imprecise analogy, but this is complicated. I hope Wiesel -- who should understand complexity after all these years -- will consider the prosecutorial strategy and perhaps intervene when the case goes to trial.

Vernon Man to Stand Trial

[Thanks to Susan S. for letting me know about this story. I couldn't do this without you guys.]