Update 10/25/2017: The language of this editor’s note has been updated to better reflect the sentiment of the editor.

We have seen with sharp clarity the pain and anger caused by an editorial cartoon that ran online in our opinion section on Oct. 18, and we apologize for this.

The artist’s intent was to argue that the contents of civil liberties lawyer and professor emeritus at Harvard Law School Alan Dershowitz’s recent lecture at UC Berkeley were hypocritical. We regret that the artistic rendering distracted from the discussion the artist was trying to start.

The criticism we have received reaffirms for us a need for a more critical editing eye, and a stronger understanding of the violent history and contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism. We appreciate those who have reached out offering to help us better our understanding of these issues. We will be taking them up on the offer.

We want to encourage readers to continue sending us feedback, questions and concerns.

Karim Doumar is the editor in chief. Contact the opinion desk at [email protected].