I've always said that we're all proud Jews... unless someone we've just met guesses we're Jewish.

Then we're embarrassed.

I need a psychologist to explain that.

Karen?

Jake:

It took all my self-control not to tell Cindy that I'm Jewish, and talk about Hollywood Jews. But the job comes first and I had to keep my mouth shut.

I'm so proud of being Jewish it's probably clinically abnormal.

It sounds like she was trying to turn things to put herself in charge. That's a technique she uses all the time at work, right?

Another great installment, Robert.

When I read this series, it almost seems as though CO Cindy is the center of your attention -- as Arte Johnson used to say "VERY interesting..."

Robert

You should have told her you were a scientoligist

Y’know, Hollywood… scientology

Jake, I think each of us want to be perceived as a unique individual, and resists being labeled as belonging to a certain ethnic group. When someone says, "Gee, you don't look Jewish!" I challenge anyone to deny that they don't feel some secret pleasure in "passing." It's only human nature to resist being stereotyped for your physical features, your mannerisms, or your accent. We've all bought into the advantages of a WASPish identity in our culture, albeit subconsciously, and its self deluding to deny it.

I just wrote a great article (in my tequila opinion) to Roberto and then this firefox noscript changed and deleted my entire text when I attempted to send it. I'm furious. A word of computer advice, if you are going to text-then type it first in word and then cut and paste it into your e-mail first just to be safe. Anyway- about appearances, when I wear a sinister goatee I've been accused of being Jewish or Mexican, and when I finally shave I get accused of being a red-faced Irishman. I practice theater anthropology in which I change clothing styles and posture and cadence depending on what crowd I have to move through. Among Mexicans I swagger like a vato loco, with the Irish I'm bubbly and I speak with a gaelic accent, among my fellow Jews I take great pride in practicing a German accent using Spanish adjectives to pepper my discussions. I have a great time role playing like theather. Robert- since you are doing prison anthropology you might want to read up on Rene Enriquez's book "The Black Hand" about the Mafia Mexicano. As an Irish Mexican I noticed how it was the Irish and Irish Mexicans who first organized this criminal prison gang that has continued to grow into a dangerous society. Also Jews and Italians, Irish included- don't have female gangsters, but apparently Mexicans do have female gangsters and they are not butch- they dress 1930-40ish. Baruch Hashem.

Dear Robert: I don't like Polish jokes or redneck jokes or jock jokes. NO ONE deserves to be stereotyped as stupid. How could you make a list pf prison movies and leave out BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI and GRANDE ILLUSION? Shabbat Shalom, Miranda

Too Miranda, but everyone is stupid Ms Miranda. None of Roberto's readers have ever been in Jail, so what do they know about life? Mr Avrech is trying to bring reality to his pampered readers and they have no idea what it is like to sleep in ones car, sleep behind bushes on the street, be in jail and have to deal with racial questions (Holder anyone?) I mean really darling, jail is all about race. when you line up for dinner, sports, outside exercise, you line up with your race, so hows the Negro Holder going to explain prison race politics? Jews have it really bad, only mexicans protect them in jail because Jews represent Moses. Wanna argue? No one has ever been in jail. Jail is lonely, cold, and terrible. I mean no offense, but you hollywood pampered type really have to understand that this black buddy bu*****t from hollywood movies is for the the birds, reality shows us that miartes (black men) are predators. Is my statement racist? NO my comment is my observation of years of experience, I am a scientist with multiple advance university degrees, and I say that this black buddy movie propaganda is nonsense, that there are more mexicans in america and we are better looking than miartes-so where are our political representatives? Not to be mean, I love this blog- but I amim to throw ideas out there, from the perspective of a vato loco mexican american jew. Shalom

Mr Avrech,

I mean no offense to your readers or you, whenever the beer starts flowing and I goof off I start shooting my opinion, I like everyone, I just feel that no-one, has any idea what it is like to walk barefoot through the desert at night and stand there alone gazing in awestruck at the starlight heavens, to parachute into El Salvador (old mercenary) to stand in Lisboa and gaze out over the Atlantic ocean towards the Americas, to freeze to death (damn near almost) in Oslo Norway (1974), to trek across Sinai, to swim in the Kinneret, to wander the streets of Beirut, and hike Anatolia, and southern Bulgaria, to get into shootouts in Mexico (they missed). Just trying to throw ideas out there. Shalom.

I love reading these series, Robert. You are our guide into the prison netherworld and always entertain us. I don't know if people fully appreicate how dangerous it was for you to do such research. I had a chance to see the movie a while back and it was wonderful :)

have a good Shabbos :)

" ... When someone says, "Gee, you don't look Jewish!" I challenge anyone to deny that they don't feel some secret pleasure in "passing." It's only human nature to resist being stereotyped for your physical features, your mannerisms, or your accent. ... "

usually, yes,
with one important
(and today, not-so-rare)
exception,

with Jews whose recent ancestry is not completely Jewish ...

such individuals are sensitive about their full acceptance into the Jewish community,

and have seen them blush and cringe
when someone who just met them at the Shabbos table, blurts out,
"Gee, you don't look Jewish!"

Robert - I forgot to mention at BH on your latest installment - with Cool Hand Luke being one of your favorite prison movies (for good reason!) -

Thought you'd like to read the story of when Paul Newman came to Huntington, WV to pick up his Appalachian dialect.

It's a good read....(IMO)

http://www.huntingtonquarterly.com/articles/issue66/paul_newman_american_icon.php

My mother's family is from Huntingon - it is a small city on the Ohio River that converges with Ohio and Kentucky - I spent many a fine summer visiting my aunt and uncle on their 200 year old farm.

I feel that I cannot leave this thread without commenting...

Karen, during WW1 German Americans were so despised in this country that many anglicized their names - Brandt became Bryant, Schmidt became Smith...

In fact, even my dog's breed name changed during WW1 - My last 3 dogs - "American Eskimos" are really a white German spitz - but spitz was obviously too German ;-)

My friend Larry is as proud of being Jewish as Robert - and over the years we have discovered that despite our different heritages, have a lot in common. Both of us grew up in LA, both had bad experiences with our church and synagogue (suffice it to say too many of them seem to run more like cliques and forgot the word of G*d) -

We have many theological discussions and neither tries to convert the other. I enjoyed Larry's story of David and Bathsheba - the Jewish perspective goes far more into the background - Jewish law - of his sending her husband to a certain death than what we have learned on the Christian side.

And as I have told him if it weren't for St Paul evangelizing in Turkey and Italy, Christianity would be considered nothing more than a radical sect of Judaism (not trying to start any discussions here on the subject; just giving a background)

When you look at how many Jews have won the Nobel prize (ignoring Arafat, Shimon and Perez ;-) ) - how most Jewish families value education and hence their offspring are usually very successful in whatever endeavors they choose - particularly as a percentage of the world population - no Jew should feel "ashamed" for being Jewish.

As I have become older I have come to the realization that people of all backgrounds have their own particular hangups - and it is their problem, not ours...