Girls, We'll Raise A Glass And Sip A Drop Of Schnapps In Honor Of The Great Good Luck That Favored You!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sure, darlings, that I do not have to tell you that that line comes from the "Fiddler On The Roof" Song" "To Life!" (L'Chaim!!). And remember the Peter Lorre film "M," Fritz Lang's first sound film, made back in 1931 (that in now 80 years, darlings!) where Peter Lorre plays Hans Beckert, serial child killer, based on the Dusseldorf murderer?????

Somewhere in my reading on this film, I learned that the original title was going to be something like "The Murderer Within Us," Or "A Murderer Among Us."

I cite this, lambs, because the title was used in a recent "Law And Order Criminal Intent" episode I saw, dealing with anti-Semitism, which, in the Germany of Fritz Lang's 'M" was beginning to, if not already had, reared its ugly head prior to the horror that was to follow.

In this episode from 2003, guest star Thomas G. Waites plays Lance Brody, a blue collar type guy, whose Argentinian born wife, Lena, is found murdered. But once Goren and Eames arrive on the scene, and from the ligature marks and such on her body, it becomes apparent that she was not murdered. All of the wounds were self-inflicted. As the investigation digs deeper, it becomes apparent that Lena committed suicide. The problem is, no one knows why.

But this becomes apparent as, probing further, the detectives find that her injuries are exactly the same as those inflicted on a series of Jewish men, who were murdered over the course of several years. But what connection does Lena have to them? Is she trying to frame somebody???? And why??????????

A sad, and twisted story unfolds. Lena and Lance have a daughter, Claire, but something about Claire has been kept both from she and Lance. Years before, while working, Lena had an affair with her boss, who was a Jewish man. She became pregnant by him, but was able to pass the child off as Lance's. Added to that, it is discovered Lena's family name was changed, that she is of Jewish origin!!!!!

Lance, who found about the affair (though he denies it, saying she was raped) also denies his wife's ancestry, because he is a rabid anti-Semite. The episode with the boss and his wife was given as the reason, but sweetheart; I disagree. This may have triggered Lance for what follows, but that anti-Semitism was in place long before this. Too bad the story had no time to explore that.

Now, it was not clear to me whether Lance murdered the Jewish boss, though it is likely he did, but after that, to vent his rage and violent tendencies, he became something of a serial killer, with regard to Jewish men. Maybe he did this as a way of directing these impulses away from his wife and daughter. Lena found this out over the course of time, and killed herself to frame her husband!!!!! When he is finally apprehended at the end, and he understands the truth for himself, he is hauled off, screaming at his daughter "You are not a Jewess! You are not a Jewess!"
The way he spits out that word in particular indicates how much he now hates his daughter, much as he would try to deny it. I cannot remember the last time I heard the word "Jewess" used, but I have never heard it spit out with such venom!!!!!!

This was quite an episode, girls!!!!!!!! It went WAY beyond "Gentleman's Agreement!!!!!!!"

Now, for some personal interjections, loves!!!!!!!! First, having been born and raised in Highland Park, New Jersey (sometimes known as Little Israel or Israel On The Raritan!!!) I was surrounded with Jewish culture to the point where I, to a large degree, considered myself Jewish!!!!!!! Especially being a gay purveyor of Barbra Streisand!!!!!!!!!!! Even though I resented the attention others seemed to get, which deflected from me, I never made it an anti-Semitic issue. I made it a neighborhood issue--they were from the President Streets--which basically it was.

Yet, in the face of so much past, and especially current, associations with Jewish folk, the idea of being considered anti-Semitic would anger me considerably. Yet, back in eighth grade (again, the worst year of my life!!!!!) I was accused of such!!!!!!!!!

Once again, it seemed to happen in Mrs. Dubin's French class!!!!!!! Why does it seem everything revolved around French class that year???????? One of the many mistakes teachers made during these years was to put us into group projects, when none of us wanted to work together with each other, I would have been better off working independently, and no one wanted to work with me, or I them!!!!!!!!!!

It was the Holiday time--Christmas and Hanukkah--and we were to come up with some festive ways to celebrate. I loved the idea, but, as it turned out, in my group everyone--Debbie Kaplan, Michael Bassoff--were Jewish. I was all for celebrating Hanukkah--I love the candle lighting and other rituals to this day. However, when I suggested that we also include something featuring Christmas, for balance, oh, BOY, was I met with derision!!!!!!

"Are you prejudice?" Debbie Kaplan sneered at me. Let me tell you something about Debbie Kaplan. She was one of the fattest and ugliest girls, I ever saw back then. Putting on airs about herself being "upper upper class," when she lived on South First Avenue!!! Honey, come on!!!!!!! She ended up somewhere in Florida--the really rotten ones deserve Florida--and she managed to get married, which surprised me, considering how ugly she was. Unless her husband is as ugly as she is, so they both deserve each other. Maybe their children are ugly, too! Or, as is sometimes the case, ugly parents have the most beautiful children. If that is the case, I hope the kids call their parents ugly!!!!!!!!!!

But who did Miss Debbie think she was, back then, calling me prejudice???????? When all I wanted to do was add Christmas on to Hanukkah, not take the latter away in favor of the former!!!!!!! It was not a question of my being anti-Semitic, but they being anti-Christian!!!!!!!!

Then that rotten little pudge, Michael Bassoff, who should have stayed in Plainfield, New Jersey, where he came to us from, starts repeatedly cackling, "You're anti-Semitic! You're anti-Semitic!" I wanted to kick him in the teeth then, and I STILL DO NOW!!!!!! And that goes for Miss Kaplan Bitch!!!!!!!!!!!

Brandon Ross, not Jewish, but Black, refused to work with me, because no one else would!!!!!!!!!! Choke on it, Brandon; then and NOW!!!!!!!!!!
I don't think Roberta was in my group for this, but I am sure she glared at me!!!!!!!
Anything that would give her a perfect opportunity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean, this was the year I first read "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok, which went on to become one of my faves, so much so I considered wanting to convert and go to a Yeshiva school, because they respected scholarship, which some of the white trash members of my family could not understand or appreciate, and still can't!!!!!!!!!!!! That previous summer, I had read "Exodus," by Leon Uris, so who were these people to label me anti-Semitic????? Especially when they were unwilling to even ADD Christmas to the project!!!!!!!!

Well, I am sure Debbie Kaplan is just as ugly as she ever is, and now with the Florida sun drying out her skin, she will look like a ravaged old crone!!!!!!! And I am sure that Michael Bassoff is still a pudge!!!!!!!! While I am fabulous, darlings, and outrank you in sophistication!!!!! So there!!!!! I was never anti-Semitic, I was only anti-IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But this episode was certainly thought provoking, girls!!!!!!!
That nasty anti-Semite got HIS in the end!!!!!!! Just like the nasty anti-Christians mentioned here, have gotten theirs--or, more important, WILL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Holidays, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!