Live Blogging: A Guide to Jewish References in the Oscars Broadcast

Posted on February 24, 2008 by Joshua Ford

Translations for the Hebraically challenged appear in purple.

*8:36 pm–Jon Stewart “Atonement captures the raw sexuality of Yom Kippur.” Yom Kippur is translated as the “Day of Atonement.”

8:40 pm–Jon Stewart “Gaydolf Titlar” Adolf Hitler was an infamous 1930s and 40s dictator with a bad mustache. Also a murderous antisemite.

8:47 pm–Bob Hope “Welcome to the Academy Awards, or as its called in my house Passover.” Passover seders tend to run a little long. Updated: Were told from the Washington Post live chat that this is actually a pun on the fact that Hope was perennially “passed-over” for an Oscar. This disqualifies the reference from being Jewish as we just don’t think puns are all that funny.

10:00 pm–Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen as Dame Judy Dench and Halle Berry. Not technically a Jewish reference except that instead of being classy and sexy they are chunky and Jewish.

10:43 pm–The Counterfeiters wins Best Foreign Film. The story of the counterfeiting operation at the Ravensbruck concentration camp — I saw the film last year at the Berlin Film Festival and thought it was amazing. Sony Pictures Classics which opened it this weekend in NY and LA will probably do a bigger rollout very soon. Too bad that Beaufort, from Israel didn’t win. It would have been nice to have a Jewish film not about the Holocaust win the Oscar. I guess the Academy just isn’t ready for Jews as soldiers–flawed ones at that.

10:52 pm–Spielberg talks about winning the Oscar for Schindler’s List and we get the delicious juxtaposition of him (in flashback) dedicating the award to the six million, and then declaring (in 2008) “It was the best night of my life.” Interesting editing choice.

10:56 pm–Most Menchlik Moment (M3) – Jon Stewart brings Markéta Irglová back onstage to say her brief thank you’s. Jon, your mother should be so proud.

11:01 pm–Kaddish

11:43 pm–The Coen Brothers win Best Director and Best Picture for No Country For Old Men (they picked up Best Adapted Screenplay earlier). They’ve recently signed-on to adapt Michael Chabon’s Yiddish Policeman’s Union (see Shabbat Surfing).

11:48 pm–Roll credits. The show ends before midnight. We can all go to bed.

*All times Eastern

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4 Responses

  1. Malke, on February 25, 2008 at 3:00 pm said:

    Best Oscar commentary I read all night. Thank you, JCC, for making your blog more than just events at the Center. It’s becoming my new go-to space for Jewish pop culture.

  2. Arjewtino, on February 25, 2008 at 4:08 pm said:

    You know, I had never thought of Bob Hope’s joke as a reference to how long the telecast famously runs every year. Maybe, in his genius, that joke meant both the length of the Oscars and Passover seder as well as being passed over for an Oscar.

  3. Herb, on February 26, 2008 at 2:46 pm said:

    11:01 Kaddish? How did you know at 11 I sreamed enough with this and we turned off the TV and went lila tov? That you lasted to the end you deserve a “kunhura.”

  4. Friday Procrastination: Link Love : OUPblog, on March 7, 2008 at 8:28 am said:

    […] guide to Jewish references in the Oscars (Full Disclosure: this clever blogger is my […]

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