Arts & Culture

Tough Jews: A Slide-Show

By Jewcy Staff / February 6, 2008

Heath Ledger's recent death reminded us that the all-American heroes on our movie screens have lately been, well, Australian. Of course, it's also worth remembering some of Hollywood's toughest leading men are Jewish.

Click here to view a slide-show essay about Jewish macho men. This slide-show requires the latest version of the Adobe Flash player. Get it here.

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  • By DanAKAMoishe 2/6/08 at 11:59 p.m. UTC

    James Caan – tough Hollywood Jew.

    P.S. Ben Kingsley ain't Jewish.

  • By Ismail 2/6/08 at 10:31 p.m. UTC

    Meyer Lansky? Abe Reles? OK, if we're not just talking Hollywood anymore, let's not keep it a boy's club, either.

    After the horrific Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in 1911, a young cap stitcher named Rose Schneiderman spoke thusly to a group of well-intentioned liberal supporters who'd been urging compromise and baby steps to the more radical elements in the nascent garment workers labor movement:

    "I would be a traitor to these poor burned bodies if I came here to talk good fellowship. We have tried you good people of the public and we have found you wanting…I can't talk fellowship to you who are gathered here. Too much blood has been spilled. I know from my experience it is up to the working people to save themselves. The only way they can save themselves is by a strong working-class movement."

    This from an immigrant piece worker to the bejewelled and high-minded society dames whose hearts were in the right place but who lacked Rose's class consciousness.

    Now that's a heroine, and one tough Jew. 

     

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