Knocks it out of the Park!; Choice of Weapon

No, no, no, no, no, no! I have heard the rumors myself! Soldiers of the Third Reich, who have brought the world to their knees, now pecking and clucking like chickens. Do you know the latest rumor they’ve conjured up, in their fear-induced delirium? The one that beats my boys with a bat. The one they call “the Bear Jew”… is a golem. An avenging Jew angel, conjured up by a vengeful rabbi, to smite the Aryans! -Hitler, Inglorious Basterds

In a warlike zone, your choice of weaponry is the most important object that defines your means of survival. Whether it’s a fist or a machine gun, we look for the easiest and quickest way to destroy the enemy. In Quentin Tarantino’s film, Inglorious Basterds, Donny Donowitz, best known as the Bear Jew, sparks fear in German soldiers because they believe he is an enormous man with a bat as a weapon who smashes their head like a baseball. Introduced to the audience by an intimidating scene where the Bear Jew bangs his way through a tunnel to meet his next victim. Donny was seen as a hero in the American culture, but a monster in a German’s soul. Thus, who inspired such a lovely character?

Who’s the Real Bear Jew?

Throughout history, there was an actual Bear Jew named Sam Dreben who was known as the Fighting Jew. His specialty consisted of firing a machine gun at his opponents. While born in Russia to Jewish parents, he saw no future there and sought employment, when he ran away from home to the United States, as an American soldier. Before destroying his enemies with a machine gun, he fought in many wars and battles before World War II, such as the Boxer Rebellion and Russo-Japanese War. However, he was called back to the States to train on the latest piece of equipment that would soon make him a legend. Therefore, one of the similarities between Donny Donowitz and Sam Dreben is that they’re both known for their badass fighting techniques. However, while Dreben mastered his way through the wars with a powerful machine gun, Donowitz went a little more old school with his wooden baseball bat.

In the film, the audience lacks the background information of the baseball bat’s origin. On his weapon, he has engraved several Jewish names that hold a personal connection with his emotions. In using the bat that has all the names engraved on it, Donny feels more empowered knowing that he has an imaginary connection with his choice of weapon. As a result, he almost feels like his is in debt to kill Nazis in order to make the people proud. Donny Donowitz is a Jew seeking revenge for all the people’s names written on his bat, and the only legal means of succeeding in his outrage is causing fear on enemy territory.

The Golem Myth

The Bear Jew’s name has spread like wildfire throughout the Nazi nation. In the film, the audience is allowed a glimpse of Hitler when he interviews one of his soldier who witnessed the attack of the Bear Jew. Hitler seems outraged at the idea that there is a Jew that sparks a chill down every Nazi’s back when the Bear Jew’s name is mentioned. In a rant, he compares the Bear Jew to the Jewish Golem that was known to protect Jewish people, especially in times of war. The Golem was famous because it was made from clay and brought to life through rituals and Hebrew incantations. It was said that he could make himself invisible and summon spirits from the dead. However, the only disadvantage was that he could not be active on Sabbath (Saturday); therefore, his creator, a Rabbi, would deactivate the Golem on Friday evenings. Unfortunately, one Friday evening, the Rabbi forgot to deactivate the Golem and eventually went on a murderous rampage. As outrageous as it seems, the Rabbi was finally able to deactivate the Golem and immobilize him in front of the synagogue. The Golem’s body was stored in the attic, where his body was later disturbed by a German soldier during World War II in a failed attempt to stab the Golem, and the soldier died instead. Hitler describes the legend of the Bear Jew as a superstition followed by old women. Hence, concluding that the Bear Jew is a myth and is not meant to be a threat to the German Army, even if he is causing a mass murder through the nation.

The American Connection

For a brief moment, Donny has a short but very informational monologue in which he expresses with great emotion, “Teddy fuckin’ Williams knocks it out of the park! Fenway Park on its feet for Teddy fuckin’ Ballgame! He went yardo on that one, out to fuckin’ Lansdowne Street!” Because Donny Donowitz has sided with the Americans in battling the evil Nazis, Donny must look at Ted Williams as an idol because there is a connection with his choice of weapon and Ted Williams’s career as a professional baseball player. Ted Williams was a war hero during World War II, where he had to interrupt his career twice in order to serve in the American Army.

In addition, because baseball is a critical part of the American entertainment, there was word that baseball would shut down again during war times because all young men 21 and up would have to enlist in a draft that would sign them over to the Army for at least 6 months. Therefore, there were many professionally players that left their million dollar career in order to fight for their country and keep their freedom. It was also known that many Americans were encouraged to join World War II after the tragic event on Pearl Harbor, and caused even more professional players to enlist into the Army. However, President Roosevelt made sure that the hard working people back in the Home Front would be able to watch some entertainment after working hours even though the players were not the famous professionals. As a result, the baseball season continued; and in a metaphorical sense, it also continued overseas in Europe while the Bear Jew hunted Nazis with his baseball bat.

However, an important Jewish-American baseball player was omitted from the film and its script. Hank Greenberg, nicknamed the Hebrew Hammer, was a sluggish player who played for New York. Between Hank and Ted, one would think Donny would show more loyalty to Hank because of his religious connection, but the connection is quite the opposite. Hank Greenberg was the first Jewish superstar in American team sports. During World War II service, Hank became the first American League player to register for the nation’s first peacetime draft. He was initially classified as fit for light duty, but he pushed for a reexamination and was found fit for regular military service and was reclassified. He served for a total of 47 months, the longest of any major league player. As a result, Hank was recognized for many titles within the military, but was more commonly known for his baseball career than his firsts within the military. While Donny may feel passionate about baseball, he idolizes Ted due to the fact that he was not only famous in his baseball career but was also recognized for being a war hero.

What a Way to Make an Exit

The grand finale consists of a dramatic change of weapon from a heavy baseball bat to an even heavier machine gun. The transition from a bat to a gun is quite significant when it comes to the death count. While smashing Nazi brains with a bat, he maintains his reputation as a Nazi slaughterer, even if it is one Nazi at a time. Each target was significant and each kill was art. Killing with a baseball bat puts more emphasis on the connection between the prey and predator because it is a one on one battle. On the other hand, when Donny switches weapons during the final scene, he continued the slaughter with a more quick and easy kill. The power that fuels his blood is also equally represented in the film as the director shoots him from a lower center angle showing who is in control of the situation. As a result, when it was time to kill Hitler, Donny could not let the connection between him and Hitler leave as quickly as he died. Donny felt the need to waste a ton of bullets by firing at Hitler’s face many times because it made the kill much more personal by giving it the time he felt it deserved.