Anti-Semitism at the poker table
I had my first bout with open anti-Semitism in a while during the wee hours of last Saturday morning. I’m not talking about covering anti-Israel rallies, which is part of my job, or the occasional snide remark made in passing by an ignorant acquaintance. I’m talking about anti-Semitism specifically directed at me.
I played poker at Casino Arizona on Friday night. (Disclaimer: I don’t play very often anymore, but I used to play to pay the bills, so when I go, I usually win.) I took about $100 off a guy, catching him in a bluff. He had already lost several hundred dollars that evening.
“What’s your name, son?” he asked me, as I scooped in the pot.
“Josh.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a reporter for the Jewish News of Greater Phoenix.”
“Never heard of it. You Jewish?”
“Yep.”
I started to stack my chips.
“What do you write in a Jewish newspaper?” he asked.
“Same stuff as a regular paper,” I replied. “We’re just a specialty paper. We’re geared toward the Jewish community.”
“Well I’m not Jewish. So I guess you wouldn’t let me read your paper, huh?”
I paused for a split second. He had phrased the question a bit crassly, trying to get under my skin. But it was a valid question, and one that deserved an answer.
“No,” I replied. “You’re more than welcome to subscribe. But if you’re not interested in what’s going on in the Jewish community, I don’t see why you would.”
“Well, what do you write about?”
“My beats are education, youth, sports --”
“Education?” He cut me off. I could tell by the tone of his voice that the conversation was heading downhill. “What's there to write about in Jewish education?”
“Well, there are several Jewish day schools in the Valley. I write about --”
“You educate Jews?” He had cut me off again, purposely twisting my words and trying to agitate me. “What do you tell them? That it’s good to go to school?”
Aware of his tactics, and far from the first loudmouth I had ever sat with at a poker table, I wasn’t going to let him get to me.
“You ever read the education section in the Arizona Republic?” I asked.
“No.”
“But you know do what the education section would be about.”
“Not really.”
“You do know what the Arizona Republic is, right?”
“Yeah, but what’s that got to do with Jews?”
“Let me back up a bit. Do you know how to read?”
The guy to my right laughed at that comment, which visibly irritated my new friend.
“You educate Jews,” he said. “So you teach them that it’s good to go to school and that it’s good to screw people over.”
A couple people at the table shifted uneasily. I could make my displeasure known, I thought to myself, but that would mean an even more uncomfortable atmosphere at the table. Besides, there’s an understanding among experienced poker players that if there’s a poor player at the table -- and this guy was a poor player -- don’t aggravate him to the point where he leaves. Keep him happy and let him leave later on. Broke.
“That’s exactly what I do,” I responded. “Guess you don’t have to read the paper since you already know what’s in it.”
“So that’s what you teach your kids? To go to school and to screw people over?”
“Yep.”
“Do you have kids?”
“Nope.”
“Do you consider yourself a role model for the Jewish people?”
“Are you kidding?” I laughed sarcastically. “It’s Shabbat.”
The guy to my right cracked up. I never asked him, but given a few of the comments he made to me later on, I think he was Jewish, too.
The angry guy left an hour later, with an empty wallet. I took enough money off of him to pay half of my rent. By that time, I had forgotten about our back-and-forth, having shrugged it off shortly after it died down. Several others, however, did not. They remarked after the fact about how inappropriate his actions were.
While I appreciated the support, it made me wonder if I had handled the situation properly. Still, I’m curious as to what I could have done differently. And not that I’m upset that no one else spoke up on my behalf, but if so many other people at the table were offended by my friend’s antics, I’m curious as to why nobody did.
29 Jul, 2009 >
--------------------------
wow. that is not right
i'm a jew too. le heim
nick - 07 Oct, 2009 - 23:38:43
--------------------------