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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 0:59:15 GMT
Taken from a Facebook post, shocking story of what happened at an American performance of Fiddler on the Roof:
Tonight, I attended Fiddler on the Roof at the Hippodrome Theater. Shortly after intermission began, two men in the audience raised their hands and shouted "HEIL HITLER! HEIL TRUMP!" over and over again. Security promptly escorted them out of the theater, but not before the damage was done.
A Jewish woman next to me was shaking while on the phone with her son, as she seemingly made a goodbye call to him - believing that the same men would be waiting outside the theater to gun her down. "I have to go, the curtain's rising, but hopefully I make it home to see you again and not get shot in a firestorm of bullets outside."
For these men to pick Fiddler, of all shows, to spew their hatred is no accident. They set out to scare Jewish people. To make them afraid to see a show depicting the same anti-Semitic filth that occurred not even a lifetime ago in this world.
I share this story because I want everyone reading to have no doubt that this sort of evil still lives in this world today. I know many of you probably experienced this first-hand yourselves in one way, shape or form - but for those that still have doubts...
These men were emboldened to spread hate. Do not let their voices be the loudest ones.
"HEIL HITLER! HEIL TRUMP!". At Fiddler on the Roof. In 2018.
Never again.
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Post by 49thand8th on Nov 16, 2018 1:07:58 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 2:16:11 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 2:46:02 GMT
It's sad people with this mentality still exist  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 10:05:55 GMT
Sad but not surprising.
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Post by kathryn on Nov 16, 2018 10:48:29 GMT
Shocking and very disturbing. I hope they were banned for life from the theatre.
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Post by happytobehere on Nov 16, 2018 11:04:03 GMT
So disgusting. It’s scary that not only are people with this mindset still around, but that they feel so proud about it to scream it out in a theatre. I’ll never understand racism/antisemitism, it’s just senseless hate.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 11:15:48 GMT
I do feel the police should have been involved. There is a legal difference between free speech and hate speech, and you can make a very strong argument for this being the latter.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 14:59:54 GMT
There was that school in Wisconsin where several of the pupils did a Nazi salute in a school photograph, apparently in the belief that it would be hilarious. I'm all for defusing things with humour, but there's a world of difference between laughing at something and being too stupid to understand why you're not funny. |
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Post by 49thand8th on Nov 16, 2018 15:04:08 GMT
Is the UK more aware than the USA of the risk, or is the risk higher in the UK, or quite what is the difference that seems to be evident at the moment with both this and the recent synagogue attack? I wonder what level of security Fiddler had not just because of the Jewishness of it in an antisemitic environment, but it being a major theatrical performance in a large venue in a major city. Even at Hello Dolly in Chicago last week, there were bag inspections, and my native-Chicago friend said she'd never seen that before. Although checking if someone brought in a gun, a knife, or even a water bottle isn't going to check if someone is going to yell something terrible at intermission. I'm sure most of the people who were terrified by this guy didn't automatically think, "But we had bag checks!" because those often aren't even that thorough. |
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Post by 49thand8th on Nov 16, 2018 15:30:16 GMT
I'm sure that's actually part of it.
From the Baltimore Sun (which I don't think is available to view outside the US):
In a statement, Hippodrome officials apologized to patrons and said they would not tolerate such behavior. They emphasized that a full team of security is always on-site during live performances to check bags and screen patrons, as well as monitor cameras throughout the venue.
“Our venue has a proud tradition of providing shared experiences to people from all walks of life, right in the heart of this wonderfully diverse city, and we intend to continue that tradition in the spirit of bringing people together, not dividing them,” the Hippodrome’s statement said.
Uniformed police will be stationed at the Hippodrome for the remaining “Fiddler” shows through Sunday, Jablow said. Their presence was not requested by the theater, he said.
Jablow also said police did a background check on the man who shouted the salute, and found that he wasn’t a threat to public safety. Police are not monitoring him further, he said.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 17:01:15 GMT
It's awful. One thing that confuses me, though, and maybe an American member of this board can clarify, please: over here, anything "Jewish Interest" is carefully policed and protected. Both the last two runs of "Fiddler" had extra security (armed police for the Palladium run). Any Sunday performance by Jewish performers aimed solely at Jewish ticket buyers is advertised discreetly in Jewish newspapers with just a phone number to book, no time / location details. More broadly, all synagogues are heavily fortified and have security details outside whenever an event or service is in progress. There are two community funded security services, plus an ambulance service in many areas with high Jewish populations - all operate full-time, and are present whenever Jewish people congregate in the UK. Is the UK more aware than the USA of the risk, or is the risk higher in the UK, or quite what is the difference that seems to be evident at the moment with both this and the recent synagogue attack? In general, US synagogues/restaurants/events don't have the level of security that UK/European ones do. American Jews have generally always perceived America as a very safe place and expressed a lot of (to me irritating) pity for Jews in Europe and incredulity that we don't just leave. Whether that's true or not is open to debate; America overall might be more culturally comfortable to be Jewish, whether that translates into physical safety is another matter. Just from personal experience, I get the feeling that Americans in general view America as being safer than Europe; I think they are profoundly wrong about that. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 18:02:45 GMT
I can in no way be described as "observant" in any way, shape or form but I shouldn't have to go through security any time I need to go to temple.
This is 2018.
I may start a petition to get a debate in Parliament to introduce a curfew on all non-Jews being allowed outside during Shabbat.
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Post by peggs on Nov 16, 2018 18:33:15 GMT
It's awful. One thing that confuses me, though, and maybe an American member of this board can clarify, please: over here, anything "Jewish Interest" is carefully policed and protected. Both the last two runs of "Fiddler" had extra security (armed police for the Palladium run). Any Sunday performance by Jewish performers aimed solely at Jewish ticket buyers is advertised discreetly in Jewish newspapers with just a phone number to book, no time / location details. More broadly, all synagogues are heavily fortified and have security details outside whenever an event or service is in progress. There are two community funded security services, plus an ambulance service in many areas with high Jewish populations - all operate full-time, and are present whenever Jewish people congregate in the UK. Is the UK more aware than the USA of the risk, or is the risk higher in the UK, or quite what is the difference that seems to be evident at the moment with both this and the recent synagogue attack? Had no idea this was the case. How foul that any group of people are in this position. I mean the need for it, not that protection is there. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 18:37:04 GMT
It's awful. One thing that confuses me, though, and maybe an American member of this board can clarify, please: over here, anything "Jewish Interest" is carefully policed and protected. Both the last two runs of "Fiddler" had extra security (armed police for the Palladium run). Any Sunday performance by Jewish performers aimed solely at Jewish ticket buyers is advertised discreetly in Jewish newspapers with just a phone number to book, no time / location details. More broadly, all synagogues are heavily fortified and have security details outside whenever an event or service is in progress. There are two community funded security services, plus an ambulance service in many areas with high Jewish populations - all operate full-time, and are present whenever Jewish people congregate in the UK. Is the UK more aware than the USA of the risk, or is the risk higher in the UK, or quite what is the difference that seems to be evident at the moment with both this and the recent synagogue attack? Had no idea this was the case. How foul that any group of people are in this position. I mean the need for it, not that protection is there. The silver lining is that they're generally trained by Mossad or at least on the waiting list. Ain't no-one shakin' my Shabbat. |
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Post by lonlad on Nov 16, 2018 18:42:53 GMT
There's never been the need for that at THEATRE events in the US and given that the demographic for Broadway has been and always will be heavily Jewish, the mind boggles if we have to start arming Broadway shows -- in which case Trump and co will have won in their desire to arm everybody, from infants upwards. A sad time to be alive.
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Post by 49thand8th on Nov 16, 2018 20:50:43 GMT
www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/theater/fiddler-on-the-roof-heil-hitler-heil-trump.htmlLate Thursday, the Baltimore police identified the man as Anthony M. Derlunas II, 58. According to the police report, Mr. Derlunas said he had been “drinking heavily throughout the night.” He told officers he yelled the slogans because the final scene before intermission reminded him of his hatred for President Trump. According to the officer, Mr. Derlunas went on to say that the anger directed at him after his disruption was an indication of a high number of Mr. Trump’s supporters in the theater. Mr. Derlunas could not be reached for comment.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 23:27:18 GMT
Had no idea this was the case. How foul that any group of people are in this position. I mean the need for it, not that protection is there. The silver lining is that they're generally trained by Mossad or at least on the waiting list. Ain't no-one shakin' my Shabbat. Erm, genuine question - this is satire, right? I was on the verge of typing a horrified response but then it occurred to me that you were probably joking. I've had wine and my subtlety detector isn't great. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 23:40:39 GMT
The silver lining is that they're generally trained by Mossad or at least on the waiting list. Ain't no-one shakin' my Shabbat. Erm, genuine question - this is satire, right? I was on the verge of typing a horrified response but then it occurred to me that you were probably joking. I've had wine and my subtlety detector isn't great. I was joking. I actually think Mossad turned down the security man at my synagogue because his approach was a bit "too much" for them. |
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Post by zahidf on Nov 17, 2018 0:36:16 GMT
Sounds like a typical trump fan. They really are scum
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Post by joeinnewyork on Nov 18, 2018 23:22:07 GMT
I'm American (and new to the chat board) (and Jewish), and @abby is absolutely correct: AFAIK, it would be the exception and not the rule for there to be police presence at a U.S. synagogue service or other event of Jewish interest. Synagogues and other facilities might hire their own security, who might be armed or unarmed, and might or might not be off-duty policemen (who, in turn, might or might not be allowed to wear their police uniforms while doing freelance work of this type), but city police departments don't routinely provide special protection to Jewish facilities. (Things change, of course, in the aftermath of specific attacks or threats.)
I'd add that I for one view Europe as being substantially safer than here, because of the relatively widespread availability of guns in the U.S.
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Post by 49thand8th on Nov 19, 2018 16:02:40 GMT
www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-ci-hippodrome-follow-20181116-story.htmlAnthony M. Derlunas II, 58, said the play, which tells the story of a Jewish family facing persecution in tsarist Russia, reminded him of Trump’s immigration policies. His comparison “came out wrong” and was “beyond a mistake” he said during an interview at his home in Joppa.
“Instantly it was like, ‘Oh my God, what did you do?’ ” said Derlunas, who acknowledged he had been drinking heavily before the show. “The thing that I can’t stand is Trump spreading hatred, and what did I do? I spread hatred.”
Derlunas’ outburst came during the intermission of the show at the Hippodrome Theatre on Wednesday evening. He was escorted from the theater’s balcony by security, and police issued him a stop ticket — less serious than a citation.and Derlunas said he had consumed several glasses of wine at his hotel prior to attending the show, which contributed to his outburst.
“Any time you drink you lose all sense of reasoning,” he said, adding he rarely consumes alcohol. “That didn’t help my thinking one bit.”
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Post by peggs on Nov 19, 2018 17:45:27 GMT
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Post by 49thand8th on Nov 24, 2018 18:21:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2018 8:31:33 GMT
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