Film Comment: Kike Like Me

"Kike" is an ethnic slur word directed against Jews. Most dictionaries say it's origin is unknown but Leo Rosten (1908-1997) in The Joys of Yiddish (1968) says that it arose on Ellis Island among the Jewish immigrants who who were registered there. Since many of the immigrants were illiterate, when they were asked to "make their mark" during the registration process they chose to draw a circle (Yiddish "kikel") rather than an "X" because they thought the "X" looked like a cross. The term became an affectionate word among the Yiddish immigrants and only later became a slur. (Much like the evolution of "guapo" into "wop.")

The title of Kike Like Me (2007) is a play on the title of the 1964 film, Black Like Me. Director Jamie Kastner sets out to examine the question, "What does it mean to be perceived as Jewish?"

Kastner travels to a Lubavitcher seminary in Brooklyn, conducts a failed interview with Pat Buchanan, visits an ethnically "tolerant" mixed suburb of Paris, and goes to see Auschwitz. Along the way he talks to Jews and non-Jews about being Jewish.

The documentary is at the same time humorous and uncomfortable, itchy even. Kastner becomes progressively more shocked and sarcastic. He is unable to complete his tour of Auschwitz, stopping before he sees the ovens. He is sickened that it has become a tacky tourist destination. It even has a gift shop.

Kastner becomes prickly about being asked if he is Jewish. He insinuates that to ask "Are you Jewish?" is anti-Semitic. He thinks it influences how people react to and treat others. The events in the film seem to show that it does.

There have been times when being asked if you were a Christian has been a dangerous question to answer. We should all consider what our answer would be if those times were to return for us.