RIP Dannis Farina, aka Cousin Avi

To most people, Dennis Farina, who died Monday at age 69, may be best remembered as a tough-talking Chicago cop (which he actually was, for 18 years, before becoming an actor) or as a tough-talking New York City police detective, which he ably played for two seasons as Joe Fontana on “Law & Order.”

But I think of Cousin Avi, the foul-mouthed, kipah-wearing Jew that Farina played in “Snatch,” the delightful British comedy crime movie (2000) directed by Guy Ritchie. The film, which opens with Brad Pitt playing a jewelery thief disguised as a hasidic Jew, showcased quintessential Farina. Here’s a taste:

Uriel Heilman is JTA’s managing editor, responsible for coordinating JTA’s editorial team. He re-joined JTA in 2007 after a stint doing independent reporting in Israel and the Arab world. Before that, he served as New York bureau chief of the Jerusalem Post. An award-winning journalist, he has served as JTA’s news editor and worked as a reporter for a variety of publications in the United States and in Israel.