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Eli Zabitz
Eli Zabitz
Zabitz as seen in his Crime Flashback
First appearance "Works of Mercy" (episode 4.04)
Last appearance "A Town Without Pity" (episode 4.07)
Reason/Cause Died of a Heart Attack
Details
Prisoner No. 96Z858
Aliases None
Gender Male
Age 50 (Deceased)
Date of Conviction April 1, 1996
Date of Death August 23, 2000
Affiliations Unit B
Spouse Unnamed Wife
Children 3
Relatives Tabitha Zabitz (Daughter)
Kill Count 0
Episode Count 3 Episodes
Portrayed by David Johansen

Eli Zabitz (Yiddish: אלי זאַביץ) was a Jewish inmate featured in Oz. Portrayed by David Johansen.

Character Summary[]

Prisoner #96Z858. Convicted April 1, 1996 - Aggravated assault. Sentence: 9 years, up for parole in 6.

Before sent to Oz, Zabitz was a Jewish skilled chef in a high-class restaurant. His focus of food preparation was culinary art which made him in the fellow prisoner's minds, "good with a knife." In the flashback scene he is shown wearing a traditional white chef's uniform. He is the father of several children.

After being criticized by his boss, he splashes a frying pan of boiling oil and meat onto the groin of the head chef when he is distracted in the kitchen talking on the phone. After throwing the hot oil onto his boss he mocks his injured boss, calling him a "cry baby" for showing pain. This may demonstrate that Zabitz has sociopathic tendencies. An inmate serving time at Unit B, Eli Zabitz was hired by Vern Schillinger to lie to Tobias Beecher about his son's death.

This gives Zabitz the false impression that the Aryan Brotherhood will protect him from Keller in case of retribution. When Keller threatens to kill Zabitz, Zabitz demands protection from the Aryans. Bemused by Zabitz's cowardice, Shillinger remarks that he thought the "Jews were supposed to be tough." Robson replies that that's only the Israelis.

Plot Summary[]

Season 4[]

When Gary and Holly Beecher are kidnapped by Hank Schillinger, Tobias Beecher goes to Zabitz. Knowing that he has friends who may know something about the kidnapping, Beecher pays Zabitz to ask his friends. Then, Schillinger pays Zabitz to tell Beecher that Chris Keller kidnapped and killed Gary. Beecher believed him and tried to kill Keller. Schillinger asks James Robson to kill Zabitz because he knows too much. Keller learns that Zabitz lied and wants to kill him.

Keller and Robson meet Zabitz inside a computer storage room to kill him, the same room that Keller murders Ronald Barlog and Keller himself was stabbed. The room is sound proof and has no security cameras inside. They start arguing over whether Keller or Robson will fulfill the contract. After realizing that Robson, one of his supposed protectors has also been sent to murder Zabitz, he has a heart attack and dies. Completely bemused by Zabitz's death, Keller and Robson simply leave. Vernon Schillinger is amused after hearing that Zabitz died of a heart attack and not being stabbed to death by Robson.

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