LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Israel’s half-century jinx at the Oscars continued and three Jewish-themed films were passed over, but “The Jew Hunter” took home an award.

Three Jewish-themed films vying for the best picture nod – “Inglourious Basterds,” “A Serious Man” and “An Education”– missed out. And Quentin Tarantino lost in the directing category, despite high praise for “Inglourious Basterds,” a brutal counterfactual fantasy in which a band of Jewish GIs scalps German soldiers and assassinates Nazi leaders.

“Inglourious Basterds” did win the first award of the night, with Christoph Waltz taking the Oscar for best supporting actor for his portrayal of Hans Landa, aka “The Jew Hunter,” the terrifyingly and hilariously meticulous German colonel charged with capturing the Jewish soldiers.