A Tight Twenty Minutes

It’s 12:30 p.m. Summertime and at least 109 degrees. Downstairs at the craps table, a round man with a fat lip yells, “Come on 7. Please God, one more time.” People pray more in Las Vegas than in a Buddhist monastery in Tibet. At a dimly lighted bar a few feet away, a man in a silk shirt is trying to cut a hooker’s price from $500 to $400 for an hour even though he only needs five minutes. She tells him okay, because she really likes him. He’s slightly drunk, so he believes her.

Meanwhile, in a hotel room high above the Vegas strip, with a view of his name on the hotel marquee, Avi Liberman washes his hands to say the hamotzi. It’s Shabbos in Las Vegas. Avi has a small pot of cholent that’s been cooking since last night. You can smell it in the hallway as it mixes with the marijuana and cheap colognes from other guests walking by.

Fast forward to May 23 at 7:54 p.m., when in the blink of an eye, the following message was sent to Eli Liebowitz, who then forwarded it to me.

“Hi. Sorry to messenger you like this, but I know you know Avi Liberman well and would like to know that he was in a car accident here in Miami. He is now in surgery and is in critical condition. Please pray for his refuah.” Like all of us comedians, Avi has died many times on stage. But this time he almost really died.

Avi was a passenger in a car that got T-boned. He joked that luckily the car he was in was a Volvo. The person driving walked away with a few broken ribs and spent no time in the hospital. Avi, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He remembers none of what happened to him. Fortunately, he was taken to the right hospital where the right doctor did the right operation. He underwent brain surgery and 35 staples were put in his head. He was in the ICU for almost a week. The left side of his face droops a bit, but the doctors all say that, in time, he will make a full recovery. Avi was told that if twenty more minutes had passed before he received medical care, he might have died.

The good news is that he did not die. And more good news is that he’s healing, albeit slowly, but nevertheless healing.

Avi is a religious Jew and a journeyman comedian who travels nonstop from one end of the world to the other just to make people laugh. No matter how many flights and layovers are required to get him to a gig, he rarely complains. He is grateful for the work. He is grateful to be a comic. He is also a serial performer when it comes to benefits. All you have to do is ask him. Avi would perform for a fundraiser even if all you had was postnasal drip.

For many years, Avi has taken a few comedians twice a year to Israel to raise money by performing for The Koby Mandel Foundation. And not just white, Jewish comedians but also black, yellow, Muslim, Christian and gay comedians. His only note to the comics is, “Easy on the lesbian stuff in Jerusalem.” Avi believes if he can just get a comic who’s never been to Israel to go to Israel, that he will make a new friend for life. Much like the Rebbe did, Avi is also changing the world one person at a time.

Avi was born in Israel and has dual citizenship with the U.S. A few years ago, he collected tzedakah (charity) from his friends to distribute in Israel. Avi, three comedians, and I went on that trip. We visited Sderot to distribute the money. At the time of our visit, Hamas was firing bombs into Sderot almost every day. We were warned that if the sirens went off, we would have only 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter. As part of our tour of Sderot, we were taken on a tour of a home that had been bombed the previous night. Later that day, we all went to different stores and gave away the money Avi collected. In his own way, Avi is a soldier for Israel and the Jewish people. He fights for Israel every day.

In his own way, Avi is a soldier for Israel and the Jewish people. He fights for Israel every day.

It’s been quite a challenging year for Avi. He was one of the first people I know who had COVID-19. For about two weeks every night, he would sweat so much that by morning, his sheets would be soaking wet. Now he knows what his audience feels like when he tries a new bit on them. But now, Avi is struggling with this new challenge.

Still, Avi is on the mend. He told me that right before Shabbos, a couple of Chabad guys came into his hospital room to help him bring in Shabbos. He said, “I friggin lost it.” Avi is a believer in God. He told me that he thought that this accident has a purpose—that it is meant to teach him something. He’s just not sure what that lesson is yet.

He told me that he thought that this accident has a purpose—that it is meant to teach him something. He’s just not sure what that lesson is yet.

I love working with Avi and have missed our time together during COVID.  In the next few months, though, Avi Liberman and I are booked again to do our standup acts together in Las Vegas and Reno. Avi makes Las Vegas and Reno more than tolerable. He also makes those cities fun. And he also works clean, which is rare for a comic these days.

I told Avi that I spoke with Harry Basil, the booker for the Las Vegas and Reno Clubs, a few days ago. Harry said he loves Avi and will wait until the last minute if necessary to replace him. When I told Avi what Harry said, once again, he lost it. The fact that a Las Vegas booker who does not have any obligation to be kind to him but was showing him love, was a big deal to Avi.

Avi has had people praying for him worldwide. He has people texting and calling and stopping by to see him. If he did not know it before, he sure knows it now. “Avi, you need to know you are one of the most beloved guys around. And that’s a good thing. That will help you heal. Maybe that’s one part of what God is trying to tell you.” We all love you Avi.

Mark Schiff is a comedian, actor and writer.