This is the worst time in my life for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. As my friend David said, “It’s 1942 again.” People are watching TV nonstop and many not sleeping. Many are in shock, and many are crying. But because they are Jews, most have continued to still eat well. They are Jews and they are not going to give up eating.
Just like firefighters who do not have the option of deciding whether they are going to put out a blaze, comedians do not have the option of not being funny during hard times. We need to be sensitive, but we need not stop being funny.
There, I did it. I joked about what was going on. So, should I stop being funny and making people laugh? Just like firefighters who do not have the option of deciding whether they are going to put out a blaze, comedians do not have the option of not being funny during hard times. We need to be sensitive, but we need not stop being funny.
The other day, when President Biden gave his strong speech about Israel’s ability to defend itself, I told someone, “The problem is that tomorrow he won’t remember he ever gave that speech.” A quick laugh, and then his pain returned. He said, “Thank you for the laugh.”
Performing during trying times is not new to me or other comedians. In the summer of 1944, Bob Hope and his fellow entertainers hopped from island to island in the South Pacific to entertain the troops. It was an emotional and dangerous journey for Hope and his colleagues. He gave more than 150 performances. Hope traveled with comedians, singers, and pretty girls. Some of the soldiers watching the shows may have lost fellow soldiers the same day. At one show, the self-deprecating Hope said, “We have a captive audience with military police guarding the gates so they can’t get out.” The soldiers would tell you that if it took their minds off the war, for even a minute, it was worthwhile.
I performed on a cruise ship in Alaska two days after 9/11. Believe it or not, people laughed mighty hard. I was on a USO tour days after the first Gulf War. We did shows in Kuwait and Bahrain on nuclear battleships and army bases in Sicily and Germany. There are few audiences with more gratitude than soldiers when it’s 110 -120 degrees in the desert, and you do a show outdoors with no microphone while standing on a wooden crate. I performed in Zagreb at the height of the war between Croatia and Serbia, I could hear bombs exploding just a few miles from my show. I know dozens of comics that did the same.
On October 7th, 2023, the day of the Pogrom, I was in Boston with Jerry Seinfeld. We were both very saddened by what we were hearing coming out of Israel. At that time, we had heard of 100 dead (but as we now know, there were many hundreds more yet to be discovered). We were playing two shows at The Wang Theatre, for 3,500 people each show, sitting and waiting to laugh. Back in the dressing room minutes before my show, I said to Jerry, “I can’t think about this Israel thing before I go on.” He nodded in agreement. Seconds before going out behind the curtain I said a prayer for Israel. Despite being in pain, we both did our job and delivered the goods.
After the show, I received this email:
“From Paul Leslie Subject: Mark Schiff
It was a tremendous thrill to witness you on stage in Boston. You are one of the funniest comedians I’ve seen! My wife also loved you.”
I was going to write back to him: “I’d love to meet your wife; she has good taste. Please send me her number and her days off.” See, another joke. My pain is no reason to keep you from laughing.
People need to laugh. I have never been to a shiva that did not include at least a small amount of laughter. People are forever coming over to comedians and thanking them. “Thank you for tonight; we needed to laugh.”
Worry not, I promise you that your favorite comedians, whether they are Jewish or not, will not stop being funny over this or anything else. Careful about what we say, perhaps, but to stop being funny is a resounding no. This is when we roll up our sleeves, dig in, and get to work.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Mark Schiff is a comedian, actor and writer, and host of the ‘You Don’t Know Schiff’ podcast. His new book is “Why Not? Lessons on Comedy, Courage and Chutzpah.”
