Like any Israeli child, Or Mash knew what the sound of a blaring alarm meant: it was time to go to the bomb shelter. When she heard it, she rushed with her family and neighbors to the nearest shelter for safety. Everyone waited to see what would happen. The energy was very tense.
Then, a neighbor turned on the TV.
“A comedian on the screen was telling a joke,” said Mash. “All of a sudden, everyone started laughing, and the room’s vibe changed. The comedian took us out of our reality and into a magical place.”
At that moment, Mash saw the power of humor.
“That’s when I realized I wanted to do that,” she said. “I wanted to light up people’s faces and bring them together.”
Mash, who was raised in Ra’anana, served in the IDF and worked in business development for startup companies in Tel Aviv. At the time, she was just trying to be a good daughter.
“I wanted to make my parents proud, and I did well for myself,” she said. “But after a few years, the feeling of, ‘Am I missing something?’ lingered. I was curious to explore my real passions, but I wasn’t sure how I would make money from it, or how to start, but I knew I owed it to myself and Hashem to at least try.”
Pretty soon, Mash booked a one-way ticket to Los Angeles, even though she didn’t know a single person in California. She started playing at local comedy clubs like The Laugh Factory, The Improv and the Ice House, opened for Jeff Ross and enrolled in the prestigious UCLA Writers’ Program.
She then got her biggest break yet: she was tapped to join “Wild ‘N Out,” the improv and rap battle comedy show on Paramount+. On it, Mash acts in improv and sketch scenes and battles it out on stage with the other cast members. In a popular clip, a rapper was dissing Mash for not knowing English, and she hit him back with an insult in Hebrew that the crowd enthusiastically applauded.
Along with “Wild ‘N Out,” Mash is now producing content with her sister, Ophir; they go by the name The Mash Sisters. Their original web series “Needs” is about how they view American culture from their outsider, Israeli perspective, and it won awards at the London-Worldwide Comedy Film Festival and the Women’s Comedy Film Festival in Atlanta.
With her work on TV and the stage, the outgoing, energetic Mash tries to not only make people laugh, but also ensure they come away with a positive outlook on Israelis and Jews. She’s experienced antisemitism, but it mostly came from trolls online.
“I focus on bringing joy into people’s hearts and ignore the negativity,” she said. As a cast member of ‘Wild ’N Out,’ I get a huge platform. The cast and crew have created such a great environment and support me so much. I’m able to open people’s eyes.”
Instead of getting into it with the trolls, Mash focuses on making people laugh and sharing her talents with the world.
“What I learned from my Jewish culture is the best way to battle antisemitism is by being very good at what I do,” she said. [I’m] using the gifts Hashem gave me in the best way I can. I channel this philosophy throughout my career.”
“Wild ‘N Out” is, hopefully, the start of a huge career for Mash. She also plans to tour with her comedy, make music and star in movies. Currently, she’s working on two feature films and an original special.
“I want to continue to share the stage with the best comedic talent in the business, learn from them and push my creativity to the highest levels,” said Mash, who has worked alongside Bill Burr, Sarah Silverman and Marlon Wayans. “Comedy is so much fun, and I love being surrounded by it. I can proudly say I am living my dream, making people laugh on the TV screen just as the comedian in that bomb shelter had done for me.”
As a Jew, Mash turns to her faith to keep her grounded.
“I thank Hashem every day for blessing me with the opportunity to live my dream and create a legacy I’m proud of,” she said. “My name, Or, in Hebrew, means light, and that’s exactly how I want to be remembered: as a beacon of light.
