If you are a famous Jew-hater, get ready to feel the burn!
Top Jewish comedians will take the stage at The Saban Theatre on June 14 as part of “The Roast of Anti-Semitism.”
“Roastmaster General” Jeff Ross, Howie Mandel and Elon Gold are some of the big names that will be performing. The show will be produced by Rakia Media — named after the Hebrew word for the place of God that hovers over the universe — in collaboration with Stand Up NY.
(Photo by Perry Bindelglass)
While there have been roasts of everyone from former President Donald Trump to Pam Anderson to Justin Bieber, this is believed to be the first one taking a concept to task.
“I’m obsessed with finding the funny in hate because then you get to expose the ignorance and bigotry,” Gold told the Journal. “Mel Brooks said mocking Nazis was his only weapon to fight back.”
Asked what he would say if Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, was sitting in front of him, Gold said he’d tell him “Love your raps, not your insane rants.”
Gold said unfortunately with so many offenders, there will be a number to choose from, including Roger Waters, who recently fanned the flames of antisemitism at a concert in Berlin.
“I like dispelling stereotypes more than doing Kanye jokes,” Gold said. “You can get a laugh, but it’s a teachable moment and a great way to get into the psyche of anyone is through humor, they don’t realize they’re being taught a lesson.”
Gold said he is extremely angered by antisemitism, and nobody should get the wrong idea that it is being taken lightly.
“Our people have been through a lot and over the last few years felt antisemitism has been palpable. This is a night to sit back, relax and have a few laughs. We’re not minimizing that this is out there in a real way and people can feel it. We’re recognizing how much of it is out there and tackling it head on.”
Rakia Media head Ari Daniel Pinchot, producer of films “The Ides of March” with Ryan Gosling and George Clooney, “Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story” a documentary about the planner of the Entebbe rescue and brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “The Butler” starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.
“All of the events that happened, from Kanye to the rise of antisemitism, were coming from everywhere, and people were sending their support and hopes and prayers,” Pinchot told the Journal. “We just thought more could be done.”
Pinchot — who runs the company with his son Jonah, a former paratrooper in the IDF — said people may not realize the impact of comedians on society.
“They really are the frontline warriors against prejudice and against hatred,” Pinchot said. “These are the people we need to push back against the recent wave of antisemitism. Each comedian is going to come in and talk about the tropes, the hypocrisy and the craziness behind this sanctioned evil. We’re hoping it’s a fresh way to attack it and we hope it will be impactful … The message is always more digestible when it is coated with something entertaining. …
“We wanted to go on the offense against antisemitism. We thought it would be a good opportunity to let comedians have at it.”
The event will also include actors Michael Rapaport (“Higher Learning”), Rachel Bloom (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”), and comedians Jessica Kirson —who was wowed the crowd at The Chosen Comedy Festival — Triumph The Insult Comic Dog and Yamaneika Saunders, a talented comic who recently appeared in the Hulu’s “Life and Beth” alongside Amy Schumer, and other special guests.
Who will be mocked? Ye, of course, as well as NBA star Kyrie Irving, who tweeted his support for an antisemitic film and perhaps even CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour, who has been blasted for calling a terrorist attack that killed Lucy Dee and her daughters Maia and Rina as a “shootout,” though she later said she meant to say shooting.
The Chosen Comedy festival will return to Brooklyn’s Coney Island Amphitheater on August 8, hosted again by Modi and Gold, while on July 29, Gold, Talia Reese, Eli Lebowicz, Olga Namer and Eli Leonard will travel to New York’s Catskill mountains (once renowned as the “Borscht Belt”) for a show at The Kartrite Hotel. Additional shows will be announced.
Statistics show a rise in antisemitism, including violent attacks on Jews in New York City and Los Angeles; there has also been an increase in antisemitic comments online, while on college campuses, “anti-Zionism” has become a code word for antisemitism.
As for “The Roast of Anti-Semitism,” Dani Zoldan, the owner of StandUp NY and producer of the Chosen Comedy Festival, said the task of fighting against Jew-hatred is difficult.
“Many individuals and groups have been fighting antisemitism in their own way and this is just my unique way of contributing to the cause,” Zoldan said. “Every bit helps.”
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