Chosen Comedy Festival Proves Its Staying Power

Last August, the Chosen Comedy Festival featured an impressive array of comedic and musical talent. After shows in Miami and Los Angeles, the festival returned to the Coney Island Amphitheater on August 8, and Elon Gold and Modi Rosenfeld once again showed their uncanny chemistry.

“Anytime me and Modi are on stage is pretty electric and magical and we have fun together,” Gold told the Journal. “It’s like nothing else. It’s special to riff and surprise my comedy brother. The stuff we prepared worked and the stuff we didn’t prepare worked.”

In his solo set, Gold was gut-bustlingly funny, doing a killer impression of former president Donald Trump, saying he likes to call his Jewish grandchildren “my little kneidlach,” that he did more for Israel than David Ben-Gurion, and that he could have built a golf course on the Golan Heights but chose not to, and joked that there are times when someone can do an act for you as long “as they have you in mind” like the Kiddush, of Friday night blessing over wine.

“Imagine if life worked that way,” Gold said. “ Like ‘you’re going to the gym, yeah, have me in mind. Alright?’ You’re at a restaurant. The check comes. Your friend takes out his credit card. ‘Do me a favor, have me in mind, would ya? I’ll tell you what, in two days, I’m getting a colonoscopy, and I’ll think about you.’ It could work as an excuse, right? Your wife catches you in bed with another woman? That’s okay, honey, I had you in mind.’”

Modi spoke about his husband, Leo, who is a mastermind in marketing, is technologically savvy, knows the best way to edit video or podcast clips, and is also 22 years younger.

“People ask me ‘do you think he married you for your money?’” Rosenfeld said. “I said, ‘are you out of your mind? I married him for technical support.’ I have no idea how to use my phone. The other day, he hits me with this-he says, ‘share your location.’ I said, ‘I’m right here.’”

He also said Leo doesn’t like to carry cash, while he insists on it, for a potentially lifesaving reason.

“In case the Nazis come, you can’t Venmo the guard,” Rosenfeld said. “You going to Apple Pay SSSchultz@thirdreich.gov?”

The event also featured Ari Shaffir, a Jewish comedian who has become a smash success. Though Jewish jokes have always been a staple of his act, much of his material is not Jew-centric. Yet his YouTube special, “Jew” is exactly that, getting as obscure as mentioning “batel b’shishim” which relates to whether or not a pot of meat can still be kosher if 1/60th of it is tainted with milk.

“Jew” has garnered more than 6.2 million views.

“When I was getting the material done, I knew what I was aiming for, I crossed every t and dotted every I,” Shaffir told the Journal. “I knew once I got it recorded it was really good. I knew people would love it.”

The host of the “Skeptic Tank” podcast said the Chosen Comedy Festival was unlike anything he’s done before.

“This is the largest number of Jews I’ve ever performed for,” said Shaffir, who will begin a tour across America, beginning in November.

Shaffir had the audience laughing, talking about a harrowing experience when was hiking and had to struggle to control his bowels. He also joked that his non-Jewish friends have a hard time understanding some Jewish rules of old, including a city of refuge (Ir Miklat) for those accidentally kill someone and have to “run to a city in the middle of nowhere.”

A highlight of the evening was the breakout performance of Eli Leonard, who has served as an assistant to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” legend Larry David. Leonard showed he is a star in the making, getting big laughs, including when he told the audience, “when it comes to being a face for the Jews, I look like all of you combined.” He also used great physical humor and said the notion that Jews killed Jesus was crazy, and it wasn’t believable “that we would kill our only carpenter.”

Leonard who has a Jew-fro, also joked about his appearance.

“When I take these glasses off, the nose doesn’t come with it,” he quipped.

He later balanced a bottle of wine on his head while wearing a black hat.

“I had to work on that for about 60 hours,” Leonard told the Journal.

As he did last year, Roastmater General Jeff Ross showed his comedic prowess, joking he looked like Voldemort’s lawyer. He also got serious and spoke of his uncle Murray, who liberated a concentration camp. Ross joined fellow Jewish comedian Dave Attell and, as they do in their Netflix show, “Bumping Mics,” they riffed and made fun of each other as well as Gold and Rosenfeld, who dished out some insults out as well. Ross had the best joke of all, saying that looking at the men on stage, it was akin to “Ugly Lives Matter.” Ross who is also a master of crowd work, properly mocked a man who obviously hasn’t gotten enough attention in life, and interrupted the show by passing up a lost credit card for no apparent reason.

Attell delivered a joke that was both powerful and sad, alluding to the increasing violence in New York City.

“I’ll be hosting a machete fight at the Quickstop on the corner,” he said. “It’s vaxed vs un-vaxed. It’s going to be awesome.

Eunji Kim talked about converting to Judaism. Kim, who is Korean, said she asked her son what a Jew looks like, and he said, “Asian.” She said she posted this on social media, and it went so viral, that when she was in in the hospital for her second C-section, the anesthesiologist asked her: “Do you do comedy?” She also said she has irritable bowel syndrome.

“When I converted, I went all the way,” Kim said.

Jessica Kirson had the crowd laughing with her impression of elderly Jews and said that in West Virginia, people were so white it was if they were see-through.

Also performing was Rich Vos and Orthodox comedian Eli Lebowicz, in a guest spot. Lebowicz, who has showcased his comedy at synagogues across America, had great jokes about explaining hat a lulav is at an airport as well as the unique Jewish male experience of having one’s yarmulka fall off at a urinal.

There were also musical performances by DJ Lady Blaga and Los Angeles based band Emotional Intelligence, but themusical highlight was Zusha. One of the top bands in Jewish music, the Hasidic soul-folk group that features both wordless songs, known as niggunim, as well as songs with lyrics. The group unveiled new songs, including “Or Zarua” with lead singer Shlomo Gaisin’s hypnotic voice filling the amphitheater, backed by guitarist Zachariah Goldschmiedt.

“It was great and a unique setting,” Gaisin told the Journal after patiently taking pics with a line of fans. “I’ve never performed as part of a comedy show but I think the joy of laughter and the joy of music go nicely together.”

The show was produced by Dani Zoldan, owner of Stand Up New York, with Gold, Rosenfeld, and Thrivewell Infusion with sponsorship by UJA Federation New York.

“It’s always a thrill to see Elon and Modi perform together,” Zoldan said. “We had a great group, Emotional Intelligence that is not yet so well-known, and Zusha, a group that is well-known and delivered a great performance. All the comedians were impressive. I take pride in seeing thousands of people laugh and have a special night out for unique show that combines comedy and music and we’re going to keep the festival going.”