Five hundred years after his ancestors were expelled from Spain, comedian Daniel Lobell returned — this time with his new bride and a camera crew. It wasn’t your typical honeymoon, but it was certainly an entertaining and educational one, resulting in the documentary “Reconquistador,” produced by Stand Up! Records and available for streaming on Amazon.
It’s true that Lobell’s ancestors were kicked out of Spain a long time ago, but the stand-up comedian doesn’t forget things like that so easily. He wanted to explore the city his family once called home and see what had changed over the past five centuries.
As it turned out, Jews are still something of a rare presence there and the few who live there — mainly the Chabad rabbi and his family — don’t take their security lightly.
“The rabbi heard that we were in town and were doing this film, so he invited us for Shabbat dinner at his house,” said Lobell. “We went there with four French tourists and another two guests. We walked from the synagogue to the rabbi’s house accompanied by two massive men with AK-47 guns. Everyone was looking at us, and I was thinking, ‘All we did was be Jewish.’ It showed me what it’s like to be a Jew in modern-day Europe.”
These armed security men were also present at the Chabad synagogue in Barcelona the Lobells visited, standing ready with their guns slung across their shoulders and a list of questions in hand.
“They grilled us to see if we are indeed Jewish before they allowed us in the shul,” said Lobell. “They asked us what is this week’s parsha and things like that. It was a very intense interview process.”
These entertaining scenes didn’t make it into the film, as Lobell is an observant Jew and won’t film on Saturdays. But there were plenty of funny encounters that did make the final cut.
In Girona’s Jewish museum, where Lobell was the only Jew present, a curious museum employee asked if he was someone famous.
Diplomatically, Lobell answered, “I think we’re all important people.” The employee wouldn’t let it go.
“But are you?”
“Sure, yes,” he replied.
Perhaps confused by the cameras following Lobell, the employee continued probing about his celebrity status.
“Who are you?”
Lobell, ever the stand-up comedian, replied: “You sound like my therapist.”
He had the idea to film a stand-up special that would include his visit to Barcelona — something of a history lesson about the time when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella exiled the Jews. He pitched the concept to Stand Up! Records, an independent comedy record label based in Minneapolis that produced his albums, and they gave him the green light.
Shortly after getting married to Jewish Journal Community Editor Kylie Ora Lobell in 2015, the couple boarded a flight to Spain along with a camera crew. It didn’t take long for Lobell to realize how challenging it is to be an observant Jew in Spain.
Most restaurants serve nonkosher food. He checked out local restaurants and found lots of pork dishes and seafood and the local favorite, jamón, a dry-cured ham. In his desperate quest for kosher food, he discovered that there was only one kosher restaurant in Madrid and one in Barcelona.
The film also features Lobell performing stand-up in Barcelona. The audience loves his material, roaring with laughter and appearing to understand all the anecdotes and jokes. There seemed to be no language barriers. Lobell later found out that a quarter of the crowd didn’t speak a word of English.
“The other three-quarters laughed enough to make up for it,” he said. “After the show, I asked them, through a translator, why they came if they didn’t understand English and they said, ‘We just thought it’d be interesting to see an American doing stand-up.’”
The show took place just one day after the deadly Paris attacks, when three suicide bombers struck outside a stadium during an international football match and other attackers targeted crowds at cafés and restaurants.
“Half of the people didn’t show up to my show because they were too afraid,” said Lobell. “After all, Spain is close to France. I wanted to mention that, but the label said it would make editing harder and it would time-stamp the show, so I didn’t.”
Despite everything, the show was a success and the entire experience so fascinating that Lobell is already thinking about a sequel — this time, perhaps in Israel.
“I’ve performed all over the world doing stand-up, and if we’re going back in time to explore our history, it makes sense to go back to Israel,” he said.
Since filming “Reconquistador,” a lot has changed in Lobell’s life. He welcomed three children into the world and continued performing all over the U.S. and the world, including Scotland, France and South Africa. He also has a podcast, “We Think It’s Funny,” with comedian Mark Schiff.
That experience of walking through the streets of Barcelona made an impact on him. It was an experience he still reflects on.
“I was walking in the streets of Barcelona thinking, at one point, it was my family who lived here,” he said. “There’s something profound in terms of how you feel as a Jew, walking around the place that decided it doesn’t want you. They want to get rid of you. It was a lot to take in, but I thought, hey, I’m back here and ready to conquer.”
“I’m back here and ready to conquer.”
Part comedy special, part history lesson, “Reconquistador” offers an entertaining and deeply personal journey through the past, showing how humor can illuminate even the darkest corners of history. It’s a unique blend of laughs and learning — proof that sometimes, the most meaningful stories come wrapped in punch lines.
Rent “Reconquistador” on Amazon
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