Jews Are Funny
English Comedy in Israel is Skyrocketing
Comedy Heals
Throughout history, the Jewish people have brought laughter to this world. Using comedy as a survival mechanism for centuries, along with a traditional love of sharp wit and irony has resulted in a long chain of Jewish comedians who have breathed life and laughter into a world that’s often dark.
Jews are wildly overrepresented in the comedy space. A 1978 Time magazine article stated that “although Jews constitute only 3% of the U.S. population, 80% of the nation's professional comedians are Jewish.” The late, great Norm Mcdonald reportedly referred to the SNL writer’s room as “looking like a synagogue” in a 1997 Weekend Update.
You get the idea. Jews are funny, Jews want to laugh and make other people laugh. Whether it’s because we’re tortured souls who endure tragedies, or because we’re smart, Jews create good comedy through sharp analyses of reality.
In Israel, the center of all Jews, the comedy scene is strong and growing rapidly. A-list comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld, Brian Regen, Bill Burr, Louie C.K., and others have performed in sold-out stadiums in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv in recent years. You can find a comedy show in Tel Aviv almost any night of the week, in Hebrew or English. Bars by day turn into comedy clubs at night, with a no-holds-barred style of comedy that reminds you of the 90s. Throw in some hilarious crowd work, and you get mostly Jewish audiences roaring with laughter together, oftentimes even when the joke is on them.
Comedy for Koby
A core staple of the English language comedy scene in Israel is a bi-annual show called Comedy for Koby. Comedy for Koby was launched back in 2008 by comedian Avi Liberman, in partnership with the Koby Mandell Foundation. Avi’s dream of bringing high-level comics from the US to perform in Israel came together in a meaningful way when he met the founders of the Koby Mandell Foundation.
The foundation was established by Seth and Sherri Mandell in memory of their son Koby and his friend Yosef Ishran, who were murdered by a Palestinian terrorist while hiking near their home in Tekoa (near Jerusalem) in May 2001.
The Koby Mandell Foundation provides emotional support to bereaved families, which includes Camp Koby, a camp for children who have lost a member of their family. They also offer healing retreats, support groups, and counseling to families affected by terror and tragedy. Unfortunately, since Oct 7 the number of families who need the services provided by the foundation has greatly increased.
The Mandells responded to their personal tragedy with action and built an incredible force for good that ensures Koby’s name lives on through laughter and healing, and through the Koby Mandell Foundation, Comedy for Koby was born.
Avi Liberman had met PR power couple Dena and Jeremy Wimpfheimer of DJW Productions and the three of them together launched Comedy for Koby, which has turned into a consistent, powerful, funny source of laughter and support for the people of Israel. Twice a year, Avi recruits three other professional comedians (Jewish and non-Jewish) to join him on a whirlwind trip to Israel. They go on tour and perform high-quality standup comedy at venues in every city with a large Anglo population, with proceeds going to fund the essential services provided by the Koby Mandell Foundation. At the end of each show, the four comedians come onstage together to take questions from the audience and connect on a personal level.
I first heard about Comedy for Koby in 2009, and I was immediately hooked. Professional comedians coming to perform in my city, with the cost of tickets going towards an incredible cause? Sign me up! I went to the second-ever Comedy for Koby show in 2009, and haven’t missed a single once since then. It’s always a fun night out, and seeing Israel through the eyes of comedians of all backgrounds, many of whom are in Israel for the first time is often inspiring and of course hilarious. English comedy in Israel is a gem - all we have to do is show up.
Reasons to save your spot at the Spring Tour of Comedy for Koby today:
It’s an awesome night out with friends or family
Encourages the English comedy scene in Israel to continue growing
Supports an incredible cause that provides direct help to the people of Israel
Shows often sell out, don’t miss it!
English Comedy in Israel
The English comedy scene in Israel has been painstakingly built by a handful of comedians over the years and now attracts ex-pats and tourists from all over. Before the early 2000s, English comedy in Israel was almost non-existent.
In 2004, David Kilimnick launched “Off the Wall Comedy” in Jerusalem, the first-ever English language comedy club in Israel with English performances and open mic nights. Benji Lovitt was a regular on the show, and himself contributed to the start of English comedy in Israel, with performances throughout Anglo communities in Israel.
As the Anglo community in Israel grew rapidly, comedy in English finally had a place to land. In 2013, renowned Israeli comedians Yohay Sponder and Shahar Hason recognized that there was a need for English comedy in Tel Aviv and that they could reach so many more people if they created performances in English.
With a pioneering spirit and a willingness to break their teeth onstage, Sponder and Hason launched Funny Monday. Funny Monday takes place in English on Mondays at Bar Giora in Tel Aviv and gives off NYC comedy club vibes. Sponder and Hason interact with the crowd while performing their latest hilarious sets, and give spots to 2-3 other comedians per show, making it the hottest place for comedians in Israel to perform in English.
The unique and fun atmosphere of Funny Monday, along with incredible success on social media has resulted in a packed house every Monday, with an audience that’s a mix of tourists and citizens, Jews and non-Jews, and people from all over the globe on any given night. Yohay Sponder is now a world-class comedian, selling out theaters across Europe, the United States, Canada, and South America. His brilliant brand of comedy centers around a fierce pride in being Israeli and Jewish, and encourages others to embrace that pride as well.
Shahar Hason is a rising star in Israeli TV alongside his standup career, and as hilarious as he is online, nothing compares to seeing the physical comedy of him jumping around the stage in person.
Off the Wall Comedy Club, Comedy for Koby, Funny Monday and others have paved the way for new comedians to get their on-stage careers launched to a receptive audience. Deb Kaye, a hilarious mom of 4 boys, has jumped into the space in recent years, producing and performing comedy in Israel. She produces Anything 4 A Laugh, which are pop-up shows all over Israel, as well as a regular Tel Aviv comedy show called TLV Laughs which showcases a wide variety of fantastic comedians.
Comedy in War
After Oct 7 the people of Israel were of course in shock. Normal life as we knew it ground to a halt, and the entire nation turned its skill sets and focus towards defending our country, supporting the victims and those on the front lines, and caring for the families of those most deeply affected by Oct 7.
As time went on, and a “new normal” began to settle in, many turned to comedy for relief and healing, as our ancestors have done throughout history. Comedians in Israel joined the nation in donating their skills for the good of the people, and comedy shows returned to life. Comedians traveled the country to perform at army bases, bringing relief to hard-working soldiers, and then performed in the cities, giving the soldiers’ parents and siblings a place to laugh through their pain and worry.
As an American fan of comedy living in Israel for the past 22 years, watching the explosion of English comedy take place here has been incredible, and I’m excited to see what comes next.
Note: This article was written by myself, a real person. AI was not involved in the wording of this article.
I’m glad AI was not involved. Believe me, your thoughts are so much better than anything a machine could come up with!