While the comedians may not be able to laugh their way to a Middle East peace breakthrough, they can at least be credited with trying to inject some humor into the area.
The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour will stop at Jerusalem`s Syndrome club on Hillel Street on Wednesday, January 24, the American Colony Hotel on Nablus Road on Thursday, January 25, and Hebrew Union College on King David Street on Wednesday, January 31.
Headlining the English-language shows are Chicago-born PA-American writer and comedian Ray Hanania, African-American and Jewish comedian Aaron Freeman, and two US-born Israeli comedians, Charley Warady and Yisrael Campbell. The emcee is native Israeli comedian and TV personality Shachar Chason.
Hanania is a columnist for the Tel Aviv daily Yediot Acharonot's English-language website ynetnews.com. He has been featured in and written for media such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Today Show, CBS, CNN and ABC.
“I don`t think humor or comedy by itself resolves conflicts,” says Hanania. “But it can help to change moods and attitudes. Having a Palestinian and Israelis on stage together sends out a clear message that we shouldn`t lose sight of the fact that Palestinians and Israelis do get along and that we have much in common.”
Freeman is a standup comedian, popular columnist, and radio commentator. His views on being a black convert to Judaism have made him a hit all across America, from colleges to Jewish groups.
Campbell is an Orthodox resident of Jerusalem, but he is more than a standard issue follower of religion. His one-man show, "It`s Not In Heaven," is a work of pure humor. Campbell was born Roman Catholic, and his show charts his course to where he is today, having made aliyah six years ago. He performs his show all over the world, appearing recently in London, and has toured the United States, with regular performances in Israel. The Philadelphia Inquirer described his show as "fits of laughter."
Warady headlined comedy clubs and colleges all across the US, appearing on both NBC and Comedy Central, before immigrating to Israel a decade ago. He has continued his career in Israel, performing in English as part of the Off The Wall Comedy series, targeting every aspect of life and politics in Israel. He runs the blog and podcast Israelisms.
Warady kibbitzes, “We will not have accomplished anything from this comedy show if we accomplish anything less than total peace and understanding in the Middle East, along with a two-state solution with the dilemma of Jerusalem solved.”
But Warady is realistic in his conclusions. “Are we setting our sights a bit high? Perhaps. Do we think it`s possible? Absolutely not,” he says. “Therefore, if we were to set the bar a bit lower, we`re just going to put on a very funny show that everyone is going to love.”
The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour is co-sponsored by Corner Prophets, an initiative that promotes co-existence between Israelis and Arabs through the creative arts.
For information about the shows, contact Warady at charleywarady@gmail.com or by phone at 052-240-0803.