(4) A Serious Conversation About Comedy, with Avi Liberman

Defining Moments

In an article about Jewish Comedy Sarah Groustra writes:

"Arguably, the most important aspect of Jewish comedy is release. Judaism is diasporic, which brings with it a legacy of restlessness, fear, and loneliness. The diaspora leaves in its wake the stereotype of neurotic Jewish parents who instill fear of persecution in their Jewish children. Jewish comedy serves to mitigate the tension of living in a world where your background is not always accepted. Jewish comedy is a break, a chance to breathe—a release. I see it as a specific form of catharsis, the 'cleansing' or 'purging' of emotions that we feel in the wake of consuming art. Although the idea of catharsis was originally used by Aristotle to define audiences’ feelings of renewal after witnessing tragedy onstage, comedy can certainly renew us in similar ways."

Comedian Avi Liberman has been making audiences laugh for decades. In the Jewish community he is well known for his comedy for Koby shows, where he brings mostly non-Jewish comics to Israel to raise funds for the Koby Mandell Foundation. Avi was in Israel on October 7th, and shortly thereafter started performing for soldiers and parents of soldiers.

In this conversation, he and I discuss whether comedy is appropriate during times of tragedy, how comedy can help us cope, and even sometimes show that we won’t let those who hate us defeat us.

We also talked about how a comic develops his material, what it feels like to make people laugh, and much more. Join us for a serious talk about comedy.

Make sure you go to comedyforkoby.com to get your tickets for the October shows in Israel . All funds go to the Koby Mandell foundation, which helps bereaved mothers, fathers, widows, orphans and siblings to rebuild their lives and create meaning out of suffering.