Comedian promotes Israel

On February 23 and 24, the American/Israeli comedian rounded out a North American tour, which included stops in Ithaca, NY, Chicago and Boston, with visits to Alberta’s largest Jewish communities, Calgary and Edmonton.

Shalom Life had the opportunity to take in Lovitt’s hilarious stand-up performance for the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, and to sit down with the rising star.

Lovitt, who writes the blog www.WhatWarZone.com, said, “It drives me crazy when people say Israel is a war zone. When people visit or move there they always say ‘What the heck was I so worried about?’ My shows are Israeli-centric and by the end of my show, people have a happy feeling about Israel and are inspired to visit.”

Lovitt’s routines, like his online articles and videos, show the lighter side of Israeli street life, security, culture and more.

'Israel is the place you have to come to'

Crossing the Atlantic is a pleasure for the young comedian, who has performed in other major centres including Toronto, Dallas, and Philadelphia, and relates well to North American audiences.

After graduating from university and working for a few years, Lovitt recounts that “Some people called me crazy for giving up my stable nine-to-five job in the dot-com sector, but I wasn’t satisfied. I felt a burning desire to return back to Israel and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life thinking ‘What if…?’ ”

His quest connected him with Young Judaea, an opening at the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta, and an eventual move to Israel, where he has lived for over three years. Many of us can relate to Lovitt’s experience in some way, shape or form. We all have a desire to make a difference, have meaning in the work we do, and meet interesting people along the way.

Lovitt’s advice: “If being Jewish means anything to you at all, Israel is the place you have to come to, if only for a visit.” He has never had any regrets with his decision. How many of us wish we could say the same?

For more information, visit www.BenjiLovitt.com