For Avi Liberman, bringing comedians to Israel was never only about stand-up. It was about giving people a break.
“In 2004, when things were really bad, I came up with the idea of just bringing comedians here to brighten the mood and give people a break from all the craziness that happens in this part of the world,” Liberman told ynet Global.
Comedy for Koby brings laughs, healing and global comics to Israel
(Video: Yaron Brenner)
Two decades later, Comedy for Koby is marking its 40th Israel tour, bringing foreign comedians to stages across the country in support of the Koby Mandel Foundation, which works with children and families affected by terror and traumatic loss.
“It sort of morphed into doing a show for a charity,” Liberman said. “Why not have people come laugh and at the same time let the proceeds go to a charity?”
This year’s lineup includes British comedian Nicholas De Santo, veteran American comic Bob Zany and comedian Rich Vos. For De Santo, an Iranian-Italian comedian based in London, the trip to Israel has been a striking change from the comedy scene he knows at home.
“I do this in London, and obviously it’s a very hostile environment if you are pro-Israeli, but also if you are pro-Trump or pro-Brexit or anti-immigration or pro-life,” De Santo said. “You make and break your bones in a tough situation with tougher audiences. Then I come to Israel and I was showered last night in Modi’in by so much love and appreciation.”
De Santo, who describes himself as “unwoke” and politically incorrect, said the reaction to his Israel visit has been overwhelmingly positive among his followers, many of whom know him from GB News, a conservative-leaning British television channel, and from his YouTube audience.
“People were so happy to see me and very thankful that I spoke truth and spoke in favor of Israel,” he said. “It was very flattering and really positive.”
Asked whether comedy today has become less about being funny and more about passing an ideological test, De Santo said that is “the danger.”
“It’s absolutely fine if comedy has a message,” he said. “But the risk is becoming preachy and becoming not funny. A lot of woke comedians have forgotten to be funny and they just want to preach.”
For De Santo, the comedian’s role is still to challenge power.
“Comedians, or people who did satire, the court jester if you like, were people who spoke truth to power,” he said. “Today the power is lefty, the power is woke. The rebels and the counterculture comedians are the ones promoting conservative values, Brexit or sovereignty for nations.”
Liberman said comedy in Israel has always drawn from the country’s difficult reality.
“They say comedy is tragedy plus time. There’s no answer to how much of each,” he said. “Israel, fortunately or unfortunately, has a lot of both.”
Still, he said, audiences in Israel do not necessarily come looking for political material.
“I tell them, just leave the politics out. They don’t want to hear it because you guys are inundated with it here,” Liberman said. “But Nicholas is just funny. I don’t think I would even view him as a political comedian. He just has great jokes. If it happens to have a tiny little bit of a political bent, that’s fine, but as long as it’s really funny, I don’t think anybody minds.”
Liberman said Israeli audiences remain one of the biggest reasons comedians agree to make the trip.
“Word got around that it’s a great audience and a great cause,” he said. “If you want to have a great audience with people who are really going to appreciate you, Israel’s a no-brainer.”
This year, however, finding comedians willing to come was harder than in the past.
“Absolutely,” Liberman said. “A few years ago, I had the opposite headache. It was comics yelling at me, ‘How come you haven’t taken me yet?’ which is the headache I wanted.”
The tour is being held as the Koby Mandel Foundation marks 25 years since its founding. The foundation was established by Rabbi Seth and Sherri Mandell after their 13-year-old son, Koby, and his friend Yosef Ishran were murdered in a terror attack in May 2001 while hiking near their home.
Today, the organization provides support programs for families coping with terror and bereavement.
“The Koby Mandel Foundation works with children of trauma,” Liberman said. “People think, is that a weird combination? But it’s sort of turned Koby’s name into something positive and something associated with joy. We thought that was a great idea. It’s been a good marriage ever since.”
The current tour opened in Modi’in on May 27 and continues with shows in Beit Shemesh, Gush Etzion, Zichron Yaakov, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ra’anana.
For Liberman, the formula remains simple: bring strong comedians, give Israelis a night to laugh and support families who need it.
“Israel is a place that always wants to laugh,” he said. “And if people can laugh while supporting people who need it now more than ever, that’s something worth being proud of.”