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Comedian Sarah Silverman hits the streets of Manhattan in search of Jewish allies
(New York Jewish Week) — Amid reports of rising antisemitism, comedian Sarah Silverman, who’s currently guest-hosting “The Daily Show,” took to the streets of Manhattan in search of Jewish allies — or “pro-Semitism,” as she calls it.
In a charming spot, which aired on Wednesday night’s episode of “The Daily Show,” the Jewish funnywoman stands in front of the Union Square Greenmarket. “There’s been a rise in antisemitism,” she says. “I’m hitting the streets looking for a little pro-Semitism. Let’s hope it doesn’t end in a hate crime.”
In a series of person-on-the-street interviews, Silverman asks New Yorkers what they like about Jews.
“They make bangin’ Christmas albums,” comes the first (and rather clever) response from a young woman.
“What is there not to love about Jews?!?” says an enthusiastic man. “The food, the culture, the celebrations.”
Silverman also encounters “a big group of men” — tourists from Belgium — who are perplexed by the comedian’s phrasing when she asks them if they’ve done any “Jewy” things during their visit to New York City.
So, she tries a different tactic. “Have you eaten a bagel?” she asks.
The guys respond enthusiastically with a wave of “Oh, yeah. Of course! Of course!”
“Jews!” she responds.
“Have you ever been vaccinated for polio?” she asks next. When they respond in the affirmative, she yells again, “Jews!”
Over the next few minutes, Silverman discusses famous Jews — including Idina Menzel, Barbra Streisand and Doja Cat — with passersby. “She should be Doja Katz, probably,” she quips.
After teaching a young man a Yiddish phrase, Silverman is seen asking folks if they’re willing to be an ally to the Jews. “What would you do to protect me?” she asks the Belgian dudes, one of whom responds: “I would light the menorah with you.” Silverman is duly impressed.
The spot ends with Silverman explaining her mission to another man who is wearing a knit cap and sunglasses. “I don’t believe you should hate on anybody,” he says. “Just bring love.”
Silverman is among at least three Jewish comedians who have been tapped to guest host the Comedy Central juggernaut since Trevor Noah hosed his last “Daily Show” on Dec. 8. Chelsea Handler sat in the chair earlier this month and Al Franken, who had a long “Saturday Night Live” career before becoming a U.S. senator in 2009, is slated to host March 20 through 23.
As for Silverman, whose last guest-hosting stint is tonight, she’s become a popular internet presence through her podcast and social media accounts following the cancellation of her Hulu show, “I Love You, America,” which ran from 2017 though 2019. Known for being very public with her Jewish identity, she helped popularize the controversial term “Jewface” to describe non-Jewish actors being cast in Jewish roles.
Later this month, Silverman is set to embark on a standup comedy tour, “Grow Some Lips” — which will include a stop at the Beacon Theater in New York on March 16. If you’d like to enter a New York Jewish Week giveaway to win a pair of tickets to the show, head on over to our Instagram page.
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The post Comedian Sarah Silverman hits the streets of Manhattan in search of Jewish allies appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Tucker’s Ideas About Jews Come from Darkest Corners of the Internet, Says Huckabee After Combative Interview
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on during the day he visits the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – In a combative interview with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, right-wing firebrand Tucker Carlson made a host of contentious and often demonstrably false claims that quickly went viral online. Huckabee, who repeatedly challenged the former Fox News star during the interview, subsequently made a long post on X, identifying a pattern of bad-faith arguments, distortions and conspiracies in Carlson’s rhetorical style.
Huckabee pointed out his words were not accorded by Carlson the same degree of attention and curiosity the anchor evinced toward such unsavory characters as “the little Nazi sympathizer Nick Fuentes or the guy who thought Hitler was the good guy and Churchill the bad guy.”
“What I wasn’t anticipating was a lengthy series of questions where he seemed to be insinuating that the Jews of today aren’t really same people as the Jews of the Bible,” Huckabee wrote, adding that Tucker’s obsession with conspiracies regarding the provenance of Ashkenazi Jews obscured the fact that most Israeli Jews were refugees from the Arab and Muslim world.
The idea that Ashkenazi Jews are an Asiatic tribe who invented a false ancestry “gained traction in the 80’s and 90’s with David Duke and other Klansmen and neo-Nazis,” Huckabee wrote. “It has really caught fire in recent years on the Internet and social media, mostly from some of the most overt antisemites and Jew haters you can find.”
Carlson branded Israel “probably the most violent country on earth” and cited the false claim that Israel President Isaac Herzog had visited the infamous island of the late, disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“The current president of Israel, whom I know you know, apparently was at ‘pedo island.’ That’s what it says,” Carlson said, citing a debunked claim made by The Times reporter Gabrielle Weiniger. “Still-living, high-level Israeli officials are directly implicated in Epstein’s life, if not his crimes, so I think you’d be following this.”
Another misleading claim made by Carlson was that there were more Christians in Qatar than in Israel.
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Pezeshkian Says Iran Will Not Bow to Pressure Amid US Nuclear Talks
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2025, in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025. Iran’s Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that his country would not bow its head to pressure from world powers amid nuclear talks with the United States.
“World powers are lining up to force us to bow our heads… but we will not bow our heads despite all the problems that they are creating for us,” Pezeshkian said in a speech carried live by state TV.
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Italy’s RAI Apologizes after Latest Gaffe Targets Israeli Bobsleigh Team
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics – Bobsleigh – 4-man Heat 1 – Cortina Sliding Centre, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – February 21, 2026. Adam Edelman of Israel, Menachem Chen of Israel, Uri Zisman of Israel, Omer Katz of Israel in action during Heat 1. Photo: REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
Italy’s state broadcaster RAI was forced to apologize to the Jewish community on Saturday after an off‑air remark advising its producers to “avoid” the Israeli crew was broadcast before coverage of the Four-Man bobsleigh event at the Winter Olympics.
The head of RAI’s sports division had already resigned earlier in the week after his error-ridden commentary at the Milano Cortina 2026 opening ceremony two weeks ago triggered a revolt among its journalists.
On Saturday, viewers heard “Let’s avoid crew number 21, which is the Israeli one” and then “no, because …” before the sound was cut off.
RAI CEO Giampaolo Rossi said the incident represented a “serious” breach of the principles of impartiality, respect and inclusion that should guide the public broadcaster.
He added that RAI had opened an internal inquiry to swiftly determine any responsibility and any potential disciplinary procedures.
In a separate statement RAI’s board of directors condemned the remark as “unacceptable.”
The board apologized to the Jewish community, the athletes involved and all viewers who felt offended.
RAI is the country’s largest media organization and operates national television, radio and digital news services.
The union representing RAI journalists, Usigrai, had said Paolo Petrecca’s opening ceremony commentary had dealt “a serious blow” to the company’s credibility.
His missteps included misidentifying venues and public figures, and making comments about national teams that were widely criticized.