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The new Anne Frank musical wants you to laugh at ‘woke culture’ — but is it funny?
Reactions to Slam Frank, Andrew Fox’s musical satire in which Anne Frank is rewritten as a Latinx pansexual girl named “Anita,” have been mixed. Some have called it a timely, comedic takedown of cultural hypersensitivity while others see it as a shonda to the memories of Holocaust victims. In interviews, Fox has refused to break the character of a playwright obsessed with woke culture, so there is no insight from him to understand the musical. Somehow, the show resists fitting neatly into any understanding of humor, making it hard to know exactly who — or what — you’re supposed to be laughing at.
In his 1655 book The Element of Law Natural and Politic, Thomas Hobbes explains humor through what he calls “superiority theory,” which argues that “laughter is nothing but sudden glory arising from some sudden conception of eminency in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmity of others.”
There’s also self-deprecating ethnic humor, where one makes jokes about their own ethno-racial group, often highlighting historically demeaning stereotypes or characteristics. In his book Ethnic Humor in Multiethnic America, scholar David Gillota describes it as a “psychological defense mechanism” that takes the power of aggression away from the dominant group since jokes about a minority community are being made by its own members.
Then there’s “culturally intimate humor” which SUNY Farmingdale professor Evan S. Cooper defined in his dissertation “I don’t get It?: Culturally Intimate Humor and Its Audiences,” as a familiar use of culturally specific stereotypes in a positive manner. Contemporary scholars have argued that some ethno-racial humor is a way for minorities to create group solidarity and make fun of the dominant culture, a tactic which Cooper calls “protest humor.”
Because Slam Frank pokes fun at so many identities using a diverse cast and crew, it is impossible to put it neatly into any one category of humor.
Take the scene where the cast members, wearing black hats and plastic hook noses, rub their hands together under red lights as they sing about colonizing Palestine and being able to charge high rent. Is it self-deprecating humor — a Jewish writer making fun of those who have turned the search for a holy land into a capitalist cash grab? Is it protest humor, using a caricature of how some anti-Zionists might imagine a Jewish cabal making fun of the ridiculous fantasies of antisemites? Is it superiority humor that is painting religious, Zionist Jews as somehow morally inferior? It’s impossible to know — and that’s part of what makes it so hard to know how to react, making for an awkward viewing experience.
If you understand the jokes about neurodiversity and pronouns as a form of protest humor against “woke culture,” does that mean the playwright sees political correctness as the dominant narrative in our society right now? In an age where diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are being targeted by the federal government and political lobbyists have suggested trans people should be considered a terrorist group, the idea that fighting inclusive culture is punching up feels ignorant. But at the same time, even among the left and among those whose identities are under attack — people who make up the cast and crew of Slam Frank — there seems to be an exhaustion with identity politics’ overpolicing of who can say what.
The jokes take on a whole new life in some of the merchandise. Among the items available for purchase in the lobby are t-shirts featuring a photoshopped image of Anne Frank as a nightclub DJ, trucker hats that say “Problem Attic,” and kippot with the Slam Frank logo — a yellow Star of David where the top point has been replaced with a silhouette of Frank, a la Hamilton’s iconic symbol. Unless you confront a wearer on the street, it will be hard to know why the person feels the need to advertise the show. Did they love the musical so much because of its mockery of antisemitism? Or were they enthralled by the takedown of Zionism? Or are they just celebrating a show that made them laugh?
When it comes to Slam Frank, it seems that the only true conclusion is that there is no certain message, which is frustrating for audiences who want to understand what they’re watching. It is particularly hard when we’re living in a time where society seems to constantly demand we proclaim a socio-political opinion on everything.
As a musical, Slam Frank actually holds its own, with pretty catchy — if not politically correct — songs and good performances. But every time I was compelled to laugh with the audience, my amusement was mixed with apprehension and guilt. I knew why I thought the overdone Black American Accent and caricatured Jewish stereotypes were funny; but it’s hard to relax when you don’t know if the rest of the audience is laughing with you or at you.
The post The new Anne Frank musical wants you to laugh at ‘woke culture’ — but is it funny? appeared first on The Forward.
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Families of Deceased US Hostages Still Held by Hamas in Gaza Call for Maximum Pressure to Ensure Return of Sons’ Bodies
Ronen and Orna Neutra, parents of US-Israeli citizen Omer Neutra who was killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, speak accompanied by their family, as Hamas continues to hold Omer’s body hostage in Gaza, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, US, Oct. 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon
Despite widespread celebration over the release of the last 20 living Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has still not handed over the remains of 19 deceased hostages, including the bodies of two Americans with dual citizenship.
The families of Itay Chen, 19, and Omer Neutra, 21 — both American-Israeli dual citizens who were born in the US and served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) — are intensifying calls for the return of their sons’ remains more than two years after they were murdered during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.
“My son, Itay Chen, is still in Gaza and we have no confidence he will be returned soon, as the deal signed does not provide guarantees that all the hostages will return this week. And until he, and every last hostage, is home, our fight is not over,” Chen’s father, Ruby, wrote earlier this week in an op-ed for USA Today, referring to the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage-release deal that halted fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists from Gaza kidnapped 251 hostages and murdered 1,200 people during their Oct. 7 rampage. All the living hostages still in captivity were released on Monday as part of the ceasefire. However, the Palestinian terrorist group has still not handed over the remains of 19 out of the remaining 28 deceased hostages, violating its obligation under the agreement to release everyone who was abducted during the Oct. 7 atrocities.
Israel has demanded full compliance with the ceasefire, accusing Hamas of flouting its terms. Hamas claims the destruction of Gaza has made locating all the bodies unfeasible, saying that “significant efforts and special equipment” are necessary to continue the search.
“Israel has made this mistake before. Following previous wars, the government failed to bring home several captured soldiers, even when the world promised to help. Some of those soldiers’ remains have been lost forever. We cannot allow history to repeat itself,” Chen wrote.
Neutra’s father, Ronen, has expressed similar sentiments.
“I expect the United States to exert strong pressure on the mediators,” Neutra told Fox News Digital. “We’ve heard that Washington has spoken directly with Hamas in Egypt, and we demand full implementation of the agreement — or serious consequences: halting humanitarian aid, and stopping the movement of goods and people through the Rafah crossing.”
“Our expectation is for President Trump to ensure that the two American citizens still held by Hamas — our son Omer and Itay Chen — are brought home for burial,” he continued. “After two years of fighting for this, we deserve closure — and our son deserves proper burial in the land he loved and defended.”
Neutra added that he met with Trump on Monday and said the US president “assured us he would do everything to bring our children home.”
US Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) on Wednesday released a statement praising the release of the 20 living hostages while calling attention to the remaining captives in Gaza, adding that Israelis deserve both protection and honor in life and death.
“As we build on the progress we made with the first stage of the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, I urge President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to keep applying pressure to fulfill the deal’s terms to return the remains of the deceased hostages still held in Gaza – especially the two Americans among them, Itay Chen and Omer Neutra,” Hoyer said.
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‘Fresh and Fit’ host Myron Gaines defends leaked GOP antisemitic group chat: ‘Yeah, we like Hitler’
Myron Gaines, co-host of the popular podcast “Fresh and Fit” which is known for frequently airing antisemitic content, defended a leaked group chat where Young Republicans operatives praised Adolf Hitler.
“Yeah we like Hitler. No one gives a f–k what you woke jews think anymore,” wrote Gaines, whose real name is Amrou Fudl, in a post on X Wednesday replying to another post decrying Vice President J.D. Vance’s defense of the group chat.
“Bro was a revolutionary leader and saved germany,” Gaines’ post continued. “The jews declared war on Germany first. If can israel deny a genocide with 4k video proof, I’m questjoning everything you guys have said about the painter during WW2.”
While condemnation for Gaines resounded in the replies to his post, later that night, Gaines posted a photo of himself superimposed on an image of Adolf Hitler, responding to Politico’s post of its exposé by writing, “Hitler was a real n—a and no one gives a f–k what stupid outlets you fruit loops say.”
Like many products of the conservative “manosphere,” Gaines’ podcast, which he co-hosts with Walter Weekes and has over 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube, centers on misogynistic views about dating and gender roles. It has also increasingly embraced antisemitic conspiracy theories since the summer of 2023, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
In July 2023, Gaines, who authored a book titled “Why Women Deserve Less,” hosted antisemitic influencer Sneako and far-right commentator Nick Fuentes for an episode that centered on Holocaust denial.
The following month, “Fresh and Fit” was demonetized by YouTube for “repeated violations” of its policies, and last July, a podcast episode on Rumble where guests blamed Jews for the Holocaust was taken down by the platform.
During a speaking engagement last April at Pennsylvania State University, where Gaines was met with student protests, he claimed to his audience that there were “Zionist fingerprints all over” the 9/11 terror attacks and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
On his X account, he frequently refers to Jews as “kikes” and espouses conspiracy theories that Jews control the “media and the narrative.”
“Do you not see that jews engineer or pioneer every destructive industry into western civilization? Feminism, marxism, communism, transgenderism. pornography, usury. All of these things are completely antithetical to Christ,” wrote Gaines in a post on X in August. “Also, they killed Jesus, reject his divinity, and are currently trying to bring their messiah who is your antichrist and you’re allowing it to happen…”
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The post ‘Fresh and Fit’ host Myron Gaines defends leaked GOP antisemitic group chat: ‘Yeah, we like Hitler’ appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Oxford Student Arrested Over Viral Antisemitic Chants, Sparking Outrage, Concerns Over Campus Antisemitism
An Oxford student is seen chanting antisemitic slogans at a pro-Palestinian march in central London, an incident captured on viral video that has drawn widespread condemnation. Photo: Screenshot
An Oxford University student has been arrested and suspended after a viral video showed him chanting “put the Zios in the ground” at an anti-Israel demonstration — an incident that has sparked public outrage and heightened concern over rising antisemitism on university campuses.
As part of a police investigation into chants at a Palestine Coalition march in central London on Saturday, local authorities arrested a 20-year-old student on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.
The student, identified as Samuel Williams, a philosophy, politics, and economics major at Balliol College, has been suspended by the university pending further investigation.
Local police confirmed that Williams remains in custody after being arrested on Wednesday for allegedly leading antisemitic, anti-Israeli chants captured in viral social media videos.
The day after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel went into effect in Gaza, Williams was filmed at an anti-Israel protest leading a crowd in antisemitic slogans, telling demonstrators the chant had been “workshopped” in Oxford.
“A steadfast and noble resistance in Palestine and in Gaza to look to, to be inspired by and — I don’t want to yap for too long — but a chant that we’ve been workshopping in Oxford that maybe you guys want to join in,” he says in the video.
“It goes ‘Gaza, Gaza makes us proud, put the Zios in the ground,’” he continued.
pic.twitter.com/rKwKtHlurp
Listen to what the “best and brightest” are chanting at Oxford University.
An Oxford student proudly shares a chant they’ve been “workshopping”:
”Gaza, Gaza, make us proud, put the Zios in the ground.”This isn’t education; it’s indoctrination into…
— Yossi BenYakar (@YossiBenYakar) October 12, 2025
“Zio” is an antisemitic slur brought into prominence by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. While the term, derived from “Zionist,” has generally been deployed by white supremacists and other far-right extremists, it has more recently been used as well by anti-Israel activists on the progressive far left to refer to Jews in a derogatory manner.
Williams can also be seen in the video leading a crowd carrying signs that read, “Oxford University, pick a side: justice or genocide,” in an apparent effort to erroneously accuse Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and to blame the school for being complicit.
The university confirmed the student’s arrest and said it was taking appropriate action in response to the matter.
“The University of Oxford condemns, in the strongest possible terms, any language urging violence against groups of people or expressing any form of racial hatred,” a university spokesperson said in a statement.
“While the university cannot comment on individual student cases, it has the power to take immediate and proportionate action including, as appropriate, suspending a student from membership of the university, whenever serious concerns are raised,” the statement read.
“Oxford University is unequivocal: there is no place for hatred, antisemitism, or discrimination within our community, and we will always act to protect the safety and dignity of our students,” it continued.
This latest incident came after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week warned that the government may consider stricter protest laws, potentially targeting chants at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, amid an increasingly hostile environment toward the local Jewish community in Britain.
Starmer strongly condemned the incident, accusing the university of acting too slowly to tackle antisemitism and safeguard Jewish students.
“Universities should not be places where Jewish students fear even attending, in some cases avoiding university altogether and the education they are entitled to, or, if they do attend, feeling concerned about their identity and how they will be treated,” the British leader said in a statement.
British Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also condemned the incident, saying there had been an “unacceptable increase in antisemitism” at universities and noting that many Jewish students do not feel safe on campus.
She also announced that the government is funding training to help staff and students “tackle this poison of antisemitism” and called on universities to strengthen protections for Jewish students.