Iranian-Israeli Jewish Comedian's Video Goes Viral in the Arab World

Earlier this year we profiled stand-up comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi, the daughter of an Iranian-born Jewish mother, and a father who was born in Jerusalem to Holocaust survivor parents from Romania.

The politically active comedian joked about rapprochement between Israel, Arab states - and made a joke that went viral in the Arab world. She broadcast a proposal to "support her party" to none other than Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

The party is one that she jokingly created called Naama. 

“I’m starting a party called Naama, so we can work together for peace in the Middle-East. I know you don’t want to get involved in Israeli politics. But if you could support the Naama party - or just support Naama - that would be really great.” 

The joke was picked up by journalists and TV hosts in Arab media. “It is my dream as a comedian to make jokes that shift the power dynamics,” she told Haaretz in a recent interview. 

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

A Rare Comedy Find: Alan King Explains All the Middle East Conflicts

One of the pleasures in searching the Internet for funny Jewish videos is the unexpected discovery of gems in largely unknown old video clips.

While surfing on YouTube this week, we came across a video of an appearance by comedian Alan King in which he explained all the Middle East conflicts in a seven minute commentary that ends in a song and dance number.

Since the clip was made in the early 1980s, the explanations have no relevance today. Really? The more things change, the more they remain the same. The key players are all gone, but the game hasn't really changed much.

The video clip was made in the 1980s, but was just posted by Jack Abdo earlier this year. It shows a side of the great comedian that we never knew and never expected.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)