Israeli satire television show Eretz Nehederet struck again on Tuesday night in its latest skit, where they took the audience back in time to the land of Judea to hear the story of Jesus, according to Berkeley.
Eretz Nehederet, Israel's version of Saturday Night Live, has been a cornerstone of Israeli humor and social commentary since its inception. With its sharp wit, cutting-edge humor, and fearless approach to tackling sensitive issues, the show has captured the hearts of viewers across the country.
Stranger Things star Brett Gelman put his rich comedic talent to use to support Israel during wartime by performing in a sketch on the comedy show.
The skit opens with a starry night in Bethlehem, Judea, the night Jesus was born, in year zero.
A knock is heard on the door to Miriam and Joseph's home, and three people in cloaks walk in. "Greetings Joseph and Miriam from Nazareth," the middle guy portrayed by Gelman in a green pant suit and cloak said. "The star of Bethlehem and GPS showed us the way to your door."
He then introduces himself and the other two people with him as "three wise men from the west." They took off their hoods to reveal the other two with brightly colored hair.
Miriam and Joseph try to kick them out nicely, saying that they've been visited already by "the three wise men of the east." The three visitors laughed and said, "With all due respect to these 'eastern wise men,' we're from Berkeley."
Joseph laughed and explained to them that the three wise men from earlier had told them that their son, Jesus, was going to be the king of all the Jews.
"You have to understand, Jews will only come to this land 1,948 years from now," the middle guy said.
"As a colonist power!" the pink-haired girl stated.
"Oh, I see someone's been paying attention to this semester," the middle guy said.
The students wonder how the Jews could kill someone when there are no Jews and ask if the Palestinians will kill him. "No Palestinian would ever hurt anyone, especially not Hamas." The professor promises their next class will be on "how the Jews could kill someone without even existing," and they head off to visit Santa Claus in "North Palestine," leaving a befuddled Miriam to say, "Jesus!"
As a way to try and convince them, the blue haired guy placed a kefiyah on Joseph and said, "That drip is fire."
Hollywood guest stars on the show
In an Eretz Nehederet sketch starring Michael Rapaport, the American celebrity visitor to Israel poked fun at US university presidents while playing Dumbledore in a Harry Potter-themed skit. The university heads had said in a congressional hearing that calls for genocide against Jews on campus were only a problem “depending on the context.”
One of the funniest and most popular Eretz Nehederet skits featured two clueless university students in America gushing over a Hamas terrorist who tells them that he will throw them from a rooftop if they ever visit Gaza.
American actor and comedian Michael Rapaport, an outspoken voice of support for Israel in the US, landed in Israel last week, where he headed straight for Hostage Square in Tel Aviv and followed this visit by taping an appearance on Eretz Nehederet.
As he walked around the Hostage Square, the place where families and friends of those taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 have created various exhibits to publicize their plight, he posted a video on his Instagram account, saying, “You know what’s crazy, if it were anywhere else in the world, it would be vandalized, which is so f**king ridiculous that all these posters and all this...people would rip this down. And the poster ripping....at the end of the day, it’s such a slap in the face, it’s so embarrassing, especially in my city of New York, it’s embarrassing that people have been doing that...Literally, this would get torn to shreds.”