Laughing away terrorism for two decades

Laughter heals, said Maryellen Hooper, a 30-year veteran comedienne based in Orlando. “If you can laugh at yourself and your situation, it will make you stronger,” Hooper said. Hooper is one of 54 comedians who has brought laughter and catharsis to Anglos in Israel through Comedy for Koby, Israel's English-language comedy tour featuring top Hollywood standup acts. The tour benefits The Koby Mandell Foundation, founded by Seth and Sherri Mandell, whose 13-year-old son, Koby, was murdered by terrorists in May 2001. Koby went hiking with his friend Yosef Ish Ran in a canyon near the Mandells' home. There, in the cave, Arab terrorists stoned the two boys to death. It is not often that comedy shows have repeat performances. However, Comedy for Koby has proven its staying power for two decades and will kick off its 20th tour on November 24. The Mandells tell The Jerusalem Post Magazine that they established the foundation to help transform the cruelty of Koby's death into acts of kindness and hope. It provides healing programs for families struck by terrorism – including Camp Koby for children whose parents or siblings were murdered in terrorist attacks, and retreats for bereaved mothers. Comedy for Koby is the foundation's largest twice-annual fund-raiser, raising close to $1 million since its founding in 2008. “Comedy for Koby is the best joke ever thrown back in the face of terrorism,” said comedian Butch Bradley, a veteran of The Laugh Factory, The Improv, The Comedy Store, The Tropicana Comedy Stop, The Comedy Connection, and Comic Strip NYC. Bradley performed for Comedy for Koby in 2009 and 2012. “The greatest joke ever written is that we are still laughing and living.” Comedy for Koby is the brainchild of comedian Avi Liberman, who in 2004, from his Los Angeles home thousands of miles away, decided to visit Israel to entertain a nation battered by terrorism. He begged and pleaded with his professional colleagues to join him in the adventure, and a comedy show took place in Ra'anana. “At the end of that first show, some girl came up to me kind of matter-of-factly and said, 'Thank you. I haven't had anything to laugh about for a year,'” Liberman recalled. “I realized this comedy tour could be more important than I thought.” Liberman lost money on the 2004 show but gained enthusiasm about the prospect of producing an annual comedy show in Israel. He soon launched Stand Up for Israel, an effort designed to bring top-tier North American comics to Israel. Then he found additional donors and formalized his efforts by partnering with Israeli-based charities. The initial charity that he partnered with was Crossroads Center in Jerusalem, which works with troubled youth; benefits from ticket sales went to that charity. In 2008, the marriage between the Koby Mandell Foundation and Stand Up for Israel was made, and Comedy for Koby was born. The inaugural comedians were Michael Loftus, a regular on TruTV's The Smoking Gun Presents; Modi Rosenfeld (professionally known as MODI), of Comedy Cellar; and Chris Spencer, the first host of the syndicated late-night talk show Vibe. Koby loved jokes, said Seth Mandell of his son. Just before he was killed, he had downloaded 300 jokes from the Internet and would share those jokes at the Shabbat table. “He was 13 years old, and he liked to laugh,” said Mandell, who noted that the Mandells try to pick projects for the foundation to which Koby would have related, and they feel Comedy for Koby is in line with this goal. “We laughed even during the first Shabbat after the funeral – there we were, laughing,” said Mandell. “It was bittersweet, but we were laughing.” For the Mandells, Comedy for Koby has helped them to reintegrate into their Tekoa community. Mandell said that after they lost Koby, people looked at the family differently, continuing to feel sorry for them. “People look at us at shul or on the street, and we know that the first thing they think about is Koby,” said Mandell. “People would think 'those Mandells must be depressed and sad.' Now, they look at us and they see Comedy for Koby, something joyful and happy.” Comedy for Koby has also served as a catharsis for the Anglo community in Israel in general, which has experienced the trauma of wars and terrorism like all Israelis, but has fewer outlets in their native language. “When people see Seth and me laughing, we are evidence that you can rise from the pain,” said Sherri Mandell. “Everyone in this country needs to be reassured. This country is built on pain – a lot of pain and struggle – and you see you can let it go and be released through the comedy.” This is the philosophy of John Shuchart, author of Kids' Letters to Terrorists, Israeli Kids' Letters to Terrorists, and his most recent book, You are Not the Brightest of My Four Sons. The latter is the author's story of how humor saved him from mental illness and suicide. “Everyone loves to laugh,” Shuchart told the Magazine, “but it is difficult even to smile when you are sad, when you are living with trauma.” Shuchart added, “We unstick traumas by reframing them, trying to find some humor in the event or events that are haunting us. “Humor is the most effective way to reframing,” said Shuchart. “Comedians bring us laughter and they can help us reframe our traumas by making fun of life's experiences.” For Liberman, putting together Comedy for Koby is no easy feat. In the beginning, he literally had to implore his comedian friends to leave the relative safety of America and come to Israel – somewhere most of them had never even considered visiting – to stand on stage in front of audiences that might or might not get their comedy, and sometimes during a wave of war or terrorism. Sometimes comedians would agree but then pull out at the last minute, leaving Liberman to scramble to fill the lineup, but he said it has always worked out. When Hooper came in 2011, she brought her three-year-old toddler. “He was awake the whole time on the plane,” Hooper recalled. “When the men got up at sunrise and walked to the back of the plane to pray, my son started going, 'Woo! Woo! Ghosts!' I think I spent a lot of time trying to prevent an international incident.” Hooper tells a joke about how she was invited to an Israeli family's home for Shabbat dinner. “I thought it was because they liked me, but it was really just to serve,” she said of becoming the Shabbat goy. “They would say, 'You know, if you want to turn off the lights, we wouldn't say no.'” Bradley was taken by the beauty of Tel Aviv – specifically its women. “When you head to Tel Aviv, you are not thinking about terrorism but phone numbers,” he said. Israel has the most beautiful women in the world.” He loves to watch Tel Avivians play matkot (beach paddleball), which is played with two players who attempt to hit the ball back and forth as many times as possible, sometimes creating a high-risk environment. “Have you ever seen these Israeli guys play matkot in their little Speedo underwear?” Bradley asks. “I always say we should parachute the men and women who play matkot in to take out ISIS. I think they could take out ISIS in one hour, in their bathing suits, with just their matkot balls and paddles. They are like superheroes.” Liberman said it is always fun to see how the comedians react to Israel and to each other. Sometimes they all hang out together and other times they choose to tour on their own. He recalled how one comedian called his devout Christian mother from Israel to share with her about the holy places he'd been privileged to see. Another comedian spent much of his trip recalibrating his relationship with God. “It's like a museum you can walk through and touch everything,” said Bradley. Ultimately, while the comedians come to touch the lives of Israelis, they, too, often leave touched by Israel. Liberman said many of them become advocates and emissaries for the Jewish state simply by learning about Israel beyond what they learn from American media. Stand-up comedian Dwight Slade, who performed with Comedy for Koby in 2012, said, “Israel is dramatically different from what you see on the news. There is so much that people don't realize about Israel – from the unbelievable produce to the malls that are like any other Western place and everything in between.” Since coming to Israel, Slade has started sharing about Israel in his own stand-up acts. Similarly, after Ian Edwards came to Israel on 2011, he gushed over Israel for half of his set on the Conan O'Brien. “That guy reached millions in a split second,” said Liberman. Hooper said that as a comedienne, she thinks it is important to “use my power for good whenever I can.” Bradley said he, too, advocates for Israel because due to Comedy for Koby, now he can. He said he sees his comedic voice as a gift from God that must be used well. “Through these shows, Koby is remembered as someone who has brought strangers together to laugh,” said Bradley. “We all enjoy our evening, but everyone knows that we are fighting those people who are trying to steal our happiness from us. I am so proud to be a part of it.”

Laughing away terrorism for two decades

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