One week after the launch of Operation Roaring Lion and on a day saturated with missile alerts in Tel Aviv – including hits from Iranian ballistic missile shrapnel on buildings – a neighborhood bar in one of the city's most vibrant quarters, Florentin, began filling up with young people. Despite the fact that the country is deep in war, and despite a missile alert that caught many of them en route, they showed up to an event that was, surprisingly, sold out precisely now – and yet completely ordinary at any other time: a stand-up comedy show, "Live from the Mamad [Hebrew for in-house bomb shelter]."
The show, "Anonymous Comedy," held in the basement of "Alpaca Bar" in Tel Aviv, brought together comedians from across the spectrum: those born and raised here, like Matan Peretz and Ben Baruch; those who immigrated to Israel, like show producer Mo Braun; and even a Jewish-American comedian from New York, Eitan Levin, who had come for a visit and found himself caught up in a war – performing a roughly one-hour set while outside, reality was beyond belief. The show made no attempt to escape that reality. On the contrary, it did what Jews have long specialized in during moments of crisis or existential threat: humor.
And so, even though the audience had to be briefed on where to take shelter in the event of a siren – and despite the occasional glance at a phone and the quiet question of when the next alert might catch them mid-show – a group of young Israelis sat together with drinks and snacks, and laughed at the most unfunny situation in the world.
"I think that Jews, historically, have found humor in very dark corners of the world," Braun says. "We connect through laughter. We all need a laugh." That thinking led him to run the show at a ticket price set only to cover the venue's costs – with each ticket including a complimentary drink or snack.
Although the show is in English, the two evening sets – both completely sold out – drew a mix of Olim and native Israelis. Over the past week – and in general – whether in coffee shops, at Purim parties, or at weddings in bomb shelters, or even at underground stand-up shows, Israelis have been proving that their spirit cannot be suppressed. "How's the war going?" Levin asked the crowd. "Best war ever," came the reply from the audience.
