More than a decade ago when Erik Angel was living in Israel, he never imagined doing standup comedy in a second language. In those days, Angel was a singer-songwriter, releasing albums in his mother tongue of Hebrew. But everything changed when he took a weekend trip to Kraków, Poland.
“I met Julia, an American Polish woman who became the love of my life, and I came to New York,” Angel tells Pancouver over Zoom.
After moving to New York nine years ago, he immersed himself in the city’s vibrant comedy scene. Along the way, he met talented Arab Muslim and Christian comics. So, Angel asked them if they would like to come together for a one-night comedy event with him in 2019.
“The Jewish Federation was excited about that and they sponsored us,” Angel says. “We did a great show.”
This marked the beginning of Comedy for Peace. Through this project, Angel aims to unite Jewish and Muslim communities through humour and mutual understanding. He emphasizes that each comedian delivers a clean show in ways that make everyone feel safe.
“From the beginning, our title is ‘No Politics, Just Laughs’—we don’t deal with politics during the show,” Angel says.
Since then, there have been almost 250 Comedy for Peace shows in more than 100 cities. Next Saturday (November 22), the Chutzpah! Festival will present Comedy for Peace in Vancouver. Angel will be joined on the stage of the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre by the “Greek Goddess of Comedy”, Ellen Karis, who has appeared in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Billions. Bukharian-American comedian Natan Badalov and Pakistani-American comedian Zara Khan will also perform at the event.
“The idea of Comedy for Peace is very simple: it’s to bring different communities under one roof, and to show how easy it is to have fun together,” the founder states.
Angel connects with Arabs through travel
Angel grew up in the city of Petah Tikva east of Tel Aviv.
“I have a joke about it,” he says with a smile. “It’s the only city in the world where the fire station was burned. It really happened in 1949.”
Even though Israel is home to two million Arabs, Angel never socialized with them in his hometown. He recalls only seeing Arabs on construction sites, in the hospital, or as servers in restaurants. He didn’t have a single Arab friend.
But when Angel visited the Sinai, he started spending time with Arabs for the first time. He enjoyed coffee, tea, smoking the occasional illicit substance, and making music with people from Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. And he discovered that they were very friendly.
Even though Arabs and Israelis had fought wars, he and his new Arab acquaintances shared a curiosity about one another. This continued as Angel met more Arabs in his travels abroad.
“I feel a big connection when I meet someone from the Middle East, even today,” the comedian states.
However, some friendships have been challenged since October 7, 2023. On that date, Hamas and other militant groups crossed the border from Gaza and murdered more than 1,200 people in Israel and took another 240 civilians as hostages.
“It hit everyone, all of us,” Angel says, noting that almost all Israelis knew someone or had a friend or relative who died that day.
Watch the trailer for the Chutzpah! Festival.
War ruptures friendships
The government of Israel responded by pulverizing Gaza, killing tens of thousands of civilians. Angel acknowledges that the war ruptured relationships with some Arab comedians as they refused to talk to him. He discloses that he even received a few hate messages from Jews for doing Comedy for Peace shows.
“My life became more complicated, more sad, more painful, but I didn’t change my ideas and my love for people.”
One hijab-wearing Arab comedian apologized to Angel directly rather than ghosting him. She explained that that she makes her living in the Arab world so she couldn’t keep doing shows with him. He says that he respects her for being up-front about why she had to sever relations with his project.
“She’s an amazing lady, an amazing comedian,” Angel says. “It’s also hard for me that people are saying all the time, ‘Israel did this, Israel did that.’ I would much prefer that people say the government of Israel.”
Angel emphatically declares that he can’t stand “haters”, regardless of their ethnicity or national origin. He also maintains that when you listen to extremist groups, they all sound the same, even though they may despise one another.
“Nobody ever will convince me that a baby that was born yesterday hates me, or hates you, or will hate somebody else,” Angel says.
As a result of what’s happened since October 7, post-show Comedy for Peace Q&As have become much more intense. It’s because people are carrying heavy hearts.
“Sometimes, it’s emotional and deep,” Angel says reflectively. “I finished a few Q&As during these two years with tears in my eyes. For me, it’s a very tough time. This project gave me hope and helped me to breathe—and to feel that there is a chance for better days for everyone. This is what we’re trying to do.”
The Chutzpah! Festival will present Comedy for Peace at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday (November 22) at the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre. Erik Angel will be joined by Greek-American comedian Ellen Karis, Bukharian-American comedian Natan Badalov, and Pakistani-American comedian Zara Khan. The Chutzpah! Festival runs from November 12 to 23. For tickets and more information, visit the festival website.
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