Israeli Comedians Take a New Direction: Weekly Standup Comedy in English

Comedians Yohay Sponder and Shahar Hason got their start as comedians in Israel catering exclusively to Hebrew-speaking audiences. As the two became more and more well-known to Hebrew speakers throughout Israel, they noticed a huge demographic in the country that was missing out on the laughs. 

Sponder and Hason took the risk of crafting and re-writing their material from Hebrew to English (and from Israeli humor to American humor), all the while unsure whether or not they would even get a laugh out of an English speaking crowd. Their hard work and dedication to broadening the audience of one of Israel’s most unique cultural elements has launched the growing scene of Israeli Stand-up in English.

As Ashley O'Brien wrote in the Jerusalem Post, 

Every week Sponder and Hason, along with an impressive list of other Israeli and international comedians, take to the stage in Tel Aviv to deliver fresh material to Israel’s English speakers. No topic (or audience member) is off-limits on a Funny Monday, and locals, Olim (immigrants to Israel), and tourists fill the seats of the Chelsea Hotel for a chance to cut loose with some of Israel’s funniest people.  

We're starting a new series, bringing you some of the stand-up routines from the Chelsea Hotel in Tel Aviv. We're asking you to comment and let us know if you want to see more of these videos. We know that the language that these comics use it a bit raw and uncensored, but it is typical of Israeli humor. This video clip includes comedy by American comedian Elon Gold and Israeli-American comedian Benji Lovitt.

Enjoy!

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