A rabbi, two Jewish comedians and a TikTok personality walk into a bar. No, this isn’t the setup for a joke—it is one. Because we could all use a smile right now, comedy game show “That’s So Jewish” comes to Laugh Boston on Monday, Nov. 25, hosted by comedian and social media sensation Eitan Levine. Comics Dan Crohn and Josh Goldstein will join him onstage, along with Rabbi Sarah Noyovitz, better known as Rabbi Noyo, a progressive local rabbi specializing in lifecycle events. The winner, of course, will be crowned “Most Chosen.”
Imagine “Jeopardy!” just for Jews. Contestants compete during five rounds of sketches, trivia and music with challenging categories such as: “Poorly Described Jewish Holidays” and “Jew or Not a Jew.”
For example: Is the British royal family Jewish?
“The only thing Jewish about them is that they hate their daughter-in-law,” Levine says.
Happily, non-Jews can appreciate the show—no obscure references here. As long as you enjoy humor and pop-cultural touchstones, you’ll fit right in.
- “You can enjoy the show if you’re a Hasidic guy living in Borough Park, New York, or if you’re a complete non-Jew who is dating a Jew or you’re from Utah. The show is really for anybody who has any appreciation at all, not for Judaism, but just the Jewish vibe and Jewish culture in general,” he explains.
Levine is from New York and takes inspiration from Jewish comedians like Adam Sandler, Sarah Silverman and Jon Stewart.
“I’m excited to learn more about the Jewish universe in Boston,” he says. “Whenever I think about Boston, I think about the mascot for the Celtics, clam chowder and the Dropkick Murphys.”
(I tell him that Sandler and Silverman are both from the area, so there is a Jewish universe up here indeed.)
But even if you don’t have Sandler or Silverman’s skills, he promises an audience participation component to the show, so be prepared.
Of course, I have to ask: What makes Jewish culture so funny? What is Jewish humor, anyway?
Levine doesn’t hesitate.
“We are unafraid of complaining, and that’s something that other religions and other groups of people have not really gotten around to yet. We’ve been complaining for thousands and thousands of years. Other people just started complaining recently,” he says.
He acknowledges that there’s been plenty to complain about lately. This is a respite.
“I really want to get across that this show was created during a time in America that hasn’t been great for the Jews, and I think that so much content is geared around negative stuff, geared around [hate]. This show is a celebration of Jewish stuff, laughing about Jewish stuff. It’s an apolitical, fun night,” he says.
Never miss the best stories and events! Get JewishBoston This Week.