A police officer removes a Palestinian flag from the William Tecumseh Sherman monument as anti-Israel demonstrators attend a protest near the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City, New York, US, May 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
A live comedy event taking place this month in New York City will feature pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian comedians coming together to share some laughs and have meaningful dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Comics for Conversation – Because It’s Not Always a Laughing Matter” will take place on Dec. 16 and will include comedians performing stand-up sets followed by a moderated discussion on stage. The event will be the first initiative of a new movement called Don’t Hate Debate, a joint venture between the marketing platform The Heart Monitors and Stand Up NY. The format of the show showcases the mission of the Don’t Hate Debate movement, which is “to spark civil discourse through culturally relevant, grassroots activations that resonate with younger generations and diverse communities,” according to a press release for the upcoming event.
The names of participating comics and the location of the event will not be released in advance due to safety and security concerns, as well as protests against the show. Two of the pro-Palestinian comics who originally joined the lineup dropped out after facing pressure from anti-Israel activists who are against the event’s efforts to promote peaceful dialogue, Dani Zoldan, the founder of Stand Up NY and the Chosen Comedy Festival, told The Algemeiner.
“I’ve personally found that many comics do not feel comfortable speaking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in public due to fears of repercussions such as not being booked at a club or being ‘cancelled,'” Zoldan said. “Unfortunately, a few comics dropped out of our upcoming event due to pressure from one side. If we can’t have dialogue, then what else is there? It’s more reason to have this event to bring both sides together and not allow the mob and ‘keyboard warriors’ to tear us apart.”
The event hopes to promote “dialogue over discord,” offering a literal stage for people to comfortably discuss their opposing views together in a public setting. Organizers also hope to engage what they describe as the “moderate middle” who “feel disillusioned by the extreme rhetoric dominating public spaces.”
“Our Don’t Hate Debate launch of ‘Comics for Conversation’ is by no means an attempt to make fun of anyone or any issue. Quite the contrary,” Robin Lemberg, co-founder of The Heart Monitors, explained to The Algemeiner. “The first part of our event are comedic sets not poking fun of anyone. Rather, they are the ice breakers to lead to a moderated serious discussion on the issues of our time. The conflict is a microcosm of many other societal issues and one of most emotionally charged. Laughing together is a shared experience which opens us up perhaps to being more able to engage with empathy and understanding.”
Lemberg and Jon Bond co-founded Don’t Hate Debate at the beginning of last year in response to the protests and issues on college campuses related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “Our initial approach was to engage the student leaders in constructive debate,” Lemberg said. “We pivoted to the idea of using influencers to model civility, as it became clear that without other role models such as professors and certainly not politicians, student influencers were far more reluctant.”
“Comedy is just one lens to find common ground and shared humanity,” she added. “We intend to bring together other influencers from the realms of music, sports, cooking from opposing sides on the issues that matter to most to model for all how we can engage civilly and celebrate what we do share.”
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