Jewish comedian Elon Gold is a helluva funny guy. I saw his show in Israel last year (and reviewed it here), but if you still don’t believe me, check this out.
I am telling you this because something not at all funny happened to him recently. In fact, something downright disgusting and disturbing.
This past Friday night, instead of having my usual guests for a festive Friday night dinner in my home, I had three compassionate LAPD officers standing in my kitchen explaining the difference between a “hate crime” and a “hate incident.” My family was the victim of the latter.
We were walking home in Los Angeles after a Friday night dinner at a friend’s house, dressed nicely for shabbat, easily identifiable as a Jewish family. We waited for a light to change on a corner of a major intersection when a black Mercedes SUV pulled up alongside us. Four middle eastern men in their 20’s were in the car. The one in the back rolled down his window and yelled, “Free Palestine!”
I immediately turned to face them, knowing I was in danger and like the Rabbi who was gunned down in Miami on his way to synagogue, this was the beginning of either a hate crime or a hate incident, but either way, hate was coming our way. We all know too well, that “Free Palestine” means free Palestine from every Jew. As they chant “Free Palestine, from the river to the sea.” That doesn’t mean they want a two state solution, they want Hitler’s final solution and a Jew-free middle east.
Then this Arab young man opened the car door, stepped onto the street and yelled at me, my wife and four young children: “I hope your children die! Just like you are killing children in Gaza!”
We all stood silently in utter horror and fear.
Then he got back in the Mercedes and they drove off. We were in a state of complete shock. My ten year old daughter immediately started crying and couldn’t stop. She kept yelling, “I’m scared.” My 5 year old daughter asked me why they want her to die? My other kids were too rattled to say anything.
I was stunned that I can no longer feel safe walking on shabbat with my family in my city. I kept reading about all the anti-semitism all over Europe, but here in these United States? That my innocent children had to be exposed to this level of anti-semitism has shaken me to my core. These people weren’t just yelling “Jew bastard” as I’d experienced growing up in the Bronx, they were wishing my children dead, right to their angelic faces. This was beyond appalling.
I couldn’t believe that they were filled with such hatred and ignorance and that someone could go as far as wishing my children dead and blaming me for the death of children in Gaza. Me?! I’ve been killing children in Gaza? I’m a comedian. The only killing I’m personally responsible for is the killing of the audiences I’ve performed for. And the only “bombing” I’m guilty of are those rare sets where I don’t quite connect with the crowd.
Read the entire thing. Besides being a funny guy, Elon shows he does serious just as well, demonstrating he truly gets it when it comes to Israel and the war we are facing.
