American-Jewish comedian Seth Rogen seems to love to play the European shtetl Jew, if the trailer for his new movie An American Pickle is anything to go by.
https://youtu.be/JBC0pTh6GDM
But the idea of the strong Jew who does not need to be afraid of their own shadow seems to be something he is less comfortable with, if his recent interview with Marc Maron is anything to go by.
But a second warning came part of the way through the episode, as the conversation turned to Israel. “We’re gonna piss off a bunch of Jews,” Maron said.
Rogen, who grew up attending Jewish schools and Jewish camp in Vancouver, said he was “fed a huge amount of lies about Israel” and questioned why the state should exist. Maron, who often references his Jewishness in his standup comedy material, concurred.
Rogen: To me it just seems an antiquated thought process. If it is for religious reasons, I don’t agree with it, because I think religion is silly. If it is for truly the preservation of Jewish people, it makes no sense, because again, you don’t keep something you’re trying to preserve all in one place — especially when that place is proven to be pretty volatile, you know? ‘I’m trying to keep all these things safe, I’m gonna put them in my blender and hope that that’s the best place… that’ll do it.’ It doesn’t make sense to me. And I also think that as a Jewish person I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel my entire life! They never tell you that — oh by the way, there were people there. They make it seem like it was just like sitting there, like the fucking door’s open!…They forget to include the fact to every young Jewish person.
Maron: I get frightened to talk about it.
Rogen: I’m afraid of Jews! I’m 100% afraid of Jews.
He certainly is a dill.
Naturally, the Israel-haters and antisemites are having a field day with this. MondoScheisse even took his comments to make out he said Israel was based on “ethnic cleansing”
They have since amended their headline but let’s face it, the damage is done and the average Israel-hater and antisemite (their readership) are hardly the discerning type.
The thing is, Rogen is fully aware of antisemitism
Rogen: I remember my dad frankly telling me “People hate Jews. Just be aware of that. They just do.” And it’s honestly something that I am so glad was instilled in me from a young age, because if it wasn’t, I would constantly be shocked at how much motherf***ers hate Jews, because they do! It is pervasive and it is prevalent and it is to many Jewish people so confounding that they don’t assume it’s true…I’ve tried to put a lot of thought into why it’s happened … People obviously hate people who do not look like them. … I think people also have a weird fear of people who look like them but do not believe the same thing they do fundamentally.
yet clearly does not understand that the false narrative of Israel he has bought into is based on an antisemitic denial of the Jews as the indigenous people of their homeland, and is mainly promulgated by those who really do detest Jews.
Or that his comments are an antisemite’s wet dream.
It is hardly surprising that Rogen sees no value to his Judaism
I would have been totally happy marrying a non-Jewish person, it’s only coincidental that [his wife Lauren Miller is] Jewish, and it really bothers her when i say that. She wants her Judaism to have some value to me, even though it doesn’t, in any way, shape or form.
even though, let’s face it, he has made a nice living because of it. His entire shtick is of the “nebby Jew” stereotype.
He may have also benefited in other ways
There’s a familiarity I think to that… but also, I found myself being a real novelty to some of the non-Jewish women I dated, like it was “Oh wow” — like they had never been around a funny person before in their entire life… I’m no funnier than your average Jewish person’s uncle is.
So Seth, while you claim you are “100% afraid of Jews”, I think it are the ‘woke’ non-Jews who truly make you tremble in your heart.
Update: Rogen signed a petition against Hamas terrorism in the past. I somehow don’t think he would now.
Update: A great response here
https://twitter.com/MaajidNawaz/status/1288401466173120512
.