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Orthodox comedian keeps jokes clean and kosher When Ayelet takes the stage, her set resembles most stand-up comedy.
She tells jokes. The audience laughs. But there are always a few things
missing. No clinking beer bottles. No dirty humor. And no men. Ayelet calls herself a Kosher Komic. She is a fervently religious woman who keeps her comedy clean and her audience female. “Nowhere does it say in Torah, ‘Thou shalt not tell jokes in front
of men,” says Ayelet. “I’m a very outgoing person and can use a measure
of modesty. I’ve taken on extra measures.” Limiting her audience to one gender hasn’t cramped Ayelet’s style.
The Long Island-born Jerusalem-based comedian is currently on a “world
tour” that includes a performance at the home of Rebbetzin Miriam
Ferris in Berkeley Tuesday, Feb. 22. She also has a CD, a Web site and a global fan base, things most
shomer Shabbat women do not claim. But Ayelet is not new to show
business. She’s a former actress who once played a serial killer on an
HBO series. She also launched a stand-up comedy career that initially
included the kind of foul-mouthed routines heard every day on Comedy
Central. Those days are over. About two years ago, Ayelet became more observant, shedding the
secular ways of the past. She moved to Jerusalem from New York to study
Torah, initially believing her new lifestyle incompatible with an
entertainment career. “When I became Orthodox I put my career aside,” she says. “I thought
there was no hope [of performing again], but I realized I had some
great Jewish jokes that were totally funny but not disgusting or
demeaning. I started doing them at Shabbos and I realized there was a
great need. Jewish women need to be entertained.” Ayelet says her humor springs from an unexpected source. “My comedy
comes from Torah. Abraham and Sarah tried to have kids their whole
lives, then, when they’re very old, she gets pregnant. That’s the first
joke in history. My humor is God humor. There’s no need to be
offensive, mean or obnoxious in any way.” Her routines are drawn from everyday life but with a uniquely Jewish
twist. “I start with something normal and take it to an extreme,” she
says. Her signature bit: Glatt Kosher Airlines, where every civil
aviation rule is filtered through an Orthodox lens. She also jokes
about dating (she’s single and looking for a match), dieting, mothers …
just about anything women can relate to.
“When I performed for men, they didn’t have the appreciation,” she
says. “Women are much more supportive. They come up and tell me, ‘I
haven’t laughed like that in years. We appreciate what you’ve done.’ I
never used to get that kind of reaction.” So she travels the Jewish world getting those laughs. And it doesn’t
hurt to be mixing it up with people who just might introduce Ayelet to
her beshert. Even when she marries, Ayelet intends to continue cracking wise professionally. “I’ll keep doing this,” she says. “Marriage will offer me new routines: the wedding, being married, kids, so much funny material.” Ayelet’s CD, “Kosher Komedy Vol. 1,” is available for $15 through her Web site, www.kosherkomedy.com. |
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