Eretz Nehederet
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The Israeli equivalent of Saturday Night Live, Eretz Nehederet is known for its parodies of famous political and cultural leaders and for providing a satirical twist on the weekly news. It forces Israelis to take a good look in the mirror, to laugh, but also to think. In the weeks and months following the October 7 massacres it has played
VIEWER'S GUIDE
Eretz Nehederet
Selected Clips Available on YouTube and Vimeo (see below)
Grade Level: High School and up
Synopsis
“Life here is very intense, more so than other places. And it requires stronger humor to achieve relief and deal with the stress of life. It follows that the Israeli stomach is less sensitive to satirical humor and the slaughtering of sacred cows,” says creator and executive director, Muli Segev. (Source: Los Angeles Times)
Scenes
BBC Interviewing the Head of Hamas
The skit imagines an BBC news anchor interviewing Hamas chief, Yahya Sinwar, with outlandish sympathy for Hamas and outright hatred for Israel. In one exchange the interviewer laments how unfair it is that Israel has left Hamas without human shields because civilians have fled.
The skit mocks the perceived (and sometimes outright) bias against Israel from certain media outlets. On specific occasions, news outlets have issued belated apologies for false claims.
Some content may not be appropriate for certain environments and ages.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. In North America:
- What do you consider to be funny?
- What do you consider to be too serious to joke about?
2. In Israeli culture:
- What do you think is considered funny?
- What do you think is too serious to joke about?
3. Compare:
- Are there similar or different considerations? What are they? Why?
4. In what ways can humor and satire inform us?
5. What could be learned or understood regarding Israel and Israelis from their humor and satire?
Explore more:
“‘The kidnapped baby is torturing you?’: BBC satirized hours before real-life apology” (Times of Israel)
“‘Your debacle has eclipsed mine’: Golda’s ghost haunts PM in satire skit” (Times of Israel)
“Israeli TV Show Lampoons pro-Palestinian Protests in U.S. Universities” (Haaretz)
Eretz Nehederet Official YouTube page, in Hebrew
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