Social/Political

ESTHER’S DILEMMA

The writers take aim at the holiday of Purim as they poke fun at how Mordechai took advantage of his niece Esther and her beauty to save the Jewish people. In spite of Mordechai’s encouraging words—how little girls for generations to come will dress up to celebrate Esther’s sacrifice—she points out the fact that they will be celebrating her for all the wrong reasons.

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JEWS VOTING FOR HITLER

Jews at a cafe in Germany discuss who they plan to support in the upcoming elections and why a certain strong-willed, well-spoken, and exceedingly handsome politician is the only reasonable candidate. After a series of four federal elections from 1930 to 1933, the Nazi Party seized complete power in Germany. Multi-party elections were not held again in a unified Germany until 1990.

Caution: Draws on Holocaust humor.

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RAMBAM

Maimonides, the 12th century rabbi and renowned philosopher, has a groundbreaking book that will bridge the gap between Jews and non-Jews, East and West, past and future. But locals aren’t in the market for that nonsense. The Guide for the Perplexed finds rational explanations for theologically seminal events in Jewish history. In this way, Rambam’s work is an attempt to reconcile logic and faith, two ideological camps that have continued to spark debate until today.

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BARBIE

The true(ish) story behind the creation of the original Barbie doll, and the Israeli perception of Jewish life outside of Israel. As a parable for the popular allure of assimilation in 1960s America, young Barbara Handler’s parents try to convince her that what’s best is to blend in. Both then and today, Jewish appearance, accent, and culture could be targets for anti-semitic vitriol, so many were and are convinced the safest way forward is to look and behave like everyone else.

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THE JEWISH FASCIST

Fascism is all the rage in Italy—especially for one Jewish fascist—but some new policies mean that the Communists are no longer the main target of their hate. Under prime minister Benito Mussolini’s totalitarian regime, the goal was for citizens to see themselves as devoted defenders of Italy, prepared to sacrifice their lives on its behalf. Mussolini’s larger-than-life personality and the government’s use of propaganda also inspired Hitler charismatic oratory style and some of the Nazi party’s rhetoric during World War II.

Caution: The sketch begins and ends with an execution.

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THE AMALEK CONSPIRACY

Moses assigns guard duty to protect against the Amalekites, but the people cry foul and say that he’s a fear monger spouting conspiracies to oppress them. The Torah describes Amalek as the eternal enemy of the Israelites. Throughout history, the descendants of Amalek have been identified as any group threatening the safety of Jews and/or Israel. While this sketch can apply to many time periods and topics, it was written as a response to COVID deniers.

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