American Jewish comedian Elon Gold is back in Israel for his fifth visit since October 7, bringing his comedy tour to audiences seeking respite from ongoing tensions while raising funds for families affected by terrorism.
Speaking with Ynet Global, Gold explained his motivation for repeated trips to the region. "I feel compelled to be here," he said. "If I don't come here whenever I can to support our people in our homeland, to bear witness, to do shows, to make people laugh, to give everybody an hour break from the horror and just have a good time."
American comedian Elon Gold is in Israel
(Video: Mickey Schmidt)
The comedian is performing four nearly sold-out shows across Israel during the Sukkot holiday, with most proceeds benefiting the Koby Mandell Foundation, which supports families of terror victims. The performances are scheduled for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Herzliya as part of "Comedy for Koby," an initiative started over a decade ago by fellow comedian Avi Lieberman.
Gold emphasized the importance of humor as a coping mechanism for the Jewish people. "Humor is one of the only ways. It's probably in the top three and our people know it's one of the ways that we cope with everything," he said. While clarifying he never jokes about the war or hostages directly, Gold targets what he calls hypocrisy and lies surrounding Israel, referring to false narratives as "the apartheid, the genus lied."
The comedian discussed his experience defending Israel amid global criticism, expressing confidence in standing for truth. "When you're on the right side of humanity and history and you're just fighting a lot of hatred and lies, you know you're doing something right," he said. "There's nothing difficult about fighting for truth."
Gold recounted a 2014 incident of antisemitism when four men confronted his family after Shabbat dinner, yelling threats and accusing Israel of targeting children in Gaza. He forcefully rejected such characterizations, calling claims of genocide "insane" and drawing a distinction between civilian casualties in war and Hamas' deliberate targeting of women and children.
The comedian injected levity into the interview with jokes about former President Donald Trump's recent Middle East statements, particularly his pronunciation of "Abraham" as "Abram" when discussing the Abraham Accords. "All we need to do is to have Hamas agree," Gold quipped about prospects for peace. "Good luck with that."
Gold revealed he follows Israeli news obsessively, checking it first thing each morning. "Anything that happens here is a global situation and a global issue," he said. "It's very frustrating because you feel powerless and there's nothing you can do to help. But the least you could do is stay on top of it, pray and hope for the best, which is what we're doing and make people laugh."
Gold concluded the interview by reversing the typical expression of gratitude: "Thank you, Israel, for what you're doing for the Jewish people and saving the West."