ntertainment

Robby Berman:
Laughter and
messages:

Orthodox comedian Robby Berman
brings his act to the Comedy Castle.

SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

umor with a decidedly Or-
thodox twist will highlight
a kosher benefit dinner
party sponsored by the
Mizrachi Religious Zion-
ists of America.
Comedian Robby Ber-
man, who entertains this
Sunday at the Comedy
Castle in Royal Oak,
makes his first appearance
in Michigan to help raise

funds in support of the orga-
nization's youth activities.
"I grew up with religious
boundaries and parameters,
and I've tried not to cross
them," said Mr. Berman, 26,
whose entertainment career
helps subsidize his main in-
terest, Torah study. "My corn-
edy has grown within those
borders.
"Even general themes al-

ways have a religious angle
only because I am a religious
Jew, and everything in life to
me has a religious pitch.
"When I think of doing a
show, I think of jokes that
will be permissible for me to
say without insulting people,
without using dirty language
and without saying anything
sexual. The jokes are not so
much in the text of what I say
as in how I say them."
Mr. Berman's appearances
in the United States are rare.
• Since 1989, he has made Is-
rael his home.
"As a Jew, I just feel that
Israel is the place for one to
live," said the born-and-bred
New Yorker. "I feel that liv-
ing as a Jew in America
means just observing Jewish
history. Living in Israel ac-
tually means living Jewish
history."
Mr. Berman's career in Is-
rael involves more than com-
edy club engagements. He
has performed in films and
commercials and on radio
and TV. In the United States,
he recently had a role in the
TV series Sweating Bullets.
"I've always been the class
clown, and I've been sus-
pended a couple of times from
school," said the entertainer,
who describes his parents
and three sisters as humor-
ous as well.
"I was at Yeshiva Univer-
sity, and they were having a
talent show and wanted me
to be the comedian. They
convinced me to do it so I
wrote down nine jokes on a
cue card."
The audience response was

SHTICK

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