50 | NOVEMBER 2 • 2023 J
N

ARTS&LIFE
COMEDY
T

he comedian going by his 
middle name, Modi, was 7 
years old when his family 
moved from Israel to America, and 
he returns to Israel for visits with 
cousins and performances in live 
shows. 
Modi’s last appearances in the 
country of his birth happened just 
days before the terrorist attacks. Now, 
looking forward to appearing Nov. 
15 at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, 
he tells about Israeli communications 
and feelings about doing comedy 
during these difficult times.
“Everybody seems to know 
somebody who was kidnapped or 
murdered or running to serve in 
the army, whether as a soldier or a 
reservist,
” Modi said about his con-
tact connections since leaving Israel.
“
After the war began, we had 
shows scheduled in Paris. We had 
four shows, and the question was 
should we cancel them? Luckily, we 
didn’t cancel them. I watched from 
the back of the room as everybody 
was sitting down still livestreaming 
the war. 
“The lights went down; the cur-
tain went up, and the comedy show 
began. Each audience had an hour 
and a half of just not being in the 
war. At the end of each show, we 
sang Hatikvah to remind everybody 
where their hearts are. People were 
very emotional through that.
”
The comedian, whose birth name 
was Mordechi Modi Rosenfeld, has 
described some French audience 
members as having flown in from 
nearby countries, such as Germany 
and England, and he sensed that the 
room maintained a mood of com-
munity that reminded him of the 
mood of community experienced by 
worshippers in a synagogue.
Modi can recall his move from a 
banking career into a comedy career 
some 30 years ago. Although he 
wouldn’t describe himself as being 
a class clown, he did describe him-
self as being a joker throughout his 
lifetime. The graduate of Boston 
University used to joke with people 

Israeli-
American 
comedian 
Modi

Make ’Em
Laugh

Israeli-American comedian offers a 
well-presented respite from war news. 

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

