48 | NOVEMBER 9 • 2023 J
N

ISRAELI COMEDY SERIES, 
SILVERMAN HOSTS, TWO 
DOCUMENTARIES

Bros is an eight-episode, 
comedic Israeli series 
that premieres on Netflix 
on Nov. 9. This Hebrew 
language series was 
co-created by Guy Amir, 
46, and Hanan Savyon, 47, 
and they are Bros co-stars. 
The Jerusalem Post recently 
called the duo the “kings 
of Israeli comedy.” They 
co-wrote and co-starred-in 
the hit TV series Asfur and 
the hit movies, Maktub and 
Forgiveness.
Basic plot: Pini and 
Nisso (Savyon and Amir), 
inseparable childhood 
friends, are co-owners of 
a Jerusalem bar. They are 
diehard fans of soccer team 
Beitar Jerusalem. Their 
friendship is tested when 
their lives take unexpected 
turns, their bar faces 
closure, and their favorite 
team is set to play the 
most important match in its 
history.
Sadly, I didn’t know last 
week that Sarah Silverman, 
52, was set to be the guest 
host of The Daily Show on 
Comedy Central (now 
streaming on Paramount+) 
from Nov. 6-11. However, no 
doubt you’ll be able to catch 
the Nov.6-8 episodes “on 
demand” and long excerpts 
will probably be on YouTube.
Two weeks ago, I had a 
column item about a pro-Is-
rael statement that was 
signed by many famous 
actors and comedians. The 
signatories included Laura 
Silverman, 57, who is a 
comedian, like Sarah, her 
sister. I wondered if Sarah 
had a “different view” of 
the current “Hamas war.” 

However, not long after that 
column was written, I found 
out it is very likely that some 
glitch explains why Sarah 
was not a signer. While no 
fan of Israel’s prime minister, 
Sarah has issued tweets 
and done podcasts that 
make it clear she has taken 
a strong, pro-Israel stance. 
She’s broken former ties to 
domestic leftists who are 
now acting as Hamas apol-
ogists.
 Jon Stewart, who became 
famous as the host of The 
Daily Show, is well-known 
for his activism on behalf 
of 9/11 first responders and 
armed service veterans 
who have suffered from the 
effects of toxic substances 
they encountered while 
doing their jobs. So, it’s not 
a surprise that Stewart is 
the host of a PBS Veterans 
Day special. Entitled Salute 
to the Service, this PBS 
program premieres on 
Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. (check 
local listings for encore 
showings).
I didn’t know that Stewart, 
60, was a competent 
drummer until I saw a clip 
from the special. His drums 
backed up the United States 
Army Field Band. Other clips 
featured active servicemen 
who rapped and several 
active servicewomen 
who sang a song about a 
servicewoman killed in the 
line of duty.

Gumbo Coalition is a doc-
umentary that premiered on 
HBO/Max on Nov. 6. It fol-
lows Mark Morial, an African 
American leader, and Janet 
Murguara, a Latino lead-
er, as they try to forge a 
“minority alliance” to deter 
the Trump administration. 
The filmmaker is Barbara 
Kopple, 77, a two-time Oscar 
winner who is almost leg-
endary in her field.
Another documenta-
ry, Albert Brooks: Defending 
My Life, premieres on HBO/
Max on Nov. 11. The subject, 
of course, is the famous 
comedian and filmmak-
er Albert Brooks, 76. The 
film was directed by Rob 
Reiner, 76. Reiner and 
Brooks have been each oth-
er’s best friends since their 
early adulthood (Brooks’ 
best friend in high school 
was Richard Dreyfuss, also 
76).
The film will follow his 
very early work; his stand-
up years, his short films 
for SNL, and his seven 
original motion pictures, 
including Defending Your 
Life, Modern Romance, Lost 
in America and Mother. 
Quite a few Jewish 
celebs appear: Larry 
David, James L. Brooks, 
Judd Apatow, Alana Haim 
and Jonah Hill.
Over the years, I’ve men-
tally stored away a number 
of Brooks “factoids.” I hope 

they are covered in the doc-
umentary: (1) Albert Brooks 
was born Albert Einstein. 
His father, comedian Harry 
Einstein, clearly had a weird 
sense of humor to name 
his son “Albert.” You might 
know that the late comedi-
an Bob Einstein (aka Super 
Dave Osborne) was Albert’s 
brother; (2) Harry Einstein 
died “with his boots on.” 
He was stricken with a fatal 
heart attack right after doing 
his funny “spiel” before a 
Friars’ Club meeting; (3) 
Years ago, I exchanged 
some emails with Tiffany 
Shlain, 53, Brooks’ sister-in-
law. She is a filmmaker and 
active in the San Francisco-
area Jewish community. 
This exchange made me 
curious about Kimberly 
Shlain Brooks, now 50. 
She’s a distinguished 
painter and sculptor. She 
met Albert when he was in 
the Bay Area making his 
film Mother. His marriage to 
Kimberly was his first. The 
couple were married (1997) 
in Congregation Sherith 
Israel (San Francisco). 
This shul was founded 
just months after the 1849 
Gold Rush began; and (4) 
Kimberly and Albert have 
two children. Obviously, they 
have a big age gap. But, as 
they say, they are “still going 
strong” 26 years after their 
wedding. 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

ARTS&LIFE

TIMES OF ISRAEL/WILLY SANJUAN/INVISION/AP

Sarah Silverman

IMDB

Jon Stewart

ALBERT BROOKS WEBSITE

Albert Brooks

