Modi Rosenfeld, the Jackie Mason of his generation, is a comedian on a mission, or more accurately, multiple missions.
Job 1: Bring the Moshiach energy.
“The Talmud says that the role of a comedian is to bring laughter and healing to people who need it,” Modi says. “I try to create Moshiach energy in every performance I do. The audience is adolescents through to people in their eighties and nineties. It’s so satisfying to me when I see a grandmother laughing with her granddaughter, and then the whole family is happy because they’re laughing together.
“Maybe somebody in that family just went through some terrible health challenge, or maybe they just need a break from the news. But I promise you, there’s no one in the audience having more fun than I am when I’m on stage.”
Modi Rosenberg hits Radio City Music Hall
Modi’s two dates at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, the biggest venue he’s played so far in his 30 years of stand-up, April 23 and April 30, are selling briskly. The audience isn’t just Jewish, either.
“My last special, ‘Know Your Audience,’ covered a lot of Jewish themes,” Modi says. “There are always a few gentiles in the audience, and I make a point of immediately explaining to them what I was talking about. That makes everybody laugh, too. And I always immediately translate any Hebrew or Yiddish words I use.
“At Radio City, and on my current tour, the material ranges far beyond Jewish themes. I’m always a Jewish comedian providing my take on what’s happening, but the show is meant to be entertaining and accessible to everyone.”
Another of Modi’s aims: make the world safe for gay people in the Jewish community and beyond. Modi speaks openly about being gay in podcasts and on stage. One of his favorite themes is his relationship with his husband of 12 years, Leo.
“When I talk about Leo,” Modi says, “I typically come from the perspective of being married to a millennial. There’s a lot of humor in having a relationship with someone from a different generation who sees the world so differently.
“What’s really funny is that sometimes people will come up to me in airports and say, ‘Oh, you’re Modi! And that’s your gay husband, Leo!’ It’s as though they’ve somehow split off the idea that I’m gay, but I have a gay husband. As long as they come and laugh, that’s all that matters.”
Modi speaks of Jews as not just the Chosen People but also the “choosing people” – in other words, everybody gets to decide what level of observance or belief works for them. Through his comedy, podcasts, and appearances on the podcasts of others, Modi is working to make the world safe for Jews, especially young Jews who identify as gay.
It’s certainly a departure from any position the Orthodox world has taken, and yet Modi’s following in the Orthodox world is enormous. Modi is invited to perform at Orthodox synagogues and institutions in the United States, Europe, and Israel. Even haredi and hassidic groups book him, even knowing his sexual orientation as they do.
“At hassidic groups,” he says, laughing, “the only instruction I get is if the audience is divided between men and women, ‘Just look at the men’s side.’ It’s tough to do comedy when you’re only looking at half the audience!”
Born to Israeli parents, Modi grew up in a Jewish enclave on Long Island, New York, always aware of and proud of his Jewishness. But one night in the early 1980s, while flipping through channels on cable, a switch flipped in Modi. He saw the Lubavitcher Rebbe addressing a massive crowd in a farbrengen (a joyful hassidic gathering) at Chabad’s Brooklyn headquarters.
Modi says that he was entranced by the Rebbe’s energy and quickly fell under his spell. While at Boston University, whenever the campus Chabad rabbi heard that the Rebbe was giving out books or dollars, Modi and his friends would jump into a car and race to Brooklyn to get in line.
“The Rebbe would give out books of Jewish thought and dollar bills,” Modi recalls. “His whole point was, ‘Use this money and go out and help someone.’ That’s Moshiach energy! He inspired generations of rabbis to spread positive energy around the world. I try to do the same thing with my comedy.”
Modi refers to the Holocaust in his stand-up with the intention of educating a younger generation that may not know that aspect of Jewish history, even though they themselves are Jewish.
“I make a joke about Mengele,” Modi says. “And then I’ll turn to a millennial girl in the first row – I can see the first few rows from the stage – and I’ll ask her if she’s ever heard of Mengele.
“Often, the answer is no. So I’ll tell her to Google him. I’ll explain that you can’t find him on Instagram because he doesn’t post. I want people to go home and learn something about an era of history that should not be forgotten,” he states.
“It’s all about Moshiach energy,” Modi says. “I want you to laugh, and I want to make the world a happier and better place.”
Modi, Radio City Music Hall, New York City, April 23 and April 30. For information and tickets, ModiLive.com.
Source:
www.jpost.com
