{"id":117731,"date":"2024-12-16T17:00:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=117731"},"modified":"2024-12-15T09:29:43","modified_gmt":"2024-12-15T07:29:43","slug":"16-00-96","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=117731","title":{"rendered":"NYC Comedy Event Promoting Interfaith Dialogue Gets Postponed After Pro-Palestinian Comics Pull Out"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>NYC Comedy Event Promoting Interfaith Dialogue Gets Postponed After Pro-Palestinian Comics Pull Out<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Shiryn Ghermezian
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Pro-Hamas activists gather in Washington Square Park for a rally following a protest march held in response to an NYPD sweep of an anti-Israel encampment at New York University in Manhattan, May 3, 2024. Photo: Matthew Rodier\/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

A live comedy event set to take place in New York City next week featuring comedians discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been postponed indefinitely by organizers after the pro-Palestinian comics withdrew their participation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cComics for Conversation: Because It\u2019s Not Always a Laughing Matter\u201d was scheduled to be a show in which\u00a0both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian comics<\/a>\u00a0would perform stand-up comedy sets followed by a moderated discussion on stage about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The event was meant to be the first initiative of a new movement called Don\u2019t Hate Debate, a joint initiative between the marketing platform The Heart Monitors and Stand Up NY. Organizers hoped to promote interfaith dialogue between comics from both sides of the conflict while also hosting an evening where audiences can enjoy some laughs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two of the pro-Palestinian comics who originally joined the lineup\u00a0dropped out<\/a>\u00a0of the show in late November after facing backlash from anti-Israel activists, who falsely claimed that the event would be a debate about \u201cthe genocide\u201d taking place in the Gaza Strip. In response, organizers decided not to release the names of other participating comics and the location of the event in advance. The decision was made to ensure the safety and security of attendees and the remaining comics who would be featured in the show.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dani Zoldan, the founder of Stand Up NY and the\u00a0Chosen Comedy Festival,<\/a>\u00a0told\u00a0The Algemeiner\u00a0<\/em>on Thursday that organizers ultimately decided to postpone Monday\u2019s event indefinitely after more pro-Palestinian comics dropped out. The Heart Monitors and Stand Up NY released an open letter on Thursday addressed to the pro-Palestinian comics, urging them to reconsider their decision to pull out of Monday\u2019s show.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy participating, you are not endorsing any narrative or perspective other than your own. You are helping to create a space where others can see what it looks like to sit in the same room, listen, and engage without fear or anger dictating the conversation,\u201d they wrote in the letter, which was shared with\u00a0The Algemeiner<\/em>.\u201dWe need your voices. We need your humor. And most importantly, we need your courage to engage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Organizers also clarified in the open letter what they called a \u201cfundamental misunderstanding\u201d about the goal of the event. \u201cThis is not a debate about genocide; it is an exercise in dialogue, empathy, and understanding,\u201d they explained. \u201cHumor is one of the most powerful tools we have to lower defenses and foster connection. It disarms anger and fear, opening the door to conversations that would otherwise feel impossible. As comedians, you have the unique ability to shine a light on truths, challenge assumptions, and create moments of shared humanity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour participation would not just represent your voice but also signal the courage to engage, to listen, and to model the dialogue we desperately need in our world today to create change,\u201d they added. \u201cBy stepping back, we lose not just your voices but also the opportunity to inspire others to engage constructively. Your presence would show that even amid intense feelings and profound disagreements, it is possible to come together and model the courage it takes to foster dialogue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They also reiterated that the \u201cDon\u2019t Hate Debate\u201d initiative at the heart of the event is \u201cabout dialogue, not discord.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is about the courage to sit together, listen, and foster understanding rather than deepen divides,\u201d they said. \u201cThis initiative recognizes that entrenched positions, anger, and blame only perpetuate suffering. It calls for an alternative \u2014 a step toward empathy, connection, and hope.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Update: Organizers of the \u201cComics for Conversation\u201d<\/strong> event originally told The Algemeiner that Monday\u2019s show is cancelled. They later clarified that it has instead been postponed indefinitely while they continue to have conversation with participating comics. The Algemeiner has edited the original version of this article to include the clarification.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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NYC Comedy Event Promoting Interfaith Dialogue Gets Postponed After Pro-Palestinian Comics Pull Out Shiryn Ghermezian Pro-Hamas activists gather in Washington Square Park for a rally following a protest march held in response to an NYPD sweep of an anti-Israel encampment at New York University in Manhattan, May 3, 2024. Photo: Matthew Rodier\/Sipa USA via Reuters […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117731"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=117731"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117756,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117731\/revisions\/117756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=117731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=117731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=117731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}