¶ Interview With Israel's Spokesman
Welcome to Ani's Modi .
We're good to go . I understand this is going to be very serious .
It's very serious . Ready and we're on .
We're on .
Welcome back to Ani's Modi . Wow , do we have a special guest here in the audience . Who , who ? What's the name ?
Elon Levy .
Elon , not Elon Elon Levy , the I'm just saying it the spokesman of the state of Israel . Whether it's official or not , I think it is no .
It's official .
Those of you who don't know , I mean there's a million other things to his introduction besides going to Oxford and Cambridge , and he was a news anchor and he lived in London and then lived to Israel .
But the best thing is , he's the spokesman of Israel and so whenever Israel needs to be represented , he's speaking , and I cannot tell you those of you who are younger and I know you just did a whole thing for Gen Z what a breath of fresh air you are .
Those of you who don't know whenever Israel's in the news , they always find someone who should never be speaking English , some disaster zone who start first of all . Whose tie is off ? Is my tie right ? Is that right ? Who's got is out and he starts to speak .
Usually , this is the because of the reaction of the issue or the issues we are looking at , something that is not for the regular .
And you think to yourself why is this person representing Israel ?
I've done so many interviews and I don't think I've seen any interviewer be as rude about Israelis as you are right now Not .
Israelis . This guy that's doing this speaking is probably an amazing politician and but should not be representing Israel . Someone who speaks English well should be representing , and that's you , a breath of fresh air . You are , is that not what it ? Have you been caught up before or no ?
That's a very kind of view , and you're certainly trying to shake things up and be as creative and versatile as possible to get Israel's message out in this world .
It's 100% mushiachanagi to see you on Instagram , on social media , on television , representing Israel , speaking with like . You know you have a debating background . Yes , so you know when to not go , not to be excited , not to be your statesman . I will say it you are definitely a statesman .
No , that's very kind . I mean , we are trying to be as creative and shake things up as much as possible and really redefine what it means to be a spokesman and to do political messaging .
So you know , in addition to all the interviews I'm doing , we have all the content we're producing , especially for social media , toying the line between being government spokesman and content creator and the podcast as well , but you're in your autopilot mode right now . Drop it , so you need to get me out of it ?
No , this is not the interesting thing where we are looking for the how horrible have whenever you saw Israel .
Whenever there's a war or some conflict , you just bring someone that can't speak English on it's mind , boggling no .
I think that one of the things that has happened post October 7th is that we have seen what we thought were Israelis , or what the world perceived as Israelis , or as they called us white colonizers . No , that that's not actually what it means to be in Israeli .
Right .
And I think that one of the things that Elon is showing the world is that that character that really is kind of a caricature . The caricature . Is not accurate .
Amazing . Well said , periel . That character is not . It's right . It's right , you know . I will say , in my eyes , a predecessor of that was a Sabz Amir . If you are a friend of mine , he was the Israeli counsel general , whatever the title is . Counsel general . Yeah , basically , going to restaurants in it's called .
It should be called going to restaurants in New York City . That's what it should be called in a Sabz . Amir , nice work , if you can get it A Sabz Amir killed it . He spoke English with the grammar of an American or someone of an English speaker and he was just like he had this gig in New York .
His wife is filming in Israel , coming in and out , but he was like so relatable it wasn't .
Israeli , surrounded by its enemy , and we are in a situation oh my .
God , and it was another , like a breath of fresh air , and you just I mean wow , wow , I'm honored to be sitting here with you representing you . Know , it's just . You see Israel being represented , but in a comical way . I feel like I'm doing that job .
You're doing it in a very comical way . Absolutely , you know , in to show the anger of Jews .
Michael Rappaport is showing the anger we have inside of us and I think that's critical too .
First of all , show anger . It's okay to be angry sometimes If you channel that into something productive and helpful and don't let that rage control you . But , at the same time , humor as well . We know , as the Jewish people , that history gives you two options you either laugh or cry .
So you make an effort to laugh because otherwise you're going to be in floods of tears .
And humor plays such a critical role , as you know , in shining a light on what is so absurd about the situation and also picking up morale for people who are still still licking their wounds from October 7th and , with the hostages still trapped there , need to get through the day .
Yeah , and you , you know it's . It's just , I'm just so happy that there's a representation of of of Israel . You know , there's another representation of Israel . I'm not sure exactly what his title was , but he was running the Instagram , or TikTok , of the Israeli IDF . His name is Yohanan Twina Twina . I don't know , I'm not familiar .
He is this , um , he somehow is a little bit related to me , but he was running the TikTok of the IDF and he is a flaming homosexual flaming , and it was the funniest TikTok I had ever seen in the world . And he's like hi , I'm going to be a little bit more , I'm going to be a little bit more . It was so brilliant .
And I think that's what really riles up the pro Hamas crowd that these people are whipping our asses right now .
So they , they , they , they said that when the war began , they that the Hamas was sending around his , his um his tweets .
Oh , they think the joke is on us . They don't realize the joke is on them . The joke is on them , yeah .
Yeah , so you got to this position . Obviously it's not over . I hate when they hear the word overnight success , like someone says how did you all of a sudden become a big comedian ? It's been 30 years doing comedy .
You'll say you did 30 years of hard work before people noticed .
Yeah , but you you have a background , wow , and then you have Oxford and Cambridge .
Yeah , that's a brand name . Small community colleges in England , wow .
That's so impressive and the accent obviously was great . But before that you you were , um , uh , news anchor or yes ,
¶ Israeli News Anchor Becomes Government Spokesman
I was a .
I was a news anchor on television in Israel at the public broadcaster and I 24 news as well . And then I spent two years working with president .
I took a pile of books , put them on the living room table , took the bottle of protein powder I haven't been to the gym since this war started , but a nice banker's lamp on top of it took a picture , tweeted it saying I'm a former advisor to the president , I'll do interviews . And I started doing interviews .
Powder I haven't been to the gym since this war started but a nice banker's lamp on top of it . Took a picture , tweeted it saying I'm a former advisor to the president , I'll do interviews .
And I started doing interviews from my living room and then , within a week , found myself getting called to the Kiri-Ara Defense Compound in Tel Aviv putting on a suit and tie and overnight being interviewed as an Israeli government spokesman . It was a very surprising twist , a week after the war started .
It's basically what happened to me during COVID . During COVID , we're stuck at home . My husband and I start doing the characters Nir Natfar and Yoely , and we did a whole . I ran for president as Yoely I was a sitting guy . In the living room we created a studio and I was doing Zoom shows .
Just like the war was your COVID , the war was your call to action , you know , and it's just been it's , but you were perfect for it , you were poised for it and we needed it .
You were in Israel .
Yes , I was in Israel on October 7th . The sirens started at 7.30 in the morning . Where else was I ? Obviously in bed , because it was a Saturday morning , simchat , torah , every reason to think that you'd be able to sleep in . And suddenly the sirens go off .
And in Israel , if you're lucky and live in a building built in the last 30 years , you have your own rocket shelter . At home , every apartment has a fortified concrete room . But if you're in an older building , then if you're lucky , there's a rocket shelter on the ground floor or the basement , and if you're not , you wait in the stairwell .
So I jump out of bed , run downstairs with all the neighbors , all half naked , carrying their kids . They look at me asking is it from the north , is it from the south ? As if , because I used to work for the president , I'm supposed to know .
Right .
And , yeah , just ripped out of bed in the morning into the chaos and horror of what was unfolding on TV .
Yeah , we were in bed . It was at 6.30, . It was in Tel Aviv , I was in Yaffo and the alarm went off and Leo and I were in bed . And I mean , it's the first night I've ever been in Israel during the sirens . You've never heard the sirens before . I never heard the sirens before . What was that like for you the first time ?
So , I was like this is not good but it's . I guess the missiles will catch them , the patriot missiles I set . And we were . We'd been out the night before . Friday night . We were out , we were laughing and joking till two in the morning and so our sleeping pills were just about to hit .
So I said , I said I think you can go on the hallway to Leo , but I'm going to stay right here and wait this out . And then in 1030 , when we got up to go to breakfast , we began to all came together .
Yeah , it's slowly .
People started to realize we've been through so many of these rounds of conflict with Hamas and you assume , ok , it'll be another round of conflict , rocket sirens for a week and then things will get back to normal and quickly realized , as we saw the massacre unfolding in the Kibbutzim and the Nova Festival News didn't start coming until the afternoon that this was
a completely different story . This was not another round of conflict . We had just been invaded , invaded by Hamas , by air , land and sea , and we were now at war , something we hadn't seen in a long time .
Yeah , we , we same . We didn't know what was happening to later on the afternoon we were driving . I've told the story on the podcast before that we we had a driver in Israel who always spoke to us in English and while we were with him , because he wanted Leo to understand what's happening and whatever we were talking about and he was beginning to have .
Got his .
Hebrew up to scratch yet ? No , but he , are you working on it ? He speaks Yiddish better than he speaks Hebrew . Ok , but you need to work on the Hebrew as well . It's very yeah .
So we , and he was telling us you know that he was talking to people in the in the Kibbutzim that were in the bomb shelters , hearing the , the banging of Hamas on the , on the out , on the out .
So I mean people who follow you , go and they can see your interviews , and it's I want to ask you outside , kind of like what you've been asked , and we thought what's happening with the government of Israel ?
What happened ?
I mean , we understand what's happening in Israel . Well , there's a war . There's a war and Israel is .
¶ Jewish Heroes and Solidarity Missions
In my opinion , I think it's very hard for the world to see Jews as heroes as as warriors .
It's not . I think it was minister Ron Derma who said very early on in the war , after the initial sympathy began to fade , that it's easy to side with the Jews when they're victims . It's harder to side with them when they become victors .
Right , that's a very well said , yes , he's , he talks good .
I'm talking about , five months into the war , the sound bites of Polish .
Yeah , but don't do sound bites .
No , no , no no , I can give you an advice .
Don't make it , even if I tell the same joke over and over , it sounds like I just came up with it , so I'll try to make the sound bites , don't . Yeah , it's not Sound bites , are it's ? I don't like sound bites , but that's a good one . That's a good one it's . The world can't see Jews as big .
They need to see Jews as the victims , like Schindler's List . Who's the who's the hero , oscar Schindler . You know I I'm not a big Curb your Enthusiasm fan , but I watch it when it's for some reason . Whenever I'm jogging in the gym , it's on the screen . I just look at it and the world is OK seeing Larry David as the representative of Jews . You know .
But because he's insufferable , even if you love him . I recognize that he is insufferable .
Right Built in his body . I mean it's funny for me to think that these are .
These are the main Jewish icons , because they are a country that is just producing everyday heroes . I was talking about your country , israel . I was talking about this just now when I went to speak with Jewish students in Atlanta for the Hillel conference . I made a speech about what it means to make Gen Z Gen Zionist .
And I said kids your age didn't wait for orders to run back into the fire at the Nova Festival and save people and to talk about their trauma as a way of processing it and to set up civil society initiatives to support displaced families . They are taking responsibility and they are proving themselves to be greater than anyone can imagine .
I really think the like the incredible resilience of Israeli society , the way they came together after this war , the way people are taking responsibility and acting . And you know , we talk about all the reservists , all the reservists who are in this war .
Sometimes I get the impression from people who are interviewing me that they think somehow we want this war , that we're enjoying it , that we want this to go on . When you have 350,000 people in reserves , forget 700,000 parents who aren't sleeping . These have been ripped away from their wives , husbands , boyfriends , girlfriends , children , from their jobs .
They're not working , they don't want to be there . They woke up on October 7th with plans for the next vacation or the next start up . They're doing and have now found themselves OK , you take a gun , helmet , go into war .
And God said they don't want to do this , they want to go home , but they realize that they can't go home until we have dismantled Hamas and brought back the hostages , because otherwise it's going to happen again and again , as Hamas Absolutely .
We do not have the luxury to retreat somewhere safe and say , oh OK , if it explodes , it'll explode in someone else's face . If we do not bring back the hostages and destroy Hamas , it will explode in our faces , and I mean literally explode . That's how things explode in your face in the Middle East literally , yeah .
They don't care , or they don't want to believe it , or it's like I don't know what is so difficult for people who To understand when Hamas has said that over and over . Yeah , but I'm talking about this .
So the amazing part about you is , yes , at least to the Jews , you are reaching and your reach is within the Jewish and , and God willing , it pops out a little bit into the non-Jewish world . I should hope it's popping out .
I mean I'm done . But , but it's . I've done about 300 interviews since this war began , not for Jewish media , for the top international networks as well , and I really hope it's cutting through that's what's important .
They need to see you . I'm just saying for the Jews , for the Jews , we understand that could be Jewish heroes . We know everybody knows somebody that's somehow in the war fighting with a gun and taking a picture and all that . But you know , the outside world needs to see the Jews are heroes as well . Yeah , the way the Jews have come together is unbelievable .
I don't know if you know , like what's happening in America , their missions or the American solidarity missions , I don't know if you call it . They're called missions . Every Yenta in Long Island I'm going on a mission .
I know I've had lunch with most of them and they all take me to the same restaurant .
And they say these missions are taken to the same restaurant . Yes , they say we're going on a mission . A mission , you could think they're flying F 16s over targets .
Well , you know what , when they are flying , even if it's a dreamliner , but there are rockets firing overhead , I think I'm not .
I'm not taking it away , but they're saying they're going on missions like they're flying F 16s over targets . Then they sit there talking Where's your mission ? We're at the King David . Where's yours ? We're at the Citadel . We're going to be barbecuing with the soldiers in the front line . We're barbecuing in the tunnels .
I'm actually going to make my daughter's butt mitzvah in the tunnel . It's become such a thing that's definitely a creative thing . They were telling me that they , the soldiers , as they were going , they were handing them $20 bills . I was like they're going into Gaza , not into a casino . You want to hear an amazing story .
You want to hear an amazing story . I was on the train back from Jerusalem meeting another one of these missions and a woman walked over me and she said introduce herself , she was from New Jersey and she was very moved Thank you for all the work you do . And she explained that she'd flown into Israel with a suitcase full of gold , jewelry and diamonds .
I thought that she was lucky not to have been stopped at customs . She'd done a hand around to all her friends asking them for their jewelry . She was now donating , handing them out to the wives in displaced families and military wives whose husbands were in reserves .
That's where I got this watch from .
And then she went and sat down and came back to me a few minutes later and said here's $200 . I want you to give it to someone who needs it .
And immediately I knew one chap who was a survivor of the Nova Festival Festival and has been zipping around the country doing Hasbara , talking about what happened with zero support , paying for the gas for his car from his own pocket . I called him that afternoon . I said here's $200 from this lovely lady from New Jersey .
So , like you belittle it , but it means a huge amount . I did not say belittle it .
I love it . It's the most amazing thing . No , not belittle it . First of all , she made you a mitzvah-schluch a schluch for a mitzvah . Yes , it makes you a big thing and it's amazing that we're doing it . Who in America is going missions to Tegazza ? And we're amazing . It's an amazing thing what's happening .
It's an incredible thing because I think that , at the end of the day and maybe this is along the lines of what you just said not everybody can do what you're doing or what you do or what I do , but everybody has the responsibility to do something
¶ Combatting Anti-Semitism and Educating Children
.
Right .
And that's the bottom line , by the way , not just the Jewish community . For us , it is very clear 100% . We are fighting for humanity on the front lines of humanity . You said no sandbites , but here's one that I've willing Give it up now . No , we need friends and allies , because this was an attack . This was an attack on the world 100% .
How many people from how many countries were kidnapped in Tegazza ?
I think about over 40 countries were either murdered , injured or abducted , and I know that , as betrayed as people felt on October 7th looking around , especially in left liberal circles , seeing how people were either , in best case scenario , being silent about the atrocities or excusing them , condoning them or even glorifying them , a lot of Jewish communities , and
especially students , are feeling completely isolated and alone and they don't feel that they have the alliances to reach out to other groups .
And it's because I only understood this talking to the students just now the basic dynamics of peer pressure , when you have so many Muslim and Arab students who are saying we're not talking to the Israelis , we're not talking to the Jews , if you're any of the other minorities , even if you haven't drunk the Hamas Kool-Aid just yet , you're like well , do I want to
be with the popular kids or do I want to be with the nerds who are getting picked on ? And that's why it's so important With what I was saying to the students as well . Being a Zionist has always been about standing up to the bullies , and people will only respect you at all when you stand up to the bullies and demand self-respect .
I don't usually refer to Hamas as Hamas . I'll just say barbarians , they're barbarians . It defines what it is , because people it's just like the word Zionist and the word anti-Semite I use Brooke Jew-hater , jewish hatred .
No , Jewish hatred is not no , because it sounds like the Jews are doing the hating .
How does she say it , jew-hater ?
Jewish hatred . No , that's not good Jew-hate or Jew-hater , jewish hatred sounds like it's the Jews are doing the hating . We had it on the podcast . We're the ones doing the loving .
And Hamas . I call them barbarians . It's just so true . You understand what you're dealing with . It's barbarians . What ? Jew-hater ? Jew-hatred , jew-hatred .
Jew-hater .
And Jew-hater , which I wonder whether that's a more effective phrase than anti-Semitism . I 100% . Sometimes it goes over people's head and you have the people saying I can't be a Arab , saying I can't be an anti-Semite because I'm a Semiite , and it's like saying I can't be homophobic because I'm homo sapiens , right , Right . This is not what the word means .
So then you agree that that's a better way to say it ? I think so . Yeah , okay , so we're in agreement on that . Yeah , I mean , I've seen comedians try to do jokes with Semiite and that could be Arab too , and it could be a whole thing . It's too complicated and Zionists no one knows what the hell that means . But , okay , I have a request for you .
Okay , I have a cousin in Ramat-e-Sauron and she is Mimiro Cohen-Maitar and she's been dying to get you .
She understands that your work is to explain Israel's situation to the world , but she , as a mother of three , has no idea how to explain to her own children what's happening in Israel , and she wants you to come speak to the kids and try to explain to them with your charisma , with your charm , with your uniqueness , your talent to explain to the kids of Israel
what's happening .
You know , that's actually an idea for a post-war plan . The book has Barafa Children . Abc of has Barafa Children .
She absolutely said to me I've been trying to reach him as people and they don't know how to explain to their kids what's happening in Israel .
It's a huge challenge for parents to try to shield their children from what is happening , because you cannot live with that constant hysteria and trauma all the time . But you can't shield the kids , no , from a certain age . They're hearing , they're hearing and you can't .
I think , In Israel , whenever people are sitting together , they're always talking about who they know is here and who they know is there , and who is captive and who's .
Because it's such a small country , right .
You know six degrees of separation two degrees from six different angles ?
Yes , but even here like I'm .
I have a child , like a young child , and my community is Israeli and Jewish and everybody has somebody Like . The kids are nine and 10 years old . We just had them write letters to one of the released hostages . Wow , because we , you know , know somebody who was going and is close with somebody who was just released .
That's such a beautiful gesture .
It was really amazing , but they're . They wrote yeah , it was beautiful . They wrote their letters . Stella Moran , stella Yanae and Michael Rapaport actually just interviewed her . It was really sweet , but they know , you know they're writing her like we're so happy that you're safe back in Israel now , but it is .
It's impossible to shield them and they hear , and they . But that is a good book .
Hasbara for kids . Hasbara for kids . Yeah , no , it's , it's . You know . You have to tell the kids that this is the future of Israel . Tell them what happened on October 7th , what happened with the government , what happened that led to this . You know ?
A hundred percent . They're going to grow up with this the way that , you know , we grew up with the stories of the Holocaust .
Right .
That's yeah .
It definitely feels like a , you know , while the scale is obviously completely different and incomparable to the Holocaust , that sort of once in a century watershed moment that redefines people's lives and the trajectory of their lives and I see that , by the way , here in New York as well , with the number of people who didn't feel connected to the community or to
Israel . But then October 7th was a punch in the face , a punch in the gut . They looked around , they felt betrayed by friends and allies and they felt it so emotionally that it just reminded them vitrally who their people were , who their friends were , who their real allies are , and changes people's .
Makes them look at the world differently and just realize the world is not the place they thought it was before , but they also saw the definition of the never again .
That never again is now the never again I don't know what that means . I don't know . I hear the never again to me . I think never again to Everybody means something else .
People used to think never again would meet , never would there be a Holocaust again , and I have spoken about this Whenever you speak to a Holocaust survivor and I do I have them in my life on daily basis almost they never thought there was never going to be never again . They knew it would happen something like that again .
The never again is , as I always say if you come after the Jews , there's going to be repercussions . Yep , you've lost your land You've lost .
This land , nobody gets to burn Jews alive and no way with it anymore .
This is not 1935 anymore . You attack a Jew . Be ready for the repercussions . You say , as a president of a college campus , that it's okay to say genocide for Jews is okay . You lose your job . They didn't say it was okay .
They said it depended on the context . To be fair , let's quote them fairly .
It's on the content . Kishin tuchas , all three of those ugly women , they can all kishin tuchas , each and every single one of them Ugly on the inside . My part , I can say whatever .
I want . You can say whatever you want , my part .
Ugly on the inside , ugly on the outside . All three of them in all colors and all creeds and all religion , one of them even Jewish . Just ugly , ugly , ugly . That's all that was . And they , they , they hopped it . They had their jobs , they're teaching , but they lost their jobs as president , and one of them really had a big fall from grace .
You , that's , that's , that's the never again . That's what I'm saying , that's the never again .
I hope you're right . I don't know . I see there was some . I see so much stuff on social media like what just happened in Berkeley , my happened in Berkeley . There was a Jewish student that was assaulted yesterday , that they had like some meeting and somebody physically assaulted her .
This is what globalized the Interferdon . Yeah , this is it . It's a cool flyer .
My piece , who I talk about all the time , who's a student at Harvard and is Israeli . I mean , the stories that she tells me are insane . Yeah , I don't know , like Paris or France is trying to pass a law that the law that you can't put the Israeli flags up at , like Eurovision or something .
I mean this is how the Holocaust begins , right Like it doesn't just start with .
But the Holocaust , but there is a state of Israel . Now there's also , there's some kind of it's a different situation than World War II and I had dinner with . I had dinner with with a first year students .
I was at a dinner with a whole bunch of first year students of medical school and they were telling us how , right after October 7th , all the students it like it veered off , like the ones that are pro Hamas , pro barbarians , pro pro palace time , whatever that that you want to call that they no longer are associating with the Jewish kids , the ones that are
so short support for the Jewish kids . They're not associating with them . It's little things like that , but you know they're not throwing them out of medical school . I'm just saying I don't know if you know this phenomenon living in Israel , but Americans are arming themselves . I don't know if you know this . This is in . I've heard , I've heard stories , anecdotes .
They have gotten their permits , they've gotten their licenses , they've gotten their training and they are buying arsenals . I mean the Hermes of shotguns , the Gucci's of all the gear I mean .
that's disturbing and terrifying , because American Jews should feel that they can continue to live in safety and security in what is still the greatest country in the world Correct .
I'm not a gunman , I'm not a fan , I'm not an array or any of that stuff , but I get it . We're living in a Jewish neighborhood where almost every house is Jewish and there's no gates and guards in the front of the house and you have a family and some of the crazy , crazy Muslims have a holiday killer Jew day . Right , there's a holiday killer Jew day no .
Not that I'm familiar with he's so scared of God . No , there's some holiday . It's like I have not worked this hard .
He's like yeah , please don't .
I don't think that's real , it's gonna be the worst career move of my life . I don't think that's a real festival .
There was an international Jihad day .
Ah , yes , yes , it was a global day of great I don't make things up .
believe me , I'm not . So imagine on global Jihad day , as opposed to the global days of meditation . Yes , on a global Jihad day , they go into a Jewish neighborhood where they know every house is Jewish . There's a Mazzuzah everywhere . They kick a door down and let's Jihad this house . The owner of the house wants to have a shotgun to put them to an end .
When you see protests taking place outside cancer hospitals and you see the chanting becoming increasingly vicious and calling for overt violence and these cases of violence as well , you can't fault people for feeling unsafe and I think the you know .
I don't know whether arming themselves is the right choice , but the awakening that we are seeing in the diaspora of people saying whoa , maybe there is a danger to Jewish life that we weren't aware of before and we need to organize and rethink our priorities and build those alliances , which is absolutely critical , not just be within ourselves .
Build alliances and insist on our place and our right to live in this society , and freedom and security is absolutely critical .
That's it .
Don't he talk , good , don't he talk good . That's an old show Before my time , before your time was an amazing show . And he just go , don't he talk good . He had a Jewish lawyer . Archie Pank had a Jewish lawyer , rabinowitz , rabinowitz and Rabinowitz . Wow , it was so funny . And Archie would sit there and go , don't he talk , good ?
And so that's literally that she was brilliant .
That show would never get on there .
So let me just you , you , you , you with you , I know off of how do you drink your coffee .
Extra strong yeah . I think I know if there are fewer than three shots . I actually cannot taste the coffee , let alone feel the caffeine .
Yeah , that's , that's an energy , that's like a Celsius energy .
Definitely having an unhealthy amount of coffee , but I like a like a small , strong cappuccino .
Yeah .
¶ Fashion and Advocacy in Israel
Funny thing coming to America you ask for a small coffee and they bring you something in like a popcorn bucket . Yeah , I said I wanted a small one .
Oh , I see , everything here is on a different scale when you go outside of America and you ask for a large coffee and they give you this thimble of of of .
where's the how much can you drink ? No , no , no , the coffee in America is disgusting . I only drink espresso , okay .
But no , no , no , no . This maybe is the best reason to make aliyah . We have great coffee you live in Tel Aviv . I live in Tel .
Aviv . I live alone . You married dating . I'm alone , I'm single , you're single . Wow , you would blow up on J-Date . You would be the bomb on J-Date . He fits everything by the way he looks . He looks Jewish . He could also pass as like a Talion .
What does it mean to look Jewish ?
You know you got the dark the eyes when you speak . Your eyebrows talk a lot for you when ? Are your parents from . You could easily pass as gay In London . No , he could easily pass as gay . You know he's attractive . Put together , the beard is better than mine . The beard is more perfect than mine . You're , yeah , you're- .
The only guy in Israel who wears a suit .
Yes , and one that fits Because even New Zech is- .
And one that's because Even New Zech ?
do you see them wearing suits ?
Horrible . It's only from the waist up , it's jeans below and it's , and they make the knot not well and it's a hot mess . It's in no , you have a body for a suit too . You can't get a little gut out .
I'm doing , I'm doing my best to try to sit up and yeah , do you work out , do you do camera ?
Do you exercise ?
Wow , you know I managed to get myself into such a good routine before this war started and then on the cover something happened and it's like , okay well , do you want to go to the gym or do you want to do a CNN interview ? Okay , well , what's going to save the Jewish people ? So so I can't see a- .
Were you always this way or did something- ?
What do you mean by this way ?
I mean like , I feel like I became extremely passionate about being a Zionist after October 7th . Hey look , I made Aliyah .
I . I grew up in the UK and then , at the age of 23 , after I finished university at the two community colleges you mentioned , I got on a plane , flew to Israel because I wanted to serve in the army . So it's always been in my kishkis and I hadn't quite found the right role in which to make an impact .
And then October 7th happened in the most horrific , tragic circumstances . I found myself now on the front lines fighting fighting this war on the media front .
Yeah , okay , back to this . This everybody can see on all of you in the views . So where do you get your suits from ? Where do I get my suits from ? Yeah , because you're an easy guy to buy suits for .
Well , thankfully , I had a weekend before this started to do a little bit of shopping in New York . You did , okay , and where'd you get your ?
suit from , I went to Macy's . Macy's Okay . Okay , those of you listening , reach out to him . Those of you who always send me , he will do suits for you , custom made suits . Send him suits . Arthur would take him . Yes , arthur would take him and get him the nicest suits in the world in the world .
Who's the friend who works at Dior Dior ?
whatever , it doesn't matter , but we yeah , you got to kill the suit game .
You got to kill it .
Problem is .
You know , this war started in the beginning of October , when just the weather started to drip off . I'm worried what happens if this war continues and we start going into the summer , because it's going to be impossible to wear a suit . I'm going to have to start giving interviews in shorts and a tank top .
You have to make sure the looks are important . Make sure someone on your team is gay .
Make sure someone it's not a joke , no , no , you need a guy .
Make sure someone has an eye that your looks are right , the camera's , the light is right For a stylist , we'll work on it .
You know so many people want to volunteer and help with the operation . So if anyone wants to come and volunteer and be like , responsible for like , volunteer stuff then that too . Yeah , that's also a way to contribute to the Jewish community . We can vet them for you ?
No , Leo can vet them for you .
Leo's good at that stuff it's amazing .
Yeah , I . What else is about so the extra ? I'm just it's a breath of fresh air , is what I want this to be called . This episode should be called a breath of fresh air . It's really what you are . It's a shame that a war brought you to the spotlight . Yeah , it's a shame that a war brought you to the spotlight .
I think you're you're doing an unbelievable job , thank you . What's your message to anybody listening to this ? I don't want to drag this , this to this out . You probably have 17 more things going on today .
That we need everyone to take action , that you know Hasbara fighting for the state of Israel when he says Hasbara , it means it's not Hasbara , it's Hasbara . Oh , that's a good one . That's a good one . Explanation that's a good one . I don't say Hasbara .
I don't say Hamas barbarians . It's easier to define what they are rather than the name they gave
¶ Supporting Israeli Hostages and Families
themselves .
Listen , the bottom line , the bottom line . This isn't a war that we started . It's not a war we wanted . It's not a war we expected , but it's a war we've got to win Right . It's a war that Hamas declared on us . It's now holding 134 hostages and threatening to do this over and over again .
We have to win this war because otherwise it will happen again and it will be worse .
So if you are out there on the streets chanting ceasefire now , ceasefire now , either you're a complete scumbag because you want to abandon the hostages in the terror tunnels where they are being starved and tortured and raped and enslaved , or you think there's some sort of magic solution that's going to get the hostages back , but you want to leave Hamas free and
on its feet to do this again and again . You know what ? If Hamas emerges free and emboldened and attacks us again , it will be on you , because it will have learned that it has support from people like you that will restrain Israel and tell itself your Jewish heroes don't have a right to defend themselves . You get to burn Jews and get away with it .
We're not going to let that happen .
Right In five years from now . Where are you sitting In five years from now ? Where are you ?
sitting In five years from now .
Hopefully we'll have wrapped up the war and I'll be on vacation as of as of leave the war , I don't mean okay , the war is the war On a sun lounger and on a sun lounger taking a welder .
You'll never be on a sun lounger anywhere . You don't have that in you , oh no , I definitely need to vacation you are going to be where In the parliament , one of those people screaming no , no , no , no , no .
I don't see that .
No , prime minister of Israel . No , no , no , no , god , no , you say that now , for sure , for sure . I can't wait . I'm so happy we're doing this interview , so when he's running for prime minister , we have to meet , so it's a clip , that's never going to happen .
I could never be .
Oh dear you're trying to get me in trouble .
It's never getting you in trouble . Motok , I'm your biggest fan . I'm telling you , I'm representing the Jewish humor , you're representing the statesmanship . I don't know .
I think I'm trying to inject a good dose of humor myself .
What's your favorite joke ?
Oh no , you can't put me on the spot .
No . So then what I'm like ?
oh , it's not like I have a favorite joke to pull out . But I think humor is a coping mechanism .
He definitely has one . He definitely has . What's your favorite ?
joke , you're the comedian here .
Two gay guys are playing hide and go seek . One says to the other I'm gonna hide , if you find me , I'll give you a blow job . The other guy says what , if I don't find you , I'll be behind the piano . There you go . He's so scared that this is coming out Everything I've built up to in my career . He's used to all the brook . What's her ?
name . That's okay , we agree that we get to edit the episode and go over it before the full material goes on , we're gonna cut this up , nice Motec .
Anybody listening to this ? Our fans love you and love Israel and call to action . Go on the mission , Go fly those F-16s , go hand the soldiers money , go do what you can , exactly , come barbecue for soldiers .
Come , pick avocados and mangoes and bear witness . Hug the hostage families . And when you go back , put the hostage posters back up . I know it's tough . It's been 104 . It's difficult to count how many days the anti-seemites tear down a poster , put up two . If they tear down two , put up four .
Burn down the whole rainforest for all the paper you need , I don't care when you need to get the hostages out .
Every time I see a hostage poster ripped down , I walk around with these Am Israel Chai stickers and I put a sticker up every time I see a poster .
We had for our 100th podcast and they you know the question that kept me kept saying who would be the live . We did it live . We did it live in front of the 92nd Street Y and they asked who's your number one guest you'd want on the show Besides you ?
That's it . Your podcast has peaked . Now I want you on my podcast though Omer Shemtov .
Oh man , I don't know . For some reason his picture is everywhere I go , everywhere I go .
I see you your lips to God's ears that that poor kid gets out .
And then that and then the poster that was by our house that was taken down and I thought , okay , and I'm not going to see this face anymore . And then I was invited to the candle lighting in the mayor's house and his family was there .
Yeah .
And it was . I was like , wow , this is great .
I met his cousin yesterday Omer Shemtov , by the way , one of the Gen Zionist heroes because he was at the Nova party and had a chance to escape and he went back to try to save total strangers . He met an hour earlier , five o'clock in the morning , dancing at that trance party and then got abducted into Garzhan .
It's really tragic how these people like you mentioned this name , which obviously is supposed to mean something to someone , because these hostages have become household names in the most horrific circumstances that people throw their names out and it's as if they're celebrities or reality . Yes , that's what .
Everyone knows who they are because their faces are everywhere at least in Israel , and I'm proud to live in the only country where no one tears down hostage posters .
Yeah , I want to tell you just on a side note . This weekend a friend of mine called me up and he had a table , a house of yes . House of yes is a place where you have a Canova festival every weekend . There was amazing DJs that were there . He said , mory , I know you haven't been out in a while . Come , you're in town . And we were out .
Then I was in , we were in it , we were doing , we were in a very good place , we were dancing , we had our friends together with us and we were just like the music was amazing , we were just and then it hits you .
Could you imagine being in this state and all of a sudden , terrorists flying in and being shot at and you're in a zone where you're a very you know ?
Yeah , they were in the zone , they were having a time .
And you're thinking about that Peace festival . I mean , that's what it was .
But you know , everybody's in their zone .
Yeah .
And all of a sudden it just hits me . I'm like , oh my God , this is what they were experiencing right before this . This , this it happened . Where's the best place to give me a website , an Instagram account , somewhere where you think is the best place for people to help ? What's one of your favorites ?
First of all , they should be helping the hostage families . They need help . We have to keep reminding the whole world about the hostages .
It's amazing how hostage families bring them home .
What would say ?
Yeah , the families forum of the hostages . The way that civil society came together and they are fighting to bring back their children and their parents is truly inspirational . They could definitely use a lot of help to continue raising awareness .
I know it is exhausting when people tear down posters to put them back up , but we have to do it and you have to call up your elected representatives and pressure the Red Cross and pressure Qatar , because we have to get these people out . This is it's a humanitarian issue .
These are people who are snatched from their beds from music festivals , a third of them with chronic conditions . If they weren't in health danger when they were abducted , they're in serious danger now after being starved for so long .
Matisse Ahoud just said he's like if a kid gets kidnapped in America it's bad , like it's a problem . Everybody goes and tries to get the kidnapper and rescue the kid . But if you think that you can kidnap Jews and nobody's going to do anything about it , like it's fucked up .
Yeah .
Yeah . We can't go through one podcast with her not cursing it's every , every time there's a diner in Huntington , one island called the Golden Globe Diner , which is owned by Peter , who is not Jewish , he's Greek , and his entire front of the diner is papered in the pictures of the hostages .
And we had a show in Huntington around the corner , two sold out shows . Periel was on and we bought him . We gave him a yarmulke from the stage . I've been seeing Hatikva at the end of every show Amazing , Everywhere . I'm going to be seeing Hatikva at the Kennedy Center . I'm going to , I'm going to . How's your singing voice ? Amazing .
He's a cancer , he's , he is killing it .
So you do it with all the time , him and the Hatikva . Yeah , you do it like Cantorial style , or ?
No , I do it just so . I said I found a soundtrack where everybody can sing along . It's like in the nice lower range . So I want everybody to , even if they don't know the words , you know you wanted them , and so that's just after . It's funny because I'm doing a show an hour and a half .
People are cracking up and laughing with energy and then you got to remind them Don't forget what's happening in Israel . So please , rise and let's do it . Take a look , and that's . And for some reason , I just I'm on tour , I'm going to about to go to Boston , to San Diego , la , denver , kennedy Center , all over Pittsburgh , pennsylvania , and you know it .
Just I feel like that's where I'm my calling is I for some reason I don't feel like I need to go to Israel right now . I need to go to the Jews of America and help them unite through laughter and and do that .
And that's so important raising morale , but laughter in a way not that lets people escape from what is happening . A little bit of escapism is fine , but you bring them back down to earth and remind them they have a mission , they have a job .
This is a moment for the Jewish world to come together and act for a very specific mission that has just never been clearer to us . Then really you're doing your dogma , masiya Hennig . Then God's work that's .
Masiya Hennig , that's it .
Ilan has a podcast , of course .
No , I'm getting , I'm getting to the .
This was the deal .
I come on your To plug my podcast with whites and Luxembourg and A&H . We're good , OK . We love our sponsors and they help make you be here and talk to the people . How do they reach you ? How do they watch you ? What's your ?
first of all , follow me on Instagram and Twitter , which is a lot of a leavey . We've lost the podcast . Why , why and a LEVY . We've launched a podcast as well . State of a Nation . Amazing We've built a whole studio in Tel Aviv . The idea is , I'm a spokesman . How do I know what to say when I go on TV ?
It's because I'm having long , in-depth conversations with journalists and policymakers and activists and learn from them . So I'm inviting people to be a fly on the wall as I talk to the people who know what they're talking about , so that I can know what to say . And it's available on YouTube , apple podcasts , spotify , wherever else you get your podcast .
I say that at the end of every episode wherever else , to get your podcast . I don't know where else people get their podcast , but it's the thing you say at the end . If I had to find this , podcast .
I wouldn't know . Leo runs it . Are you crazy ? I wouldn't know where to find my podcast .
I haven't , so YouTube , apple podcast and Spotify .
And that's it you are . I can't thank you enough for reaching out to us and coming to you . It's a big honor .
Yeah Me , my first media appearance in New York as well . Is it really ? No , she's a fan of the game .
I mean , I mean hold on , Hold on .
Now Nobody can hear you .
I am a cop I was going to bring you . Oh , thank you , I'm a shieh energy . You want to make the brahman again . What brahman is ?
that she , he had him . Boa , I tell you , I don't know how long she's been with us , because we're going to be here as long as they .
thank you so much for being your first , your first interview in New York and my pleasure , and it's really . You are creating machine energy , representing the Jews the way you do .
¶ Comedy Tour Schedule and Updates
I am on tour . Boston , the Wilbur to sold out shows the 29th and 28th not sold out . There's a few seats left on the 29th . San Diego the matinee has a few seats . Two shows on the third of March . Then we are in the improv at in LA . Those shows are sold out but some releases might be happening , so just keep your eye on that .
Then we are in St Louis . If you know anyone in St Louis , let them know I'm going to be there . Be the friend that brings the friend to the comedy show . Not only get tickets for your friends . Let them know I'm going to be there and a whole bunch of other shows . Modi livecom Say hi . Let us know what you thought of this interview , periel .
I'm at Periel Ashenbrand and you can find all of my comedy shows and you can also DM me . If you want to help with rebuilding the Kibbutzim in Israel , you can shoot me a message on Instagram for that project .
Thank you very much . Thank you for coming , thank you very much .
Thank you , buddy . Thank you for helping me .