The Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time Israeli Show

July 10, 2011 - 2:25 PM by David

Just like Israeli society, it’s not often pretty, it’s quite direct, and it’s a little awkward – but The Israeli Show, a new online weekly satirical take on the news here, patterned after The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, has some redeeming qualities.

Sidman, a 32-year-old immigrant from Boston, is cast in the role of news anchor on the two to three minute shows, presenting sardonic comments on current events in Israel, with the help of video clips and photos in the background. While clearly grass roots, low budget and not quite ready for prime time with canned laugh tracks and Sidman’s straight-laced, stilted delivery, the show does have its moments.

When commenting on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s recent statement that some European leaders treat the Palestinians like a spoiled child, Sidman said the Europeans ignored the PM and instead threw the Palestinians a ‘sweet 16’ party. And some of his one-liners are zingers like “Shakira visited Jerusalem and went to the Kotel where her hips apologized for lying.”

Sidman, a dog trainer by profession, has done stand up routines on Israeli stages and worked in radio in Boston doing a comic routine on a sports show. The Israeli Show is a labor of love for him, one that he hopes will provide more than just laughs.

“It became obvious to me that the entire world was obsessed with news about Israel. The Daily Show being America’s third most popular news source and I realized why – people want to know what’s going on but the news generally is very boring,” said Sidman. “So if you can make it fun and interactive and something they can relate to, then you have a win-win situation.”

“My advantage as a comedian is that I can take the anti-Israel bias out there and engage it, using comedy to expose its hypocrisy. But first and foremost, it’s a comedy show. I think hasbara is a side effect. People who watch it should realize it’s a good hasbara tool, but it’s not the main goal. My main goal is to keep people abroad informed about what’s going on in Israel and let them have a good laugh at the same time”

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