The Jewish Innovation
In 2003, when tragedy was more common than comedy, I started a comedy tour in Israel during the height of the second Intifada, to provide a safe and fun night out for the local communities. After the very first tour, a girl approached me and said, “I just wanted to thank you. I haven’t had anything to laugh about in over a year.” From that point on I knew I had to keep it going. Since the terror died down, the purpose of the tour shifted to benefit good causes and also create great emissaries for Israel, as the comedians (most of whom are not Jewish) go back having had a phenomenal experience. The tour is a three-pronged positive. It not only provides laughter for Israel, it raises money for The Koby Mandell Foundation, while creating great PR for Israel (especially in the entertainment community where it is desperately needed) as well. The comedians who have gone in the past include, Craig Robinson ( The Office), Jeff Ross (Roast Master General), Harland Williams (Half Baked) just to name a few. The website for the tour is www.comedyforkoby.com
This coming June is the tour and we are trying to cover as many costs as possible. We are doing 7 shows in 6 cities! The more costs we have covered up front, the more we can give to charity. The schedule is at www.comedyforkoby.com. Hope to see you there!
The Impact
The tour directly impacts Israel in a variety of ways, it provides laughter from world class comedians who otherwise would never perform in Israel. It provides additional funding for the Koby Mandell Foundation to serve more children and families of terror in need. Finally, the tour is instrumental in helping Israel with its ongoing PR problem as all the comics return raving about their experiences.
What Will You Do with the Money?
The costs of the tour are not completely covered. Our goal is to offset many of the operational costs such as hotel, flights and marketing to allow the majority of ticket sales to benefit the Koby Mandell foundation directly and help it provide numerous services to children and families who have been victims of terror. The website for the charity is www.kobymandell.org.
