Jewish, Muslim, Christian comedians unite for laughs, peace
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Jewish, Christian and Muslim comedians walk into a club…
OK, this isn’t the setup for a joke. Rather, it’s the premise of Comedy for Peace, a touring ensemble of standup comics from different religious backgrounds that perform on the same bill to bring people together.
The Arts at the J program, presented by the Rosen Jewish Community Center in southwest Orlando, will host a Comedy for Peace show April 23 in the Pargh Event Center.
Among the four comics will be Dotan Malach - who uses the stage name Erik Angel when performing his comedy. But he’s totally serious when he talks about starting Comedy for Peace.
“It’s just to show how easy it is to have fun together,” he says. “It’s a very optimistic thing that’s fighting all the hate.”
The group was founded seven years ago and to date has played 250 shows in 100 cities.
Yet Malach never intended to become a comedian. In his native Israel, he was a singer-songwriter who had released several albums in Hebrew. Everything changed a decade ago when he traveled to Krakow, Poland, to attend a concert by - wait for it - the Foo Fighters.
“I know, it’s embarrassing,” he says sheepishly.
But that trip set him on a new course.
“I met the love of my life there at a Shabbat dinner at the Jewish Community Center,” he says. “All my life changed.”
His future wife was born in America, so he ended up living in New York City and speaking what he jokingly calls his “falafel English.” Upon moving, he also began exploring his love for comedy. As he worked in the industry, he realized religious differences didn’t have to be a barrier to friendships.
“I met great Muslim comedians on the circuit,” he said. “It was always very friendly. After about two years, I really wanted to do a night with Jewish and Muslim comedians.”
Christians got in on the act, too, and the first Comedy for Peace night - which was planned as a one-time-only event - was a success. Such a success, in fact, that Malach began adding comedians to his roster as more and more shows were planned.
In Orlando, he’ll be joined by Ellen Karis, Gibran Saleem and Steve Marshall.
Known as "The Greek Goddess of Comedy," Karis has performed stand-up across North America and released three comedy specials. She is also known for her four-season recurring role as a waitress on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and is the author of the children's book “Special People: Godparents in the Orthodox Christian Faith.”
An American raised in a Pakistani Muslim household, Saleem is the only comedian ever to be a finalist for both “Stand-Up NBC” and the NBC Late Night Writers Program.
Marshall is a New York–based Jewish American comedian, actor and writer with more than 25 years experience in the funny business.
The rules of the performance are found in the Comedy for Peace tagline: “No politics. All laughs.”
The comedy comes from the performers’ circumstances and personalities. As Erik Angel, for example, Malach cracks jokes about being an immigrant, becoming a newlywed in his 40s and his adventures with learning a new language. (“It’s still a never-ending English lesson,” he jokes.)
And the shows are kept clean: A “kosher, hallal, church show,” he jokes. “We want everybody to feel comfortable.”
Since he started Comedy for Peace in March 2019, the world has become a scarier place - from the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, to the prolonged Israeli retaliation, to the expansion of war when the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February.
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“After Oct. 7, it became even more important to me to bring people together,” he says - through some comedians stopped participating in the shows.
“There is also pain involved,” he says. “It can get emotional at moments.”
But he thinks comedy can be a way forward.
“While I talk to you, maybe there’s a missle flying above my mother’s house. I don’t know,” he says. “But I have to keep going. You have to laugh even on the hardest day.”
And a post-show discussion, usually about 20 minutes, allows the audience to share their feelings. That’s an important part of the event, Malach says.
“With comedy, this is how we open hearts,” he says. “Then, we talk.”
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Comedy for Peace
• What: Christian, Jewish and Muslim standup comics perform, followed by a short discussion with the audience
• Where: Pargh Event Center at the Rosen Jewish Community Center, 11184 S. Apopka-Vineland Road in Orlando
• When: 7:30 p.m. April 23
• Cost: $25-$29
• Info:rosenjcc.org/comedy-for-peace
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This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 5:30 AM.