Interfaith Comedy Show Comes to Gordon Center

January 24, 2023 Simone Ellin, Associate Editor

(Provided Photo)

Modern Orthodox writer and comedian Carmiya Weinraub finds that poking fun at religion is a reliable way to get laughs. She also believes that finding the funny in faith helps to reduce stereotypes and build bridges between people of different religious backgrounds.

Weinraub, a social worker and homeschool mom who lives in Rockville, founded the Interfaith Comedy Show to prove both points.

On Wednesday, January 25, she joins an impressive line of comedians of different faiths for a night of standup comedy at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave. in Owings Mills. The performances will be followed by a Q&A with the comedians.

Recently, Jmore talked with Weinraub about the upcoming program.

Jmore: What inspired you to create the Interfaith Comedy Show?

Weinraub: It was really to reduce prejudice and assumptions. We get there by exposure. So, how many people at the JCC have a Muslim friend or coworker or have seen a Muslim tell jokes on stage? That number is low. I go to a club [to perform standup comedy] sometimes and I’m saying things about being kosher and about having a lot of children and about why I wear a headscarf, and people go “Wow!” They just had no idea because they never knew anyone who was Modern Orthodox.

When we’re ourselves and we’re not trying to fit into some comedy club mold; when we’re just speaking our truths and about our comfort or discomfort with our religion or what we love about it, it’s hard not to relate. People really just connect. So much of the specificity is universal.

How did the show come about?

I was doing a lot of jokes about my own observance and I happened to be on two shows with Muslim comedians. After watching the second guy, I thought, “My Jews need to see this.”

I texted my rabbi, [Rabbi Uri Topolsky at Kehilat Pardes — The Rock Creek Synagogue] – who is very interfaith friendly and also loves comedy, and wrote: “What do you think about having an interfaith comedy show at our shul?” He wrote back immediately and didn’t ask a single question. He just wrote “Yes.”

So, I started reaching out to people that I thought could do a few minutes about their religion. It’s a 90-minute show, which is 70 minutes of standup with different performers and then a 20-minute Q&A as part of the show. We have comedians [representing] Islam, Judaism, Christianity (including Baptist and Mormon), Hindu and Buddhism.

How did you get into comedy?

One of the women in the show goes to my synagogue and I helped her edit and prepare for an audition she was having related to comedy. As I was helping her reorder the jokes, I thought to myself, “I love this! I should start writing.” Then it became a goal – to get on stage when I was 40. I accomplished that a month later and I said, “I’m not stopping.”

Can you give us an example of something funny that audiences might hear about during the show?

I think watching a Buddhist make fun of meditation is funny.

What can people expect to take away from the show?

Cheeks that hurt from laughing; knowledge about religions that they didn’t have before; more of an understanding of what it’s like to be a person of a faith that’s different than your own; a sense of community; belief in the power of people to connect across differences; and if they’re listening hard enough, some jokes to tell other people.

In case anyone would like to see the Interfaith Comedy troupe again, they’ll have another chance, right?

Yes, Jmore is bringing us back to Baltimore on June 6th for a program called JBiz 2023: Laughs and Libations. The event will be held at Union Craft Brewing [1700 W. 41 St.] on June 6.

To purchase tickets for the Interfaith Comedy Show at the Gordon Center, visit gordoncenter.com or click here.