Comedian Carmiya Weinraub to be Among Performers at Jmore’s ‘Laughs & Libations’ Event

May 15, 2023 JMORE Staff

The tagline on Carmiya Weinraub's online bio is, "Her comedy's clean, but her house isn't." (Provided photo)

Modern science backs up what comedy lovers have known for centuries — laughter is the best medicine.

Of course, spirituality is no joking matter, but Carmiya Weinraub believes that humor is an ideal means of exploring faith issues and spreading interfaith and cultural fellowship while chipping away at stereotypes. A modern Orthodox comedian and writer who lives in Rockville, Weinraub is the founder of the Interfaith Comedy, a national touring group.

She will be among the headliners at “Laughs & Libations,” a night of interfaith comedy presented by Jmore on Tuesday, June 6, at Union Craft Brewing, 1700 W. 41st Street. The family-friendly program, which begins at 6 p.m., will feature performances by stand-up comedians coming from different religions and backgrounds, plus a Q&A session with the headliners. Each ticket includes one beverage (beer, hard cider or a soft drink).

Last January, Jmore Associate Editor Simone Ellin spoke to Weinraub, a social worker and mother of five who homeschools her children, shortly before the Interfaith Company Show’s appearance at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts in Owings Mills.

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

Weinraub: It was really to reduce prejudice and assumptions. We get there by exposure. How many people at the Jewish Community Center have a Muslim friend or co-worker, or have seen a Muslim tell jokes on stage? That number is low.

I go to a club [to perform stand-up 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 of Kehilat Pardes-The Rock Creek Synagogue in Rockville], 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 stand-up 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 re-order the jokes, I thought to myself, ‘I love this! I should start writing.’ Then it became a goal — to get onstage 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.

“Laughs & Libations” is sponsored by The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, with media sponsors WYPR, WTMD and PressBox. For tickets, click here.