Arab, Jew use humor to defuse tensions

DORSET, Vt. -- An Arab-American and a rabbi walk into a synagogue -- everybody laughs.

Standup comedian Ahmed Ahmed has been sharing a bill with Bob Alper, a part-time rabbi, in comedy shows at synagogues and elsewhere, and the two hope their professional relationship will have some larger value in these tense times.

When Alper first called him, Ahmed said, he worried about how the two-man show would be received.

"I was sort of like, 'Are you crazy? I don't know. It's a very delicate time . . .'," he recalled. "And so I just didn't know if the tension was going to be a situation."

At their first joint appearance, at a synagogue, Ahmed said, "I didn't know how to start out my act. The first thing I said was, 'Don't worry, they patted me down before they let me in.' I went into my material and they loved it."

"The power of laughter can just really medicate a tragic situation," said Ahmed, who was born in Egypt and lives in Los Angeles.

Neither comedian wants to diminish the gravity of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. But, says Alper, "Comedy's a very holy endeavor in that it enables people to cope with sadness and with tension and with crisis."

For several months, the men have performed together around Vermont and elsewhere, including New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Some shows have been cosponsored by Muslim groups, Alper said.

"In comedy, having a hook is critical," said the 57-year-old from East Dorset, Vt.

"We come from very different backgrounds but there's a real similarity in our material. We're unique -- Arab comedian, rabbi comedian. We have hooks that other comics don't have."

Each pokes fun at his own culture but steers clear of discussing the other's, or the strife.

"The consensus here in the United States, at least for the most part, is that people want peace," said Ahmed, 31, who stayed at the Alpers' home while performing in Vermont. "They want to be able to live amongst each other and not have negativity."

Alper talks onstage about his experiences studying in Israel and about learning Hebrew. Ahmed highlights his experiences as a Muslim living in California, especially after Sept. 11.

"We don't avoid the Middle East at all, but we don't do anything that directly addresses the conflict," Alper said. "But I think implicitly we do, just by the image of here's an Arab and a Jew appearing together and making people laugh and enjoying each other's company."

They don't talk much about politics offstage either. Yet Alper says he has learned a lot about Muslims, and that it has been gratifying to see the way people respond to their performances.

"I want Jewish people to be able to avoid the terribly negative stereotype of what Arabs are, what Muslims are," Alper said. "It's debilitating to us. There are some very, very bad people who are Arabs and Muslims doing horrible things, but not everyone.

"On the High Holidays, in the liturgy, one of the sins we ask forgiveness for is xenophobia," Alper said. "And to be able to relate to an Arab as a warm, funny, gentle human being is one way of fighting against xenophobia."

As Ahmed puts it, "There's a sort of spiritual gap that's being bridged through Bob and I working together, I believe."

Both comics also try to incorporate more universal material into their routines, throwing in jokes about family relations and the regions in which they live.

While Ahmed and Alper still perform individually, they plan to continue appearing together as long as there's interest.

"If peace breaks out, will they still want Arabs and Jews to do standup?" Alper said. "Well, I don't think we'll have to worry about that, unfortunately."

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