The Twin Cities Jewish Humor Festival brings together thousands of people to enjoy local and national guest artists and comics who represent and reflect the diversity of Jewish culture and provide a Jewish humor lens on the world. Each year, the Festival celebrates the Jewish contribution to the world of humor and includes stand up, performance, authors, a workshop and art exhibitions. With something for everyone, the Festival creates space for laughter, connection and joy in the middle of a Minnesota winter.

Schedule:

Thursday, February 22, 2024

1:00 p.m: Laugh – For the Health of It at Sabes Center Minneapolis
It’s been said that ‘Laughter is the best medicine!’ Good news – No prescription necessary! Participants in Sarah Routman’s unique Healthy Laughter Session will discover the history of Laughter Yoga and the science behind the many health benefits associated with the regular practice of purposeful playful laughter. Always interactive, this engaging, empowering and transformative experience is filled with fun and creative laughter games that will leave you in stitches. No need for yoga mats or special clothing. Come laugh, for the health of it!

Sarah Routman knew just what to do with her MA in adult education: She became a laughter professional. Formerly a high school teacher, adjunct leadership instructor at the University of Minnesota, and Executive Director of two non-profits, she is a sought-after keynote speaker, conference presenter, staff development trainer, and personal coach.

Cost: $10 / Free to JCC Members
Recommended age 9+

7:30 p.m: Good Showbiz with Eli Leonard at Sabes Center Minneapolis
Good Showbiz is a celebration of the spirit and vibrant history of Jewish showmanship. Hometown hero Eli Leonard (Adath Jeshurun Synagogue, Herzl Camp) hosts this immersive spectacle of theatrical tradition, embroidered with feats of physicality, musicality, comedy, and stagecraft, culminating in a rarely attempted dramatic monologue. While Good Showbiz is a funny theater show at its core, Leonard will make it abundantly clear in his hour that it is also, quite practically, a business. To be in the Showbiz audience is to participate in the vital work of bringing this show to life, and for this work, all participants will be fairly compensated.

Eli Leonard is an "undeniably Jewish" and proudly Minnesotan comedian, writer, actor, and clown. Leonard has written storylines, and appeared on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. You can find Leonard in the stand-up comedy circuit as a paid regular at the Hollywood Laugh Factory, opening shows for headliner, Elon Gold, and traveling on tour with The Chosen Comedy Festival. Leonard is a member of the internet sketch group, No That’s Okay, and their TBS Pilot, Eli in a Big Shirt can be seen on Eternal Family.

This solo show, "Good Showbiz" began as part of the VIP residency program at The Elysian Theater in 2023 and has gone on to sell out theaters around the country.

Opener Elise Cole is a featured comic at Acme Comedy Company in Minneapolis. Her debut album Real Hot Dumb Dumbs navigates the challenges of marriage and parenting in the fluid landscape of the 21st century.

Cost: $25

Saturday, February 24, 2024

8:00 p.m: Queer Comedy Night: Yenta! Live at Capp Center St. Paul
Come together to celebrate queer Jewish joy! Yenta! Live live will feature Raye Schiller and Antonia Lassar as they make you laugh and cry and remember that you should call your mother. Slay. Oy Vey. This will be the first ever live recorded podcast episode of Yenta! and we will read your secrets submitted anonymously before the show! All are welcome.

Arrive early to anonymously submit your secrets, and stick around for schmoozing and nosh with the comedians!

Raye Schiller is a queer, formerly-Orthodox Jewish comedian and writer from New York, based in Los Angeles. Raye’s infectious energy has taken them to venues around the world, including Tel Aviv, London, and Rome, and they’ve performed at the Hollywood Improv, Stand Up NY, and recently headlined at the New York Comedy Festival. Raye’s standup clips have garnered millions of views on social media, and they host the popular comedy podcast "Yenta!".

Antonia Lassar (Just For Laughs, UCB, The Internet) is a queer Jewish comedian/actor/hot person based in LA. She’s best known for her viral tiktoks about Jewish life, and she recently received the prestigious Mandel Fellowship for her Jewish standup comedy. Antonia is currently touring a new Jewish stand up show, co-hosting the iconic Yenta podcast with Raye Schiller, and performing comedy around LA and at your mom’s synagogue.

Cost: $25

Sunday, February 25, 2024

10:00 a.m: Laughter for All at Capp Center St. Paul

Come and laugh for no reason with an experienced wellness laughter leader!! Come as you are and take a moment to enjoy the amazing, joyful, goofy, fun side of Your brain. No need for yoga mats or outfits. And, well, lately you have been a little crabby.

Mary Margaret Anderson has spent over 40 years in spandex teaching yoga, mindfulness, dance parties, group fitness & training instructors in every kind of wellness adventure. Her passions as a teacher are human flourishing through Love, fun, laughter, great music, sweat, kind energy, & getting the uninterested interested. She has trained extensively in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, yoga, meditation, & a boring braggy list of fitness things you never heard of. Catch her reading, recycling, biking, drinking coffee & laughing with her husband, Skip. She taught & coached in 4 Minnesota High Schools and recently sold her Hot Yoga studio, one of the first HOT yoga studios in Minnesota, surfs the couch on a daily basis and loves chocolate, veggies, butter, being outside and her family—(including her supportive husband, kids and 5 grandkids). She currently teaches yoga, laughter & mindfulness at the University of Minnesota, the Bureau of Indian Education, and is a Super Sub around town.

Cost: $10 / Free to JCC Members
All Ages Welcome

1:00 p.m: Engage! An Afternoon of Jewish Learning and Culture at Capp Center St. Paul
Matt Goldman is a New York Times Bestselling author and Emmy Award winning television writer. He has been nominated for the Shamus Award and Nero Award. Matt’s television writing credits include Seinfeld, Ellen, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. Matt lives in Minneapolis with his wife, two dogs, and two cats.

Eli Leonard is an "undeniably Jewish" comedian, writer, actor, and clown. Leonard has written storylines, and appeared on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, written for and appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm. You can find Leonard in the stand-up comedy circuit as a paid regular at the Hollywood Laugh Factory, opening shows for headliner, Elon Gold, and traveling on tour with The Chosen Comedy Festival. Leonard is a member of the internet sketch group, No That’s Okay, and their TBS Pilot, "Eli in a Big Shirt" can be seen on Eternal Family.

1:00 p.m: Antisemitism: A Laughing Matter. Comedians Eli Leonard and Matt Goldman will engage with Rabbi Debra Rappaport about the human need for laughter in and at the darkest moments, where the lines are between funny and offensive, and the use of verbal vs physical humor.

1:55 p.m - 2:10 p.m: Snack/social break
2:15 p.m - 3:15 p.m and 3:30 p.m - 4:30 p.m: Breakout sessions, with faculty including Noam Sienna, Earl Schwartz, Rabbi Marcus Rubenstein, and more.

Date: February 22 - 25, 2024

Locations:

Sabes Jewish Community Center, 4330 South Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis, MN 55416
Capp Center Saint Paul, 1375 St Paul Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55116

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