Outspoken Jewish American comic and actor Michael Rapaport has been visiting Israel regularly to show support for the country and speak at rallies and on advocacy panels.Now, he’s coming back to perform in the Jewish state for the first time. Rapaport will be doing his adult stand-up act on October 13 at the Jerusalem Theater and the following night at Beit Hahayal in Tel Aviv.
“I couldn’t be more excited and honored to perform in Israel," Rapaport told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. "I hope the hostages will be home and everyone can start to heal. Praying I can bring some laughs and levity for the people I adore in Israel.“
Before October 7, most Israelis recognized the physically towering redhead as Gary, the street-savvy, pigeon-shooting cop boyfriend of Phoebe in a handful of Friends Season 5 episodes.But since the Hamas massacre and the resultant skewering in social media of Israel for retaliating, the 54-year-old prototype “New Yawker” who has appeared in dozens of movies and TV series over his 35-year acting career has emerged as the aggressively profane, politically incorrect mouthpiece for supporters of Israel.
Rappaport has appreciation for Israelis
Rapaport had never visited Israel but since October 7, he’s been back repeatedly. Speaking to the Post in May from New York, he said, “I can just say that there’s a lust for life and an appreciation for life among the Israeli people that’s amazing. Just like there’s something special about New Yorkers, there’s something special about Israelis.“They’ve been so used to being f***ed with: terrorism, intifadas, soldiers being killed, their fight to exist and the need to explain their existence, it creates an incredible type of person. You don’t really understand it until you engage with them; and since October 7, I’ve been so fortunate to engage with so many of them,” he said.“These two long trips I’ve been on have changed me as a Jew, as a New Yorker, and as a man. I can’t put my finger on it because it’s still happening right now. But one thing I know is that Israel will be a big part of my life going forward. I’m going to make up for lost time.”It looks like Rapaport’s a man of his word.
Tickets for the Live Nation-promoted shows are available at:
https://discover.ticketmaster.co.il/event/MichaelRapaport/