Remember Jewish comedy? It’s still a thing, and it’s thriving, even in this era of war, antisemitism and security concerns.
And it’s especially thriving in the form of Alex Edelman, the standup star perhaps best known for his show “Just For Us,” about secretly attending a white nationalist gathering.
That landed on Broadway, and later HBO Max, winning first a Tony Award and then an Emmy. They were just the latest honors in what is fast becoming a decorated career for the Boston native, who was raised in a modern Orthodox family and attended the Maimonides School.
On May 3, Edelman will bring his sharp brand of Jewish comedy to Adath Israel on the Main Line. He is the headliner for the 2026 Ida S. Mandell Event, the synagogue’s biggest annual fundraiser.
Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m., dessert at 6:45 and the show at 7:30. The event is open to the wider community. It was last year, as well, when Adath Israel drew a crowd of almost 1,000 people by bringing in the Israeli-American standup Modi Rosenfeld.
“We felt like we had hit something with Modi, and we wanted to strike gold twice, and it looks like we did,” said Adath Israel’s Rabbi Eric Yanoff, alluding to the fact that tickets for this year’s event are going fast.
“One of the things we felt in the room last year was that we were giving people permission to breathe. I say, sometimes, in order to laugh, we have to breathe. Physiologically, you can’t laugh without breathing,” he added.
Last year, Yanoff, Rabbi Andrew Markowitz and other Adath Israel leaders reached out to Rosenfeld’s people, and the comedian said yes. This year, it was basically that simple with Edelman, too.
“Truth be told, because they’re both nice Jewish boys, they were both very interested in helping to support us,” said Markowitz.
There was a moment during last year’s event when Rosenfeld talked about how he had performed at bigger, more prominent venues, but none compared to a synagogue like Adath Israel. He said something to the effect of, “I love this! I love packing a shul!” recalled Yanoff.
At Adath Israel, these NJBs can find NJCs, or Nice Jewish Crowds.
“It’s a home team crowd. You could feel the energy in the room last year,” said Yanoff.
“He doesn’t have to translate anything when he’s here,” added Markowitz.
Last year’s audience was filled with Adath Israel congregants and Jews from the wider community. The rabbis expect a similar showing this year, as they are preparing to go into High Holiday mode with expanded seating again.
“We’re right there,” Markowitz said.
Born in 1989, Edelman’s debut show, “Millennial,” won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer. He followed that up with “Everything Handed to You” and “Just for Us.”
He’s known for exploring Jewish identity, family and contemporary politics, specifically his own place as a New York-based Jewish comedian in a polarized political climate. His catchphrase, “Can you believe it?” is often a method for deflecting the ensuing awkwardness that comes with politics, cancel culture or antisemitism.
Edelman started attending and participating in open mics when he was 15, and while studying in yeshiva for a year in Israel, he helped launch Jerusalem’s first comedy club, Off the Wall Comedy. His debut show won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer in 2014, and his touring career started shortly after that.
Adath Israel members had heard of Edelman, according to Yanoff. Rabbi Markowitz and others were also fed the comedian by their algorithms when they looked up clips of Rosenfeld last year.
“When you select someone, you watch everything you can get online first. But also, reputationally, people had seen him. People were saying, ‘Oh my gosh, you got to get this guy, Alex Edelman,’” Yanoff said.
The rabbis thanked the Mandell family because, without their generosity, the night wouldn’t have been possible. It funds “all the good work we do throughout the year,” Yanoff said.
Tickets remain available at adathisrael.org.