Jewish groups outraged by SNL skit saying Israel only vaccinatingJews
Israel Hayom
February 22, 2021
Jewish groups and Israeli officials on Sunday accused iconic American late-night variety show Saturday Night Live of spreading anti-Semitism after one of its skits joked that Israel has been vaccinating only its Jewish citizens.
"Israel is reporting that they've vaccinated half of their population, and I'm going to guess it's the Jewish half," Michael Che, the co-host of SNL's news parody, Weekend Update, said on the most recent broadcast.
The joke did not go over well.
Israeli Ambassador to the US Gilad Erdan tweeted, "I'm a big fan of humor but perpetuating anti-Semitism is just not funny. Your 'joke' is ignorant. The fact is that the success of our vaccination drive is exactly because every citizen of Israel – Jewish, Muslim, Christian-is entitled it. Apologize!"
Israel Nitzan, who serves as the country's Consul General in New York, slammed SNL for "Spreading anti-Semitic lies and misinformation. Fanning the flames just to get a laugh is not only wrong, it's irresponsible. Israel has made the vaccine available for its entire population equitably, regardless of gender, race or religion."
A furious American Jewish Committee began circulating a petition on Sunday demanding that SNL apologize for the joke.
"Saturday Night Live's joke isn't just untrue – it's dangerous, a modern twist on a classic anti-Semitic trope that has inspired the mass murder of countless Jews throughout the centuries," the AJC petition said.
Ellie Cohanim, the deputy special envoy to combat anti-Semitism in the Trump administration, tweeted, "Under the Oslo Accords the Palestinian Authority is responsible for all health and social welfare needs. Contact SNL and NBC and demand they apologize for their modern-day blood libel against Jews."
Pro-Israel advocacy group StandWithUs launched an apology-demanding campaign as well.
"This may have been an uninformed comment, lacking in understanding of Israel's diverse population or, worse, a blood-libel and a lie dressed up and played for laughs," the petition read.
"Israel's healthcare system is available and equal to all and an example of coexistence. Those who allege otherwise tend to be extremist groups, who have already relished this 'joke' on social media.
"The SNL libel has already been used to promote anti-Semitic words and deeds. Saturday Night Live and NBC should apologize and disown this dangerous and misleading assertion."
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA) also called on NBC to apologize for the anti-Semitic segment.
CAMERA's Israel Director Tamar Sternthal urged "NBC and SNL to apologize for the blatant anti-Semitic smear, and to make clear that Israel is providing equal access to the coronavirus vaccine for its entire population, Jews and non-Jews alike."
Rabbi Aryeh Spero, president of the US-based Conference of Jewish Affairs, issued a statement saying, "The producers of Saturday Night Live decided they would sacrifice the truth and demonize the Jewish State for the sake of a cheap laugh or, worse, enable an age old blood libel accusing Jews of manufacturing and spreading plagues while being indifferent to others.
"Surely [SNL creator Lorne] Michaels knows of the heroic efforts Israel has made in creating vaccines, medicines, and state-of-the art medical equipment to alleviate not only the coronavirus but also every type of disease found across the globe. The Saturday Night Live crew would do best to educate themselves on how Israel, matched only by the United States, has sent its transportable medical units immediately to every part of the globe facing a meteorological or medical catastrophe.
"The Saturday Night Live crew would never be this callous, nor stereotype a Muslim or LTGBQ group. They know that in today's culture, such demonization would get them cancelled and removed from media outlets."
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DEFENDERS OF SNL BLAST ISRAEL FOR NOT VACCINATING PALESTINIANS ON THE WEST BANK, IN EAST JERUSALEM AND IN GAZA
‘SNL’ under fire for ‘anti-Semitic’ joke about Israeli COVID vaccine rollout
By Jesse O’Neill
New York Post
February 21, 2021
“Saturday Night Live” and star Michael Che are under fire from critics for a joke they claim was anti-Semitic.
“Israel is reporting that they’ve vaccinated half of their population. I’m going to guess it’s the Jewish half,” the Weekend Update correspondent cracked Sunday morning.
The vast majority of Israel’s population — 74 percent — is Jewish, according to the Jewish Virtual Library.
Vaccination rates of Israeli Arabs are much lower than Jews in the country, partially due to distrust of the government in the Arab community, according to a January article in The Christian Science Monitor.
By Sunday afternoon, the topic was trending, with many accusing Che and NBC of bias, and others coming to his defense.
“Unsurprising coming from SNL as they have a long record of antisemitism,” posted former state Assemblyman Dov Hikind.
“But Michael Che or whoever wrote that ‘joke’ is obviously also ignorant of fact that Israel has Arab citizens who’ve received the vaccine according to the same qualifications as Jews!,” the Brooklyn Democrat said.
Another critic tweeted: “43% of Israel’s Arab citizens have been vaccinated – and that already large # would be even higher if the kind of hateful propaganda spread by Michael Che weren’t around.”
Others defended the fake news bit, claiming that Che was making a statement about Israel not extending the program to the West Bank and Gaza. It is vaccinating Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem.
Palestinian leaders have accused Israel of racism in connection with the vaccine roll-out.
“Leave Michael Che alone. Israel is not vaccinating the millions of Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem & Gaza–all of which is ultimately under Israeli control. As a Jewish woman of conscience, I find this medical apartheid appalling,” one woman tweeted.
Meanwhile, a week after “SNL” ignored Gov. Cuomo’s COVID-19 nursing home death scandal, the variety show took the gloves off, casting Pete Davidson as the scandal embroiled Democrat to kick off Saturday night’s episode.
EDITOR'S NOTE; To criticize Israel for not vaccinating the Palestinians on the West Bank and in Gaza is not only the height of absurdity, but it is also a blood libel against the Jews. The West Bank is ruled by the Palestinian Authority, not Israel, and Gaza is ruled by Hamas which together with Islamic Jihad has bee firing rockets at Israeli civilians.
That "Jewish woman of conscience" ought to be ashamed of herself. She's nothing more than an anti-Semitic Jew, the kind that are being turned out by our colleges and universities. I'll bet she also supports the BDS movement.
As Rabbi Aryeh Spero sid: "The Saturday Night Live crew would never be this callous, nor stereotype a Muslim or LTGBQ group. They know that in today's culture, such demonization would get them cancelled and removed from media outlets."
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