Steve Lipman Responds

Although there are some Orthodox women doing stand-up comedy, my article concentrated on those doing it as a profession, in the United States or in Israel, before primarily English-speaking audiences. Many women, and men, do comedy as a sidelight to their careers in other fields, but I was showing the trend of those doing it full-time.

One who came to my attention after I wrote the story is Danielle Jacobs, a trained actress, who, while not a full-time comic, appears frequently online in the guise of Rebbetzin RLZ (Rivka Leah Zelig), delivering humorous insights into Jewish life.

Two other Orthodox performers who came belatedly to my attention are Avi Liberman and David Finkelstein, who do their acts at various comedy clubs.

The fact that these comics turned up after I wrote my story—I trust that there are others—is another sign of the growth of Orthodox men and women working in the comedy industry.