Opening act for comedian Jackie Mason canceled because he is Palestinian

Associated Press / SFGate

[RCW2001]

JOE BIESK, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
©2002 Associated Press

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/08/28/national0439EDT0473.DTL

(08-28) 01:39 PDT CHICAGO (AP) --

A comedian scheduled to open for Jewish comic Jackie Mason was told hours before the show he couldn't perform because he is Palestinian, Mason's manager said.

Ray Hanania was supposed to open for Mason on Tuesday night at Zanie's comedy club in Chicago, but the club phoned him a few hours before to tell him his act was canceled.

Mason has been an outspoken member of the Jewish community. His manager cited recent Israeli-Palestinian violence and delayed peace talks in explaining the decision.

"It's not exactly like he's just an Arab-American. This guy's a Palestinian," said Jyll Rosenfeld, Mason's manager. "Jackie does not feel comfortable having a Palestinian open for him. Right now it's a very sensitive thing, it's just not a good idea."

Mason, who has appeared on Broadway and in films such as "Caddyshack II" and "The Jerk," is an ardent supporter of Israel and has received at least one award from the Israeli government.

"Nothing personal against this fellow," Rosenfeld said. "Jackie doesn't even know him."

But members of Chicago's Arab-American community did take it personally.

As the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaches, Americans should be doing more to unite, said Ali Alarabi, president of the United Arab American League.

"I'm outraged," Alarabi said. "It is an act of hate and racism against Palestinians, and we demand an apology."

Rosenfeld said the issue is more about avoiding an uncomfortable situation.

"Don't turn this into a racist issue, because it's not," Rosenfeld said. "We just felt this is not a good idea at this time."

Hanania, 49, said he has been a comedian for less than a year and has about 20 performances under his belt. He started performing after Sept. 11 in an effort to lighten the situation and bring people together, he said.

"I'm upset because I deserve to be on stage and it was a big break for me," Hanania said.

Zanie's General Manager Linda Moses said Hanania's inexperience contributed to the cancellation. She said Hanania was replaced by a comic who has opened for Mason several times in the past.

"It's just the fact that he is an unknown," Moses said. "(Mason) is just not comfortable with having an unknown act. It's understandable."

In cases like this, the club must defer to Mason's wishes, Moses said.

Hanania, a Vietnam War veteran and former reporter, said he believes the decision should be based on how funny and entertaining he is. He said that if the decision was simply that he is a "lousy comedian," then he would be satisfied.

©2002 Associated Press  

[jo6pac]

It was the best deal the Israelis ever offered. But it still stunk and was unfair and incomplete.

He got that right.

[Brian Allen]

What's a Vietnam veteran American, "palestinian?"

When did Americans take to identifying themselves with that term?

Don't the people who've lately taken to calling themselves that usually turn out, like Daschle Arafat, to be Egyptians?

Or Lebanese?

Or Jordanians?

Or Syrians?

Or some other kind of barbaric islamanazi?

[faintpraise]

Jackie Mason, a Jewish Archie Bunker, couldn't stand to be upstaged by a Palestinian comic.

[cinFLA]

"So to you, the fact this guy's a U.S. citizen and a Vietnam vet cuts no ice. Only that he's Palestinian."

From his biography, he graduated from HS in '71 then some college. I suspect he never went to 'Nam since he only lists the Vietnam Era Ribbon from the Airforce as a dental specialist. He is presently married to a Jew (3rd wife). His father/brothers are also veterans. Some of his jokes include:

"Things aren't so bad. Arabs get four wives. I've had three, if you don't count the sheep," Hanania says to laughs. "It says so in the Arab Bible. The owner-operating manual for 7-Eleven, Chapter 5. Anyone read it?"

"My first wife was American. The best 10 grand I ever spent. I got my citizenship. No sex. And she left as soon as the check cleared. I Learned about women quickly," he jokes.

[Shryke]

Ah, the objective voice of Palestine strikes again. This is show biz, Illbay, not right-to-work enviornment. Jackie Mason is a dyed-in-the-wool Zionist and Jewish, who would be a giant hypocrit opening with a Pally. It's his show, his rules; that's Hollywood.

And drop that "blind hatred" crap; it's your oh-so-loved Pallies that bathe in that poison, not Israelis.

[scratchgolfer]

Arabs are getting ready to hold a Jew-hating Holocaust denial fest and Jackie Mason can't exercise veto power over his opening act. Laughable.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I heard this guy was a Christian Arab married to a Jewish woman.

I have no specific knowledge, but was fascinated to learn that immigrants to America are disproportionately likely to be Christian than the countries from which they come--and if the population from which they come is Christian, disproportionately likely to be Protestant.

[Brush_Your_Teeth]

Of course he has the "right." But he deserves the bad PR. Imagine cancelling a comic because he was Jewish or Christian, etc.

He would get loads of good PR for kicking a christian off of his act. The hollywood elite would worship at his feet and call him a visionary.

[BibChr]

As the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaches, Americans should be doing more to unite, said Ali Alarabi, president of the United Arab American League. "I'm outraged," Alarabi said. "It is an act of hate and racism against Palestinians, and we demand an apology

No, you've got it wrong.

As the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaches, Arabs should be issuing more apologies, and demanding fewer.

Dan

[decimon]

http://www.hanania.com/caajc/messages3.htm

[Non-Sequitur]

There is so such place as "Palestine". So where was this guy born?

If there is no such place as Palestine then what's Mr. Mason's complaint?

[dennisw]

 

 

 

 

 

This is why Jackie Mason wanted him off the bill

 

 

http://www.hanania.com/columns/dh07192.htm

Israel's policy of assassination undermines peace and violates Democracy
Posted on Friday, July 19, 2002

Government regimes that have their own crimes to hide, often circumvent the Rule of Law in pursuing their opponents. Israel's current government is no exception.

In the past two years, the Israeli Government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has targeted and murdered more than 76 Palestinian political leaders.

The Israelis obviously don't like to refer to these murders as assassination. Instead, they use clever public relations spin to rename it as "extra-judicial" killing. The idea that you can murder someone outside of the judicial process is ludicrous, but has been used by other tyrannical governments in past history.

Evidence and judicial review, which are fundamentals of Democracy, are absent from this practice. None of the victims were engaged in active attacks against Israeli targets. They were merely accused by Israel of such conduct.

Never required to prove its case against the victims, Israel simply commits the crime and then releases a press statement calling the victims either "terrorists" or suspected terrorist planners.

If Israel even had a hint of evidence proving these assertions they have never made them public. I suspect the evidence doesn't exist and is driven by politics.

We're required to just take Israel's word on this, a country that has a history of seizing lands from Christians and Muslims, and putting Christians and Muslims in jail for their political views and their activism.

Worse, in a majority of these assassinations, or murder, Israeli forces have also killed civilians who were not guilty of crimes. These victims include aides to the targeted victims, political allies, and in many more cases, innocent bystanders including women and children. In one instance, a mother and her three children were killed. In others, people were murdered who were victims of mistaken identity.

The policy of "extra-judicial" killings, or murder, is only one part of Israel's crimes against the civilian population it has occupied since 1948. Israel also applies a technique used by the former apartheid regime of South Africa called "Collective Punishment." This was something that African Americans experienced even here in the United States during the turn of the century and through the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s.

Under the policy of "Collective Punishment, " the Israelis don't just hold that person responsible for alleged crimes. Instead, they also punish everyone related to or acquainted with the "suspect." The homes of relatives are destroyed and their land is seized by the government. Many of the family members and friends of the suspect are arrested, jailed and tortured.

Certainly, Israel has a right to defend itself against terrorism. But so do the Christian and Muslims of Palestine who are the targets of these illegal policies.

You can see how easily Israel's policies help escalate the violence rather than bring it to an end.

In fact, while the Israelis often cite the murder of Israeli cabinet member Rahavim Ze'evy, they fail to note that his murder was the result of retaliation. Ze'evy was a fanatic, right-wing extremist who urged the expulsion of Christians and Muslims not only from Israel but from the lands occupied in 1967,

Weeks prior to Ze'evy's murder, Israel "assassinated" Abu Ali Mustafa, a political leader for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The alternative would have been to arrest and charge Mustafa with a crime.

In response, Mustafa's followers assassinated Ze'evy.

Ze'evy's assassination led to a dramatic escalation of the conflict and was used by Sharon to justify imposing harsher measures. He used an incident he provoked to justify more violence.

Israel uses assassination and collective punishment to achieve several other goals besides fighting terrorism.

Israel seeks to undermine the Palestinian political leadership, and to confiscate lands that belong to Christian and Muslim Palestinians. Land confiscation has been going on since Israel was established in 1948.

Israelis love to describe themselves as the victims of terrorism. But the truth is they are often the terrorist themselves.

(Ray Hanania is an award winning Palestinian American author, writer and humorist. His columns are archived on www.hanania.com. He can be reached by email at rayhanania@aol.com)

--end--

[NOTE TO EDITORS: Ray Hanania is former National President of the Palestinian American Congress, an award winning former journalist, an author, humorist and writer based in Chicago. His bio, past columns, and information on no-cost syndication is available on his web page at www.hanania.com. You can reach him via email at rayhanania@aol.com or by telephone at 312-755-3568. This column is published in the Arlington Heights Daily Herald Newspaper. Hanania is the only Palestinian Arab American with a weekly column published in a daily American newspaper.]

[nightdriver]

"As the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaches, Americans should be doing more to unite, said Ali Alarabi, president of the United Arab American League."

That sounds like a threat!

[vance]

Awesome research on this "comedian."

[philosofy123]

I like Jackie Mason, but he's dead wrong here.

I agree with you 100%.

Jackie is a very funny guy, but for him to be so blatant racist like that is unacceptable. After all, the guy is a Vietnam vet, give him a break! You can always send him packing if he was not funny!

[vance]

It's not racism. It's a decision not to bring politics into a comedy event. Mason should not have to share a stage with someone obviously opposed to Israel.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

A comedian scheduled to open for Jewish comic Jackie Mason was told hours before the show he couldn't perform because he is Palestinian, Mason's manager said.

He didn't blow himself up to be a martyr for the cause?

[billbears]

You'd have been right at home in the "Know Nothing" party in the 1850s.

Who, the Whigs/Republicans? The fact is that he has the right to choose who he associates with and who opens up for him. Tell me, is there ANYONE you won't go into your apologistic rant for?

[cinFLA]

So to you, the fact this guy's a U.S. citizen and a Vietnam vet cuts no ice. Only that he's Palestinian

And calls the Bush administration racist fanatics and call Jews terrorists.

[jo6pac]

He got that right, too.