NEW YORK | For one night in Manhattan, the peace process focused less on the history of the Green Line and more on the importance of the Punch Line. At Gotham Comedy Club in New York City, Palestinian-American comedian Amer Zahr hosted the 6th annual “Stand Up for Peace Comedy Benefit” and proved that humor knows no boundaries.
Joining Zahr onstage were seven other talented comedians as well as three alumni Seeds who shared their powerful stories with an audience of nearly 200 people. With the support of the Young Leadership Committee and sponsorship from the American University in Cairo, the event raised over $5,000 in support of Seeds of Peace’s programs in the Middle East and South Asia. Jacob Toll and Rami Qubain, both members of Seeds of Peace’s Junior Board of Directors, were instrumental in the planning and execution of the event.
The evening was filled with laughs as comics from diverse backgrounds, including Palestinian and Jewish comedians, shared a single stage. The comics covered topics relevant to current events in Middle East and poked fun at common stereotypes. The event proved that laughter can be a universal language, one capable of transcending national and religious divides.
Comedian Jim Dailakis was particularly moved by the evening and wrote the following on his professional blog:
“I was absolutely blown away by what this particular organization attempts to accomplish and does so with meaningful and undeniably optimistic results … The one most incredible thing I took away from the event and couldn’t stop thinking about on the train [afterwards] was the realization that we don’t have to wait for our politicians or people in power to make things happen. We can do it on our own.”