Has your definition of what’s funny changed? Are there some things that are not funny anymore?

I don’t think so. It’s not like Israeli comedians were doing tons of hostage jokes on October 6th.

Do you believe humor can be a form of resilience?

Absolutely. Jews have always laughed to keep from crying. The alternative is to have horrible mental health and not be able to get out of bed in the morning. If someone had told you in 2019 that millions of people would die from a global pandemic, you wouldn’t have believed that anyone could manage to laugh throughout it. Yet there we were, laughing at memes, images, and videos joking about social distancing, Zoom, and more.

Is there a piece of work—a joke, a meme—that’s inspired you during this period?

I have been inspired by the Israeli comedian Yohay Sponder. It’s strange to label a comedian as “pro-Israel” but through his material, he has taken on the criticism and “haters” of Israel whose hypocrisy and anti-Semitism have pushed us all to the brink of sanity.

Check out Benji Lovitt’s official website.