“What, did the shark wear a yarmulke,” joked American headline comedian Avi Liberman while talking about a claim by Egypt that shark attacks at a popular beach resort had been organized by Israel’s Mossad Intelligence Service. Liberman started coming to Israel during the Second Intifada when suicide bombings had the country on a war footing and tourists were a rarity. The Israeli born comedian said he came to show support for the country. “A girl came up to me after the show and said, ‘thanks, this is the first time I have laughed in a year.”
In later years, he’s organized a tour group of four comedians who come over to raise money for the Koby Mandell foundation, a group named after a 13-year-old boy killed in a suicide bombing which helps terror victims’ families.

Dubbed ‘Comedy for Koby,’ the tour now has an almost cult following among American Jews who moved to Israel. “We don’t get english humor here,” said Rachel Green. The four comedians donate their time for the week to play sold out crowds all over the country. For many of the comedians its their first trip to Israel, Gregg Rogel joked that he didn’t need a colonoscopy after going through El Al security for the flight over.