By COLlive reporter
A comedy show by Jewish American actor and comedian Michael Rapaport scheduled for Tuesday night in Birmingham, Alabama, was canceled by organizers due to protests over his outspoken support for Israel.
Rapaport, 55, was slated to perform at the Stardome Comedy Club as part of his nationwide tour running through January 2026. Known for his vocal condemnation of Hamas and advocacy for the release of the hostages abducted from Israel on October 7, 2023, Rapaport has made his stance on the war clear across social media and interviews.
Bruce Ayers, the club’s owner, said in a statement on Wednesday that the venue booked Rapaport for a comedy show, not a political event.
Rapaport said the decision to cancel was made just hours before the show and without his involvement.
“I did not cancel. I would never cancel – especially since I’m already here in Birmingham, ready to perform,” he wrote online. “It was shut down because of protests and threats over my support for Israel and for speaking up about the 50 hostages still being held in Gaza. 670 days in captivity – and people are protesting me for demanding their release? It’s embarrassing. It’s sad. But I’m not ashamed. I stand by what I say and who I stand with.”
While in Birmingham filming a movie, Rapaport had arranged the show during his time off and first announced it on July 23.
Instead of the performance, Rapaport was warmly welcomed at Chabad of Alabama, where he wrapped tefillin with Shluchim Rabbi Yossi Posner, Rabbi Yossi Friedman, and Rabbi Levi Weinbaum. He spoke to a sizable crowd there.
“Fortunately, I got to meet some incredible people from Chabad of Alabama today and had the blessing of wrapping tefillin – a ginormous mitzvah and a reminder of what really matters,” Rapaport said. “Am Yisrael Chai.”
Rapaport later shared that over 250 people attended the Chabad gathering, with more than 50 men putting on tefillin, many for the first time. Attendees prayed for the hostages, IDF soldiers, the wounded, and all of Israel, and left with mezuzahs, Shabbos candles, and “full hearts.”
“What happened instead was more powerful than any comedy show, movie, or TV job,” Rapaport wrote. “It was a super-duper blessing. Am Yisrael Chai.”
