By: Fern Sidman

Supporters of a grassroots movement committed to battling media anti-Semitism held a protest outside of NBC studios on Saturday night in response to a recent anti-Semitic statement made by “Saturday Night Live” star Michael Che, according to a Fox report.

The protest was co-sponsored by former Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind and his Americans Against Anti-Semitism organization as well as such groups as End Jew Hatred, Liberate Art and Yad Yamin New York.

Individuals at the New York City studios slammed Che’s alleged “joke” on last week’s Saturday’s “SNL” episode in which the comedian said: “Israel is reporting that they’ve vaccinated half of their population. I’m going to guess it’s the Jewish half.”

In a statement to Fox News, Brooke Goldstein, executive director of The Lawfare Project and an End Jew Hatred partner said, “Michael Che is a bigot–plain and simple. Not only was his ‘joke’ the laziest form of comedy, it perpetuated a vile lie that stands to exacerbate already rising antisemitism in the United States. NBC must make it clear that Jew Hatred has no place on its network and hold Che and the SNL writers responsible for spreading hate.”

Fox News reported that Che has been facing backlash throughout the week for the joke, which many critics called “anti-Semitic.”

In a YouTube video issued prior to the Saturday night demonstration, Dov Hikind said, “We are going to NBC to educate — not to crucify anybody — we are going there to say this is not funny. Antisemitism is never funny. Period.”

As a scholar of contemporary anti-Semitism and a son of Holocaust survivors, Hikind posted, “Unsurprising coming from SNL as they have a long record of anti-Semitism.” Beside himself, Hikind said that Sid Rosenberg, co-host of WABC’s “Bernie and Sid in the Morning” radio show, will lead the protest, according to a NY Post report.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said such jokes perpetuate anti-Semitic tropes and demanded SNL issue an apology.

“Your ‘joke’ is ignorant – the fact is that the success of our vaccination drive is exactly because every citizen of Israel – Jewish, Muslim, Christian-is entitled to it. Apologize!” he said on his Twitter account.

The American Jewish Committee also launched a petition censuring NBC, saying: “Saturday Night Live’s ‘joke’ isn’t just untrue — it’s dangerous, a modern twist on a classic anti-Semitic trope that has inspired the mass murder of countless Jews throughout the centuries.”

Fox News reported that the petition continued: “Words have consequences, and Jews are at risk when a major American TV company joins with those who claim Israel is favoring only a portion of its citizens in its admirable efforts, praised by Dr. Anthony Fauci and others, to vaccinate all of its residents.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) told Fox News in a statement Monday evening that while the segment is “known for sharp criticism and public takedowns,” Che’s joke “not only missed the mark, but crossed the line — basing the premise of the joke on factual inaccuracies and playing into an antisemitic trope in the process.”

The group went even further to say it has been monitoring “Weekend Update” this season and said the segment has “inappropriately used Jews as the punchline” multiple times, according to the Fox News report.

Long time Jewish activist, published author and political commentator, Marion Dreyfus attended the demonstration and told the Jewish Voice that over 150 people participated in the rally at NBC Studios.

Ms. Dreyfus said that signs were held aloft by protestors saying, “Anti-Semitism is Not Funny” and “Shame on SNL.” She added that, “Dov Hikind did a remarkable job in organizing this demonstration and for bringing attention to this very important issue. Mr. Hikind told those present at the demonstration that he had not received an apology from NBC and that this outrage must not be ignored.”

According to Ms. Dreyfus, most of those in the crowd were expressing righteous indignation over the visceral anti-Semitism that has become endemic to the skits presented on Saturday Night Live.

As a veteran television critic, Ms. Dreyfus said that each week she reviews the program for her throngs of readers and has panned the program on multiple occasions. “Not only is SNL not funny, but I have observed that they constantly present harsh critiques of Trump and his acolytes, but never ever satirize President Biden or anyone from his administration.” She has concluded that the show is not only politically tendentious but it appears that they have a nefarious agenda.”

Parenthetically, Ms. Dreyfus told the Jewish Voice that NBC provides monetary compensation to audience members for their attendance each week at the airing of Saturday Night Live. “She said, “If they did not pay people to attend the show’s filming, them no one would attend.”

Also weighing in on this issue was acclaimed radio talk show personality, longtime Jewish activist, and president of the Conference of Jewish Affairs, Rabbi Aryeh Spero. In a recently published article entitled, “Saturday Night Live Stoops to Anti-Semitism to Get a Cheap Laugh” Rabbi Spero wrote:

“The producers of Saturday Night Live decided they would sacrifice the truth and demonize the Jewish State for the sake of a cheap laugh or, worse, enable an age old blood libel accusing Jews of manufacturing and spreading plagues while being indifferent to others. Surely Mr. Michaels knows of the heroic efforts Israel has made in creating vaccines, medicines, and state-of-the art medical equipment to alleviate not only the coronavirus but also every type of disease found across the globe. The Saturday Night Live crew would do best to educate themselves on how Israel, matched only by the United States, has sent its transportable medical units immediately to every part of the globe facing a meteorological or medical catastrophe.”

He added that: “The Saturday Night Live crew would never be this callous, nor stereotype a Muslim or LTGBQ group. They know that in today’s culture, such demonization would get them cancelled and removed from media outlets. The demands for perfection made by left-leaning media outlets are directed mostly against the United States and Israel. Why are there never demands that Muslim countries and organizations step up to the plate and help others, as is continually demanded of Israel, the United States, Jews and Christians?”

Rabbi Spero who is also the author of the book “Push Back: The Battle to Save Our American Judeo-Christian Heritage” also said in his article:

“Had Lorne Michaels, founder and producer of Saturday Night Live checked, he would have found that Israel has already vaccinated 70% of its Arab population over 60 years old, directly resulting in a delay for many of its Jewish citizens within Israel. In addition, had Mr. Michaels checked, he would have found that Israel offered the vaccine to Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Arab Authority, who refused the vaccine, placing his hatred of Israel above concern for his own Muslim constituents.”

NBC told Fox News it has “no comment.” Reps for Che did not immediately return Fox News’ request for comments on Saturday.