Does Saturday Night Live Matter anymore? Does Broadway theater? This weekend both raised the question of anti-Semitism–what it is, and what it can lead to.

As a bit of background, Barb and I had our first post-Covid trip to New York City this weekend, a quick anniversary celebration in the Big Apple. The city seemed more crowded than ever, probably because of our decision to stay in a Times Square area hotel. It also seemed more redolent than in previous years, the aroma of (legal) marijuana blanketing–and an improvement over–the typical odor of curbside refuse.

We saw two plays; first the fun Neil Diamond bio Beautiful Noise and then the Tom Stoppard drama Leopoldstadt. We also had our room TV turned on long enough to catch the Dave Chappelle monologue on SNL. It is these last two experiences that provide a dramatic, stark lesson.

I don’t really know much about Mr. Chappelle. I know his comedy is considered controversial, but I have never watched his old TV series or any of his specials. I missed his previous two efforts hosting Saturday Night Live.

On this week’s show, Mr. Chappelle, with a wink and a sly grin, put forth the old trope–Jews, or more specifically, THE Jews–run everything, particularly show business. His method was to deny he was saying these things, even as he was saying them. While one or two of his lines were wickedly funny, his remarks, including condemnation/non-condemnations of Kanye West and Kyrie Irving, left a bitter taste in my mouth.

The results of anti-Semitism were clear and horrific in Leopoldstadt, which Barb and I viewed on the following afternoon. The play, set in my mother’s birthplace of Vienna, Austria, follows several generations of a Jewish family from 1900 to 1954. As quiet anti-Semitism is replaced by a virulent hatred of Jews, the Anschluss, and finally the Holocaust, some family members try to assimilate through intermarriage, some try to replace their Jewish identity with Communism, and some try to flee. Virtually all meet with tragedy. There is no escape.

So I will not ignore anti-Semitism, be it cloaked in comedy, or in a just-for-fun atmosphere. It is offensive, it is scary, and I will speak out about it when I can.