Funny men Dean Obeidallah (who is Palestinian-American) and Scott Blakeman (who is Jewish-American) both feel that the best way to start a conversation is with laughter. For the past thirteen years, they have brought college campuses and various communities together by standing up for tolerance, peace and understanding. “Initially Dean and I knew each other from the comedy world and did some shows together,” remarks Scott Blakeman. “We both lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and we’d both take the crosstown bus. And literally one day by the end of the ride we came up with the idea of having Jewish and Arab comedians and calling it ‘StandUp for Peace.’”
A typical show opens with Blakeman and Obeidallah doing a ten minute set together, then they each perform their own sets. The evening wraps up with a Q&A session between the comedians and the audience. “There’s so much overlap between Jewish and Muslim people,” says Blakeman. “We talk about our families and various customs, but in the end, I think we show that we really are all the same.”
