Jewish comedian gives $1 million for Syrian refugees

Jewish comedian gives $1 million for Syrian refugees

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norman lebrecht

December 27, 2015

The actor Sasha Baron Cohen and his wife Isla Fisher are giving $500,000 to Save the Children to pay for measles vaccinations for children in northern Syria. A further half-million will go to the International Rescue Committee to help refugees in Syria and elsewhere, particularly women and children, with health care, shelter and sanitation.

sasha baron cohen

Sascha is renowned for his Ali G and Borat characters.

Agency report here.

Comments

  • Jim says:

    Very nice

  • Anon says:

    Always great have people, who see beyond the retarded “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand” school of indoctrination, and act accordingly.
    Bravo, Kudos, Respect, may God, Spaghettimonster and Obi-Wan bless you.

    • Commentator says:

      Perhaps you’d like to check your local hospital / university / cultural institutions / other non-denominational charities to see the extent of charity by the Jewish community before you make disgraceful comments about ‘eye for an eye…. indoctrination’? And, btw, are there other, similar donations by individuals to these charities?

      • Anon says:

        I fail to understand your argument. A eye for an eye is ancient tribal law. Something that by today thankfully is overcome.
        Probably only the most backward and ultra-orthodox Jews would take such ancient tribal rules today literally, don’t you think?

        Also what exactly is a “Jewish community”? Are there “Christian communities”? And “Buddhist communities”?

        • Mark says:

          Yes, there are Christian or Buddhist communities in every country where such religious groups are in the minority. A community is a group of people united by a common religion, history or other social bonds different from the general population. Don’t you know anything ?

          • Anon says:

            Well I know. Community is good.

            The problem is tribalism. These artificial divides between humans. Artificial mental constructs, who we should consider a stranger, a goim, and who “one of us”.

            They were a successful survival strategy in the stone age. Today they are only destructive and killing innocent people.

          • norman lebrecht says:

            OK, you are now dabbling with antisemitism. Enough.

        • norman lebrecht says:

          Your ignorance of Judaism is overwhelming.

          • Anon says:

            What ignorance? I’m honestly asking? That’s the opposite of ignorance I thought.
            I’m surprised that you seem to imply, that “an eye for an eye” is in your opinion still a sacred and to be literally understood concept of Judaism.

  • Patrick says:

    An honest question… Why does the headline specify “Jewish” comedian? No passive aggressiveness intended, I’m just curious.

  • Barbara says:

    I notice that the original report calls him a British comedian, so the emphasis is on his nationality rather than his religious faith but I have also noticed that this blog does mention people’s religious beliefs rather a lot but that is the prerogative of the blog owner I suppose.

    • John Borstlap says:

      ‘Jewish’ is referring to someone’s ethnic background, and in the same time, to religion because Jewishness as a religion is connected – from the religious point of view – to ethnicity: you cannot BECOME a Jew, because you cannot become a member of ‘the chosen people’. But people from Jewish ethnicity can be entirely un-religious or converted to other religions. Sometimes it is meant as a mere cultural indication. All these indications are unimportant and irrelevant, unless used as an instrument of discrimination, suppression or murder: in that case, it has consequences. The last century’s tragedies are important lessons about racism and exclusion. Borat’s incredibly rude provocation is hilarious…. but also, unthinking, half-drunk folk are an easy target. Racism – at all sides – is a product of unthinking.

      • Shalom Rackovsky says:

        Sigh….

        As I pointed out, in answer to a previous statement by John in the same vein, you CAN become Jewish. I also pointed out, in the same post, that for Jews, the idea of the “Chosen People” is not a statement of religiously-motivated superiority, but rather a shorthand for a heavy burden of responsibility.

        Bravo for Mr. and Mrs. SBC……

        • John Borstlap says:

          Sorry, then I had forgotten. Yet, I heard it differently from people who considered themselves in the first place Jewish. So, …. people think about such things differently.

          A ‘burden of responsibility’ based upon belonging, or feeling oneself belonging, to an ethnic group, seems equally dubious to me.

      • Anon says:

        The idea of a Jewish ethnicity based on genealogy is mostly debunked with modern scientific research.
        http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/131008/ncomms3543/full/ncomms3543.html

        But does it matter? Since people have believed they actually are a common “people”, they have over thousands of years built a culture around it. And THAT in my eyes defines the Jewish people and justifies their definition of being their own subset of people.

        The thing about “chosen”, well, that’s just mythology.

      • Anon says:

        Jewish ethnicity based on genealogy and race is just a – well defended – myth. European Jews have a genome that is in average just like other Europeans. Sephardic Jews have the same genetic diseases than their arabic and bedouin brothers. And Middle Eastern “semitic” Jews are genetic brothers and sisters of Palestinians. The myth of the *chosen* people is also just that, a myth.

        • Mark says:

          Pure nonsense. Actually, Ashkenazy Jews have genetically much more in common with Sephardic, Yemenite, Persian Jews etc. than with the Europeans among whom they lived. And the “Palestinians” are not now and never have been a distinctive ethnic, cultural or genetic group.

        • Mark says:

          Than you for the anti-Semitic perspective, Anon. Now put on your shiny boots and …. off.

    • Eddie Mars says:

      He is Jewish by fact. But comedian? I’d hardly agree with that.

  • Stereo says:

    Unfortunately £330,00 will go to pay the salaries of the CEO and the chief operating officer,which is why I never give money to such organisations.

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