THE JEWISH QUESTION: A COMEDIC LAMENT to be Presented at The Braid
See one man's quest to reconcile his values with the realities of the modern world.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 05, 2025
The Braid will present the premiere of The Jewish Question: A Comedic Lament, a new one-man show by writer and performer Eric Jaffe. The limited engagement runs Saturday, December 13 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, December 14 at 2:00 PM at The Braid's theatre in Santa Monica.
Raised among what he describes as his father's "piles and piles of books," guided by the humanistic ethics of Star Trek, and shaped by conversations with people from Transylvania to Bangladesh, Jaffe embodies the intellectual curiosity and moral idealism often associated with Jewish cultural life. But as antisemitism rises and political polarization deepens, his lifelong questions take on new urgency.
Can a deeply connected American Jew still be a citizen of the world?
Is there room for humanism and hope amid so much hate?
And what does idealism mean when the world feels increasingly broken?
In The Jewish Question: A Comedic Lament, Jaffe explores these themes with humor, honesty, and heart. Jewish audiences will especially recognize the emotional complexity he captures, while viewers of all backgrounds will resonate with one man's quest to reconcile his values with the realities of the modern world.
This limited engagement offers Los Angeles-area audiences a rare chance to experience a timely and provocative solo performance that asks a central question for our era: Is there still a place for idealism-especially Jewish idealism-in a rage-filled world?
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